Kafe Utu – 9th Most Instagrammable Cafe

Kafe Utu became a “must visit” for me when it was named the ninth most Instagrammable cafe in the world. This rank was by Big Seven Travel and I don’t know what criteria the cafes are judged on. However, I’ve certainly been to my share of beautiful spaces that serve coffee and good food.

At first, it was my sister in law who sent me the list via an article in the Daily Mail. Then a friend said we should have lunch there (without the kids) and I was like “absolutely, yes!”. Just think of the content I could generate!

However, it turned out that having a good chat in a beautiful environment was more the order of the day. I actually didn’t take that many pictures! Sure, there was the obligatory selfie but we didn’t even order coffee for a flat lay. Instead, we tried out their African inspired cuisine and enjoyed our lunch with friends.

Kafe Utu’s African Inspired Menu

My experience with African food has never extended beyond Ethiopian food with injera and selected curries. Injera is a delicious, slightly sour flatbread that you eat with mild African curries. This I love but I wasn’t sure what to expect at Kafe Utu because their menu offers both African dishes and trendy brunch and lunch fare.

Their starters were more on the “trendy” side with cauliflower and grilled poblano peppers which we ordered to share. I will always, always order poblano peppers when grilled and served with a sprinkle of sea salt. They are delicious and not spicy at all. This suits the chilli-wimp that I am.

The cauliflower was roasted and came with tahini dressing and toasty sunflower seeds sprinkled over the top. This was a table pleaser for sure though I am slightly obsessed with this flower-looking vegetable at the moment. I use it for everything – a filling for tacos or even a creamy, vegan bechamel sauce for my lasagnas. Let me know if you’d like the recipes.

Stews and curries, what is the difference at Kafe Utu

I ordered their Swahili Fish Curry served with coconut rice. I was a tiny bit scared that I wouldn’t be able to take the heat but it was mild with a wonderful tangy overtone that made this fish curry something I would return for.

On the other hand, my friend ordered the Nigerian Pork Stew which they said was their spiciest dish. That leaves me to assume that curry could be called stew and stew could be called curry. Both dishes were served with long grain coconut rice and salsa which reminded me of Mexican Pico de Gallo.

My other friend had the Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine and quinoa which was served in one bowl and not in a tagine. It did say it would be that way on the menu but a tagine is always so sensational when it’s served that I was slightly underwhelmed by how “Instagrammable” this particular dish was.

I was told it was still quite delicious to eat with caramelised onions and olives adding an additional depth of flavour.

Instagrammable? Absolutely!

So did Kafe Utu deserve it’s number nine placement on the global Instagrammable Cafe list? Probably. It was a beautiful space with high tech wall art in the form of projected photos. It was a shame about all the tourists who wandered up for a look. We were seated at the very coveted sofas on the second level. You could just sense the disappointment of photo takers who wished the space was clear so they could style and shoot a proper pic for “The Gram”.

I do wish I had ordered a coffee or at least a fancy drink with their beautiful brunch items so I could be the obnoxious Instagrammer trying to get a shot. As it was, I was annoying enough for the few pics I did take. I will be back. I loved the experience and enjoyed the ambience. Would anyone like to come with me? I will be bringing my proper camera so you have been warned that your food may get cold while waiting for me to take that perfect shot.

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