To start this post off, I would like to first define what an “IJGB” is, according to the Urban Dictionary IJGB stands for “I Just Got Back” which is a Nigerian phrase for citizens who just returned from the diaspora. During DettyDecember 2019, I visited Abuja, Nigeria for the holidays. This post is specifically for IJGB’s in Abuja, if you returned to Abuja during the Detty December period, this should serve as a self-rating to judge if you were an actual IJGB. If you visited at most 50% of these location you are a confirmed IJGB. After visiting over 40 locations in Abuja, I believe I over qualify to give a semi-detailed review of these places. HOTEL As I was not able to take proper pictures of the hotels I stayed at during my vacation, I will be providing the links to their website for both locations. The first Hotel; The edge by wellness which is located in the heart of Gwarimpa honestly was my best hotel to stay at this holiday, from the cost of the hotel to the staff I cannot emphasize the importance of good customer service! the food served at the hotel, the pool, and the atmosphere everything was a hit! The room price varies from 13,000naira to 25,000naira all under a $100CAD per night. Link to the hotel; https://www.theedgebywellness.com/ The second hotel I stayed at was De Franklin Apartment, this also is located in Gwarimpa, this hotel is a little bit on the high side compared to the previous hotel. The hotel provides personal suites as well as 2- or 3-bedroom apartments in case you are travelling with the squad! The service at this hotel was amazing! The ambience? Very quiet & peaceful. I advise you look really cute in this hotel as they have different great spots for pictures. At nighttime, do seat out at the balcony to catch a great view of the Gwarimpa, Kado & Jabi lake area. Link to the hotel; http://www.defranklinapartments.com/ RESTAURANTS Now! This is my ZONE! I had one goal when I went to Abuja & it was to try different restaurant during my stay. To achieve eating out frequently, I advise doing lunch or brunch dates with old friends, breakfast networking with new friends, date nights with the love of your life, and chill nights out with the squad! This way you are able to experience the different ambience each location provides. I was able to visit about 30 restaurants, I will list my top 5 & a short review. I will also mention other places that were great as well! 1.) FAJI STEAKHOUSE This place! Whew! First off, I am going to start with discussing the faaji fire wings. During my stay in Abuja, I tasted very deceiving spicy wings which ended up tasting very regular with bare spice. When we ordered this off the menu as a starter the waiter warned us of how spicy it was, honestly, I rolled my eyes because I assumed it will be regular chicken as usual. Guys the wings here are FIRE! Like no jokes! They were soo spicy I could only eat 2 out of 6 with ice in my mouth to keep me going. Yes, it was that serious! Lol. I would like to recommend this restaurant for three things particularly that sets it apart from other Abuja restaurants. First off when we arrived we were given hot towels to clean our hands before eating, call me a local man but no restaurant I visited in Abuja did this which shows they keep an eye out on sanitization also we were given complimentary bread rolls while we were waiting for our starters. The third thing here is the service from the waiters, it was amazing! and I can say they communicate properly, meaning they actually know their menu, the waiters here are able to explain what each dish is. The server we had also informed my partner & I before he brought each meal, it was different & great. This location is best suitable for an intimate experience as the ambience there encourages it. For a decent 3 course meal for 2, you are able to pay $100 - $150 CAD. IG: @faji_steakhouse 2.) VANILLA BAR & RESTAURANT This restaurant has been on my list since their recent renovations, each corner of the restaurant has cute spots for photographs. The female bathroom here is hands down the best I encountered during my stay. This place oozes class, I cannot over emphasize how great the service here was. My partner & I literally had our personal server which was very attentive & stood in a particular corner until we needed his service which was quite extra, but honestly, I approve. The ambience of the restaurant, which varies from the paintings on the walls, the glass-mirrored ceiling, beautiful chandelier & exquisite dinning service is great for a date night. The food & cocktails as well were amazing! Compared to the average Abuja restaurant this restaurant a little bit on the high side although you are able to have a decent meal for 2 for about $100CAD. IG: @vanilla_abuja 3.) CATINA RESTAURANT This place is my pasta heaven in abuja! Although they specialize in other delicacies, the pasta here is definitely one for the books! The ambience, service, and food was a hit! Did I mention they had Kenny G playing in the restaurant that day? AMAZINGGG! You are able to eat a decent meal for 2 between $50-100 CAD. IG: @catinasinclair 4.) LAGOS BISTRO The Ambience of this place shows hard work. The restaurant aims to show you a bit of Lagos in Abuja, like experiencing the best of both worlds. Did I mention they have too many cute spots for photos? Sis! They did well. Everything here was amazing as well, from the amazing mojitos & daiquiris I had, complimentary puff puff (yes you read that right sis, free PUFF PUFF!), spicy asun (goat meat) & well spiced wings the chef here is definitely COOKING! While I visited the bistro, I had the opportunity to taste their special fried rice, which is similar to the Chinese fried rice & it tasted great as well. For this location you are able to go with the squad or with your loved ones. You are able to have a decent meal for 1 with drinks under $50CAD. IG: @lagosbistro 5.) KEJE GRILLS Are you an IJGB in Abuja if you did not visit Keje grills? If your answer is no then cancel your IJGB membership now! you have officially been kicked out from this group chat lol. This place is one word; POSITIVE VIBRATIONS, well 2 words actually haha! This place offers amazing cocktails, well spiced chicken & the music playing is always awesome. I would advise visiting this location with the squad as it is a very busy restaurant, the service here definitely needs more work. With time wasting you are able to have discussions & play games with your friends while waiting for the food. They also have a Karaoke night every Thursday, nights like this where it is really fun you are able to participate in activities to keep yourself entertained & definitely have a good laugh. The food here is very affordable, you are able to have a decent meal for 2 for 10,000naira less than $50CAD. IG: @kejegrill Other restaurants that were also amazing! I would advise you visit; The Pavillon; IG: @pavillonng Nkoyo; IG : @nkoyo.abuja Junkyard Grills; VERY VERY affordable IG : @junkyardgrills Cafe de vie; fast Wifi available here. IG : @cafe_de_vie Metro Cafe & Grill; IG: @metrocafe.ng Amala Shitta; IG: @amalashittaabuja Urban Loft (Agege burger) IG: @urbanloft_abuja H & H continental restaurant; IG: @hh_continental Area 1 Complex Pastry Basket; IG: @pastrybasket Cafe Chocolat; IG: @cafechocolatabuja Bijou Cafe; IG: @bijoucafe_ng Other locations with no pictures;
Speakeasy (ask for the flaming Lamborghini & Between the sheets!) For Quick grabs? Biobak Kitchen & Doosh’s Place for amazing Tiv delicacies. For Quick Snacks? Yahuza Suya Spot, Jamal Shawarma, Dalema Supermarket, Grills 101, Café Flour & Chicken Capitol for Shawarma That's all for now, till my next post! -Fanen
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Hi Winnipeg! Long time no post, i know right? This particular post has been sitting in my drafts for the last 2 years, sigh. This 2020 i have told myself I will update this site more. Starting the year off with a quick review of the Ben & Florentine breakfast place here in Winnipeg! I will not be providing ratings for this location as this is an old post. Enjoy! Photo Cred: AuntyGimmeCake
Hi Winnipeger's! I will not babble a lot here today, but this is a place everyone in Winnipeg must go to. The ambience here is very country style. We ordered the Famous feast for two which according to them feeds 2-3 people, but the portion sizing in this feast is amazing! their feast for 2 can actually feed 4 people. This platter consists of Ribs, Wedges, Corn, Roasted chicken, Corn bread muffin & creamy coleslaw. I know I said I will not babble in this post earlier, but the creamy coleslaw deserves a hole paragraph cause it was that awesome, you can quote me anywhere 'they have the best coleslaw in Winnipeg!' The food price was inexpensive, I would rate their service 8/10, the scenery of the restaurant 8/10 and the food 10/10. Famous Feast for 2 L-R Strawberry Colada, Dave's Famous Bulldog PhotoCredit: AuntyGimmeCake
Hi Lovelies! It's been a while we did this. Summer 2017 was all about working full time and with a day off in a week I tried to visit a new restaurant. I had passed confusion corner several times on my way downtown and wondered what their menu was like. They had 6 things on their main menu which were not pleasing, if you were vegan you were limited to a few and just salads. We had the BBQ Ribs which came with potato salad and coleslaw. And the chicken souvlaki which came with greek salad and lemon roasted potatoes. I loved how the potatoes tasted, they did not taste like your regular restaurant potatoes with black pepper and salt but they had a tangy feeling. For drinks we had the sangria with red wine The food price was modest, I would rate their service 10/10, the scenery of the restaurant 10/10 and the food 9/10. BBQ Ribs Chicken Souvlaki Our Table Photo Cred: AuntyGimmeCake
Hi! So far on this journey this has been the best place I have been to. The ambience was everything! from the properly dressed waiters to the dark curtains to the dark wallpapers on the walls. It was the perfect location for our date night. The restaurant had this very cozy feel sorta like you were home. Their menu had various options for the meat lovers, to the vegetarians, to the vegans and the pescatarians everyone was welcomed here. Platting of the food was a 100% if you are a friend of mine you will know how much platting matters to me. platting determines how inviting your food is, you can have the best things served on your plate but when positioned wrongly will not look good. The food tasted AWESOMMMEEEE!! guyss nothing wrong can happen in this place! For starters I had the featured soup for the day which had some potato thing going on and my date had a caesar salad. For mains I had the Ribs & Chicken and he had Teriyaki top sirloin. everything tasted amazing! For drinks we had a bottle of sweet & sour red wine (Inception). The food price was high-priced you have to spend some coins for quality;), I would rate their service 10/10, the scenery of the restaurant 10/10 and the food 10/10. Featured Soup Ribs & Chicken Teriyaki Top Sirloin Raspberry Crème Brûlée PhotoCred: AuntyGimmeCake
Hi Lovelies! Quick story time here! So because I work in a kitchen I am exposed to different ingredients, I noticed at my work place that we always run out of brussel sprouts so I convinced my friends to order some because I thought they tasted great. They tasted horrible! never again will I try them. I spoke to one of my co-wokers and she made me understand that to enjoy brussel sprouts they had to be cooked properly. Anyways.. lesson learnt, don't judge a book by it's cover! For our girl's day out we decided to visit Clememtine's, I had the coconut curry mushroom toast and the blondie. The coconut curry tasted great! I thought it was weird having mushrooms and curry on toast but the 'blent' tasted good. My friends loved their food also. For drink we had the orange juice and latte. I will really recommend having their hash-browns as they have one of the best in the city, it tasted really sweet and less spicy! The food price was okay, I would rate their service 8/10, the scenery of the restaurant 6/10 and the food 8/10. Coconut Curry Mushroom Toast Brüssels Style Waffle Vanilla Marmalade & Ricotta Toast Fried Brussel Sprouts Hamburger Blondie latte Best advice on planet earth :) PhotoCredit: AuntyGimmeCake
Hello! Most of the times I'm out, I catch myself reaching out for the breakfast menu, there's something spectacular about having breakfast in the afternoon. I finally went to the "Famous" pancake house where they sell breakfast all day and I must confess I was not in awe with the taste of their pancake. I still make better pancakes lol :) Link to My Recipe Here My friends had the super deluxe which consisted of ham, eggs, sausages, hash browns and pancakes, the others had Waffles and the Caesar salad wrap. I had the banana Nutella pancakes, fruit crêpes and the fruit salad. As usual I could not make it to the second meal :). Dont get me wrong their pancakes do not taste bad, it's just anytime I go out I try to find better ways to update my recipe and when I am not intrigued I rate it under my level. The food price was really cheap I must say, I would rate their service 10/10, the scenery of the restaurant 6/10 and the food 8/10. Chicken Caesar Wrap Banana Nutella Pancakes Fruit Crêpes Super Deluxe Fruit Salad Waffle Strawberry Sundae Caramel Sundae PhotoCredit: AuntyGimmeCake Hi Guys! I was going to crack some silly joke related to Kanye but I decided not to. My aunty was in town and I decided to take her to some place really affordable. Ye's buffet is a Chinese restaurant that lets you explore asian cuisine. I like the fact that it has a lot of food choices for their customers. The interior was exquisite, you would think for the amount you pay to eat the place would look 'one-kind'. I liked every bit of the food I had, except the fruits which tasted spoilt. The food price was modest, I would rate their service 10/10, the scenery of the restaurant 10/10 and the food 9/10. PhotoCredit: AuntyGimmeCake
Hi Fellow Foodies! You know how the weather is in Winnipeg at the moment, it's really dull and it makes you want to say indoors and watch crime shows and do nothing, well.. me:). It was a really gloomy day but that did not stop Auneetuh & I. We have always wanted to go on a brunch date, we wanted to do something different out of the ordinary of cliche 'date nights'. Cora's is a breakfast/Brunch place here in Canada. I had the Ode to oatmeal & Rosemary's Sunday, lol the Nigerian in me did not allow me read the 'Ode' properly. I actually love oatmeal soo much, Ode to oatmeal had oatmeal with blueberries, strawberries & harvest crunch, drizzled with maple syrup and it was served with toast. While the Rosemary's Sunday had eggs, sausages, roasted potatoes & blueberry pancakes. Auneetuh had a fruit crunch and 1990's harvest, the fruit crunch had different fruits mixed with yogurt and museli cereal. while the 1990's harvest had a large cinnamon-raison brioche dipped in french toast, eggs, bacon and fresh fruits on the side. For drinks we had strawberry smoothies. I must say i love the idea of have fruits mixed with the meals, it was really filing i could not go on with the main dish i had to have it packed up. I loved the meal so much! it was really tasty, the smoothie tasted really sweet also! Cora' is affordable and for University of Manitoba students the coupon book has a free beverage coupon in it, I am definitely coming back here. . I would rate their service 10/10, the scenery of the restaurant 7`/10 and the food 10/10. Link to my Pancake recipe here :) Menu & Fashion Blogger Auneetuh Ode to Oatmeal Rosemary's Sunday Fruit Crunch 1990's Harvest Our Table Photo Credit Auneetuh & I
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AuthorWRITTEN BY: FANEN NADIA AYEDE |