355 Steakhouse & Lounge || Restaurant Review

    .

It's my job in the relationship to pick the restaurants. 

If I leave it all to him I just end up getting ticked off because even though I'd have given him 2 weeks notice, at 7pm on the D day, he'll ask 'where do you want to go?'

Err, it was your job to pick the restaurant!

Yeah but you know these places better than I do. You choose. 

He thinks it's chivalry. I think it's not taking an important date seriously. 

I just end up sulking in the car on the way to any restaurant of my choice. 

So in order not to sweat the small stuff, I pick the restaurants. 

Even after picking 355 Restaurant for our wedding Anniversary date night, thanks to work, business and out of town guests, we couldn't go out until 9:45pm!

I had actually given up, wiping my lipstick off angrily but a quick phone call to the restaurant saved the night... They're open until 12am!

So off we went on our anniversary date with me sulking in the car, desperately hoping that 355 Steakhouse can put a smile on my face. 

The Ambience

When you walk in there's the restaurant on your left and the lounge to the right.

The restaurant had a warm, romantic feel to it, making it a good choice for a couple on a date. The tables were set beautifully and they had nice and heavy crockery. You know how I feel about fine dining and cutlery. 

The restaurant is small though you don't feel it because of the tables were arranged efficiently to optimize the spice. We sat at a solo table for two, but they also had tables for larger groups with soft cushions along the wall.

Our table was close to the door that linked the restaurant to the lounge, which turned out pretty noisy as the night progressed and people got more turnt up.

The waiter pulled up a third chair and I told him "we are only two!" He says "no ma, this one is for your bag." I'm like "awwww," and I turn to, Mr. H "see, he knows the way to a woman's heart! You've never pulled up a chair for my bag! All It ever gets is "move it out of the way, it's obstructing my driving.'

The Drinks

 

 I can't remember what drink he got, but knowing him it was something freshly squeezed with orange or ginger.

 I'm guessing here.

I, on the other hand got this showstopper! The strawberry daiquiri! One look at the mocktail menu and I knew I had to have it.

It didn't disappoint! The ice was so finely crushed, the Result was a smooth blend of velvety ice and premium sweet, tangy strawberry juice served in a tall martini glass. I had to get in with a spoon
.


The Food

We came here for something different so we went straight for the Mexican menu. That was why I actually picked this restaurant. I hadn't had Mexican in a few years, it was time for a refill.

The food took a little too long to come out though.

but when it did, it was worth the wait.


We did get some carrot and cucumber sticks to munch while we waited...

We started with the DD nachos, which according to them:

DD Nachos "Deep fried flour tortillas served with refried beans, ranchero sauce and cheese "

It was so good! It didn't look like a traditional nachos dish; the tortilla breads were served whole and stacked me on top the other, like a sliced double decker pizza sandwiched with a rich, beefy chili con carne.

They were very generous with the minced beef! The ratio of meat to tortilla was definitely greater than one! 

Let's not even talk about the cheese! It was just the right amount of sharp queso melted into the chili. Oh my, that first bite was memorable.


Next up we had the chicken fajitas.

"Grilled steak or chicken served with guacamole, salsa and cheese add prawns for an extra"

 The chicken came sizzling in a skillet, obviously freshly grilled with some sweet peppers and onions.

 It was tender and moist but still cooked all the way through.

 

 It came with four medium sized tortilla breads....

And Four different condiments:

A tomato Salsa, Guacamole, Shredded cheese and "Sour Cream" that didn't really taste or look like sour cream though. But I understand, its nearly impossible to find real sour cream in Abuja.  No harm, no foul: it was close enough.

Of course, I was in charge of wrapping the fajitas for both of us because apparently I'm "Great with wraps and sandwiches, nothing falls out!" 

*side eye* Sounds like I was being buttered up to work for my anniversary dinner! 

Luckily I was already in a good mood thanks to the delicious food, so I happily layered chicken and condiments for an amazing wrap that I could seriously eat three times a day, everyday. 

That guac was so out of this world!  I smeared it on everything I ate there...EVERYTHING!

For the third we ordered a burrito, which we thought we needed but oh boy, we over estimated our hunger!

The serving was so much bigger than we anticipated!

"

"Soft flour tortilla filled with beans, cheese, lettuce with your choice of chicken, beef, or grilled veggies"

 The burrito came with a side of refried beans (I'm not even a beans person! Yet I enjoyed it.) and mexican rice, garnished with green and black olives.

*sigh*

.
Again, the chef didn't skimp on the filling! It was the same delicious chili that topped our nachos...

Unfortunately we were all but passed out thanks to the food we had consumed! We had quite a bit left over and we didn't even bother with take aways.

We enjoyed the food tremendously and it was so refreshing to try something new in Abuja that didn't disappoint. The evening ended on a high!

The Service 

The waiters were super attentive without being too in your face, which is always pleasant.

The only teeny tiny issue was upon arrival, we weren't handed steamed towels or at least anti septic wipes to clean our hands and when we tried to wash our hands, the bathroom was out of order. We had to manage with my hand sanitiser.

This might not have been a big deal in other restaurants, but this is a fine dining restaurant that serves Mexican food and an extensive tapas menu; people are bound to eat with their hands!

This was back in April though, so the problem may have been rectified.


 The Price.

The damage done was  about 15,000 Naira including service charge and VAT and a small tip  for the waiter.

Bear in mind that this was back in April, before everything got more expensive so I'm not sure what it is now.


I will definitely recommend 355 to anyone needing a modern restaurant for a romantic date or a night out on a special occasion. Just make sure you come with a loaded wallet!


Did you enjoy this review?

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Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments down below.


Lots of nacho cheesy love,

Ummi.

SF Chinese Restaurant || Review

So we were running last minute errands on Christmas Eve and we happened to be driving through Gana street in Maitama when we came across this flashing sign.

Right beside the popular fast food restaurant, Southern Fried Chicken (SFC), was a bright sign reading SF Chinese. It is situated in the same complex and shares parking with SFC, so we presumed it belonged to the same owner.

Apparently they'd been open for about 5 months. I had no idea!

The table setting was nice, but kinda weird for a Chinese restaurant. The plate was ceramic with a chilli motif that looked very Mexican. There was a melamine soup spoon that didn't match the plate, a very fancy napkin and a beautiful table cloth. But the cutlery was wrapped in serviettes and the menu was on a flyer! It was like they couldn't decide between a fancy and a casual restaurant. Although, if they were going for a quirky feel then it's not so bad.

This totally made my day! The drinking glass was in the shape of a conical measure! Every pharmacist will appreciate this! I'll certainly return to this restaurant if only to drink from this cup!

The ambience is very modern and kinda minimalist. There is a takeout waiting area with lounge furniture to your right and a dining area to the left.

My only critique is that the dining area, which is on the other side of this photo, is very 'open', there's no real privacy for diners and the cold chill breeze sweeps in under the table everytime the door is open. It might help if they put in a room divider to separate diners from the takeout crowd. Even if it's not a full divider, something like a half wall or some plants will help.

There's also an alfresco area at the entrance.

The Food

The food was good and we were pleasantly surprised. When I looked at the menu I wasn't expecting much. It read like a watered down version of Woks & Koi's menu. But guess what? The food also tasted incredibly similar to Woks & Koi. when I tasted the food, suddenly everything about SF Chinese reminded me of Woks and Koi express in Wuse II. In a good way! Maybe they have the same owner or the chefs trained in the same school.

As usual we ordered rice, noodles and a sauce. This time we had the SF special fried rice, Singapore noodles and Chicken in Cashew nut sauce. They also gave us a delicious chilli oil but the food itself was sooo spicy, we didn't even touch it! Service was quick and adequate.

Singapore noodles: my favourite item on their menu! Generous chunks of beef and chicken, springy rice noodles and sufficient greens. I wish it was less spicy though. But nothing spoil, eh?

The chicken in cashew sauce was good too. It really went well with the rice.

That's the SF special fried rice. It was a great side dish for the chicken in cashew nut sauce.

It's about to go down!

We consumed it all in 30 minutes! Nothing was left over. Hehe!

The prices were cheaper than most local Chinese restaurants, but the portions were also smaller. That also means no wastage, and we didn't have to have the awkward conversation of packing leftovers to carry home, so Yay!

The Cost: N6700 for two people including drinks. Quite reasonable for the quality of food delivered.

Verdict: If you love Chinese food and hate spending a fortune on mediocre food from overrated outlets *side eyes Chopsticks* Then get yourself down to SF Chinese! The menu might not be as diverse as other Chinese restaurants in Maitama, but the food is great, the price is very reasonable and service is very fast. It's a great choice for mid week meals and no fuss weekend dinners. I definitely recommend it. Oh, did I mention they also deliver?

Ambience: 3.5/5

Service: 3.5/5

Food: 4/5

Cost: 4/5

3.75/5

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Chopsticks || Restaurant Review

There's a longstanding belief in Abuja that chopsticks is one of the best restaurants for Chinese around, so on a particularly hungry Ramadan evening, Mr. H and I decided to go there for Iftar. There we were, innocent diners anticipating a calm, beautiful evening of delicious Chinese food.

Well, there was Chinese food, but there was no calm and beauty!

First off, there was no host or maitre'd. We walked in and stood for over two minutes. no one came to help us and no one even noticed new customers had come in.

After a lifetime of awkwardness, we decided to seat ourselves down at the nearest empty 2 seat table. Minutes later, some people came and said this was their table! They'd just stepped out to get something from the car. There was no reserved sign and no waiter told us it was already occupied.

So we excused ourselves and looked for another table.

Minutes later menus appeared. Who exactly dropped the menus? We're not too sure. But we perused them anyway.

While we were still deciding what to order, a middle aged waiter appeared. He didn't say a word. Just stood there with his hand on his waist.

Awkward silence

Awkward silence

More awkward silence.

I break the ice and ask for chicken dumplings, Singapore noodles and beef in black bean sauce with Guangzhou fried rice.

 

'Any drinks?' I asked Mr. H and Before he could answer the waiter stormed off.

We hadn't even finished our order!!!

 

He's nowhere to be found for another 5ish minutes.O

 

He suddenly returns with a puss on his face. But I was madder.

 

'So we were giving you our order and you just walked away like that?'

 

'No, I was giving you time to decide.'

 

'Then you SHOULD have excused yourself.'

 

'Sorry,' he said, but clearly didn't mean it.

 

At this point I was certain homeboy was gonna spit in our food.

 

We ordered a chapman for me and a large bottle of water for the table.

 

 

30 minutes later our dumplings arrived. A very grumpy waitress, holding the steamer with one hand between her waist and elbow dumped the basket on the table without saying a word!

 

'Where are the sauces?' I asked a puzzled Mr. H. There was no chili oil and no soy sauce!

 

They arrived 5 minutes later along with chopped cabbage. Dumped on the table by a mute waitress.

 

Meanwhile, we notice the two ladies eating on the table beside us were also having shitty-mute-zombie service. But the Chinese business men that had just come in were being treated like kings. As were the Caucasian couple two tables behind.

 

*sigh*

 

At least the food was good.

 

The chicken dumplings were okay, though a little chewy and lacking in seasoning but the chili oil and soy sauce helped.

 

 

 

For the Singapore noodles; I was expecting an authentic mee goreng but what we got was a nice stir fried noodle dish with generous chicken and jumbo prawn portions. I loved that they used 'real' egg noodles and didn't just try to pass off indomie or spaghetti like some restaurants do.

 

The beef in black bean sauce was average. Wish you could taste the black bean more but hey, it went down pretty quickly so that's a good sign.

 

 

 

 

As soon as we were done and drank enough water, I looked for a waiter or waitress to get us our bill but there was no one. *sigh*

 

After spraining my neck, mute waitress finally notices me. I ask for the bill and she walks of while I'm still talking. Something I've already become accustomed to in my 1hr 30 mins stay at chopsticks.

 

She dumps the Dossier on the edge of the table. When she saw that we were paying by card, she makes a face and storms off.

 

*sigh*

 

That's the third time someone's stormed off from our table. DramaQueens.

 

I was tempted to just take my bag and pull a runner but that would be stealing. If only.

 

Mute Waitress returns without an eftpos machine. Then goes back to get it, dragging her feet.

 

We finally paid and got the hell out! In fact we couldn't get out fast enough.

 

Bottom Line: I can confidently say that this is the worst service I have ever had at a restaurant. Seriously. Fine dining has to do with a lot more than just fancy plates and shiny crockery. What use is having a decent food when your service is shit? It ruined the entire experience for me and I sure as hell will not be going back to Chopsticks!

But I'd eat if someone buys me takeout. :P

 

 

What's the worst service you've ever had at a restaurant?

 

 

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