By Our Correspondent

Klub Afriko is a far more than just a restaurant. It is also a hotel, a classy jazz bar, a cultural orientation center, and a safari center. In fact, at least three groups of students come from the United States every year. They study diverse topics such as Swahili, wild life ecology, conservation, and a course on Rwanda. Klub Afriko has been around for 16 years, and is quite well established. The business runs smoothly, almost effortlessly. As we were seated in the dinner area, we chatted with Gideon Saul, the managing director of Klub Afriko. The restaurant has no set menu, he told us. They strive to be "flexible, catering to everyone." He said that the concept of the restaurant is to serve food that is "basic, yet fresh and delicious." Because of the accommodating and flexible nature of the restaurant, one must call and make a reservation before coming for dinner. "We can then cater to your taste," said Gideon.

Dinner was just as he had put it: fresh and delicious. Dinner consisted of nicoise salad, spring chicken Costa Rican style, fusilli, spring battered with vegetables, topped off with a fantastic green bean and carrot dish. The green beans were superbly cooked, and surprisingly the star of the show. A students who is staying at Klub Afriko commented on the chicken saying, "It's so succulent and delicious. This was definitely from a nice fat chicken."   

Gideon Saul told us that occasionally there are live performances, and that recently the prime minister had been entertained at Klub Afriko. Hilda, the radiant receptionist, gave us a tour of the gardens, bungalows and took us to the bar. The gardens were gorgeous, and the bungalows incredibly luxurious and tasteful. We took a detour into the managerial office, which was immaculately decorated. Also, I may have discovered one of the secrets to the relaxed and confident manner of the management. They have a "Tianshi S2000 Luxurious Blood Circulating Foot Massager" in there. I need to get one of those.

The bar is open and comfortable, with plenty of lounge space and an unobtrusive pool table. The highlight of the bar (besides the stellar liquor selection) is the fantastic collection of high quality jazz recordings. I sat at the bar, ordered a double shot of black label on the rocks and began flipping through the "Jazz Menu."  A pantheon of bebop era jazz greats is available for listening. McCoy Tyner, Thelonius Monk, Billie Holiday, Art Blakey, Ahmad Jamal, Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Charles Mingus, Ornette Colman, Eric Dolphy, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter to just name a few. Quite a few African jazz titles are available as well.

Whether you are looking for a comfy venue for a romantic weekend, a nice meal, or a few drinks in a classy lounge, head over to Klub Afriko. It is on Nairobi-Moshi Road just before Mamuz. Go to the website at www.klubafriko.com, email Gideon at gideon@klubafriko.com or call for dinner reservations: 0754369475 or 272509205