Zenbah

11B Akin Adeola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos

0803 855 5557

NOSA: Late last year, Paris Deli "packed up" and reinvented itself as Sip & Bite. A couple months ago, Sip & Bite "packed up" and reinvented itself as Zenbah.

If you've been keeping up,

Paris Deli -> Sip & Bite -> Zenbah

This time, it's a bit different. They've ditched the whole "let's open a restaurant" thing and gone a different route. Zenbah's big play is alcohol.

Lots of it.

That said, i think Zenbah falls a little short on the alcohol front. The drinks are decent, at best, and at the price point, it makes little sense.

FOLLY: I disagree. As long as you stay away from all of that Tiki nonsense, you'll be great. Take their mojito for instance, I didn't have any of that tiny leaf wahala like the one at La Taverna, nor did it have stockpiles of sugar at the bottom like most other Lagos bars. 

NOSA: The cheapest cocktail on the menu is N3000 and if you're paying a pretty penny, you expect a little more. Cafe Royale, for instance, makes better cocktails at a fraction of the price.

FOLLY: While N3000 for a mojito isn't very cheap or affordable, I can say this is one of the best mojitos, if not the best I've had in Lagos.

And for all it's worth Zenbah still doesn't have the most expensive cocktail in Lagos, that crown belongs to the Terrace Bar at Filmhouse Lekki. 

NOSA: I'll give Zenbah one thing though, the drinks are perfect for Instagram/snapchat.

FOLLY: All facts. 

NOSA: It wasn't all drinks, however. We tried out the food menu at Zenbah.

NOSA: Started out with the seafood platter.

FOLLY: Fisherman's Basket, actually. Aside: Zenbah is very Vellvett-esque with their presentation. 

NOSA: I wasn't the biggest fan of the calamari. I felt it needed quite a bit of salt.

The fish, on the other hand, I didn't mind. A little too "maggi" but I could live with it. Same thing with the prawn.

FOLLY: Now, see I really liked the calamari and didn't notice the lack of salt. The fish, sadly had all the seasoning packed in one corner so it was "salty". The prawns tasted like Falomo market i.e. very fishy. 

NOSA: Wow. We're disagreeing on everything today.

NOSA: The prawn came with a little surprise lol

NOSA: The presentation was really pretty though. Almost like they got tips from Velvett.

You know what was really good though? The quesadillas.

Quesadillas are so simple and easy to make that it absolutely blows my mind when I find a terrible one. I literally always want to walk in the kitchen and speak to the chef.

FOLLY: Now, something I finally agree with Nosa on. The quesadilla was absolutely amazing. The cheese especially was really good and the guacamole on the side surprised me.

FYI: the Quesadilla is actual an appetizer on their menu. 

FOLLY: The burger was meh in comparison to Nosa's quesadilla. It had all the makings of a good burger and the meat was properly seasoned, I just didn't like that it didn't have any sauce in it. 

NOSA: I really think Velvett gave these guys tips.

POSTSCRIPT

NOSA: I won't lie, Zenbah isn't that great on the whole. But Lagos doesn't really have better so I guess they'll slide today.

FOLLY: Good enough if I'm in the area but not something I'd particularly crave. 

VERDICT

DAMAGE

Mojito - N3000

Mai Tai - N4500

Classic Burger - N4000

Fishermans Basket - N4500

Chicken Quesadilla - N3500

PARKING

For six cars only.