Wasp and Sprout

January 18, 2024

Today’s review is coming from deep in Loresho, at a nice little family run cafe. Wasp & Sprout has been around for quite a long time but I’ve never visited before. Mostly because years ago they had this thing about closing at 2pm on Sundays which I found odd because why offer brunch if you’re gonna close that early? So that put me off going there but now they’ve extended their hours and their menu has also expanded quite a bit too.

Located in the old loresho shopping centre, wasp & sprout hasn’t been hit by the ambience for IG bug, their decor is very simple, with both an outdoor and indoors section. It has a hipster/artsy vibe to it with its simplicity and a lot of pockets of greenery that bring the cafe to life.

I came here for brunch on a Sunday and it was a super hot Sunday at that so we opted to sit inside. Their menu is very simple which I love, and they tend to change it from time to time which is also nice because you get to try something different every time.

Of course I had the chicken & waffles which on the menu is called the all-in-american (KSH1290) and my friend had the steak sambo (KSH1490). One thing you need to know about wasp & sprout is that they make the food on order so if you happen to come on a busy day like we did, it may be quite a wait for the food, almost 40min so just have that in mind.

I was not aware of that and I came starved so that wait time really messed with me lol but luckily the coffee I had in the meantime held me over. Once the food came though, I was very happy especially seeing the nice healthy portions😋

The waffle was nice and big, fluffy on the inside too (y’all know how hard it is to find good waffles in Nairobi!) and the southern fried chicken was nice and crispy😋 The fact that there was cheese and a red cabbage slaw added on top of this chicken and waffle dish made me do a kahappy dance before digging in!

Taste wise - a nice big bite of the waffle, chicken, cheese, slaw with a drizzle of maple syrup.. everything came together perfectly, the sweet and savoury combo wins again! Then after a couple of more bites… something wasn’t tasting right, I think it was the slaw because it’s mixed in with mayo. I generally don’t like mayo and I’m not sure what type of mayo they use but it has a very strong taste that wasn’t sitting well with me. Pushed the slaw to the side of the plate and managed to eat my meal much better without the slaw covered in mayonnaise.

The steak sandwich was also presented very well with a nice serving of fries on the side. It has flavourful grilled beef fillet combined with caramelised onions, lettuce tomatoes etc., on toasted ciabatta bread. That bread was the star of the show😍 That bread was so fresh, so nice and soft, breaks off gently and tastes amazing. This sandwich also had an unnecessary amount of mayo (WHY??), the same mayo that I said has such a strong taste, we had to scrape it off the bread to be able to finish the rest of the sandwich.

They need to either figure out a new mayo recipe or use very little of the one they currently have so that it doesn’t overpower the whole dish.

Ambience wise - wasp & sprout is very much your typical cafe vibe, chill music, you can hear yourself talk and it has enough space both inside and outside so you don’t feel cramped wherever you choose to sit. Sundays seem like their busiest days so be sure to make a reservation beforehand if you’re a big group.

They focus on having laptop-free weekends, so Saturday, Sunday and public holidays are screen free days, it’s advised to not bring in a laptop on these days so you can actually enjoy the company you’re with or your own company if solo. I like this initiative - as a society we definitely should have a day or 2 of unplugging for general well being.

The service was good, I cannot complain there. They also have a nice furniture and decor shop upstairs selling lots of artisan pieces, clothing, skincare, furniture, candles etc. It’s a really cute place:)

Wasp & Sprout may be a bit out of the way in terms of distance but it’s a nice drive using the red link bypass and makes for a perfect place for a brunch date or coffee or lunch plan👌🏾