Chez Sonia

February 28, 2024

Located in the Spring Valley area, this nice picturesque French eatery is a house turned into a restaurant and has such a vibey garden. I’ve been here a few times and each time I’ve tried a few different things just to go down their menu which is filled with a little bit of everything.

For starters my date and I had both the Camembert & Rosemary + Feta & Coriander samosas (KSH600 for 3). I prefer the feta ones, camembert cheese to me is way too milky/liquid - the lactose intolerant in me has completely refused that cheese.

Another starter was the prawns Pili Pili (KSH1600) which I’ve had before and absolutely love - it’s not as chilli as the name suggests and is accompanied with slices of a fresh French baguette (I would have liked these to be warm) but the prawn sauce assisted there - so good.

For mains - we tried the catch of the day (Parrot Fish - KSH1500) with potatoes wedges and a really delicious lemon & butter sauce, as well as the day’s special - Chicken Parmesan with lyonnaise potatoes (KSH2000). I’ve never had Parrot fish before and for my first time - this was amazing! The fish was perfectly baked, fleshy and flakey… I can’t say what it compares to taste wise but that fish + the sauce was really good! The chicken though was very bland and why were there only three lyonnaise potatoes?

Previous dishes I’ve tried here also include the lamb chops (KSH1900) - these were quite tough and fairly little meat on the bone - for the price, I can’t say it’s worth it. The star of the show though - the dessert - the Tiramisu! It’s the only reason I come back to Chez Sonia, that tiramisu is one of the best I’ve had in Nairobi and believe me I’ve tried many. It’s balanced, creamy, and they use actual biscuits! Also I really love the toppings. It runs quite pricey at KSH900 so you can’t have it often… but once in a very big blue moon, treat yourself:)

Service here is a bit iffy - the waitresses didn’t seem to know much of anything about the menu. The owner though is super sweet & always on hand to assist. Chez Sonia has various themed rooms you can use to work, or have private lunches/dinners, they’re super cosy too. I love the ambience, I already mentioned the garden, the fairy lights flowing through the trees, french music playing makes for a romantic and chill setting.

Vibes aside - a good number of the dishes weren’t good enough for me to go back super often (only when I have a tiramisu and parrot fish craving maybe…)