Courtesy: MEAACT Photo/Stuart Price
This Valentine's marks 11 years since the memoirs of a soul-searching woman warmed millions of hearts across the globe. Eat, Pray, Love and its 2010 big screen adaptation starring Julia Roberts inspired a generation of travellers seeking a similar experience as author Elizabeth Gilbert.An Eat Pray Love trip is all about fulfilling a yearning for escape and discovery. But what if you don't have the time or budget for a one person search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia? Well, you always have Kenya. All of Italy's culinary pleasures, India's spirituality, and Bali's bliss can be found right here in Kenya. You just have to know where to look.EAT
Where better to start than in Nairobi? The city's food scene is the best anywhere in the country. Eat how Liz ate in Rome and indulge in devilishly lovely Italian food at Trattoria Ristorante & Pizzeria, the oldest family run Italian restaurant in town. Their menu consists of Italy's time-honoured recipes, including Pizza Margherita's you'll want to have a relationship with.The city is a dizzying explosion of tastes and cuisines. Its pleasures are all there for you to discover. Pack an appetite and experience the best of Chinese at Graceful Chinese, American at Caramel, Barbeque at The Carnivore, Japanese at Mukutan Garden Café, Thai fusion at Zen Garden, and French at the Lord Erroll.Get the TV treatment at Seven Seafood & Grill, owned and run by Kenya's first celebrity chef Kiran Jethwa. Or go out to the shops of Parklands' Diamond Plaza and downtown open-air markets to find a treasure trove of sweets, spices, herbs and ingredients.All said, you will never go wrong with local favourites- ugali served with nyama choma or fried fish and kachumbari. You can't do the Eat leg of your Kenyan Eat Pray Love tour and not stop by the legendary Njuguna's or the unassuming Mama Oliech's which served meals to, among others, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.PRAY
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