“Come to the watering hole for more than water; friends and dreams are there to meet you.” ~ African proverb
What you eat, where you eat and when you eat at Sirai is at your discretion but our pledge is to make each meal an experience of delight and wonder. Our menus start at roots level with our commitment to self-sufficiency and sustainability.
Nearly all the fruits and vegetables used in our kitchens are grown in our wonderful shamba, the Kenyan cousin of the English cottage vegetable garden. Eggs and poultry are from our own chickens, beef is from the Borana cattle herds and all game is locally sourced. Even the honey is from our own bees.
When all this delicious produce reaches our kitchens it is welcomed into the arms of head chef George whose knowledge and enthusiasm are evident on every plate. His hand-picked kitchen team is extensively experienced in cooking for all tastes and nutritional choices. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free are all happily catered for with a passion to give you the very best food we can, no matter what your dietary requirements.
Great care has been taken to select some exquisite house wines that will accompany George’s wonderful food. We also have a spectacular cellar, dramatically situated behind glass at one end of the dining room, housing more than three thousand fine wines from around the world that can be viewed or purchased at any time.
To gather as a family or a group in the bright rays of the morning sun around the circular terrace table, to plan the day ahead above a banquet of fruits and juices, homemade granolas, local yogurts, to sip dark Kenyan coffee and watch plates of bacon or eggs or pancakes coming from the kitchen.
This is the best possible start to each day at Sirai. The list of wonderful dishes on offer is limited only by your whim.
Mornings spent lounging by the pool, playing tennis or reading a book in a shaded bed on the lawn also require sustenance. With long, leisurely lunches in mind the loggia was built with the pool bar at one end, a shaded seating area for drinks and a log-fired pizza oven.
Lunches can be as relaxed or formal as you wish, a lobster salad for two or a banquet for sixteen can be enjoyed here.
When the owners of Sirai travel the globe they carry a piece of Kenya in their hearts. So, too, when they are in Kenya they make room for a piece of England.
At the arrival of afternoon tea, served in the Drawing Room or on the lawns overlooking the Conservancy, you may for a moment imagine yourself in the shade of a willow and even hear the crack of a cricket bat on ball or the coo of a wood pigeon.
“Africa – you can see a sunset and believe you have witnessed the Hand of God.” ~ Jodi Picoult
Each day, when the sun sinks below the horizon in a display of colour and wonder, you have to pause and make time for the spectacle.
At Sirai we make the most of this marvel of Nature and serve ‘sundowners’ on the west-facing terraces or high on the slopes of our surrounding hills. With accompanying canapés, smooth Manhattans, crisp Gin & Tonics or sharp Whisky Sours are raised to bid the sun farewell and watch dusk fall over the plains.
At the close of the day, a final meal to share with friends and family. A time to relive the wonders of the day over the most exquisite food and finest wines. Dinner at Sirai can take many forms. The grand dining room with its table for up to twenty-two can be the setting for a five-course celebration or a family lasagne.
On warm evenings let us lay the table on our ‘olive grove’ terrace for all the elegance of the dining-room dressed with a canopy of stars. The boma, with chairs encircling the huge fire, can host a seafood barbecue or the best selection of burgers with every imaginable accompaniment.
Even if you just want to cosy by the fire with a bowl of soup or eat wood-fired pizza in the cinema, this is your end to the day, served to you your way and as variable as the number of nights you spend at Sirai.
