Sinning at Cin Cin
It seems appropriate that the restaurant at the Norfolk should be called Cin Cin.
It’s the little eatery that you walk into when you ignore Tatu on your right and turn left.
Why is it appropriate? Because the food is so good, it must be a sin!…see what I did there?
Cin Cin is a simple place, with a simple menu, partitioned into three main dining sections. When you first walk in, beige seats surround what appears to be private tables, if a side meeting is required.
The entire restaurant is done in maroon and brown themes, with muted lighting contributing to a relaxed, quietly opulent atmosphere. The classical music in the background helps,too.
When you walk down the stairs,you get to the main dining area, which consists of a few tables and a high table down the middle of the room with barstool-like chairs. Further in is a bar with a small counter.
Past the main area is the outside terrace, which is nice to sit at on a sunny day. We chose to sit at a table right before the exit with the benefit of the cool summer breeze without sunburn…
Cin Cin has a classic cocktails menu aside from the regular ones (Cosmopolitan, French Martini,etc) on the normal menu. These consist of exotic sounding drinks like the Bay Area Daisy (which is what I had) and range from 1000 Kshs and up.
It may not have been a smart idea at lunchtime,but I couldn’t resist the ingredients: Remy Martin, Patron Tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and honey syrup, garnished with an orange slice. Would you say no?
The bitings on the menu start past the alcohol on the salads/sandwiches/pizza plate: Beef bagels,quesadillas etc. from about 1300. Cin Cin ‘small plates’ consist of a blend of normal and new,such as samosas and wild mushroom arancinni.
Desserts are a 4 piece choice, including Baked cheesecake and Classic tiramisu starting at 900 to 1150.
For my main course I had the Lemon and Thyme Roasted Chicken with wild mushrooms and creamy mashed potatoes. Yes, it is as good as it sounds…for 2400.
My eating buddy had Murgh Makhni: Indian butter chicken and biryani rice (1800). It was delectable. And the service was polite, perfunctory and efficient.
I noticed framed portraits on the walls of labels of wines, 10 in total with individual lights hanging over each one. It looked like an array of children’s pictures in a family home,interestingly enough.
Some of the wine labels read Claudie Oliver’s Muscat De Riversaltes and Le Chai du Picard Bourgueil.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find that there was a good mix of indigenous and exotic foods – they even have irio on the menu.
All in all, I enjoyed my Cinful experience!