We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.

“Delightful Indo-Chinese fusion”

Taste of China (TOC)
Ranked #81 of 1,081 Restaurants in Nairobi
Cuisines: Chinese
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Dining options: After-hours, Delivery, Reservations, Takeout
Description: Taste of China as a Brand has been open since March 2008. We started off at Prime Apartments as a poolside restaurant. Our shift to VIP Plaza was in October 2012 where we have tried to create a more contemporary restaurant. we have now moved to 12th floor of TRV Parkwest on 3rd Parklands avenue, diagonally opposite the mosque. in the restaurant we have Trees, dragons, butterflies, birds are all part of the décor. You have to see it to believe it! We are an Indo-Chinese restaurant, A restaurant with a view !! Come try the food and check out our view !!
Reviewed 18 December 2014

Visited the restaurant on a recommendation from a friend when I travelled to Nairobi and it lived up to the expectations. The decor is wonderful, with the two dragons the highlight as well as the uniquely designed bar.

We ordered some ribs, spring rolls and honey chilli chicken to start. The food came out in a reasonable time, and although we ordered regular portions they seemed to be large. They were easily enough for 3 of us and tasted very fresh. The spare ribs were succulent and flavoured well and the honey chilli chicken was a personal favourite.

For mains we had the sweet and sour pork, chicken in black bean along with egg fried rice and bang bang noodles. Again the portions were very generous and comfortably catered for us with a bit left over, which the staff were happy to pack up for us to take home. The chicken was well marinated in the black bean sauce and the sweet and sour sauce with the pork was thick and delicious.

We drank the freshly made Dawa's which were fantastic and were even given some handmade chocolates at the end as an extra added touch.

I'm very glad we made the trip to Taste of China, and I will definitely return there on my next visit to Nairobi

Date of visit: December 2014
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
2  Thank kunal r
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviews (154)
Traveller rating
Traveller type
Time of year
Language
  • More languages

116 - 120 of 154 reviews

Reviewed 2 December 2014

I ordered food from here and it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It wasn't bad, but I did not enjoy!

Date of visit: November 2014
Thank VikSpark
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 November 2014

The place sets a good mood and tone, the flavor may not be truly Chinese but still tastes okay, and the service was not as customer friendly or quick as expected. I requested for a suggestion form but never saw it, i suppose the staff were on a go slow of some kind. I took a take away and upon reaching my residence, i discovered only a quarter of the serving was wrapped up in aluminium foil. whats wrong with the proprietors and staff, can't they afford plastic containers ?
Furthermore, i called up the number on their business card to find complain and i was brushed of rudely, NOT A NICE PLACE AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Date of visit: May 2014
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
3  Thank 209globet
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jits_13, Owner at Taste of China (TOC), responded to this reviewResponded 6 November 2014

Hello Globe T

Thank You for your feedback.

We are very concerned that you called the restaurant to complain and were not helped. We take our complains very seriously as that is what will help us improve.

I would like to talk to you and try and find out where the other problems were.

I am available at the restaurant between 7pm and 10 Pm. Please ask for Jitesh or if you would like to call during the day please call the restaurant and get my personal number.

Your other suggestions have been noted and will be acted upon with immediate effect.

Kind Regards

Jitesh Lakhani (Proprietor of TOC)

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 2 November 2014

As with most Chinese restaurants in Nairobi, this is certainly not authentic. It's very much an Indo-Chinese fusion that caters for the local populace, mostly Kenyan-Indians. It's actually located within the Nanchang Hotel, a Chinese one, which would make you think there might be one or two there... Aside from myself on a Sunday lunch service, I was all alone. We ordered Satay Prawns, Beef and Oyster Sauce, Chicken and Mushroom, and Egg Fried Rice. With a few drinks, the bill came to Ksh 3,500, which is reasonable, and unlike other restaurants, they include taxes etc. in the prices shown in the menu.

My initial concern with this place started when the waiter asked me, "Chilli? Mild, medium or hot?". I informed him that proper Beef and Oyster sauce and Chicken and Mushroom would not have chilli in it. Evidently, this was to cater for the Indian community, which is fair enough, but you cannot call it 'authentic'.

The portions, even for regular, are more than enough for 2 people, although the regular Egg Fried Rice wasn't enough. Service was generally good, but this was a Sunday lunch service, so who knows what it's like on a busy service with takeaway orders being taken. As for the food, I'd say only the Beef and Oyster sauce was OK, but nothing better than that. Both the beef and chicken was mainly shredded, which isn't how it should be. Also, the mushrooms were definitely out of a can. The prawns in the satay, was literally 'in the satay', totally drowning in it. This was probably because the prawns were not so fresh and/or they're not so sure how it's meant to be done. The way the dish comes out sizzling hot (spraying hot sauce on to anything within half a table radius) means the prawns are way overcooked by the time you're able to get near the plate. The sauce itself was also a bit disappointing, not very 'nutty', and other ingredients/flavours got in the way.

All in all, a bit of a disappointing meal. Despite its reputation amongst my friends for their ribs, these dishes weren't on par.

Having said all of that, the decor is pretty good, and they have nice balcony seats that has a nice view of NW Nairobi.

Date of visit: November 2014
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Hong S
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 15 October 2014

One of my biggest problems in Nairobi has been to find a Chinese restaurant that offers authentic Chinese food, and not "Indo-Chinese" which most of the "Chinese" restaurants in Nairobi seem to serve (my long-held opinion being that Indo-Chinese food is a fusion that does not work on any level). When we arrived at Taste of China, we asked specifically and were told that it was authentic Chinese food with a Chinese chef. The fact that there were no Chinese in the place should have been a warning. The appetizers (sesame beef and spare ribs) were overchillied (we had asked for medium), so we asked for no chili in the main course. We received sweet and sour pork that tasted of freezer burn (not many Indian patrons order pork), kung pao prawns which weren't badly cooked but tasteless, and stir-fried vegetables with black bean sauce where no black bean could be seen. All of the above covered in glutinous sauce. The two Chinese spices most used seemed to be corn starch and MSG. We complained to the owner, and she gave us a slight discount, but strike another pseudo-Chinese restaurant in Nairobi off the list. Still looking for a real one.

Date of visit: October 2014
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
5  Thank gelnairobi
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jits_13, Owner at Taste of China (TOC), responded to this reviewResponded 6 November 2014

Dear Gelnairobi

Thank You for your feedback.

I apologise for the wrong guidance you were given at the gate. There are two chinese restaurants in this building the other one being the one you should have been directed to for an authentic experience.

We are an "Indo-Chinese" restaurant as you say. we have never Marketed ourselves as an Authentic Restaurant.

we have already taken action on retraining the guards at the gate to guide the customers accordingly

Kind Regards

Jitesh Lakhani
Owner of TOC

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Travellers who viewed Taste of China (TOC) also viewed

 

Been to Taste of China (TOC)? Share your experiences!

Write a Review Add Photos & Videos

Owners: What's your side of the story?

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.

Claim Your Listing
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
© 2024 Tripadvisor LLC All rights reserved.

This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in United Kingdom. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu.