YogurBerry.....yogurt on speed, lol

YogurBerry...well the name alone makes u extremely curious. Anyway, had a meet with a friend/biz partner and we settled for YogurBerry since I'd never been there. Hmmm, how do I start?!

The place is kinda cold....has to be to keep the frozen and cold delights at lip-licking temperature. I can't believe I'd never been there. They have offerings like yogurt smoothies, frozen yogurt and the yogurt parfait with a nice array of toppings and tower options. 

 I had the Yogurt Parfait....this is where it gets interesting. The Yogurt Parfait (even the name sounds like a romantic whisper, hia!) begins with a sweet unflavored yogurt base. Next comes an interesting and healthy layer of cereal and fruits. I had granola, followed by Apple, pineapple and watermelon. Topping this cold tower is a large helping of pomegranate yogurt...my mouth is watering as I write this even. lol. For extra sweetness, there's a sweet wafer roll nestled nicely at the top, to the side. As u may have alresdy guessed, my meeting didn't start early. I was too busy wolfing my Yogurty surprise down and trying to keep inappropriate sounds to no more than the occasional greedy moan, or were they growls, escaping my throat. Hehe.

So did I like the place? I hear someone yelling 'trick question, trick question!'. Yes, I really did. So here's my take on YogurBerry:

 

• Ambience/atmosphere: nice setting, great lighting. soothing colors too. not particularly crazy about the cold though. 7/10

• servings: portions are great and the taste is really, well, 'tasty'. you know how th taste of really creamy ice cream is heightened by the slow slide of a spoonful down ur throat? well, my yogurt parfait was all that and more. and cold as it was, I didn't get 'brain freeze' even though I was gulping like crazy. i'd however have liked the cereal and fruits to have come in layers interspersed with the flavored yogurt cos the tastes didn't gel as much as i'd have liked until I started to spoon 'a lil of this', 'a lil of that'. 8/10

• service: neatly uniformed, disposable-gloved attendants were polite, and helpful even when Taiwo threw a mock-tantrum, as is his wont. lol. that's a plus. one was bored though and it showed. I honestly considered doing a tabletop dance to jazz her day up.

• pricing: the stuff I bough to eat in and take away all cost between 800 and 1100 per serving. that's a great offer for the mix u get. 9/10

• location. hmmm.  yogur Berry is on the same street as Jevinik in Wuse 2, nestled btw Kalamarie and Tulip Bistro (doing those soon). theoretically, its a great location cos Wue 2 is central. parking available is primarily street parking so I guess that may be an ish at some point. it wasn't that day though, the street parking attendant easily found me a spot 7/10

• other, other, other stuff: I love what Yogur berry has to offer. I however would have liked to see a hot beverage on the menu. im sure some yogurt version of the cappuccino would be a hit with customers. I also think having something to nibble on like scones, biscuits or similar may resonate with more customers than otherwise.

that's it for tonight. if u read, lemme know what u think. if u've other places u'd like a review of, lemme know. i'll swing by sometime.


e-yogurberry: www.facebook.com/YogurberryNigera and https://twitter.com/yogurberryNG


xoxo,
nkechi

the place called Nkoyo - Masala Wahala

 

 

i recently discovered Nkoyo...thanks to my on--point friend, adopted bro and all-round #runsman Emmanuel Ogar (@ianspi on twitter). Business lunches should be this much fun. it was a pleasant discovery from the ambience to the food and the service.

 

 

we were greeted by a nicely dressed pretty lady, shown to a table of our choosing (wasn't rush-hour)...the regular niceties. nothing overly special but definitely an issue when not available.

 

Nkoyo in Ceddi Plaza, houses Nkoyo: Nigerian delicacies and grills, and Masala Wahala: South India Cuisine. we did the Nkoyo part of the whole shebang.

 

The magic began when we were served lightly salted, almost wafer-thin, really crispy chips to get our taste buds ready while we placed our orders. try as i did, i couldn't place the taste. i was pleasantly surprised to hear it was cassava.. 9ce 1! For a health-conscious (i tell myself that) person, that's a great idea. i swore i'd look for it for regular midday snacks.

 

my starter of grilled pepper wings was a mouth-watering delight. the pepper/chilli was real 9ja pepper...i always get frustrated when i eat 'hot and spicy' pepper wings and i cant feel the insides of my mouth explode in sheer delight at the pepper. and it was a nice serving portion! a doz wings for N1,500. i'm still grinning inwardly at the memory. suffice to say, i had nothing else apart from the Nkoyo fruit cocktail of watermelon, pineapple and....(can't recall the third, oops!)

 

Ogar had spicy grilled fish (boneless giwan ruwa), which was served with jollof rice. ok, that fillet of fish was a good size sha. and tasted divine. again, the spicy was truly spicy..not peppersoup kinda spicy but nicely hot and soft on the inside. decent portions too.

 

i had a club sandwich to-go. that turned out nice too. nicely toasted bread, fresh tomatoes, fresh avocado, crisp bacon, lemon mayo...accompanied by a side of fries. ok. my friend had that when i got back to the office so my diet wasn't shot to hell. tasted it. i'm not partial to bacon so i never really liked club sandwiches so.....my friend liked it sha so thats a plus.

 

 

ok! before i start nibbling on my knuckles and salivating, lemme do a summary. here goes:

 

• Location: Nkoyo is at Aminu Kani Cresent, Wuse 2 and also at Ceddi Plaza (Nkoyo/Masala Wahala). that central enough and Ceddi has more parking options since the provision of the extrenal parking lot. 8/10
• Ambience; now, this is a high point scorer here. the floors are wooden tiles (teak, from Kaduna..made in Kaduna). lightly buffed, they provide a great foundation for the earth-tones ambience. strategically placed palm and other well-treated plants makes for a warmness that's instantly inviting and calming. i loved the lights, the wooden and other art pieces and the stairway in Masala Wahala...anyway, the pics attached say more. 9/10
• Food/Drink: ok, i've only had the cassava chips, crazy-cool pepper wings and a stolen helping of the spicy grilled fish. but what i had, i positively loved. i'd have liked that the drinks were slightly larger..like a medium glass of chapman but that's me being liquid-greedy sha. 8/10
• pricing: ook. for starters, a doz wings, well prepared, well served for N1500. i'm loving. 'nuff said. lol. spicy grilled fish 2950 and club sandwich 1500...in all, not bad abi? 9/10 cos if e cheap pass, i for no complain (i hear my friend yelling 'tif'!)

that's about it. been there, had fun..going back soon.

 

www.facebook.com/nkoyo

 

 

 

 

 

 

why? or why ever not? anyway here goes my first review

as always, i'm already wondering what in heaven's name i'm doing typing this. i mean, let's face it, i'm not one for going out at all. however, i guess this works for me cos while dong this, i get to identify exactly what i liked or didn't, about a particular place or it's service. only problem is, i've only been to allof, say 10 joints/hangoouts etc. in over 3 years so i've got to change even that. #coldfeet

anyway, i did visit this place a little while ago (see, its late already) and i really liked their stuff. or did until the medical report indicated i should stay clear os salt and heavily spiced meals.....hmm

its called Calypso...this place i love. restaurant-cum-joint in Wuse2. the catfish slowcooked in in a yam-cubes-and-native-spice porridge is #fingerlickinggood. its a hot and aromatic delight and makes a pleasant change from the regular roast fish and chips.

so how do i rate Calypso? here goes:

1. Location: gets a 7/10...i mean its on the road opp AP Plaza in Wuse 2...easy to describe, easier to find
2. Ambience:  5/10...and this is only cos it's more of a 'joint' than a cosy hangout so for strictly 'joint' rating, i'd give it a 7
3. Service:   6/10....the staff are cordial. not the most professional you'd ever find but clean and helpful
4. Food:     8/10....the stuff has me writing this review with a nostalgic smile on my face and mentally drooling...need i say more?
5. Price:    8/10...prices start from about N2,500 for a deep bowl which easily satisfied our party of 4. cool, abi?

thats it! i hope someone tries them out based on this. when you do, lemme know what you think.

i'll write a piece on somewhere i visited about a fortnight ago in a day or 2...let's have fun tring out new stuff.

xoxo,

nkechi