I love food, I mean, who doesn’t?

One of my favourite things when travelling is getting to try all sorts of different foods. The food from my stay at Medina Palms was honestly some of the best I’ve ever had.

Because I was staying on a full board basis, which meant all meals were included at no extra cost {3 course meals every day mind you}, I made sure not to let it go to waste and tried my best to taste test everything from the menu!

Firstly, the location of the restaurant was, although simplistic and really nothing outrageously special, perfect.

During the day you could see the entirety of the setting; the nearby pool, the feature pond with a fountain, and the rest of the hotel. When night falls, candles and subtle lighting highlights the tables and creates a dreamy ambience.

For majority of the time we had our meals, we were the only ones around, which was incredibly nice as it felt like we were the only people in the resort and being catered to, creating a really relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

No one really cares that much about the setting of a restaurant though, do they? Let’s get into the really important stuff; the food.

Asjad always raves on about these tempura prawns that he orders for every meal during his stay; honestly I thought he was just talking rubbish and being a bit excessive – how good could the prawns really be?

I may have under estimated him, and although I found a different prawn dish from the menu that quickly became my favourite, I can testify that the food is well worth raving on about to a ridiculous amount! Even if you’re not staying as a guest at Medina Palms I would highly recommend having lunch or dinner here at least once during your time in Watamu.

The first breakfast we had was à la carte, however the rest of the stay consisted of buffet breakfasts in the upstairs dinning section.

A variety was on offer from different breads, cereals, fruits and yoghurts, freshly made eggs your way, and other hot accompaniments. As well as fresh juices, coffee and teas.

Lunch and dinner were the absolute highlight when it came to the food though.

Seafood is one of my favourite cuisines and when you’re at the beach with the ability to have the freshest seafood possible why would you opt differently?

Of course having being on full board and knowing we wouldn’t be charged extra we absolutely went to town on the menu and, I admit sometimes, went a little bit overboard.

Pictured above

Crab tortelloni: my FAVOURITE entree! Each little parcel was jam packed with crab meat wrapped in perfectly cooked pasta used to mop up the roasted cherry tomato sauce; perfection at its best.

Pesto chicken salad: a simple yet tasty way to start the meal and prepare the palate for what is to come.

Tempura prawns: the infamous prawns that Asjad ordered every chance he got {they don’t beat my crab tortelloni though}.

I thought it would be hard to follow on from such a great entree, but then the swahili prawns pilipili were placed in front of me and from the first mouthful I knew this dish would be a repeat order throughout the trip.

Paired with coconut rice {honestly, anything with coconut in it will easily win my heart over}, the prawns were simply sautéed with garlic, chili, coconut, dhania and coastal herbs – nothing fancy and no unnecessary added extras, and all perfectly balanced. The prawns were cooked incredibly well every time; never over done and definitely never under cooked.

Every mouthful was the definition of utter bliss for me; from the slight kick of chilli, to the creaminess of the sauce. I honestly cannot wait until this dish is placed in front of me again in the near future I hope!

Of course, no three course meal is complete without dessert.

Pictured above

Mint After Eight: Asjad’s pick for dessert, not a recurring order. This one consisted of a chilled mint flavoured semifreddo with a chocolate cover and mint coulis; the consensus around the table was that it tasted too much like toothpaste for our liking.

Baked Chocolate: definitely a repeat order! Although the first batches were slightly over cooked thus lacking that lava like centre, it was still very delicious and as the meals went on, the centre became runnier just to our liking.

Coconut and Mango Ice-Cream: after such a large meal already I decided to keep it simple and cleanse my palate with some ice-cream; might I add that the ice-cream is easily up there in some of the best I’ve ever tasted.

During the course of our stay, the four of us were able to taste test most of the menu including:

From the entrees:

Freshly made Soup of the Day

Zanzibar Seafood Soup {absolutely scrumptious, but definitely has a major chilli kick to it}

Chilled Gazpacho {Courtney’s favourite, and I can easily understand why as it’s a super refreshing and light way to start a meal}

Tuna Tartar

Caesar Salad

From the mains:

Fresh catch of the day

Goujons of Fish and Chips Beer

Sesame Seared Tuna {I’m not usually a fan of raw fish on such a large scale, but I tried some of Courtney’s and this was mind blowing and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone}

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Beef Tenderloin

Fresh Grilled Jumbo Prawns {bit bland, especially after I’d tried the swahili prawns, probably wouldn’t recommend it}

Thai Green Chicken Curry {one of the best thai green curries I’ve had}

Braised and Roasted Pork

Gourmet Medina Burger

Pumpkin Ravioli

Homemade Seafood Tagliatelle {really nice and absolutely packed full of seafood, has a little chilli kick so be careful if you can’t handle heat}

Porcini Mushroom Risotto {not my favourite, probably wouldn’t recommend}

From the desserts:

Citrus Cake with Mango Coulis

Blueberry Cheese Cake

Various Artisan Italian Ice Cream flavours {coconut, mango and chocolate were my favourites}

Although we did, what I think, was a pretty good effort to get through a lot on the menu in the space of four days, there were a few we didn’t get around to testing.

If you ever find yourself in the Watamu area or staying at Medina Palms, try out some of my favourites from the menu and let me know what you think!

Check out what else is available on their menu here.