Exploring the Continental Side of the Bungalow Menu
FOLLY: This past weekend, Nosa and I were in Ikeja for a meeting.
NOSA: Ikeja is apparently the next frontier in the Lagos restaurant business. Word on the street is that Bungalow and Rhapsody have been making killing in the area. Casper & Gambini have just set shop in Ikeja City Mall, perhaps we’ll see a couple more Island restaurants making the move.
FOLLY: It was over just about lunchtime and we were considering our options on Isaac John that we could also review.
NOSA: I think we’ve been to every relevant spot on Isaac John.
FOLLY: I suggested Jevenik, mostly as a joke, cause I knew Nosa wouldn’t go for it.
NOSA: Only way I’m going to Jevenik is if we go to an Indian restaurant in exchange.
FOLLY: No chance. If he had said yes I’d have been totally in though, as I really would like to see those monstrous portions I’ve only heard so much about.
We ultimately decided to continue our Bungalow adventure and explore another section of their menu this time.
NOSA: Why do people call it "Continental" anyway?
NOSA: To start, I ordered us some Chicken Tenders and Garlic Bread (sans cheese)
FOLLY: I was on the phone (I know, I’m rude) so Nosa placed the order for the starters. The only ask I made was garlic bread because people often list Bungalow as one of the few places in Lagos where you can get it so I felt we should check it out.
NOSA: Neither starter was any good.
FOLLY: I don’t know how he managed to pick out these dry as hell chicken tenders out of a list of more appetizing looking and sounding stuff.
NOSA: The tenders looked very good on that iPad, in my defense.
FOLLY: The tenders were honestly as dry as they look.
NOSA: Maybe dryer. The less said, the better.
FOLLY: The baguette used for the garlic bread was stale.
FOLLY: My main was a big gamble. It caught my eye on the menu and it didn't have cheese so I went for it. That's rolled chicken stuffed with spinach, mushroom, peppers etc.
NOSA: The picture lied.
FOLLY: And now you are. Nosa and I disagree on how good this was. He definitely doesn’t like but I’d say it was a 5/10 and when adjusted for the Lagos factor they’d get a boost of + 2 for a total of 7.
NOSA: The chicken was sooooo dry
FOLLY: The chicken was not definitely memorable. I really liked the idea but the execution was flawed and the stuffing was desperately needing for flavor. The mash was inconsistent texture wise, a few clumps here and there but the taste was just as I like it.
NOSA: Yeah, I liked the mash despite its flaws.
FOLLY: The cream was not too heavy if there was any, and the butteriness won me over. The spinach, I ate only because of my eyesight - I think spinach is good for healthy eyes and hair.
Am I right? It was sautéed but I think they could have done a little to help with some seasoning in that regard.
NOSA: I got the Penne Pesto as my main. The penne leaned on the soft side and the pesto was terribly underwhelming. Maybe I’ve been spoilt by La Mango, but this was a let down.
It tasted like that one time I tried making penne pesto with cheap pesto sauce. The color was great, but the taste was far from it. In situations like this, you have to give your pesto some umph with your own spices because cheapo pesto sauce is getting you nowhere.
POSTSCRIPT
NOSA: I like Bungalow, but this Continental menu is not the one. Or maybe I’m harsh. It’ll work for a lot of people, but your palate is a bit more discerning, it isn’t for you.
FOLLY: The Mexican menu at Bungalow is wayyyy better. I also found the food to be more expensive than it's worth. My cocktail, the west Indian yellow something, was basically pineapple juice.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Garlic Bread- N2000
Pasta el Pesto - N6000
Chicken Tenders - N2800
Kiwi Caipiroshka - N2500
West Indian Yellow Bird - N2200
Stuffed Rolled Chicken - N6200
PARKING
Good enough at lunch time but I'm sure it gets busy at night.