Hellena's Kitchen

Hellena’s kitchen is located at the Basic Shopping mall in Kileleshwa. From the name alone you’d think it’s a nice, small hole in the wall type place but it’s quite the opposite. The well lit entryway already gives you the impression of a much bigger establishment and as you walk in you see just how much more than just a kitchen it is.

I had made reservations for dinner here and asked for a booth because I love a cosy setup but what I found was not a nice little booth for two but quite a number of expansive booths that can possible fit 6-7 people at once 😅

My friend and I promptly switched to a different table so it doesn’t look like we’re taking over a massive space as just the two of us.

Hellena’s Kitchen is a vast bistro with ample seating as I’ve described. I love how the space opens up as you walk further into the restaurant. A live band was just setting up as we got comfortable and the wait staff were already on hand giving us menus and asking if we’d like to start with some water - they’re attentive which is good.

The menu is quite detailed and filled with your usual continental options - a little bit of everything and a little section that adds more from their bakery downstairs in the same mall.

We had the feta & coriander samosas as starters (3 for KSH500). My friend had a cappuccino & I opted for some passion juice (KSH500) which was entirely too watered down. The samosas come with a pineapple chutney & were actually very tasty, anything with cheese in it is gonna hit the lactose intolerant spot with me everytime 😋

I do think they should either make the chutney a tad bit spicy or add some fresh chillies on the side because the pineapple chutney to me was entirely too sweet an accompaniment. When I added some fresh chillies, that tart feta + sweet pineapple + chilli combo REALLY hit the spot properly.

For mains we had the chicken burger (KSH1000) and the steak and eggs (KSH1000) because someone was feeling like having breakfast for dinner. Oh! Did I mention they serve breakfast all day?? Because they do which is a win in my books 😉

The chicken burger was a nice big portion and they use brioche buns that adds a lot to the flavour profile. I enjoyed the burger but I think the crust on the chicken was a bit too thick, maybe a little less batter should be used next time. But overall, a good filling meal.

The steak & eggs were okay, I think the steak was the only highlight here since they gave a good portion. The dish only had like 1.5 potatoes, one lonely piece of toast and one small cube of butter and no jam. Feels like wanaration but mbona? if my fries were in plenty - why not the breakfast potatoes?

When it came to dessert, we were both very happy! We got the chocolate brownie (KSH550) that comes with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream. That yummy brownie all warmed up was so rich and gooey and chocolatey, paired with a spoonful of creamy vanilla ice cream… insanely delicious 🤤

Now unfortunately for the band, it was raining cats and dogs outside so we could barely hear much of their music but of the little I could hear, they were really good, especially the lead soloist; she has quite an amazing voice. Hellena’s has a live band every Friday during their happy hour into the night.

The service here was really good, the servers didn’t skip a beat which I appreciated. The ambience here is quite nice and I think it would be even better during the non-rainy season. Great place as a local for those living in kile and kilimani. The food is decent and well-priced, there’s ample parking - overall a simple and good restaurant, and sometimes that’s just what you need from a neighbourhood bistro.

Ratings

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Service: ⭐️️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ambience: ⭐⭐️⭐️
Halal: ❌

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