Hi guyssss!
So how’s everyone doing? It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? There’s news I need to share with y’all, especially as regards to the direction this blog is headed going forward, but maybe we should all wait for the right time to share that. 😉 What I’ll say now is that Yoma’s Canaan is currently in a transition period, and exciting things and times are just up ahead which is one reason why I’ve been a bit quiet.
Anyway, we can all agree that Nigerian culture is hot right now on the international scene; everywhere you look on the internet it seems like everyone is trying to be us, look like us, talk like us, dress like us, eat our food, dance to our music, feature us, work with us and welcome us. The air is rife with opportunities for the Nigerian people right now, and I find it all very exciting and in truth fascinating.
My job here today is to show the Nigerian culture from my perspective as authentically as possible, and I’m doing that by giving you a lil sneak peek into my life here, as well my review of Sky Lounge a restaurant and bar in Lagos City where I currently live.
Lagos isn’t Nigeria’s biggest city or state in terms of size, but it pretty much is it’s biggest city with everything else, and in the same regard Eko hotel has for a very long time been one of its most popular landmarks. From being a preferred spot for foreigners aka oyibos, to having multiple restaurants and bars, to being a go to spot for BDC activities for locals as well as the most often used spot for bigger concerts and shows especially during Christmas season, Eko hotel certainly boasts a lot of foot traffic.
I even remember going there with my mum when I was younger to change money, and I’ve been to a number of concerts - not too many - in the compound, as well as had drinks at the infamous crossroads one too many Wednesdays.
On Saturday my baby girl wanted to do something for her Doctorate, so off we went to Eko hotel, because we knew it was the good ol’ trusty spot to get multiple backgrounds for shooting. After deliberating for a little while, being told we were a little too early to be seated inside at Kuramo, and finding Crossroads too dark to do anything meaningful in, we decided to go to Sky Lounge, the penthouse restaurant at Eko Hotel.
It was my first time at Sky Lounge, even though I know it’s been around for some time. We decided to get drinks and platters to share since we were there to work anyway.
Like most restaurants we were served bread first with some butter. The bread was warm and delicious. It had the right amount of crunch on the outside, but was soft and chewy on the inside like freshly baked bread is wont to be.
I also got two drinks. First, I got a pina colada which was a strange choice for me, because it’s one of the last cocktails I’d order, but I guess I was just feeling adventurous? I don’t know, lol, but I deliberately asked for it to be really strong, and if you wanna know why, see what I said in this blog post here, lol. It’s the strongest pina colada I’ve ever had, so I was pretty happy with it.
I got a Mai Tai next, and again asked for it to be really strong, so it had that bitter kick you get from alcohol, but it was also quite sweet. I had no complaints.
We got two of their Lagos Platter to share and I think it was a fantastic choice, because if you’re visiting Nigeria for the first time, it’s the perfect introduction to Nigerian food and the Nigerian palette. So much so that it reminds me of Turkish people and their doners and kebabs. You don’t have to get it at Sky Lounge, but a lot of restaurants in Lagos have some sort of platter on their menu that caters to the Nigerian palette, and much like Turkish people it’ll have a lot of meat.
The Lagos Platter had Snails, Asun, Gizzards, Plantain Sticks, Spring rolls, Peppered Beef and Suya. If you’re Nigerian you’re familiar with all these items, but if you’re not, Asun is basically baby goat cut into really small pieces, and cooked/sautéed in a very spicy pepper and onion sauce, while Suya is basically Cow meat sliced thinly, skewered and grilled with yaji, a type of pepper that’s hot and nutty, and very delicious.
I tried the asun first and it was spicy, but not too spicy, which is perfect if you have a non Nigerian palette. The beef had that tough chewiness that’s to be expected with Nigerian beef meat. It was also as spicy as the asun. I tried the plantain sticks next, and I’ll confess at first I thought these were cheese sticks. Don’t ask, okay? Lol! Anyway I discovered they really were plantain sticks which explained the fibre like texture of the inside. It was breaded though, so it was very crunchy to bite into.
The spring rolls were the most delicious thing on the platter to me. It was packed full with spice and meat, and a delicious sauce that made it perfect. The spices it was made with tasted Indian, but I could be wrong. The snails had a tomato sauce that wasn’t spicy at all, which was surprising, but not necessarily in a bad way. It was a little rubbery, so I thought it was slightly overcooked. I like my gizzards extremely soft, I’m talking melt in your mouth soft, so I found these ones to be a little tough. The Suya however was unusually soft which I actually kinda liked.
We ate, worked, and made merry until late, just catching up and laughing about our uni experiences, navigating life as adults, and everything in between. We got a lil rowdy, but it was okay even though the restaurant wasn’t empty, and had a proposal going on in one corner, as well as a huge family dinner in another corner of the restaurant. It was a really fun evening and we all went home feeling refreshed and full of all the good hormones that spending time with people you love gives you.
I especially needed this date as life had been a bit choppy, and this gave me all of the love and affection that I had been craving.
I’ll certainly recommend Sky if you love a good view, want a soft introduction to Nigerian food, so you’re not jumping right off the bat into Fufu and Egusi and co, think of this like you would appetizers or dim sum, and if you’re Nigerian, it’s a nice intimate spot that’s romantic enough for date nights and even a special occasion too.
Details:
Pina Colada - 8,000NGN
Mai Tai - 8,000NGN
Lagos Platter - 20,000NGN
Love, Yoma
Awesome experience I can see. As a lover of food and views I will definitely visit when next I’m in Eko. Nice story telling 👌🏾