Table for one, please: Rise of solo bruncher

A new crop of diners is rewriting the rules, boldly declaring: You don't need company to enjoy brunch. Sometimes, the best brunch dates are the ones you take yourself on without needing anyone to validate the experience.

Reclaiming her time and attention

Like Joan Otieno, a humanitarian in her 30s who's working with the International Organisation for Migration. To her, solo brunching is about reclaiming her time and attention.

"My current job involves talking to people so much that I often crave time to just sit and be by myself. And not just in the house as usual, I want to take myself out, maybe read a good book, eat food that I didn't have to prepare, and take time to reflect on what I want to accomplish," she says.

But how did she start?

"A colleague recommended solo brunching to me late last year, and at first I thought it would be awkward and boring. You know, I'm a people's person. Everywhere I go, I go with people. I never thought I could enjoy my own company."

However, the more she did it, the more she discovered unexplored sides of her personality. Now, she not only dines solo when marking special occasions like her birthday but also takes herself out once month.

"Brunch dates are the perfect in between. You don't want to rush to go to a restaurant early in the morning, and a lot of the time, there's something else to do in the evening. Also, in most places, you'll find that while breakfast is affordable, lunch is a bit more expensive. Brunch offers a sweet price spot," she shares.

And while the idea of dining alone is still met with raised eyebrows, Joan says that it's a nice, freeing feeling to be able to eat without judgement.

"There’s nobody to tell me I’m eating too much, or ask ‘isn’t that food expensive?’ I can just have whatever I want and sit there for however long I want," she says.

"Sometimes someone will approach and try to speak to you thinking that they're being helpful, or you'll get the occasional side-eye, especially in restaurants that get full people are like ‘that chick is just having that table by herself’, but I encourage people to do brunch, to take themselves out on a date. You get to learn who you are outside of the noise."

Experience the meal

Like Joan, the act of eating for Vera Guda, 30, a digital content creator and marketer, is more about the experience than it is filling the belly. "Food is an art. There are so many aspects to it, things like texture, technique, the balance of different flavours, and I love to know these details." 

When she began reviewing restaurants, Vera would order dishes that she’d never heard of then go and try to recreate the taste at home without asking what ingredients were used.

“It's important to know your dish. You should be able to taste something and tell that this is cinnamon or there's a lot of A, B, C, D and whatnot. And you need to know the actual balance.”

But does this mean she has a background in culinary arts? “Not really, I just love eating and knowing what it is I’m eating. If I taste something in my food and I can't tell exactly what it is, it really bothers me. I like to ask questions and find out more."

This coupled with a tendency to be spontaneous, often means that finding the right company for brunch is not always easy.

"I can decide at midnight that I want to brunch the next day. A lot of people, especially those who are not in this space (food content creation), will need to budget first. And I'm not saying budgeting is bad, but you see if you enjoy solo brunching, you’re able to make your own decisions. You don’t have to think about asking someone else if they have money to brunch with you the next day.  Plus, I also feel like people don't really appreciate brunch. It's just another meal for them."

As a lover of fine dining since 2018, Vera says that while she is a socially confident person who likes being around people, having solo brunch has never felt awkward. If anything, she enjoys it so much that she can go out for two brunches in a week.

"Brunching with friends is nice, but brunching solo allows you to actually experience the meal so that by the time I'm telling you a story about something, you want to go there and try it out for yourself because I have something to say other than the food was 10 out of 10."

The thing she appreciates the most about brunch is the variety that the menu offers and the time she is afforded (typically four hours or so) to sample everything.

"People say they find it overwhelming because the menu is extensive, but I think it's nice. It makes it easier for you to sample a little bit of everything—seafood, rice, or even an international cuisine."

Have there been moments when people stare at or pity her from a distance?

"Oh yes. Back then, people would assume that you've been stood up, or are having a hard time, and some would even send me messages asking why I would go to a restaurant alone, especially since I'm married. There’s also times when people assume that I’m hunting for company and they randomly send over a drink, but these days, in the space we are in right now, I feel like a lot of people are trying to rediscover themselves, and the culture of solo dining is increasingly being embraced."

As a proud advocate for the solo brunch movement, Vera shares that dining alone isn't something to avoid—it's something to celebrate.

"I think it screams confidence and self-prioritisation," she says. "I know so many people who would rather die than be seen in a restaurant on their own, but sometimes it's just about taking a moment to sit by yourself, reflect, and treat yourself to something nice instead of waiting for someone else to make you feel good."

And to those who battle social anxiety she recommends, "Start small and build it up. Start with places that are not usually full or go in the morning hours when most places are not busy. You can also say hi to people while you serve your food, and before you know it, there'll be someone sitting at your table with you. You don’t have to make a romantic relationship out of that, you can just be non-romantic and you might end up making a real connection with someone who shares your interests."

Solo dining = me time

For Glory Bundi, a social media manager/ marketing professional, solo brunching is a brilliant way to show yourself love before anyone else can claim to do the same for you.

She sees it as a way to invest in herself - an opportunity to expose her mind to things beyond what she knows, see the world from a different perspective, and live a limitless life - before pouring into others or expecting them to pour into her.

"After Covid-19, I realised that I can still have fun without people. Sometimes you want to be with someone, friends, or family, but no one is available. Adulting, you know? People move to different cities, friends are busy, but life has to go on. And living for me means going to these places, whether I have company or not."

A regular bruncher, Glory can go out for two to five outings in a month, depending on her schedule and what she’s in the mood for. This is in spite of how often she travels, as even in foreign lands, she finds herself seeking out fine dining spots to keep up with her self-appreciating habit.

But while having brunch by herself comes naturally now, that was not the case in the past.

 "It felt weird at first, but after two or three times in you realise it doesn't matter because you'll probably never see those people again. Then, when you get used to it, it becomes so comfortable you even stop thinking about the opinions of others. It has made me so independent and comfortable with being alone that I’m now relearning to accommodate others because you also need your community?”

Glory says she loves the freedom it offers—being able to choose from a variety of cuisines without limitations. Surprisingly, it has also helped her expand her palate.

"This is how I managed to put myself onto seafood. Seafood is an acquired taste and before,I didn't like it. So, I would go and order maybe calamari as my starter then go ahead with my meat for the main meal. Then the next time I would order prawns, or shrimp again as my starter. Once I realised that I like them, I went on to ordering them for the main meal. Now, seafood has become my favourite.  Recently I’ve discovered a combination of seafood and pasta and I’m really loving it. It’s a delicacy."

Although Glory has yet to come across a restaurant with designated solo tables, she notes that many fine dining spots are slowly embracing the trend of unaccompanied diners.

"They'll ask you, 'Table for two?' when you walk in, but once you clarify that you're alone, they quickly set up for one and remove any extra cutlery."

So, what does she do when solo brunching? "Definitely eat and think things through. Brunch is my time to disconnect from everything and reconnect with myself.

I tend to put my phone away and reflect on my life. I evaluate how it's going, whether I'm keeping promises I've made to myself, how work is fairing, and what I'll do about people who are around me and are draining me."

To anyone who would want to dine solo, Glory advises, "Book in advance, if it is a busy time. If the charges are Sh3,000, carry an extra Sh2,000 because you might find something else to try, and it's better not to box yourself.

Put your phone away and be in the moment, check the weather beforehand and dress accordingly (some of these Nairobi hotels lack heaters), and more importantly, dress up. When you look and smell good, you get better service overall, so leave the crocs at home."

Chef's take

According to Chef Rahul Rana, a Pan Asian chef in charge of all the Asian cuisine for the Sarova group of hotels, brunches in Kenya are usually theme-based and typically happen on Sundays, which are consistently the busiest, and on festive weekends, long weekends, and holidays.

They tend to feature a mix of local and international cuisines, music or a live band, and bottomless alcohol or beverage packages.

"As much as we have the local clientele, we also have a very good international clientele, and we consider all these things as we curate the menu. So, we always have a variety of salads, antipasti, desserts, and the local Kenyan cuisine with crowd favourites like ugali, ugali fries for children, fried cassava with aji sauce, mbaazi wa nazi, beef pilau, fried plantain and kuku or samaki wa kupaka to name a few.”

At the centre of their brunches, is live interactive stations serving homemade pasta, shawarma, BBQ and chapati wraps. Additionally, there are cold offerings from basic salads and cheese boards to include composed salads, ceviche, pate and terrines sushi rolls, infused waters, and customizable yogurt or chia pudding bars, emphasising presentation as much as flavour.

While their brunches typically attract a lot of families, young professionals, and groups celebrating special occasions, Chef Rahul notes they have also seen an increasing number of health-conscious diners, to whom they offer light, clean-eating options like infused waters, detox salads, and healthy desserts. Additionally, they serve dishes that cater to the needs of vegans, gluten, and dairy free people.

However, of their brunch diners, only a small percentage are individual brunchers and these are mainly in-house guests. So, in a bid to make brunch special to these lone patrons as well, the chef says they have an unofficially designated area where solo brunchers can sit and enjoy their meal, as their main focus is usually to immerse themselves in the experience.

"We don’t specially do solo tables, but we have a section where a solo guest can sit and enjoy without disturbance. We make sure that somebody from the service staff is there looking after and interacting with them so that they don't feel bored. And they love taking pictures, so of course they take these pictures and share them with us on instagram. And we all gel with that actually. It’s an amazing feeling when you get these types of clients."

Over the years, Sarova’s brunch menu has transitioned from standard continental options to a fusion of local and international flavours.

But what are some standout dishes that brunch diners enjoy on their menu? "Our signature, crispy pork belly with caramelized coconut sauce,” he says, “People love having meat in Kenya. Besides this, we do beef ribs with tamarind glaze, masala eggs benedict, grilled pineapple skewers with cinnamon, gluten free tacos, open baos with different meat and veg fillings, and rotate weekly specials.”

While Chef Rahul loves cooking Pan Asian cuisine as it has lots of flavours with hints of sweet, chili, sour and tangy, he admits that preparing for brunches differs from preparing for other meal services. Why? “Brunch is the most intensive meal to prepare for, blending elements of breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dessert. Timing is crucial, especially for hot items and live stations. We focus on prepping the day before, creating visually appealing displays, and ensuring everything remains fresh and well-stocked.”

Even with the current economic times, Chef Rahul says guests do not hold themselves back from their brunches because they know what they’re getting. "Yes, guests are price conscious and will always look for value for their money. That being said, per brunch, we try and do around 100 plus covers which is a very good number."

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