Dawn

November 20, 2024

Dawn is a cosy and intimate restaurant located in Kilimani, at the Loft Apartments. It’s not too big but also doesn’t feel cramped either. It has seating space both outdoors and inside, very simple decor with an emphasis on their wine selection so this is a place for wine lovers in particular.

I went there for dinner on a weekday and it was pretty empty, think we were the only ones there for quite a while, which I didn’t mind, felt like we had reserved the whole place for ourselves. I like that you can sit at the corner and you’re secluded from the majority of the restaurant but you can still feel its essence and ambience at the same time. Perfect for those who want to go out to eat but don’t wanna be around many people to do so.

Their food menu is a nice and concise one pager while their wine list is quite wide. I had the feta samosas (KSH700) to start with, which weren’t bad. I especially loved the accompanying chilli ginger jam, it made the perfect dip to balance out the tartness of the feta.

For mains I had the Norwegian Salmon (KSH2,650) which comes with mashed potatoes and grilled veggies. I was expecting a much smaller piece of salmon given the price but I’m glad they didn’t mince on the size. The salmon was cooked well, very tasty but the mash potatoes were a tad too dry and not as soft - the dish needed some type of sauce to accompany it to balance out the dryness. Overall I still enjoyed this dish, mostly because I really love salmon.

For dessert I tried the tiramisu… that was a complete no. It was way too sweet, you could definitely taste the coffee liqueur which was quite sharp and felt like they put too much of it, they needed to balance it out.

The service here was great. Granted we were the only customers… but still, Jacinta, the waitress, was very attentive and never forgot to check in. I like the intimate vibe of the place, it’s perfect for dates, especially if you really want to be somewhere where you know you won’t run into many people, great for business meetings/lunches and catchups with friends.

They have a wide wine selection and refer to themselves as a wine haven - if you’ve tried the wine here maybe you can share your thoughts, comments, or feedback with us.

I hear they also have brunch but I haven’t tried it yet, that may just be the reason for my next visit