Spread over two floors the outlet has been conceived specifically for the corporate community within the vicinity. As professionals return to working from offices in 2022, Artcaffé Upperhill is an inspiring meeting place and networking hub.

14,000sq ft of dedicated space includes a private terrace that can accommodate events of up to 500 people as well as a co-shared space on the Ground Floor with Standard Chartered Bank that opened at the end of December 2021. Alongside, the outlet will be offering corporates offsite catering services and deliveries.

Richard Njeri, Branch Manager of Artcaffé Upper Hill commented “We believe in serving the communities we are part of. Our Britam Tower branch offers everything busy professionals need and more. We look forward to becoming a bustling hub within the area.” Richard has been with Artcaffé Group since 2014. His area of expertise focuses on rolling out new branches to the highest level of service delivery that consumers have come to expect.

Guests invited to the launch evening included professionals from the banking, legal, insurance, and diplomatic communities as well as noted Kenyan personalities.

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The promotion that ran from the 6th of October – 31st of December 2021 required consumers to visit one of the Brioche outlets, purchase Brioche products of choice for no less than Kes 1,000, fill in a participant voucher and drop the voucher with a copy of the receipt stapled to it in the lucky draw box.

The 2 winners, Allan Njeru and Samuel Wasswa, made their purchases at Brioche Karen and Brioche Bomas respectively.

During the award of the air tickets to the winners at Brioche Karen, RUBiS Energy Group Managing Director and CEO East Africa, Mr. Jean-Christian Bergeron said, “We are very excited to provide this opportunity for the winners of the promotion. Our mission to deliver unique products and services to enhance your experience at our stations is one part of our journey with you; redefining customer convenience and bringing customers maximum value across all brand touchpoints remains a key objective for RUBiS.”

Brioche is currently in five RUBiS branded stations (Ojijo, Bomas, Karen, Langata and Thome) with 2 more at RUBiS Loresho and RUBiS Bellevue stations to open by the end of January 2022.

In addition to Brioche, RUBiS’ commitment to customer convenience and value continues to offer world-class products and services such as Ultra Tec fuel with advanced fuel technology, the RUBiS Card and RUBiS app for innovative digital and payment solutions. The RUBiS App allows for convenient payments of fuel and utilities, locations of over 230 retail stations across the country and home delivery of K-gas.

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One Sunday afternoon, when Kenya Power had done their thing I decided to call and let her know that I was driving down. The direction was not too difficult to follow. Took the Kisian – Bondo road, and turned just after the bridge past Ongalo Mixed Secondary School, driving towards Osiri Beach. It’s an approximately 10-minute drive on a smooth murram road after you leave the highway.

If you are thinking about a gateway for the weekend, hanging out with friends in a secluded environment, private parties, or even weekend camping with family and friends then this is quite the place for all that and more.

Hearts, Palms and Memories sits on what looks like a four-acre piece of land that is still under development. A camping area, complete with restaurant, kitchen and dining area is however already complete. When complete the facility will host cottages too.

What’s most remarkable about this place is the fact that they have as much as possible not tried to interfere with nature. Natural rocks, lush green vegetation and amazing views of the lake are just but some of what you enjoy while here. The fish you will dine on was probably caught by a fisherman at Osiri Beach just that morning. The vegetables on your plate are grown right inside the same facility – talk about “from the garden to your plate.” It’s quite not rare for Dr Neema, a celebrated orthopaedic surgeon to be your chef for the day or waitress.

On this particular day, Peter Oposh Jabunde, a fellow simba was accompanying me, driving ahead in his Peugeot 406, while I followed behind on my 1997 Peugeot 405 Hunter blaring some loud reggae vibes. The dust, the loud music and the simbas were a sight to behold in the quiet fishing village (okay, I just exaggerated a bit). We stayed for dinner and the good doctor was kind enough to serve us pan-fried tilapia, chips, and some amazing tamarind sauce which I carried a fair serving of home because I could not have enough of it. Other than the sights, and food, the facility also offers an assortment of soft and alcoholic beverages. A beer is as cheap as Sh 300.

Driving back home in the evening, trying to beat curfew, I told myself I would not have spent my day better. Wondered why it took me so long to visit this place, but I will surely make a trip every time I feel like clearing my mind. I think I might even just buy a bicycle and talk to Neema to keep it down there for me – for those days I just want to go enjoy lazy rides in a fishing village, or just to find a new reason to be in her DM.

The post Places to visit in Kisumu – Exploring Hearts, Palms and Memories appeared first on Biz Post Daily.

The price goes down to 93 bob only!

Here is what you will get for Ksh. 93.00 :

• A night in Acacia Superior room overlooking the Lake (includes breakfast)
• A bouquet of roses for the ladies
• A bottle of wine
• An hour long romantic boat ride
• Free entry to our Valentine Dinner- The Apple & Rose Affair

There is a catch though, from today 26th January 2017, Acacia Premier Hotel Kisumu will be running a competition on their Facebook Page dubbed #93ReasonsToLove which is about celebrating their customers in Kisumu. They will post a love poem on their page that you will be expected to complete. If your rhymes blow the judges away then you get to win this room for only 93 bob.

If you haven’t been to Kisumu’s Acacia Premier, it’s the only Four Star Hotel in Kisumu located at the West End Mall.

It has a swimming pool on the 2nd floor and a poolside bar known as the Aqua Bar. It’s famous for it’s Choma Night on Friday evenings. You can also have your meals here.

If you prefer a more indoor experience then you need to check out the Buzz Bar on the 1st floor. They boast of having Kisumu’s best cocktail mixologist.

The hotel also has a start-of- the art gym facilities with a gym instructor. A spa where you can revitalize your mind, body and spirit as you enjoy an unforgettable Valentine getaway!

Well, whatever your plans are you got 93 reasons to surprise your special one this love-season.

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When you hear the tag restaurant or hotel in Kisumu, do not always try to associate it with 5 star dining. Most of the time you will be disappointed when you land in some dusty roadside shack.

“Mama Colo”  is quite the typical name of a roadside Kibanda that serves food in Kisumu’s peri-urban environs. I grew up eating lunches at Mama Safi in Nyalenda. It was quite the place back in the day. So as I drove from the office in the sweltering Kisumu sun…I had an idea of what to expect. Probably a replica of Mama Safi just this time the lady owner probably has a son called Collins. Mama Safi  was called that because she had spotless sufurias  that would blind your eye as they reflected Kisumu sun.

Mama Colo restaurant is located along Marine Drive, just a few meters after Lake View Hotel, not far from Swan Center. Lake View is one interesting place – the old know-it-all professors drinking at the bar being the hallmark of it all but we will talk about that another day.

The restaurant is actually called Mama Colombus. So no child named Collo…maybe Columbus but then again, this is Kisumu. The Hotel Might have been named after anything including Christopher Columbus. There is a long queue at the door. Bigger than the ones I saw on the photos from KFC. There are other Vibanda restaurants next to it but they don’t seem to have this kind of special activity. Mama Colo must be very popular or the food must be very good – based on what I have heard, I will go with the latter.

I wash my hands at the entrance and before I even make one turn, someone calls out my name.

“Ominde, so you decided to see for yourself,” mumbles Jefferson Ngozi as he tries to multitask between catching my attention and chewing the piece of chicken in his mouth.

“Mama Colo, huyu ni mgeni siku ya kwanza, mshughulikie vizuri anaweza kukuongeza wateja (Mama Collo, this is a first time visitor treat him well, he can bring you more clients) adds Edgar Odoyo, a corporate MC in Kisumu. I still don’t understand why they need her to get more customers while the place is literally full. It’s about 1 PM, there are about six of us on our feet waiting to get seats.

I spot another lady I know, exchange a quick wave. The crowd here is very diverse. There are the businessmen and tenderpreneurs  in casual clad. There are the guys who seem to have come from offices clad in official attire. There are the guys in suits too – I still don’t understand why someone would walk under the Kisumu sun in a suit and tie.

There are a significant number of ladies here too. Some are in the company of the men dressed like they came from offices. Others are on a lone mission like I am. There is one in a beautiful black dress standing behind me. She kinda looks out of place but she is very comfortable.

Edgar assures me that once I taste the chicken, there is no going back. I hear the KFC chicken is addictive too, the secret recipe’ thing…I wonder what could be Mama Collo‘s secret recipe’.

I find a place to sit after about five minutes of standing and chatting with Ngozi and Edgar. Actually, it’s Ngozi who leaves me his seat. As I wait for my order, I notice that almost everyone here knows someone in here. Maybe they all work in offices close to each other or maybe I just don’t know enough people.

The guys next to me have just ordered for ugali saucer and it took too long to come. They are now screaming at the top of their lungs (okay not quite literally, but they are a little loud). In case you haven’t been to a kibanda  ugali saucer is an extra serving of ugali that you do not actually pay for. It’s delivery depends on how loud you are or the moods of the waiter. If you are unlucky enough to order from a lady in the wrong time of the month, you will have a story to tell.

Their ugali saucer arrived moments after I had given my order of ugali with stewed chicken. They got a whole serving of ugali to share among the two of them. One managed to convince the other that more was coming and took it all. No more came. You can imagine the look on the other guy’s face. You know people have died because of things like this…Do not try that in Kakamega, ugali and chicken are not things to be taken lightly.

I saw a man’s face literrally light up when he saw the ugali on his friend’s table.

“Chairman abiro mana bet bathi kanyo. An mogo e watna (Chairman, I am sitting right next to you. Food is my only relative).”

The guys seated directly opposite me has a broken leg. He came in walking in crutches and more than a dozen guys have said hi to him and asked him how the leg is doing.To friends, it’s not just about the food. This is where they socialize for a quick minute during their lunch breaks. From the look of it, some of these people meet here daily.

The chicken stew seem to be the popular dish here even though I heard someone order fish and another one meat stew. The chicken costs either  Ksh. 200 (USD 2)  or Ksh. 150 (USD 1.5) depending on the size of the portion. The chicken tastes really good and it has some pilipili kwa umbali (cooked in mild pepper). Sort of the chicken you will eat in the village.

Several people are still standing on their feet. I hurry through my meal and hand over my seat to a lady who had been standing for a while but seemed not to mind waiting. Maybe she knows it’s worth it. Another guy makes his order despite being on his feet, he says as long as the chicken lands in his stomach he is alright.

Other than the amazing food, this restaurant allows you to rub into the Luo culture. Everyone here is proud, talks loud and does not mind calling for an extra serving of ugali.

PHOTO CREDITS: Joyce Osike

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Indians have very spicy food and I love it that in my international travels I always experience Indian hospitality at some point.

The restaurant serves traditional Indian food and alcoholic beverages. For some reason while at this restaurant I did not take a glance at the menu but I loved everything that came before me. They have a variety of menus for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

The service crew are very professional and always on hand to help you with your requests and queries. I think I felt so much at home and had such a great time that I forgot to take details of the little things for this review.

Maybe you should visit Khana Kazana and come finish it up for me – I however promise that you will have an amazing time.

The post Eating out in Kampala: Khana Kazana appeared first on Biz Post Daily.

After missing dinner on the first night because I arrived late (I missed my flight from Kisumu to Nairobi and could not get to connect to my Entebe flight in time so I decided to take the road), I joined the gang for day two dinner at Pardis Restaurant in the heart of the tranquil district of Kololo.

Pardis is actually  Persian  for ‘Paradise’ and just like the name would suggest, the atmosphere of the establishment from the moment you walk or drive past the gate is totally “out of this world”

The traditional Arab seats above and the lantern lamps that adorn the garden take you on an imaginary trip to the Middle East or on a time travel back 300 years in history. Quite relaxing on an evening – especially on this day when the Kampala sun was very unforgiving.

I have never been to a Persian restaurant so I had my expectations all up there, trying to imagine what the food would be like.

The restaurant serves traditional Arab cuisine and on this particular evening the menu had about six different items to choose from.  I settled for Shawarma – a traditional Arab/Israeli meat or assortment of meats (lamb, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, buffalo meat) and served with vegetables and some bread (or french fries).

Before that there were a couple of starters that I did not take quite enough time to know what they are called but enjoyed myself so much that I almost got full on starters.

Coincidentally we were about 12 participants on one table and with a setting resembling a traditional Arab/Israeli setup some of my colleagues christened our dinner “the last supper” in reference to the final meal Jesus had with his 12 disciples in the bible. We just did not agree on who Jesus was in the group.

Other than the amazing food and the Middle-Eastern setup the restaurant offers an array of drinks. You can indulge in your favorite brands of wine, beer and fresh fruit juice.

One of my colleagues says “whenever you visit a new city, make sure you taste their food, beer and women.” While I left not knowing how their women taste, the food and the Ugandan beer brands were super awesome and my experience at Pardis left quite a mark on my short trip.

PS: When visiting Kampala try out Bell beer – tastes awesome when chilled.

The post Eating out in Kampala: Pardis restaurant appeared first on Biz Post Daily.

The app will enable Kisumu residents order food from a variety of restaurants, shop at leading supermarkets, request for gas deliveries or send packages and correspondences.

Some of the restaurants already signed up to the service include Funky Chicken Inn, Java House, Sovereign Hotel, Le Savanna Country Lodge & Hotel, The Vic Hotel and Roan Rooftop.

The delivery service charges Ksh. 150 for the first 3KM of delivery and Ksh. 30 for every extra KM. The app allows you to make your payment with your order. You can also access the delivery service on the Pacho Deliveries website.

The application which is currently only available for android users is pretty simple to use even in it’s beta stage but you can always look forward to better functionality with future updates.

Pacho Delivery is the second delivery app developed in Kisumu after Sendy which offers similar services but using contracted bodaboda operators.

Verdict: Functional

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Snail in my salad yesterday at one of your restaurants @javahouseafricapic.twitter.com/apawUnGyxI

— fred chumo (@laitoriat) August 28, 2016

My attention to the tweets were drawn by a friend whom I met at Java House, West End Mall, Kisumu. I had gone in to have a glass of minty pineade (one of my favorite drinks at Java) when Chandi Tome pointed out to me that Java was trending on twitter for the wrong reasons.

I am a frequenter at Java House and as a food enthusiast I also know that mistakes happen in the Kitchen. I however expected that Java House would offer an apology to the customer and reassure their clients that they will endeavor to ensure that such an incident does not happen again. That is what a solid brand would do. That is what I thought Java House would do.

It’s more than 24 hours later when I am publishing this. No apology. Instead Java House tried to handle this quietly with Fred Chumo. That was not wrong, but what about the thousands of Kenyans like me who order pork chops or steak with fresh salad from Java House. How are we assured of the safety of our food?

This however is not an isolated event, rapper Fena Kuti tweeted a while back about seeing a rat a Java House. The Kisumu branch at West End Mall was struggling with ants for a long time. Last week a friend of mine complained to one of the waiters about stale food.

People have tweeted about roaches at Java House:

This and incidents before brings to the fore the question of quality control at the Java House kitchen and the general quality of hygiene in their restaurants. When clients go to high end restaurants like Java House, they expect a certain level of quality, they need that reassurance.

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