BAMBINO LATIN ITALIAN KITCHEN

The entrance to the 9West building located at the heart of Westlands is underwhelming – just your usual mall-esque building that houses offices, a couple of restaurants and a few stores. I had already checked online that Bambino would be on the ground floor and wouldn’t be that hard to find. There is a basement parking lot in case you decide to drive there and a lift that goes up to the ground floor. The music is what first alerted me that we were headed in the right direction and we found the entrance easy enough. At the door, we were well received by a member of the waiting staff who politely asked to seat us or if we had a reservation. On clearing our reservation details, she led us to our table. The lights in the restaurant make for the perfect ambiance for a romantic dinner date or drinks after work with friends. There are different couches and tables in the restaurant and you can make special requests on where to be seated in your reservation. I could tell that I was not underdressed at all. FOOD: I must say that Bambino has outdone themselves with their appetizers. At our table, we ordered the Poached Prawns Burrata and avocado, Charcoal Grilled Octopus, and Triple Cooked Fries at a cost averaging Ksh 1500 per plate. I had a Long Island while I waited which was delightful. For an Italian restaurant, my expectations were quite high for their pizzas. These expectations were however not met. Their pizzas were a tad bland with minimal toppings and obviously, oven-cooked. Pizzas cooked in an oven have the crust burnt a little at the edges which I generally do not mind. However, the crust is what I was working with, what with their minimal toppings so I didn’t quite enjoy the pizzas as much as I did their appetizers. The service at the restaurant was great considering that they had a full house and we were very well taken care of. I plan on making a reservation at Bambino for Valentine and enjoying the night with my lover. The restaurant is definitely worth checking out.

I like to describe myself as an avid lover of pasta and pizza. See how they give kids candy and all their problems are solved miraculously? Give me either of the aforementioned foods and I will curl up in satisfaction. Bambino is a newly opened restaurant that is located in the 9WEST building right in the heart of Westlands, Nairobi. It is dedicated to creating a fusion of Latin-Italian meals offering such a perfect blend of flavour. When I heard there’s a newly opened Italian restaurant, my mind immediately went to pasta and pizza and with that, I was convinced I had to try it. I had the pleasure of visiting with a few of my colleagues and I can say my experience was nothing short of impressive. Straight from the flamboyant decor, professional staff, and flavour-rich food, there are only good things to say about Bambino. I had a long island at the beginning of the night ,it was good but I thought it could have been a little stronger. We then sampled all the starters from the menu. The price range was from for the starters 900-2000kshs. The Long Island was around 900kshs. If I could go back there I would have the crispy mozzarella over and over again. It had a crisp coarse exterior with a gooey buttery interior. The contrasting textures in this appetizer created such spiritual satiety. My colleagues seemed to enjoy the beetroot carpaccio, poached prawns, and eggplant ceviche. They were a little too meat-deprived for my taste. For the main course, we ordered pizza.We sampled a variety but my favorite was definitely the Lomo Saltado Pizza. It had a thin crust with an assortment of mushrooms, mozzarella, onion, cherry tomato, parmesan, beef tenderloin, and cherry tomato for toppings. It was around 1400kshs. Lastly, we had dessert. A combination of baked cheesecake, Pineapple Carpaccio, Hibiscus, and Strawberry. The price range combined was 900-1100 kshs. The Hibiscus and strawberry was such a nice way to end the night : mildly sweet with a tinge of savoriness. Overall verdict for bambino: YES!YES!YES! I would love to go back here and sample more things on their menu. It was slightly noisy at night when I visited because of how packed it was so when planning a visit I would recommend considering off-peak hours. Also, remember to make a reservation prior.

Indulge in a Latin Italian fusion cuisine at Nairobi’s newest , hottest and latest restaurant Bambino . She is classy , elegant, luxurious , lavishly decorated with quite a tasteful artwork. Bambino is a new sister restaurant to Inti Nikkei and Honey & Dough, so you better believe the space is spectacular and the ambience is splendid . We visited Bambino for dinner and I throughly enjoyed the meals, my company and the vibess.

My drink for the night was Rosemary Smoked Negroni (Kshs. 950) , it’s a mixture of Tanqueray No. Ten, Campari and clove-infused vermouth Rosso. It was strong and citrusy with a prefect undertone of foresty smoked herbs. This was a sure hit!

For starters we had :-

1.) Poached prawns burrata – (Kshs.2000) , one of a kind dish that was quite new to me but unfortunately didn’t enjoy  as it was so bland

2.) Charcoal Grilled Octopus (Kshs.1900), the most tender and well seasoned octopus that I have ever had , and topping that with hot sauce, yummm, I haven’t stopped daydreaming of this dish .

3.)Beef Striploin Carpaccio (Kshs.1500), the beef was cured & smoked, mixed with grilled corn , corn panna catta, lime , grana padano , and aji amarillo dressing . The texture of the combo was soo good .

4.)Beetroot Carpaccio (Kshs.1200) , absolutely delectable. Such a minimal effort dish but the flavour was mindblowing , this was BEST starter and I can’t wait to eat it again .

5.)Eggplant ceviche (Kshs.1050)- the creaminess of this dish , combined with the rich avocado toppings was perfecttt. This was so deliciouss!

For mains we went for pizza :-

1.)Lomo Saltado (Kshs.1350). The beef tenderloin on the pizza was well marinated , seasoned to magnificence and a perfect topping to elevate the flavours of this pizza.

2.)Diavola (Kshs. 1350), this pizza made of spicy salami, mozzarella and basil was just as good

3.)Portofino (Kshs.1350), the overload of cheese made my little cheese heart dance , brilliantly cooked and a pleasure to eat !

For sides :- 1.)Cuban Rice (Kshs.650)- the rice was loaded with black beans, pork bacon, plantain , onions and peppers. Such a big, bold , balanced and rich in flavour dish.

2.)Triple cooked fries (Kshs.500), the fries didn’t crisp up well but were okay and really delicious with the gravy .

For dessert :- 1.)Hibiscus and strawberry (Kshs.1100) – this was deliciousss.

2.)Baked Cheescake (Kshs.1100)-the berries compote on the cheesecake was the star of the dish , a textured fruit sauce that complimented the cheescake so well .

3.)Pineapple Carpaccio (Kshs.950)- the fusion of ginger, mint and pineapples was a love dance in my mouth , absolutely delicious.

Bambino is prefect for date nights , friends meetup , business lunch/dinner and has the perfect vibes to keep you yearning for more . I can’t wait to go back and try out their other dishes .

Life as a foodie has been hard over the last two years of the lockdown. The lockdown has affected both clients and restaurants, with many of my favourite restaurants permanently shutting down. One of these restaurants was Mediterraneo, which was arguably one of the best Italian restaurants in Westlands. So, when I heard a new Italian restaurant had taken up the space, I had to try it out. I needed to see if Bambino leaves up to Mediterraneo’s legacy. I arrived at Bambino on a Friday evening for a business dinner. We had made a reservation for 7 pm, and when I arrived at 6:50 pm the table was already set. The interior décor was elegant and the ambience was good. I started the night with a Rosemary Smoked Negroni (KSh 950) as I waited for the starters. The Negroni was strong and I enjoyed it enough to order another one. For starters, we had decided to try out everything on the menu. My favourites, in order of preference, were the ‘Charcoal Grilled Octopus’ (KSh1900), ‘Beetroot Carpaccio’ (KSh1200) and Beef Striploin Capaccio (KSh 1500). The ‘Poached Prawns Burrata’ (KSh 2000) was really good, however, it was my least favourite starter. They also had Burrata (KSh 1500), Crispy Mozzarella (KSh1350) and Eggplant Ceviche (KSh1050) for the vegetarians. These were good but not memorable. The side of Triple Cooked Fries (KSh 500) was also really good and I recommend it. For the main dish, we ordered Pizzas. My favourite pizza was the Lomo Saltado (KSh 1350), followed by the Diavola (Ksh 1350). They weren’t as good as my mum’s homemade pizza but they came pretty close. The vegetarian option was the Ricotta and Spinach (KSh 1350) which was okay, but I can’t be too hard on them since I have never been a fan of vegetarian food. We finished with deserts with my favourites being Pineapple Carpaccio (KSh 950) and Tiramisu (KSh 1100). The restaurant service was really fast and the waiters and waitress were really friendly. Some of the best staffers I have met. Bambino more than surpassed my expectations. It lives up to the legacy of the restaurants that previously occupied that space and I highly recommend the restaurant to everyone including former Mediterraneo patrons.