Welcome to Café Olé

As I sit on my desk ready to offload the amazing experience I had today, I feel utterly and completely overwhelmed and overly bubbly just writing this post. I had one of those interviews where when I get back home I feel absolutely retarded! YES RETARDED!!! Words almost feel unworthy of the great treat my tongue had today.

Café Olé is the new restaurant in Kisumu City. Located along Kisumu-Kakamega road, inside United Mall or what is popularly known as ‘’Tuskys’’. 

It’s rich and exotic menu and ambiance makes Café Olé clearly stand out from the rest. This menu is designed to make you hungry even if you just had your meal! (Exactly what happened to me! But it was totally worth it! I will gym it away….:-))

Why the name Café Olé? Olé as I learnt is a Spanish word that has many meanings such as well done, good job or keep going, a congratulatory, encouraging and a celebratory word. Café Olé simply means ‘’A cheerful place to celebrate’’

As I walked into this new Restaurant, barely two weeks old, I paced to the counter and literally pounced on the waiter with an ‘’oh my God! I love this place!’’ Bewildered of course, he smiled at me welcomed me to Café Olé. Like a tourist I started darting my eyes all over feeding them with everything and anything, and there was a lot to be fed.

CORNEL KOMBUDO is the Director and lead chef. Right by his side is his gorgeous Lady and business partner Co-director, WINNIE NOON.  

Cornel, as he is popular known is actually a chemist. Yes chemists can actually cook! I never knew…but anyway…..he studied Chemistry at Rust University in Mississippi. He worked as a kitchen staff in The Olive garden, an Italian restaurant and a Jamaican restaurant called Bahama Breeze. He also worked at Buffalo wild wings and the Red Lobster. All those years of experience fed to his desire and passion for cooking and owning his own restaurant where he can share with the world his love for food.

Noon, studied fashion design at Kenyatta University and has her own fashion business going on along the restaurant and other businesses. She iron lady chose to quit her job and support her man’s dream and it was evident they both played very important roles.  

Now, back to the restaurant..

The menu like I had mentioned earlier is rich and the prices are really fare considering how rich and costly the ingredients used are. The meals cost not more than 600kshs ($7) and the potions, let's just say you can't complain...except when you eat more than you can handle

So I guess this is the part where I shame myself and tell the world how I literally stole food right from Noon's mouth into mine. She had ordered chicken fiesta and just the sight of this meal got my already full tummy rumbling. I was asked to have a bite and that what I intended to do up until my folk just couldn’t give it a rest. My fingers kept hovering between my pen and the folk. That meal is the reason I am bubbly and happy.

Now that is the meal I had stolen! The plastic bag is my To Go Chicken Vino Bianco I ordered for my sister and possibly shake her taste buds as well...and back there is the lovely couple.

Who is your target client? Professionals. Professionals who are looking for a place to relax and unwind.

What meal is most liked by your customers? Chicken Vino Bianco. This is chicken prepared with chardonnay, mushrooms, scallions and butter. Chicken and cheddar bugger is also a favorite.

Our cocktails margarita and Mad Slide are also a big hit with customers…oh and the milk shake…you have to try the milk shake. (I smiled and started subconsciously calculating gym membership because I could possibly make a habit of eating there daily…)

Any challenges? Biggest (and from how they were saying it this question deserves caps) BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS THAT MANY, NOT ALL, BUT MANY PEOPLE IN KISUMU ARE YET TO APPRECIATE FINE FOOD AND EXOTIC TASTE. THE RESTAURANT DOES FILL UP BUT WE WISH PEOPLE COULD OPEN UP TO NEW EXPERIENCES,SAMPLE NEW WINES, TASTE CHEESE, HAVE THIS, HAVE THAT AND AT THE END CELEBRATE AND TOTALLY IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE.

Best experience? Designing Café Olé. This restaurant is practically handmade except for the tiles. Everything you see here was done by us even cutting those stones on the walls! His experience in the US taught him the importance of Doing it yourself because labor was always too expensive.

Anything else I haven’t asked but you feel is important? This guy is addicted to Food Network!!we have endless cassettes of recorded shows. He absolutely is in love with the Food Network.(In his defense he says how she is always watching Fashion TV and Style network. that's fair...I love both channels so I watch Crime!!!Maybe Travel....anyway it isn't my story so carrying on...

This is the gentleman behind the counter. 

With Area 51  an under 24yr club Located just behind the main bus station and Barizi in Kondele estate, that attracts a more mature crowd because of the Rhumba music, Cornel and Noon have a wonderful baby boy and now a new baby, Café olé. These two dream big and they shared their dream with me but I won’t share with you because you will steal it and ruin it!!! Sorry…….

So I managed to pick a few things off the menu and just show the range the restaurant offers for people with different tastes.

If chicken is your go-to dish, chicken Vino Bianco, Buttered chicken kieve, chicken fiesta e.t.c. are there to make you fire your chef!

If you are a beef lover, Jack Daniels steak should have you addicted and committed! And many other dishes.

Snacks, appetizers……..you know what! Have the whole damn menu! Try something different every time and bring your friends along and celebrate.

The wine collection consists of mostly Chilean wines and South African wines but Cornel promised to introduce wines from other parts of the world….I will hold him to that!

This part of the wine display and if I remember correctly someone mentioned the word cellar and these other two words, coming soon...but this person finished with other words that sounded something similar to these..if everything goes as planned. Oh well a girl can only hope! 

So now my dear readers, it is that time of the night when I say I worked hard today so I need to sleep hard. Tomorrow is Friday and I have to get my beauty sleep because I might just get lucky……………………lucky to find another wonderful place to write about!

Good night