Mapango and Lily Palm in Watamu celebrate meaty delicacies in the name of comics' most famous glutton, Poldo Sbaffini. The devourer of burgers and sandwiches of all sorts gives the name to Wednesday's godereccia night, which already had great success last week with its burger-based "premiere."
This Wednesday, Feb. 1, it will be repeated in the fascinating (and appetizing) setting in front of the Indian Ocean, in one of the most beautiful bays of Watamu, where the protagonist of "La Poldo Night" will be the Milanese schnitzel.
What few people know about this Kenyan-related dish is that when the Italians arrived on the coast and thought they would bring a great novelty that would also attract other foreigners and the (then still few) affluent Kenyans, restaurateurs and hoteliers were disappointed, because because of the Germans who had already been frequenting Mombasa and Malindi for years and had opened and operated hotels, breweries with kitchens, and nightclubs with restaurants, "wiener shnitzel" (Viennese-style fried steak) was one of the dishes on every menu and among the most popular. "Then again, we invented it and brought it to Milan when we conquered it," an old Austrian from Malindi told me.
Wednesday night, Vienna or Milan will make no difference, the Italian chef at Lily Palm starting at 8 p.m. will present 400 grams of sirloin from the Kenyan highlands with a side of fries. A mouth-watering dish, or rather the "sbaffini" in Kes. 1000 with a soft drink included. For information or reservations, call Monica at 0797498856