Cafe Jade Joins the League of Lekki Restaurants
NOSA:We never really got to review Cafe Jade while they had their VI location so it was a bit of a let down when they closed shop. Thankfully, for the sake of all this delicious content we create, they popped back up in Lekki over the holidays.
FOLLY: Cafe Jade has a really gorgeous space in Lekki. The outside looks like a Lekki house but the inside was appropriately transformed.
NOSA: The location is a bit weird. Lekki might be slowly turning into a commercial hub like FESTAC, but Cafe Jade found the one strip of super residential real estate to set up. That said, the interior is so well done. The interior designer absolutely finished work. Completely.
I don’t think you find 5 more instagram-friendly locations in Lagos.
FOLLY: They open at 10 am and we arrived shortly after. We were the first customers in and the service was pretty good and the waiter was consistently eager to get our needs met. At some point, it felt like he was jogging so he wouldn't waste time walking.
FOLLY: Unfortunately, that's as good as it got, at least for me as the spicy chicken wrap which I ordered was a colossal fail.
NOSA: Before we get into our experience, there was a lady in there with us that ordered a panini, but got a regular ass sandwich. Like a normal person, she was like “wyd guys?” and the eager waiter calls the chef out to explain. The “chef” comes out to defend his work and explain how what he made is really a panini.
At that point, I think I found out the real problem with Cafe Jade. The food can only get as far as the chef goes. And if the chef is limited like the one in question, the food, too, will be limited.
Back to our story. The lady in my little tale refused to pay for the panini. She got her shit and walked out, which is what we should have done too because our food made me poop immediately. I’m blaming Folly’s wrap for this tango with diarrhea.
FOLLY: The wrap was nothing to write home about. It was stewed oily chicken with cucumber (weird) wrapped in bread.
NOSA: It absolutely DID NOT need cucumbers.
...or that much oil.
NOSA: I got the special of the day as my main, the New York Style Ribs. I’ve had ribs in New York before, but it didn’t come topped with a fried egg so I got curious and googled. Turns out topping your ribs with a fried egg isn’t a New York thing or a thing at all. If this wasn’t couched as some New York specialty, I might have let it slide.
NOSA: The ribs were just about ok. Middling, for the most part. Not tough, but not tender. Just the bare minimum. Given what the panini lady went through, I think this was Cafe Jade’s biggest positive on the day.
FOLLY: On the plus side what I did appreciate was that the fries that were hand cut and fresh.
POSTSCRIPT
FOLLY: I was surprised because their food looks really good on Instagram and their fro-yo is my favorite in Lagos.
NOSA: The idea is nice but the execution is far from it. What Cafe Jade needs is an experienced hand in the kitchen. That’s no chef, that’s a cook. And cook shouldn’t be running your kitchen if you’re going to charge serious money.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Spicy Chicken Wrap - N2500
Special: New York Style Pork Ribs - N6000
PARKING
Standard Lekki street parking. No off street parking.