Brunch in the city of Abuja

My beautiful self in the cafe

I missed the taste of fluffy pancakes, perfectly made waffles, sweet syrup and scrambled eggs. That was the obvious sign that I needed some brunching done. Since I'm still learning about places to satisfy my cravings, I was stoked to know my friend Bella knew just the right place to get our brunch on.

So we went to The Charcoal Grill, they serve inter-continental, seafood, vegetarian and off the grill options. It has 3 seating areas for guests, the dining area (suitable for large groups), the cafe area and the terrace. We chose to sit at the terrace just cause it was a nice day. Avoid sitting close to the rails when it's sunny because the sun hits those tables the most. The rest of the area is pretty much shaded and there are fans to keep you cool on a hot Abuja day.

I love brunch with friends because nothing beats a great venue, waffles and a great conversation in broad daylight, especially in the summer (I know we don't have summers in Naija). Brunch is one of my best summer activity hands down.

The Terrace, Charcoal grill

First impression

The ambience upon entering was welcoming, the space was clean and the wait staff were courteous and well dressed. They served us a bowl of crispy popcorn which can be refilled as many times as you desire. I liked that each table has a buzzer to call on a wait staff because looking out for one is a lot of work. The house music playing in the background got us relaxed, we started chatting and munching on popcorn. We felt so comfortable that we didn't even feel the need to call a waiter to take our orders. The waiter showed up 10 minutes later and we had not even opened our menu.

The order

I found it a bit difficult to finally decide what I wanted because the spicy pancakes (spicy and filled with minced meat) and the spiced lamb burger was appealing to me, Alas, I went for waffles and eggs with a blue mocktail (N3,500). After all, I came for brunch. The wait time for our order was about 30 minutes. While we waited, all the meals that came out of the kitchen were so beautiful. I kept asking the wait staff for the names of every meal that passed by me.

My mouth was "watering" when I set my eyes on my food, it was love at first sight. However, my eggs tasted like it was made with recycled oil. Maybe it was the mushrooms, I didn't like the way my eggs tasted. I called on the waiter and she handled the situation professionally. She apologised and took the food away. In approximately 15 minutes, I got another plate of food this time it was perfect. I had no complaints.

Red velvet cake

We brunched for about 3 hours, by the time we were ready to leave we got a bit hungry. We decided to order and split this red velvet cake (N870). It was moist but not the best red velvet I've had. I heard the lemon cakes are better than the red velvet ones.

Summary

The house music was good but the terrace we choose to sit did not have much of a view. I liked it because it felt very summer-ish, it kind of reminded me of Kiki on the beach in Miami except no beach or people in yachts pulling up for brunch.

The service is somewhat slow. You can't go there when you are completely famished. Just go to the KFC downstairs instead. If you don't mind eating popcorn before your meal comes to curb your hunger, you are good.

The wait staff are really courteous, clean and well-groomed. 

The prices are average, there is no fear of getting arrested or doing dirty dishes because you couldn't pay for the meals.

Every meal that came out of the kitchen looked amazing, I believe everything on the menu is a hit. If it isn't, you can always ask for a remake.

I learnt Nigerians do not like to take their leftovers home with them.😲😑You paid for that meal, you best ask for a takeaway pack to take your leftovers home. I had some leftovers that served as breakfast the next day. Please stop wasting money! Thank you.

The dining area

I like brunching because it is more than the food, it is really about the experience. The chatting and catching up over food in the daytime is a good feeling. It is a more rewarding experience when the located is pretty cool and the music is amazing. I think it is a must do on everyone's to-do list this summer.

Are there any other cool brunch places in the city? Please, leave a comment below. I'd love to find out more places to explore in Abuja for food tasting.

"Just keep taking chances and having fun"- Garth Brooks

With love,

Bibi.