Nok For Brunch
12 Akin Olugbade Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
reservations@nokbyalara.com , 0908 561 4815
FOLLY: We've been to NOK for dinner and for lunch and because of the type of people we are, once they announced their new brunch menu we had to find out what it was all about.
NOSA: "These EatDrinkLagos guys are always at NOK"
Yes, this is true.
FOLLY: It took us two weeks to get here because we both had prior engagements this past two Sundays, you honestly cannot imagine how hard it was.
NOSA: On the surface, NOK's brunch menu is a deviation from their easily accessible regular menu. Then you read the descriptions and you're like, "oh, right. I know that"
FOLLY: We wouldn't have been satisfied coming here and ordering one thing each and thankfully cause we share well, we ordered three menu items - Coconut Pancakes, Yam & Oxtail Hash Brown with Fried Egg, and Suya-Crusted Steak and Scrambled Eggs.
NOSA: Lowkey, we ordered 5 mains because we got two friends along.
FOLLY: I mentally justified it as the coconut pancakes were our starter.
NOSA: And that's very fair tbh.
FOLLY: The Mangarita was also my starter. Warning: If you do not like mangoes or Nigerian mangoes more specifically, stay away from this.
NOSA: Pancakes were a bit too much for me because of the caramelized pineapples. I already hate fruit already so the whole thing overwhelmed me. If you love pineapples, however, you'll probably love this.
I don't.
FOLLY: The coconut was very AWOL. I expected to taste desiccated coconut throughout the batter and I did not taste even the tiniest hint of coconut. Maybe when they said coconut pancakes they meant they were using coconut flour, which I'm not even sure is a thing, but yeah these were pineapple pancakes. I didn't mind the pineapple pancakes but you know, coconut pancakes would have been nice.
FOLLY: Now, let's talk about the yam hash brown. If you know me well sweet potato > yam, every single day. I actually really don't like yam, I find it bland and as such, I boil my yam with lots of sugar.
NOSA: This is as false as declarations go.
Yam > Sweet Potato.
FOLLY: In all honesty, I shouldn't have ordered this because I don't like yam or oxtail. Kudos to Nok for this dish though because it was very Nigerian in its execution. The stew was fried and oily; the oxtail was very tender too.
NOSA: This thing is basically yam, stew, and egg. I don't understand how Folly wasn't a fan.
I got the suya-crusted steak and eggs. This one was absolutely excellent.
I've done suya and eggs before. One time, the cook decided to visit his family and left my cousin and me to die at home. So inconsiderate. Anyway, that was the first time I dabbled in suya and eggs. Now, suya meat is usually from poor quality beef, which might really be dog meat. NOK has taken better quality beef and marinated it suya style. The long and short of all this story is that the suya steak and eggs were delicious.
FOLLY: It literally tasted like suya from the street, sliced into nice fancy strips. I'd add that it was a bit overdone, the waitress didn't ask how we'd like it done in the first place.
The portion on this looks mad small but my friend and I commented that when your plate first arrives it looks tiny but then as you eat, you realize it's just the right portion size because you end up at a good stopping place. You're not completely stuffed but you're not starving, and you have room for dessert.
NOSA: It's strange how restaurants I really like are pretty poor with their deserts. First RSVP, now NOK.
FOLLY: Dessert was a huge let down.
FOLLY: The peanut nougat was very average and the cream was way too tart for a cheesecake filling.
NOSA: I'd have been fine with regular cheesecake, to be honest. No need to deconstruct. Please build it back up.
POSTSCRIPT
FOLLY: What I like about Nok is that it's interesting. They aren't just going to give you yam & egg cause that what we eat in Nigeria, they've reinvented and represented staple Nigerian foods. We didn't order it but there's a menu item that is eko and fish. In addition to that, Nok is also great for the ambiance and people watching.
NOSA: Minus the dessert, this is a winner. We didn't mention on here but the peanut crusted chicken is fantastic too. NOK does wonderful things to chicken.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Mangarita - N3500
Coconut Pancakes - N3000
Suya Crusted Steak & Eggs - N4000
Yam & Oxtail Hash Brown - N4000
PARKING
You won't have to worry about parking