Hello good people,
I can’t believe it’s August already. We were screaming happy new year like 2 minutes ago. I hope you are doing well. An article I recently read got me thinking – Is it right for premium restaurant or restaurants generally to run a No-Kids policy? This particular restaurant’s reason was that some customers complained that noisy kids distracted them from enjoying their meals and/or just generally ruined the ambience of their outing. What saith thou? Kids or No Kids?
It was our wedding anniversary last week, so Mr U and I went to Sky Restaurant for dinner. Sky Restaurant is probably the highest restaurant in Lagos. It is housed at the penthouse of Eko Hotel and Suites with views to die for. Depending on where you are seated, your view could either be the Atlantic Ocean or the city view. On entry, to the right is the lounge whilst to the left is the formal dinning room.
I can’t particularly put a theme to the decor but it seemed kinda dated for what the restaurant was touted to be.There were the sequined see – through curtains acting as wall divider. The dining room had traditional dinning chairs and tables which were nicely laid. It was not out of sync but it was not particularly grand. I am of firm opinion that decor in Lagos restaurants has evolved beyond this. I later found out from the waiter that the restaurant would be closed for about a month for renovations and redecoration so I am guessing that they know too.
We arrived at about 5.30P.M, to be told that dinner service was not until 6P.M. We decided to have aperitifs , errr not exactly aperitifs because we ended up with a mocktail. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t pay attention to the name so I can’t tell you what I ordered. I didn’t like the way it looked and even the presentation was not great ( mismatched straws and boring old glass) but it tasted really nice…. I left it for a bit because I got carried away with loloxing and the drink became layered. You could see the cream layer and whatever else was added to it had its own separate layer as well, not a pleasant sight. I asked for nuts to “hold belle” and the “oncle” brought me some dodgy looking peanuts with the skin on. Issshh, I cant shout abeg. The next thing will be garri, ice cubes and bowl. This is a premium restaurant for pete’s sake!
At 6P.M prompt, a smartly dressed waitress introduced herself and showed us to our table. We opted for city view. Did I mention how gorgeous it was? Pardon me for repeating it but I felt like I was floating in the sky (exaggeration). The menu was a fusion menu. It had Italian, Asian, French and American dishes. Well, having a wide variety on your menu is one thing, availability is another.
We ordered the assorted seafood tempura as a starter, Grilled Salmon with stuffed vegetables with dill beure blanc ( ina su oyinbo), Roasted lamb rack, oven grilled eggplant with mozzarella and rosemary juice. We added a side order of Hong Kong rice. For dessert, we ordered the Brooklyn choco mousse cake with pistachio ice cream and chocolate sauce. Those are really long names I know but no be my fault oh, na so dem write am.
After about 10 minutes, sisi waitress said there was no seafood tempura so we ordered sushi instead. We ordered the sweet sixteen roll sushi and whilst we waited, she brought a basket of assorted dinner rolls with butter. How predictable! Why does it always have to be dinner rolls?
Eventually, the sushi came and it was nicely plated. Sweet sixteen roll sushi ( N3700-$22) had smoked salmon, avocado, cream cheese, shredded cucumber and shrimps rolled into the rice. It was served with wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce. The rice had the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness and it didn’t smell fishy at all. (If you order sushi and it smells fishy, it means it’s not top grade sushi even if it has fish – no be me talk am oh, na my Japanese chef friend talk am). If you can not tolerate pepper (spicy food) please steer clear of wasabi.I learnt the hard way years ago.
Our main courses with the Hong Kong rice came at the same time. We decided to start with the Grilled Salmon with dill beure blanc and stuffed vegetables (N7200-$44). I don’t know if I can say it was well plated or it was neatly arranged. I will leave you to be the judge (see picture attached). Whilst I can’t make up on my mind on the plating, there were no doubts about how beautifully done this entree was.The outside of the Salmon was crisp and the pink insides was moist and nicely seasoned. The addition of the creamy dill beurre blanc (butter reduction sauce) was a perfect accompaniment to the fish. Even the vegetables was nicely seasoned and steamed but it was not stuffed like the menu described it to be. We cleaned out the plate in minutes! This dish deserved an ace but I am being stingy because I had to pay for a side dish. The Hong Kong rice (N2,400-$14.5) was not great, I found the rice to be a tad oily and over cooked.
The second entree was the Roasted lamb rack served with oven grilled egg plant, mozzarella and rosemary juice (N6,800-$41). I requested not to have the grilled egg plant because I don’t particularly fancy it. Yet again, plating was an issue for me. Or was I the one expecting too much? The picture always tells the story, have a look. I have repented from ordering overcooked meat so when the waiter asked how cooked I wanted it, I ordered medium- well. I had no idea what rosemary juice was whilst ordering but it was sooo good with the lamb. It was probably reduced broth spiced with rosemary….my guess. It was a perfect match with the tender chops which incidentally was not as fatty as I knew it to be. It was nicely seasoned too. We had this with Hong Kong rice.
For desserts, we had ordered the Brooklyn Choco mousse cake with pistachio ice cream (N2950-$18) but we had to change the order because it was not available or something like that- I really don’t remember. So, we opted for the Chocolate Bavarois (N2,950-$18) which was not listed on the menu,it was recommended by the waitress. We were mistakened for another couple who had made a reservation for their anniversary on that day as well. We told the waiter who asked we had not made any reservations but it was our anniversary as well. So when the Bavarois came, it was with the waiters singing with candles on our Bavarois. They actually put in an effort with the whole presentation. The plating came into play yet again. The Bavarois was just there, it didn’t leave me wanting more. For one, it would have tasted better with less gelatine. The chocolate was not top notch either or maybe it was that,it was not properly tempered because it was grainy.
The restrooms were well apportioned and kept sparkling.
We paid about N26,000 ($157) for 1 starter, 2 entrees, 1 dessert, 1mocktail and a bottle of water.
Would I go back there? Oh Yes
NOTE: This is more pricey than your average Lagos restaurant , so be well prepared if you don’t want to wash plates o. #justsaying.
MY SCORE CARD
Layout / Ambiance / Aesthetics- 8
Quality of food- 9
Value for money- 7
Customer Service- 9
SKY RESTAURANT
Eko Hotels & Suites
Victoria Island
Thank you for always reading.
DISCLAIMER: These reviews are my opinion of my dining experiences at these restaurants. They are not sponsored by any establishment unless otherwise stated.
thecriticng 