I'd watched it emerge on Mwanzi Market along Mwanzi Road in Nairobi's Westlands during visits to my barber.
"Whatever's coming up looks authentically Mediterranean," I remember thinking. It turned out to be a Greek restaurant—Mythos Taverna.
Recently we nipped in for evening wine without reservation. The maître d' allowed us but only until 7.45pm, explaining that they hadn’t fully opened but they were taking reservations and some walk-ins for free meals. “Free meals?” I asked. "Yeah", he said.
You only get to buy your drinks. “Stop it! Free meals? What’s the catch?” He said, to get feedback. So he booked us for a Sunday dinner.
That evening, the restaurant hummed with energy, growing genuinely bustling after 7pm. I remember the salads as being real fresh, so fresh I could taste the sun on them. I remember that I made the mistake of leaning on the pitta bread.
I couldn’t ignore the starters. And so when my main course came, a chicken burger like you have never eaten before, I was stuffed.
Waiters zipped across the floor, delivering food and clearing, busy to their gills. I wondered how many steps their smartwatches would register by night's end.
The food was remarkable—truly exceptional. Their burger instantly earned a place in my personal burger hall of fame, joining elite offerings from Cultiva Restaurant and Sierra Bar.
After several glasses of wine, we briefly lingered at the bar for a digestif while awaiting our bill. It seemed illicit that the meal was free.
That everybody in the room would eat and get away with only their drinks menu. It also felt like Christmas and we had just been given a gift.
“Why do you think humans love freebies?” I asked Lady. “Well, why look at a gift horse in the mouth?” she retorted.
The only minor downsides were the absence of Fernet-Branca at the bar and a bit of a wait for our main courses. Though, considering the pace that waiter was keeping, I'm hoping he at least clocked a solid 10,000 steps that night.
