But There's Rice At Home...
Block A9. Plot 7, Wole Olateju Street. Lekki Phase I, Lagos
FOLLY: So we found ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place aka in Lekki a couple nights ago and so we went to Otres for dinner. To be completely honest, I’m not the biggest fan of going out to eat for Nigerian food cause “there’s rice at home”. Of course, except in the case of Amala because buka amala wins all time and amala at home will forever be trash.
NOSA: I don't mind eating Nigerian food in restaurants, I'm just really picky with my Nigerian food. I absolutely detest white rice. I don't do "swallow".
I intentionally kept pushing this Otres review because I honestly don't think I'm the best judge of Nigerian food. It would be dishonest if I came on here and told you what spot had the best Isi Ewu or something. I don't even know what good pounded yam is supposed to taste like (you can thank boarding school for that). So, I guess this is a caveat of some sort.
FOLLY: I perused the menu a couple of times because I was rather uninspired and everything looked like the rice that was both metaphorically and physically at home. I finally settled on the Coconut Rice with Grilled Fish pieces while Nosa had Chicken Wings with a side of Sweet Potato Fries.
FOLLY: First things first, Nosa’s sweet potato fries were yam and you cannot tell me otherwise. The chef must have run out of sweet potatoes and thought well if that’s finished, yam is a close substitute.
NOSA: Maybe not yam, but there was something off about the sweet potatoes. Wasn't expecting American sweet potatoes or anything like that. I know there's a difference between American and Nigerian sweet potatoes. But something just wasn't right with these sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes just didn't have that "sweet" kick that sweet potatoes have. I'm not holding it against Otres though, this one is on the potato.
NOSA: The wings were...well, they were definitely wings. Not your typical wingette+drumette combo, but a proper chicken wing. Like the one in Sunday rice. And the bone was unbelievably hard too.
The wings weren't bad, but they might be the worst I've had in Lagos so far. Again, I repeat, they aren't bad. Just very pedestrian. From using a whole wing to bathing it in stew. Very pedestrian.
FOLLY: The coconut rice was alright. It had a nice sweet hint of coconut to it and had nice steamed shrimp pieces. It however wasn’t creamy like the menu described. It was also sticky rice but that wasn’t a problem for me.
NOSA: I've never had coconut rice before so this was a first for me. Didn't know what to expect so I went in with pretty much an open mind. I thought it was interesting. Didn't dislike it and I'll definitely take it over white rice, I know that much. You won't find me craving coconut rice though. It's still fried rice over everything.
FOLLY: The real problem for me was the terrible service; the waiters were inattentive and not present.
NOSA: Yeah, the service was prettay prettay bad. Had to stand up and go get a waiter when we needed help. Maybe it's because we sat upstairs. I'll give them that.
FOLLY: And secondly, the fact that I ordered fish and got chicken. I am absolutely positive I ordered fish because I went on and on about how it must not be peppery. When I pointed the error out to the waiter, he insisted on telling me that I had ordered chicken instead of fixing it immediately.
I eventually got my fish and unfortunately it didn’t stand out.
NOSA: I didn't think the fish was bad. Not overcooked or anything. It was essentially fish stew, but I'll admit, I liked it.
POSTSCRIPT
NOSA: The quality of food at Otres was pretty much like what the cook at mine, Adriano, makes everyday. This is what makes it really tricky for me. It's regular food packaged really well.
FOLLY: The interior of OTRES is extremely aesthetically pleasing. There’s a gorgeous purple velvet sofa upstairs.
NOSA: The food isn't bad, the stakes just get higher when you have to pay for it. Throughout the meal, I kept thinking "Adriano could've made this". That's not bad thing per se because Adriano is pretty damn excellent when you don't ask him to make lasagne, but I don't have to pay Adriano after every meal. Well...he gets a salary but you get my drift. And I hardly eat at home anyway. If you're a single man and you can't cook, this might be your wave. But then again, perhaps Ghana High is a better deal.
DAMAGE
Coconut Rice - N3300
Chicken Wings - N2000
Sweet Potato Fries - N700