Lacto
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Japanese
Bakery
Fusion
Breakfast
A boutique Japanese Bakery & café serving Asian-inspired food, Japanese baked goods and specialty coffee from the mothership brand Barista & Co. Vegan options include tofu katsu, cheza tofu, and avo toast with scrambled tofu. Located on the first floor of Sarit Centre opposite Woolworths. Open Mon-Sun 8:00am-9:00pm.
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Level 1, Pio Gama Pinto Road, Phase 3 (at The Sarit Centre ), Nairobi, Kenya
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Last update on 17 Sep 2024 by kennyp353
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Added by Zhanee on 17 Jan 2022
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6 Reviews
First Review by Zhanee
Yeri
Points +2516
Alright - Edit
This is some of my vegan friends' favorite spots but somehow none of the food I've tried has been outstanding for me. The firecracker ramen was a bit too sweet with a small portion and the vegan hargau.....were the very first dumplings I ever disliked. The dough was too thick and the filling was very small and bland.
Read moreGuest
Teji
Points +189
Few vegan option - Edit
A lot of vegetarian options.
Read moreGuest
kennyp353
Points +1670
This has become my favourite restaurant in Nairobi - and its sister Barista &Co is excellent too - Edit
I've visited about ten times now. The majority of the time, it's excellent. Everything is properly vegetarian - I checked that what seems like gelatine in some of the cakes is in fact agar agar - and eggs are organic free-range, the first time I've seen this in Kenya. Plenty of stuff is vegan, or can be made vegan.
Read moreSome of the high points, see the attached pics: Matcha mascarpone pancakes, fluffy and delicate, beautifully presented, and really very good indeed. Mixed berry and white chocolate croissant, one of the best croissants I've ever had - as was the salted caramel croissant, though the pretzel bit on top was a bit weird. Sesame and nori "croffle", with poached eggs, melted cheese, seaweed, beansprouts, leeks and sesame seeds was one of the most spectacularly presented dishes I've been served in recent years - and tasted weirdly excellent too. Tofu bao buns were enormous and superb. Coconut iced coffee was a win. The mango sago balls thing is absolutely delicious, if they can be bothered to make it - sometimes they say they're too busy. And their oat milk cinnamon toast latté is one of the best coffees I've ever had, an absolute must when I'm in the area.
Low points: The orange coffee was disgusting - there's a reason orange juice and coffee are normally served separately. Spring rolls were below par, and the Kung Pao cauliflower was soggy and kept repeating on me for an hour - something that's happened with other meals too.
They charge an extra 100 shillings for oat milk - perhaps not the scam it would be elsewhere in the world given plant milks in Kenya are at least 500 shillings per litre, almost ten times the local cost of cows' milk.
Updated from previous review on 2022-11-28
Pros: Great menu, Excellent service, Some things are great
Cons: Some things are disappointing, Expensive for what it is, Extra charge for plant milk
Guest
JonathanP
Points +264
What a find! - Edit
So, only last week I refused to even consider a colleague's request to go to a cafe in a shopping centre as, as I sniffily explained, I don't do meals in malls.
Read moreWell, apparently I do now. What a fantastic place! Quietly vegetarian - it doesn't announce its credentials, presumably in a bid not to put off the carnivores - and as a result it enjoys a diverse clientele. I had the tofu salad, a generous portion of grilled tofu with blanched beans and broccoli, done to perfection. I had expected the sesame to be toasted seeds, and indeed they were strewn into the dish, but the real genius was the tahini mixed through the dressing with lemon and soy. I wouldn't have thought of that, but it was delicious. I came back with a friend and shared the katsu curry, which also was good, and we enjoyed excellent plant-based coffees as well.
Friendly, attentive service, and a cool ambience - unexpected given its shopping centre location - rounded things off nicely. if only more of the baked goods were vegan...
kennyp353
Presumably you've also discovered Barista & Co, Shokupan's owner? There's one on the same floor about 50 metres away - and several other branches in Nairobi, including a new one in Westgate Mall. Also "quietly vegetarian" (great phrase!) and seemingly doing very well for itself - it's always way busier than Shokupan. I feel Shokupan's menu is the most exciting, but the food quality can be variable - whereas Barista has never disappointed.
Read moreGuest
NoravonWintersdorff
Points +18
One of my favorite spots - Edit
So many delicious vegan items to choose from! I love coming here. Kind staff as well.
Read moreGuest
Zhanee
Points +574
Fully vegetarian cafe! - Edit
This cute asian-inspired cafe is one of a kind. It has a great fully vegetarian menu which will appeal to most. Some of the dishes we ordered were Cheza Tofu which was great! The mushroom and tofy gyoza dough needs some work. Also ordered the Tofu Katsu - the tofu was made to perfection but they were missing the katsu curry I'm used to having with this dish. I went when they had just opened so some teething issues were expected. The management and staff were exceptional when I spoke to them about the menu! Will definitely be back to try the Bao buns and other items.
Read morePros: Friendly Staff, receptive to feedback, Fresh Food, Many vegetarian options can be made vegan
Cons: Some initial teething issues , No vegan desserts
Guest
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