DJC Kitchen, CBD.

It was a Thursday evening and we were looking for a restaurant to have our monthly book club meetings. The idea was to restrict the options to the CBD since we rarely meet in the CBD. I had seen DJC kitchen on several occasions (the few times I am in town) and it seemed like a restaurant we would like and I was not wrong.

 We were meeting to discuss two books, Lament for the Fallen by Gavin Chait. A sci-fi book based in modern-day Nigeria but the explorer is South African (I did not read it lol so I cannot give my review on it but from the fact that most people did not finish it, I could tell it was not a favorite. Those that did finish reading it said it was not an easy read). The second book was Seasons of Crimson Blossoms (this could have been a shorter title lol) by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, a book that seemed to be provocative and angered guys (I also did not read it lol. I was having a hard time last year reading) seeing as it was all hail patriarchy lol.

 Come Saturday, I woke up all excited to try the restaurant coz the reviews I had read so far were good reviews; from the fact that their ribs were amazing and that their sweet and sour chicken served with rice was impressive. I could not wait to try either of the two when I got there.

It is not so common to come across a restaurant serving Asian dishes in town. The only other restaurant that I know does that in the CBD is Teriyaki chicken on Mama Ngina Street. DJC Kitchen, on Koinange street, is the new restaurant that has come to give us something different. It is a breath of fresh air from the normal fast food joints and Somali restaurants that are the norm in the CBD. The beautiful restaurant is found opposite the housing finance building on Koinange street where Dominos used to be near G.P.O. The restaurant offers a variety of Asian dishes as well as other continental dishes. 

One of my favorite features of the restaurant is the fact that, just like Ohcha bar, you can build your noodle bowl. One of my friends had the Chicken teppanyaki for sh.750 and the chicken did not disappoint at all. I had the yakitori skewers (chicken meat) and I can genuinely say there was a parade of flavors in my mouth. The mango mojito is probably one of the sweetest mojitos you will have and not regret (almost as sweet as Café Deli’s mocktails). 

The restaurant has a “cute space” kind of vibe and it has a chilled-out ambiance that allows for guys to have a conversation without having to be loud. I was not so keen on the music that was playing in the background but I do remember listening to one of Miguel’s song coz we ended up commenting on it. Did you know that there is a channel that just shows train tracks all day? No trains, no people, no commercials just train tracks. That was one of the channels on their three screens which acted as a good distraction when my mind drifted. 

It is also an affordable restaurant seeing as the most expensive thing on the item is probably ksh.1200. Mocktails go for ksh. 400, beers ksh. 300. The food portions are also generous, especially the fries. It is easy to access the restaurant seeing as it is in the Central Business District.

The service is really good and you do not have waiters and waitresses coming to your table every two minutes. It was amazing not to have to wait for hours to be served and to have our food ready. I loved the artwork on the wall seeing as it was characters from the video game assassin’s creed. This gave it a different feel from the usual artwork. I do not frequent town as much but I would go back here to try other dishes on their menu. Word has it that their ribs are heavenly and I guess that is what I will have next.