Gogol Pizza: Fine cuisine in an eccentric setting

Out of a tawdry shopping mall with upper-class aspirations located at the top of Loresho Ridge in Westlands, Nur Ali has fashioned an Italian eatery that provides some of the tastiest, gourmet Italian food in Nairobi: Gogol’s Pizza.

The man from Mogadishu, an entrepreneur, artist and world traveller, lives large and makes every day count. A disarming individual with an engaging intellect and enviable artist’s portfolio, Nur deserves a high five, having had nine lives and as many wives. A humble, seemingly ageless individual who has made Nairobi his address of choice, he is at the top of his game. Nur, with his beautiful Somali wife at his side, exudes self-confidence, reflecting an enviable life and good role model for every successful entrepreneur here and elsewhere. 

A walking encyclopedia of worldliness, he is a Somali with Italian-Finnish roots and a background in schooled Fine Arts. And a friend to every Somali who mattered, including the late strongman Siad Barre and former Prime Minister Ali Khalif Galleid, once an enterprising graduate student in Public Administration at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York.

Gogol Pizza is named after the famous 19th century Russian Empire author Nicolai Gogol, a brilliant satirist, playwright, dramatist and political activist whose biting wit and cleverly constructed prose was employed as a manoeuvre to evade the clutches of the Czar’s spies. Gogol’s best-known works translated into English from Russian are The Nose and The Over-Coat, often the  works of choice of comparative literature professors as a method of teaching irony and paradox to under-graduate students everywhere

Italy is known for its fabulous cuisine, a place where si manjia molto bene. (Italian for One eats very well!). Against a striking façade of artfully designed architectural items, our threesome were transported to a fabulous restaurant in perhaps Rome, Venice and/or Florence without the stress of travel documents, hotel arrangements and cost of getting there.

Utilising the traditional recipes of Italy, at Gogol Pizza, on offer is an attractive array of excellent dishes laid out on an ensemble of red-and-white table settings and high-quality cutlery. The pizza oven, cleverly constructed on the premises, ensures the quality of the pizza is always baked to perfection.  

At Gogol Pizza, hors d’oeuvres are a Mediterranean and Mexican mix of humus (boiled chick peas with tahini — sesame paste with olive oil and lemon) and guacamole, a Mexican concoction of avocado, tomatoes, spring onions, olive oil and lemon with an abundant supply of fresh, crusty, Italian bread presented without charge.

Gli  Antipasti (Appetisers)

A delicious bowl of minestrone was served, containing vegetable soup, Italian style, two salads, the Rocket Salad and Avocado Salad, the former of avocadoes, tomatoes, salmon and feta cheese and the latter of rocket lettuce, caramelised onions, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese and cashew nuts. They were dressed in fragrant olive oil and vinegar, key to Italian cuisine.

Fresh juices included orange, mango, watermelon, pineapple and passion.

Sampling the in-house pasta, we chose the Ravioli enclosed in ricotta cheese and spinach and the Lasagne Bolognese (with meat sauce).

PIZZA

Among the many tempting varieties of pizza, we chose the Funghi, comprised of tomato, mozzarella, mushroom and basil, while the Pepperoni (spicy New York delicatessen-style beef salami, tomato and mozzarella cheese) and Capricciosa (comprised of tomato, mozzarella, chicken, ham, mushrooms, olives and artichokes) looked equally appealing. 

For those returning from the Kalahari desert with no food or drink for 40 days and 40 nights, additional culinary delights are provided. These are: Grilled Chicken, Chicken Cotoletta (Fried chicken), Pepper Beef Filet and Freshly-Baked Salmon all with Green Salad, Mashed and\or Roasted potatoes.

DESSERT

We three shared a well-made tiramisu (Italian for Cheer me up!), a  chocolate and coffee confection served cold and as we sipped hot, sugarless Espresso coffee. Chocolate, vanilla and pistachio ice cream plus fruit salad were also on the menu.  

Shared among the three of us, the servings were generous and good value for the price!

Gogol Pizza is open every day from 10am to 8pm. Reservations are a good idea as by lunchtime, the restaurant is packed. Gogol Pizza also has a delivery service. Call: +254 728 211023.