Lunch and a Swim: An Afternoon at Intercontinental Nairobi’s Bhandini Restaurant

Staying true to my 2019 plan of spending my weekends enjoying the best of Kenya, I spent a Saturday afternoon lunching at Bhandini Restaurant and swimming at the Intercontinental Nairobi. The Intercontinental Nairobi is known for its world class hospitality and is conveniently situated in the Nairobi CBD, and the weather was better than usual, so the perfect afternoon plan featuring my friend, Fashion blogger Vonette Orinda, was hatched. 

Bhandini Restaurant 

I am a huge fan of Indian cuisine, and Bhandini restaurant at Intercontinental Nairobi is one of the best and a favourite. Bhandini loosely translated means ‘to bind together’, and the restaurant serves up North Indian delicacies. There is a misconception that Indian cuisine must be very spicy, which if you’re like me with acidity issues, can discourage you from giving it a try. This is not actually the case, and I love that Bhandini serves up food that is full of flavour without being too spicy. However, if you’re a fan of heat, you can request for that to be turned up. 

The head chef, Chef J.P., is one of the best chefs in Nairobi. The menu is quite extensive and some of my favourites include murg tikka lababdar (chicken tikka), tariwala murg (chicken curry) and macher jhol (fish curry with potatoes, eggplant and mustard) with a choice of biryani, naan, rotu and rice accompaniment. The portions are generous but if you have the space, there are also starters including calamari pepper fry and sesame fried prawns and soups such as murg jahangiri shorba (spiced chicken broth with chicken dumplings), as well as desserts like kesar kulfi (frozen icecream made with pistachio, cardamon and saffron) and gulab jamun (dumplings made from milk dowsed in rose scented sugar syrup). There’s also a number of vegetable dishes available.

We had a little bit of everything at lunch – mutton, chicken, lamb, naan, rice, vegetable mix – and everything was delicious. You can wash your lunch down with fresh juice or with Lassi, a traditional yoghurt based drink which originated in Punjab in India. Of course, there’s a selection of other drinks available including a great wine list. 

In terms of pricing, items on the menu range between 300 and 1500 shillings, which is quite affordable.  The restaurant is open for both lunch (noon to 3pm) and dinner (7pm to 10.30pm) Monday to Friday and only dinner on Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays and public holidays. It is advisable to make reservations but walk-ins are acceptable.  It’s perfect for dates, birthdays and business lunches and I can’t wait to go back! 

Intercontinental Pool and Makuti Bar

There’s nothing quite as relaxing as an afternoon swim. The weather has not been as sunny, but that is literally what heated pools are for! Intercontinental Nairobi has a heated pool and I could stay in there all day. It’s not so deep so if you’re just looking to take a dip, it still works. I’m more of a swimmer so I’m glad it’s big enough to allow for actual swimming. A number of newer hotels have small pools that are not practical if you really want to swim. 

It’s only Ksh 1500 for adults and Ksh 1000 for kids under 12, and if you get famished, you can stroll over to Makuti Bar to enjoy a drink or biting. I’d recommend their cocktails. I’m a big fan of mimosas after a swim. 

All in all, Intercontinental Nairobi is still one of the best hotels in Kenya and I’m glad that they have managed to maintain hospitality excellence. The hotel is celebrating 50 years this year, and if they maintain these standards, it’ll be no surprise when they celebrate 100 years.