Having al fresco breakfast amongst the Alfajiri charm of beautiful bleached wood and Indian Ocean breezes was such a mood lifting way to start each day. Joffrey and Martin would offer coffee, fresh juices and serve a superb array of fresh fruits that had all been hand picked by the owner. Marika herself, is responsible for the daily menu, painstakingly selecting from her vast knowledge of Italian cuisine and blending it with the local produce, which she hand picks at the market each day.
Even though each villa had its own kitchen, certain dishes are prepared in the main-house kitchen. There is the usual omelettes, bacon, sausages and home-baked bread. You also have the luxury of taking 20 minutes or 2 hours to eat any meal, there just no rules!
This was the only property in our extensive travels this year not to have received Sheira’s dietary requirements in advance from our travel agent. Within 24 hours of knowing Sheira’s gluten free problem, Marika managed to locate the right flour to bake gluten free bread.
Alfajiri prides itself on sourcing culinary requests - whether a certain cheese from France or wurst from Germany, they will fly it in with sufficient notice. The kitchen also made Sheira a gluten-free version of the pancakes that Zoe loved to eat daily and there was something truly joyous about seeing the perfectly round, fluffy, just-right stacks arrive at the table, garnished with strawberries…
Lunch at Cliff Villa is served on the outdoor pool terrace amongst the beautiful design detail of ornate, decoratively patterned wood and a carved map of Africa on the wall - The staff wear crisp white shirts and frangipanis flowers float in bowls on the table. Each day the table is set with different, unique African table decorations and placemats, reinforcing the simple, yet stylish eye for detail they have here at Alfajiri.
The keynotes of a great summer lunch should be ‘substantial but fresh’ - and Alfajiri absolutely get it right. The salads, served in oversized bowls, were meals in themselves - with shredded cabbage, corn, ripe to bursting tomatoes, cucumber and fresh fish. Delicious brushetta or shredded crab salad in the curve of a single lettuce leaf was a memorable lunch.
The Italian origin of our hosts was a huge bonus for us: the Italian extras were just superb. Zoe adored the thin crust pizza from Alfajiri’s own woodfire oven and we often had a pasta dish, like hand made tagliatelle tossed together with fresh vegetables or mixed seafood. I also remember a more ambitious handmade fish ravioli with basil and sage. The Mediterranean influence is boosted with imports from Europe like Parma ham and regional Italian cheeses.
Another signature is the fantastic variety of seafood straight off Diani Beach. Fish, crab, prawns, lobster and octopus - it doesn’t get fresher than this! It was presented with the same artful simplicity - wafer thin white fish Carpaccio marinated in olive oil and lime juice, snapper served whole, covered in vegetables or smoked … We’d always have fruit for dessert and - Fabrizio and Marika are Italian after all - the best coffee.
Dinner has the same bountiful, fresh feeling ranging from casual to more sophisticated - from the most amazing crudities and smoky fish dip to oysters and champagne as starters. We had memorable main courses like lemon sprinkled lobster or calamari cooked in a particularly Swahili way.
There were enough fresh vegetables and salads to justify our “why not, we’re on holiday” evening desserts, which is usually not our thing. The crepes sprinkled with sugar, chocolate cake, brownies and Crème Brûlée were just too tempting to resist!
The cuisine here has the best of both worlds - a modern, new world freshness that doesn’t rely on of heavy creams and sauces, with the Mediterranean influence that Fabrizio and Marika have taught the chefs. The ingredients are of the highest quality and they are allowed to shine…
I discovered interesting places in other areas of Diani Beach as I jogged past (see MORNING RUN) and found this great little bar bistro in the sand. With its beach shack atmosphere, wicker lanterns, cyber cafe and sense of fun, this is a great on-the-sands base for lunch and a smoothie, latte or milkshake after taking a dip in the gloriously mild Indian Ocean.
If Forty Thieves was closer to Alfajeri, we would have found time to eat here. We couldn’t tear ourselves away from the bliss of unwinding at Alfajiri, but for those who want to socialise and seek out higher energy this is the buzzier part of Diani Beach - which gears up at the Forty Thieves with beach disco parties, DJs and live music.
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