W Bar Offers a Nice Sunset Cool Down in Ikoyi
“Chic, Exquisite, and set right at the waterfront, we’re the perfect city getaway, whether it’s a weekday sunset cool down or a weekend hyped up night out.”
NOSA: The W is a bit of that and more. Once you move past the mess that is Falomo,
FOLLY: And breathe in gently so you don’t catch a whiff of the smelly lagoon,
NOSA: The W is such a fantastic space. In fact, the entire jetty is magnificent. Are there, like, equivalent jetties across Lagos or is this the one hub to dock them all?
FOLLY: I highly doubt that. This terminal was built by MTN and then donated to the Lagos state government.
NOSA: Nonetheless, the W Bar is definitely a great place to wait out post-work traffic.
FOLLY: It perfectly located and works in either direction you’re headed - towards VI or towards Ikoyi.
NOSA: The beers are silly expensive for no reason, however. N1500 for Star is an offensive act. You can check out the full menu HERE.
FOLLY: To start, we got the Bruschetta Platter and the Fisherman’s Basket.
NOSA: The platter is simply Bruschetta three ways - diced tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese. For N2500, it’s definitely good value.
FOLLY: If you’re on a budget while you wait out traffic, bread and star might hold your stomach. Oh sorry, did I say bread? I meant Bruschetta.
NOSA: The Fisherman’s Basket is even better. Calamari and prawns dipped in just the right amount of batter and fried. It’s not an oily platter like you’d find at most spots.
FOLLY: I was so pleasantly surprised with this starter for that same reason. Both the prawn and calamari were cooked to a perfect golden brown crunch. Many restaurants fry calamari at prawns at the wrong temperature so it gets soggy, or they fry in old oil so the seafood ends up tasting funny or with black specks. It was served with a tartar sauce but the Nigerian in me wouldn’t have minded a pepper sauce as well.
NOSA: It went a bit downhill with our mains. I got Dominic’s Special Chicken, which is apparently the chef’s special recipe or it’s in his special sauce. Either way, it wasn’t too special. What’s with the two random frankfurters on the chicken?
FOLLY: I was partially expecting a mixed grill type plate where the sausages were beside the chicken. I, particularly, wanted us to order it as well because the idea of the dish was fascinating and since the chef was courageous to put his name beside it I expected it to be impressive.
NOSA: I know the menu said was served with two beef sausages, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so…obvious.
FOLLY: I was partially expecting a mixed grill type plate where the sausages were beside the chicken. Chef Dominic’s chicken was saucy which I enjoyed with the coleslaw. I knew we should have ordered Jollof Rice instead [but Nosa said fries], it would have been a better side to “mop” up the stew. The sauce was savoury and moderately sweet, there was a strong hint of cinnamon in the sauce and in the chicken.
NOSA: It’s easily the most random bachelor plate I’ve been served in my life. How did the chef stumble on this one? Was he broke one day and all he had was a chicken breast and two sausages? So so funny.
FOLLY: Or maybe drunk and hungry? We’ll never know.
NOSA: The Seafood Spaghetti is a much better experience. It’s very spicy though so you’ve been warned. The jalapeño in the centre foreshadowed what was to come.
FOLLY: It’s great that you have the option for this to come with a tomato sauce as it’s only listed as a white sauce on the menu. We only knew cause our waitress informed us. It’s very spicy and so erred a bit on the side of Jollof spaghetti - there were some onion and garlic, but honestly, it’s mostly pepper that you taste.
NOSA: The seafood is sufficient and it makes it all worth it.
FOLLY: That is true.
POSTSCRIPT
FOLLY: We definitely didn’t order the most expensive items on the menu at W Bar. The main courses do get expensive if you’re looking at steaks, lamb chops or seafood. So, as they say, please be guided. We also didn’t notice a dessert menu.
NOSA: Finally, don’t take your children as W Bar has a strict 18+ policy. I’m in favour of it. Very much needed.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Bruschetta - N2500
Seafood Spaghetti - N6500
Fisherman’s Basket - N5000
Dominic Special Chicken - N6000
PARKING
Complimentary parking is available for W Bar patrons in the MTN parking lot.