I flew in to Abuja the other day with my mum to attend a meeting I had previously scheduled with Humaira (an interior designer), to discuss the concept and design for my new home.
It was an exasperating trip for mum and I because we managed to steal only 2 hours of sleep the night before. We had booked the second flight to Abuja but around 4 am, we received a text from the airline stating that our flight would be delayed for 4 hours. The unwelcomed news forced our sleepy limbs out of bed and we hastily made our way to the airport, with the hopes of catching the first flight to Abuja. Alhamdulilah the meeting with Humaira was successful; we shared similar visions for the house and she truly was a pleasure to work with and kind enough to have her driver deliver us some delicious chicken wings and suya. For those of you who don’t know Humaira is also the owner of Grills 101 in abuja.
Now let’s begin the main gist.
After the meeting, Yusuf (my Fiance) took my mum and I out for lunch at House 43. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I was flooded with joy when I spotted the little Cafe in front. Anyone who knows me knows I have a weakness for library’s, cafes and parks.
The Restaurant was an actual House but the owner had designated different areas of the house for different joints; pretty smart if you ask me. The house had a cafe, bar, lounge and restaurant. Indeed, it was a beautiful day in Abuja and I was hopeful that the Restaurant would treat me to a good meal. I immediately switched into my critique hat and got down from the car.
To my surprise the Restaurant had a really good parking lot (both on the inside and outside of the restaurant). In all fairness, the restaurant scored good in terms of the restaurant design, location and parking space. We steadily made our way upstairs and was greeted by a warm looking usher in his nicely trimmed suit.
As we made our way down the corridor that leads to the restaurant, I could easily tell that the owner had an interesting love for art.
I personally found the inside of the restaurant to be intriguing. The lonesome atmosphere was unmissable but I liked that there was a private sitting for couples, which had a unique portable woven divider. Whenever I looked at it, I couldn’t help but imagine a shy-looking Geisha hiding behind the other side of the divider.
Also, there was a part of the Restaurant’s wall that hung some differently shaped spheres and I couldn’t help but imagine a Zulu running around the room with one its hand. Has anyone seen the movie Shaka Zulu? That’s a classic right there for you to watch. As you can tell my imagination is pretty wild but I really loved that the Restaurant had some unique items that stimulated my imagination.
I allowed my lunch dates to select a table for us to eat, whilst I made a quick visit to the restroom. I was quite curious to know what their convenience looked like because my mum always told me if you want to know if a person is clean, go to their kitchen or their restroom.
Their convenience was super clean and was by far the freshest smelling part of the restaurant; another score for the restaurant. By the time I returned mum and Yusuf had already placed an order for the appetizers. So upon receiving my menu we went straight ahead to place an order for our mains.
Main Orders
Appetizers
For the appetizers we had the Chicken Spring Rolls (N2,200) and the Spicy Chicken Wings in Spicy Tomato Sauce (N2,500)
Mains & Drinks
Mum ordered the Farmer Jerk Chicken (grilled chicken, in spicy jerk sauce served with fried rice and side salad) (N5,500) and the Virgin Mojito (N2,500).
Yusuf Ordered the Boneless Chicken Thigh (deboned chicken thigh in barbecue sauce served with Basmati rice and plantain) (N5,500) and the Fruit Sensation Smoothie (N2,500).
I was craving Pasta for some weird reason, so I had a look at their pasta menu and one of the dishes picked my interest. I ordered the Naiya Pasta (diced goat meat in oriental spicy sauce served with spaghetti) (N5,500) and their Virgin Barcadi Sweet Dreams (N2,500)
DOur drinks did not take too long to arrive and I must confess, Yusuf’s Fruit Sensation Smoothie is till date the best Smoothie I’ve ever had in my life and I’m not even exaggerating. It was pure goodness in a glass and as a matter of fact, I seized the moment he looked away to hijack his smoothie and he literally had to peel it out of my hands.
Mum’s Mojito was a tragedy, it was very tangy and sour. I beg you guys to stay clear of their Mojito till the restaurant gets the recipe right.
My drink as you can imagine being the best looking of the 3 was also the worst in taste. Could anything be worse than their virgin mojito? Yes it’s called their Virgin Barcaadi Sweet Dreams. Contrary to its name, the drink is a nightmare guys. I honestly cannot describe the taste, I just didn’t like the blend of the flavors. I understand I’m a very picky person but Ma and Yusuf hated it just as much.
Our appetizers followed shortly after our drinks were served.
The chicken spring-rolls was stuffed with a lot of chicken and did not have any vegetables inside. It tasted really good with the spicy sauce that came on the side. The spicy wings on the other hand was drenched in a lot of sauce and tasted decent if you ask me.
About 10 minutes later our meals arrived.
From the feedback I got from Mum and Yusuf, they were quite pleased with their meals. I had a taste of both to judge and they were quite nice. Personally I wouldn’t order barbeque sauce to eat with my rice, but different strokes for different folks. For that reason I found Yusuf’s food to be too sweet and I’m more of a savory than sweet girl.
Okay so you know the verse in the Quran that says with every suffering comes ease? Allah’s promise remains ever true. Ma ma miya my dish was amazinnnnng! I was grinning the whole time I ate the food and danced shamelessly in my seat. Mum and Yusuf were jealous and could not move their thirsty eyes from my food. Now guess who’s drink snatching hands kept begging for my food? The pasta was incredibly yummy and the Chef had every reason to be proud.
Overall our experience at House 43 was lovely. Their customer service was amazing and the restaurant is a great place to dine if you want some privacy and some bomb pasta. Will I go back again? Absolutely! I’ll In Sha Allah try more options from their pasta menu.
Critique Hat Score: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Ambience: 7.5/10
Convenience: 8/10
Service: 9.5/10
Price: 6/10
Recommendations (if any): I highly recommend their Fruit Sensation Smoothie and their Naiya Pasta (diced goat meat in oriental spicy sauce served with spaghetti).
Restaurant Details:
No 43 Gana St,
Maitama,
Abuja
Contacts:
0803 364 7709
Social Media:
Facebook: @House43
Instagram: @House43_restaurant
Opening Hours:
Monday – Sunday: 12am – 10pm
If you’ve been to House 43, I’ll be more than happy to take some of your recommendations, to assist me in my next visit.
If you’ve never been to House 43, you should definitely give them a try.
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