Honey and Dough is the newest addition to The Food Library’s list of restaurants, which include Mercado, Inti and The Mirror. Having only opened in July, the gourmet café has become the go spot if you are looking for a varied and tantalizing gourmet experience. So you can imagine the excitement, when we were invited for a intimate media tasting at their restaurant on the 24th of October 2019.
Honey and Dough; is located on the 7thfloor of One Africa Place in Westlands and it is the newest “foodie haven” that everyone has been raving about. Funny enough, we had actually planned to have gone to Honey and Dough just when it was opened; when it was the still the talk of the town; so you can imagine the excitement when we were invited for this intimate media tasting; a tasting that would give us a feel of their best dishes without having to spend our own money. Pure heaven that is. This why we believe “patience is key”.
The tasting was scheduled for 1:00 pm but true African fashion, we arrived a little late, around 1:30 pm. Luckily, they waited for us; so we ended up officially starting at 2:00 pm. It wouldn’t be fun want to miss out on tasting any of the delectable dishes, right? On arrival, we were impressed by the restaurant design, a simple and relaxed dining area with an elegant and welcoming vibe. The views were also amazing, the better to have something scenic to look at while enjoying you meal. The Head of Marketing and Events, Chandni and The Social Media and PR Manager, Alaá gave us a warm welcome, serving us a non-alcoholic Frescamade with lush strawberries, lychee, cranberry and lime stirred up with a tonic. The Frescawas delicious; a clear indicator of an interesting gourmet experience to come.
The menu for the tasting was extensive, ranging from vegan treats, Mexican cuisine and Italian classics spread across courses that included two starters, three main courses and three deserts. For the starter, we had the pulled pork bao bun – a freshly baked bao bun that is served with juicy ginger pork and red cabbage drizzled with a mild chilli sauce. There was a vegan option as well, the stuffed avocado with cashew cream. We didn’t taste it since Avocados skipped the range of my favorite food palettes but we are definitely sure most Kenyans would have loved to trade places with us! “Avocado goes with everything” is a Kenyan saying after all.
Moving on to the main course, we first tasted the Oriental Chicken, a Chinese inspired dish with stir-fried rice that was just the right amount of spicy. The next dish was the Mexican cuisine Buddha bowl that came with Mexican rice, peppers, guacamole, sour cream and mangopico de gallo. This was a colorful and wholesome dish and the chicken was to die for! The final main dish was the H & D raw ravioli, an Italian classic dish with carrot and coconut ravioli with macadamia cheese, marjoram pesto and a balsamic garlic reduction. It was a new dish for us, not having tried ravioli before but it was an interesting taste and a good option for vegans.
After getting our fill of the main courses, we finally got to have some desert; definitely our absolute favorite part of any meal. The deserts included a Coconut Pear slicemade of pears marinated in red wine then served with coconut ice cream and cacao. It was a pretty treat and equally tasty. We also had the Nutella Pizza, a delicious pizza topped with torched bananas and fresh strawberries, soft and easy to bite. The H & D (Honey and Dough) Brownie was a bonus treat probably made from bakery heaven because it my favorite from the dessert options. We finished off the dining experience with a peculiarly named house drink by Honey and dough, the Fallen Angel – a gin cocktail made of cranberry juice, Tanqueray, Vanilla, Citrus and gomme syrup. The fallen angels of Honey and Dough had truly given us a trip to gourmet paradise.
By the end of the 3 course meal, we only had two words: “EXQUISITE BANQUET”. We were already asking for another tasting. What a fantastic way to spend our Thursday afternoon.
It was obvious to see why Honey and Dough has become the elite dining choice in Westlands. This is the go to place for foodies seeking a gourmet experience but also for those looking for something new, different and most importantly, delicious. The Honey and Dough gourmet experience is worth every penny spent and more.
N/B: A big shout out to Ajay for the amazing food pictures. Check her out on IG – @ajaysreview. 🙂
