Kosewe, Ranalo, Kenya

It has over the years become the wellappointed eatery for many, renowned for its pleasant and spacious ambience not forgetting the much sought after traditional delicacies that have been described as finger-licking good.

 

The wide variety of mouth-watering and delectable dishes attract people from all walks of life - from top government officials or the tourist in search of the true taste of Kenya or the office clerk looking to have a hearty meal. The fish and Osuga (a traditional vegetable) deemed as an Osewe classic, is perhaps the most popular. Others swear by the fish in coconut stew and the fried Tilapia. Whatever the customer preference, the food at Kosewe is outstanding.

 

Kosewe is more than the average African food restaurant. It’s cosmopolitan and stylish ambience albeit devoid of up market gloss, offers a delightful experience. The outdoor space and distinct separate well-stocked bar area, complete with a live band, makes it a lively place to socialise.

 

 

Osewe, the proprietor is a humble, selfeffacing man with a refreshingly candid sense of humour. This shines through as he engages his customers who are a reflection of Kenya’s multi-ethnic composition and its position as a globally popular tourist destination. It is not hard to see why they keep coming back for more - not only for the food but the tales that keep them enraptured, something that is a truly and authentically Kenyan experience.

 

Since he started with less than a shilling some 30 years ago, today the man is a household name. Together with his beautiful and very resourceful wife, they run the restaurant in perfect symbiosis and harmony, producing the very best in customer service. Osewe started his business on a very small scale, buying several kilogrammes of meat, usually pork ribs and roasting it for sale at Kaloleni, a city suburb, using a charcoal grill, known as jiko in Kiswahili. It was hard work and the returns at the initial stages were not so good.

It was in 1979 that Osewe took the initial steps towards establishing his now  flourishing business. After operating for some years in the open at Kaloleni, the enterprising and unrelenting Osewe rented a place in one of the former Kenya Railways godowns near the Nairobi Railway Station. Being close to Nairobi’s Central Business District, it was an ideal place for business expansion.

 

As the business at the Nairobi Railway Station expanded rapidly during the early 1990s, the imaginative Osewe was already thinking big. Noticing that the place was becoming too small for the large and growing numbers of customers who came for lunch, he made plans to expand and sought a bigger and more comfortable place within Nairobi’s CBD for an even more impressive restaurant. In 1996 he rented an expansive lounge on the first floor of the Cameo Cinema building on Kenyatta Avenue – bang in the centre of Nairobi. It was an ideal place to put up a cleaner, better and more comfortable restaurant to offer traditional dishes to both the working Kenyan middle class and tourists.

 

 

The popularity of Ranalo at the Cameo Cinema building led to Osewe looking for an even more accommodative place. He soon moved to the building along Kimathi Street, close to the imposing Nation Centre, headquarters of Eastern Africa’s largest and most prestigious media house, and set up the current Ranalo Restaurant and Club. It is a place that embodies the joyful and lively spirit of Nairobi’s day and night life. Osewe’s love and oneness with this place is evident as he looks to diversify in the coming year. The Osewe children are coming on board albeit gradually to turn it into an all-family business. This will upgrade their menu to have Indian, Chinese and European cuisine.

 

Osewe credits the restaurant’s success to God and to his customers who have made it what it is today. He readily welcomes competition simply because, he says, one person cannot cover the entire market. Service at Ranalo is prompt and of the highest quality. There’s no magic to it. In today’s society where people are very health conscious, Ranalo Foods is reputed for its nutritious offerings. This is why white meat especially fish is the more popular meal.