The Lord Erroll restaurant, buried down a long lane inside Runda, is a most sedate place for the rich, feeling more like a private club than a restaurant, and inspired from its name onwards by a history of lavish living and opulence.
As a French gourmet restaurant with a dash of Swiss influence, the 11-year-old restaurant is named after Josslyn Hay who became the Lord of Erroll in 1928 and lived an extravagant but controversial life as a founder of the “Happy Valley” set, before being mysteriously murdered in 1941.
With only a small sign at its gateway on Ruaka Road, it is an easy restaurant to miss, but hard to forget once seen. Its long drive leads into a restaurant compound paved with stones, alongside flags from around the world. Guests walk up steps into the restaurant foyer, where stained glass decorations on the ceiling sit above paintings of Naivasha Lake and the Scottish Highlands commissioned by Elizabeth Dames.
The restaurant declares of itself that it has been “designed to recreate the theme and mood” of the Happy Valley era, and “it’s country style orientation, polished wooden floors, stained glass and elegant interiors place it in a class of its own”.
Yet, over the years, it’s adherence to the etiquette of the 1930s has softened a little. There is no longer a dress code (although shorts are discouraged after 7pm), the restaurant no longer holds weddings, and etiquette training is no longer offered. Yet the club feel lingers on, with the restaurant’s core clientele of repeat guests in their 40s and 50s only now giving way to a smattering of younger couples and groups.
For the nation’s decision-makers for whom the Lord Erroll is always first choice, the food is a big part of the lure, including reliable Smoked Salmon and Escargot Bourguignon, as well as an award winning wine list. Favourite dishes, say the chefs, are Ostrich Tournedos, Spicy Jumbo Prawn and Vienna Schnitzel, all of which come with the kind of service that sees any dropped napkin replaced with a new one, ladies served first and plates only cleared when everyone is finished.
The Lord Erroll’s four dining areas can together seat around 250 guests.
The Highlander Bar With its tartan carpet and wood paneling is lined with vintage photographs, cushioned chairs and couches beside an inviting fireplace, and offers a Happy Hour Tuesday-Saturday from 5-7pm, of drinks at 75% discount.
The Conservatory with a mahogany floor and light yellow walls that glow when hit by the sun is lined with illustrations of birds, plants and butterflies around a large fireplace with a metallic gold hood.
On the other side of the restaurant, the Claremont, with mahogany paneling, is “reminiscent of a traditional Victorian ‘Club Room’” according to the restaurant’s website. A navy carpet patterned with flowers and heavy red curtains sit beneath a large, richly detailed stained glass ceiling centerpiece of three dark skinned women that look like goddesses. The Claremont specializes in classics such as an Hors d'Oeuvres Trolley, Carvery Trolley and Flambé.
Outside, the renowned verandah seats up to 150 and is the most popular place to dine in the restaurant, overlooking the spacious garden complete with waterfall. The entire perimeter of the garden is covered with trees giving a feeling of privacy that makes one forget there is a city outside. Orange circular paper lanterns line the restaurant and an eclectic mix of music wafts through the air, from American pop hits to German and Italian music.
The food is local and mostly organic, with nothing precooked or frozen. That means food takes around 30 minutes to prepare, and may be ordered at the bar ahead of being seated. In the kitchen, there are separate meat chefs, and vegetable chefs, a chef for the salads and before each and every plate of food comes out to the restaurant, it is personally inspected by the head chef to ensure proper preparation.
The menu includes plenty of vegetarian meals as well as fish, poultry and meat dishes. A tourist menu (in English and German) is also offered for the guests of several private safari companies, including Kwoni and Liberty Safaris.
Prices per dish range from Sh450-Sh1,100 for starters, Sh900 for pasta to Sh2,550 for King Prawns.
The three most popular dishes on the menu are:
Ostrich Tournedos (served with croquette potatoes, mixed vegetable and morel mushroom sauce) Ksh 1,750
Spicy jumbo prawns (prawns sautéed in garlic, coriander, chilies and turmeric butter sauce with vegetable couscous) Ksh 1, 850
Vienna schnitzel (bread crusted pork escalopes with a lemon slice and anchovy, crispy French fries) ksh 1,450
There is no children's menu although the restaurant's Sunday lunch time buffet draws families.
The Lord Erroll is closed on Mondays, but from Tuesday to Sunday is open from 12:30-2:30 for lunch. The bar opens at 5 and dinner is served from 6.30 with last orders taken at 9.30. To contact the The Lord Erroll: Tel: 254 20 7122433, 7121308, 7122302,7122636 Cell: 254 (0) 733 579903 or (0) 721 920820 Fax: 254 20 7121142
Or visit http://www.lord-erroll.com
The Lord Erroll Gourmet Restaurant 89 Ruaka Rd, Runda Estate, P. O. Box 999, Village Market Nairobi, Kenya
