Nok For Visa Restaurant Week

Scrolling through my Instagram feed, minding my business and I see this…..

I had been seeing posts on the @lostinlagos  page about getting discounts on select restaurant meals but I was never interested because I feel there’s always some scam involved whenever I see/hear the words “discount” and “promo”. But the puff-puff in that picture was calling my name plus I always wanted to go to Nok By Alara so why not give it a try on the last day!

Off I went with my dear friend 007 who finds it hard to eat. *laughs* We arrived just after 5pm and walking in was a beautiful experience. I love love the outdoor area of this place…..a true celebration of culture and colors!

Thankfully dinner starts at 6pm so we had to sit here to wait for the restaurant to set up. While soaking in the view, a really pretty lady (the Manager, I think) with a beautiful Northern accent walked up to us to ask if we were okay and then informed us that bar outside was open. She got us the drink menu and directed a waiter to our table.

I went with “Eko Traffic” just because of the name (it’s not everyday Lagos traffic looks this appealing)….

Honestly, this cocktail was striking to me….tasted like an unusual sweet martini but with some tartness. I couldn’t quite place if I liked it or not but the taste definitely grew on me before I was done with the glass.

As usual, 007 was having water but tasted my Eko Traffic and liked it….

6pm finally arrived and we were ushered into the restaurant, I forgot to take pictures for you but it was really beautiful, almost romantic; the ceiling had some dim ball lightings, candle lights on each table, flowers….just beautiful. We got settled in and I noticed that even the salt and pepper cans had drawings of people wearing traditional cloths *big smile*

We placed our orders and the food came really fast….

My starter- Braised Duck Parcels

This is the kind of parcel you want to have every day. I bit into one not knowing what to expect and YUM….juicy shreded duck meat! Next bite had to go with the sauce….even better yumminess! 007 tried one and we both loved it very much.

007’s starter/Only plate- Tamarind Glazed Chicken Wings. (I just need this kind of self control and hello skinniness *rolls eyes*). I had two of these wings dancing in my chair, licking my fingers and wanting more.

Look how clean my bones were left….

Main Course- Lamb Mafe with Peanut Sauce and Nok Naan

Who doesn’t love hot bread? Even 007 couldn’t resist the aroma and had a bite. This was my first time having a mafe (West African peanut/groundnut stew) or any form of nut sauce and now I wonder why. Extremely rich and the lamb was cooked to perfection. I scraped my plate feeling very inspired, definitely going into my kitchen to try this out next week. I wish I had an extra Naan to clean up my mafe bowl properly *wink*

Dessert- Coconut Rice Pudding with Honey Roasted Mango

Even though I came here for the pof pof, this rice pudding couldn’t pass me by. I wanted 007 to order the pof pof but No, too much fitfam and who was going to look like the fat kid with two desserts? Definitely not me! But yes, my pudding was such a delight, the chews of the honey roasted mango came like a pleasant surprise each time. I can have this every Sunday!

I really couldn’t believe this experience was over, would have been nice to just sit there and eat till I couldn’t move. *covers face* Can we have a 7 Course Menu at Nok by Alara next year please!

Now my “plot twist” (please allow me a moment to feel like deep writer)

We were actually handed the usual menu and not the Visa Retaurant Week one because apparently Nok by Alara had stopped serving dinner at the discounted rate of N12,000 the previous week. The waiter told me he would have his supervisor explain to me why but no one came to me till I left.

Because I really wanted to be part of the restaurant week thing, I asked to order from the menu but at the original cost. The total bill was just under N19,000 though and very worth it….

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