Shehnai

With a hint of retreating into colonial times, combined with the decor and splendour of the Indian Subcontinent, the elegant Shehnai Restaurant continues to excel in the culinary cuisine choices that are available in Mombasa. The steep prices (perhaps contributing to the cost of the beautiful upholstery) softly reflects on the menu that could easily be a second dictionary; the variety is endless. In such an environment, one would certainly expect the prices to resemble the surroundings, but I would question the lack of complexity in the flavours that need to match the spiked dough one would ultimately dish out – not to say the food was not good. It was.

Having said that, both the food and service were above the standards you’d generally find in Mombasa. On the day I visited Shehnai, I had the liberty of trying the chef’s special of the day: Malai Chicken. I must admit the chicken was moist and tender, bursting with the richness of exotic spices, all of which went well with the buttered naan. After scrolling through the menu more than once, I also opted for the tandoori prawns, and there was no disappointment there either, while the richness of the vegetable curry added to the meter that met an approval of ‘above expectations’. Disappointingly enough, I ordered the masala fries as an accompaniment, but it was pretty much the same as you’d expect anywhere else, although blatantly over priced without good reason.

If your wallets and purses can take a heavy blow once in a blue moon, and despite some very minor setbacks, Shehnai is a place to visit. And always ask for the chef’s special – you never know what could turn up on your plate! Here are my current ratings:

Service *****
Value ****
Cuisine *****
Price $$$$