Is it possible in Nairobi to breathe at the same time the timeless air of colonial Kenya, the kind that even Kenyans of a certain caliber enjoy today, and the typical atmosphere of an elegant estate in the Italian hills?
The answer comes straight to the heart, to the eye and finally to the taste buds upon entering Matteo's, the splendid restaurant in the Karen district, where time seems to have stood still back to when mansions housed riding stables, coffee plantations and explosions of tropical flowers, and where people ate or took tea in the shade of centuries-old plants.
Matteo's, created by a historic couple of Italian residents in Kenya since 1975, Pino Checchini and Leonarda Langiano, stands on a marvelous property, which until a few years ago housed just such a stable of horses and green lawns studded with plants in which were nestled cottages magically lost in another era.
Pino and Leonarda decided, a few years ago, to transform stables and barns into a kitchen, rustic rooms, bar and a true country club patio, combining the beauty of the place with the elegance of a sober and stylish décor, a service with attention to detail and, above all, the tradition of Italian cuisine treated with an international breath but without losing its characteristics.
At Matteo's, since noon there is not a moment's respite, it is a continuous coming and going of customers, particularly Kenyans but also English and Italian residents and not only Karen's. In the evenings then the atmosphere is tinged with romance, with very apt lighting and an unspoken but shared pleasure in not spoiling special moments, amid soft music and murmurs of couples or never-guilty laughter in company, clinking glasses and eloquent verses of approval for good food.
If pizza is queen of many tables, Matteo's has several specialties on the menu that draw from Italian-style eating but also from the local area.
And there is always something new, something special, from recipes conjured up by suppliers of high-quality local products to imported squsitezze, Italian and international. Manager Mario Ciampi's savoir faire does the rest, putting everyone at ease and making Matteo's one of the Nairobi eateries to which people return most willingly, until they become part themselves of that fragrant, timeless air that is good for the spirit...and the throat!