The Garden at Nok Is Nothing Short of Perfect
12 Akin Olugbade Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
FOLLY: The garden menu is Nok by Alara’s latest menu. One thing I love about Nok by Alara is that you can go there several times and always find something new and exciting to try because they have 4 different menus – lunch, dinner, brunch and garden.
NOSA: I can never really explain why I love Nok to other people, but I think this is a big part of it.
FOLLY: Although there are two of the four menus that do nothing for me, I really do appreciate the diversity and the attention to detail that understands that people want to eat different things at times and in different environments.
NOSA: Exactly. It might not always hit, but the amount of thought put into Nok is commendable.
FOLLY: For at least a year, the dinner menu was my favorite at Nok but it now appears that the garden menu has come hard and fast for that special place in my heart.
NOSA: The lunch was my favorite until this.
FOLLY: Nosa was running late, and so I took the liberty of ordering for both of us.
FOLLY: We ordered the Hummus with Suya (beef), BBQ Beef Ribs, Jerk Chicken Wings, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Goat Sliders.
Yeah, it’s a lot but it was just the right amount of food.
NOSA: The menu is very tapas-y. A bit like the RSVP Poolside menu and what Ginger Tapas tried to pull off.
A bit of an aside, as far as I'm concerned, tapas = dim sum = small chops.
Why on earth hasn't someone started a restaurant strictly for small chops?
FOLLY: In summary, I loved everything that we ate at NOK, every single thing. I have no faults to pick at, except maybe the small portion of the naan and the incessant flies but that was all.
NOSA: My favorite thing about Nok is how alte everything is.
I wouldn't have complained about regular hummus, but getting yaji involved? That just took it to another level. I felt like Chris Rock at the end of Kanye's Blame Game.
FOLLY: Same with the corn on the cob, they didn't just grill it. They made it a bit sticky and added sesame seeds.
NOSA: Might sound like an exaggeration, but Nok Garden was excellent.
FOLLY: Starting with the BBQ beef ribs, this was the first time I had beef ribs in Lagos that weren’t a struggle to eat.
NOSA: It's really hard to find beef ribs in Lagos. It's even harder to find quality beef ribs in Lagos.
FOLLY: Granted, these were mostly boneless but even those pieces that were not, I wasn't haggling with the bone to release my meat.
The cornbread, I can’t really put into words. If regular cornbread bores you, Alara’s spicy cornbread will change that.
NOSA: It'll change your life entirely
FOLLY: Also don’t judge cornbread based on what Smokey Bones serves cause [redacted], just don’t until you’ve tried it elsewhere
NOSA: I'm not redacting anything abeg. the cornbread at Nok is infinitely better than what Smokey Bones serves. This is like going from a '99 Camry to a '16 Bentley. The gulf in quality is so evident.
FOLLY: The jerk chicken wings could have been thicker, but the flavor was divine and wasn’t just on the skin.
NOSA: The wings were not memorable for me, but it's not because they weren't any good. They were pretty damn good, but the other items we got were just so much better.
NOSA: The goat meat sliders were the real star of the show for me.
FOLLY: The two-bite portion stole my heart.
NOSA: Most people will hate the portion, but this didn't bother me in the slightest. The goat patty was as tender as it gets. The guac...the bun....
FOLLY: ... the caramelized onion, and just enough cheese.
NOSA: Everything was just so delicious. This would never work as a proper burger, but as a slider, it's excellent.
FOLLY: Oh how could I forget the cocktails, as a true Lagos gal, I had the Gidi Scent (rum, scent leaf, lime juice, ginger and lemonade) and the Lagosians (Cointreau, brandy, strawberry, lime).
Both were good, but the Lagosians was the bomb. Sweet and subtly strong (aka you shouldn't feel like you're drinking the liquor straight) as a cocktail should be, in my humble opinion.
POSTSCRIPT
FOLLY: This might read to you as a love letter to Nok and someone might say this review was bought and I don’t care cause I just want Nok Garden to come and take all my monies because it’s really, really good food.
NOSA: I've had a bit of Nok fatigue lately, but with the garden menu, I'm back like the prodigal son. Right now, at this very moment, Nok is my favorite restaurant in Lagos
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Goat Sliders - N2000
Nok BBQ Beef RIbs - N2500
Hummus with Suya - N2000
Jerk Chicken Wings - N3000
Grilled Corn on the Cob - N600
PARKING
Both off street parking and street parking are available.