Nairobi Kenya Restaurants - Chinese, Japanese & Thai Restaurants Kenya

Nairobi has plenty of Chinese restaurants but they aren't a cheap option. Almost all offer 'large' (good for two people) and 'small' portions (enough for one). Food is generally excellent, but all these places add 16% VAT to the bill, so prices can soon mount up.

Chinese & Thai Nairobi Restaurants

Panda Chinese Restaurant
Fedha towers, Kaunda St; mains kshs380-1480)

A spacious very classy Asian restaurant hidden away on Kaunda St. The staffs are attentive to the point of overzealousness, especially when its quiet and the food is the best Chinese chow I have seen in Nairobi. Lovers of Muzak will also be at their element here.

Hong Kong Restaurant
(College House, Koinange St; Mains Kshs 300-600)

A bright red restaurant with good food and not too much clichéd décor. It's the cheapest proper Chinese in town and is accordingly popular.

Bangkok Chinese restaurant
(Rank Xerox House, Parklands Rd, Westlands; Mains Kshs290-890)

The Bangkok has been in business for a number of years but was clearly named by someone with no grasp of geography, as there's virtually nothing Thai on the menu at all. If the disappointment gets too much you can always crack open a bottle of Moet (Kshs 8990)

Tanager Bar & Restaurant
(Rehema House, Kaunda St. mains Kshs 280-350)

A cheap and simple Chinese African eatery right in the city centre.

China Jiangsu Restaurant
(Westlands Rd mains Kshs 200-600)

A stylish rooftop restaurant above Soin arcade shopping centre. Prices are very reasonable considering the classy balcony setting, and the food's not to be sniffed at either.

Siam Thai
(Unga House, Muthithi Rd, Westlands, mains Kshs 250-680)

This attractive restaurant has an extensive menu of actual Thai food and a very good reputation. Unga House can be reached from either Woodvale grove or Muthithi Rd.

Japanese Nairobi Kenya Restaurants

Restaurant Akasaka
(Standard St, mains Kshs 450-800)

A wonderful Japanese restaurant next to the six eighty Hotel. It's always a little quiet, but this fits the stylish Japanese décor and the food is very authentic. There's even a tatami room (reserve in advance) where you can eat at traditional low tables. Akasaka runs the full gamut of Japanese cuisine including udon noodles, sushi sets, tempura, teriyaki, and sukiyaki as well as great miso soup. Good value set lunches is also available.

Furasato Japanese Restaurant
(Karuna Rd, Westlands; set meals Kshs 700-1500)

Behind the sarit centre, this is a very stylish place with seductive set Japanese meals including sushi, teppanyaki and tempura. The sushi and sashimi are delicious. Reservations are recommended.

There are many other Asian restaurants in Nairobi including some in leafy suburbs that may cost even twice as much as the ones included here. Depending on your taste you can enquire of the Chinese and Japanese restaurants in such areas.

Remember here that at this level of class, what your bill not only includes the food mass but also the dining ambience-something you are unlikely to take home in your tummy though.

All in all you are most likely going to find a restaurant, if not two that suits your tastes and pocket size. There is simply no lack in Asian restaurants here.

Staying Healthy in the Autumn According to Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we observe nature and seasonal changes to learn proper ways of staying in harmony.  When we live in harmony with the season, we are also ensuring harmony within ourselves. From the foods we eat to the amount of sleep we get, all of these are reflected from observing nature. Autumn is considered the season of the Lung organ. Using this Traditional Chinese Medicine approach, here are some tips to staying healthy through the Autumn:

Eat seasonally. The Autumn is also the time to eat warm, cooked foods. It's time to reduce the amount of salads, smoothies, iced drinks, and foods cold straight from the refrigerator. Eat a variety of seasonal foods.

Fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria to keep your immune system strong. Introduce probiotic-rich foods into your diet: including sauerkraut, kim chi, miso, kombucha, rejuvelac, fermented soda, yogurt, kefir, and other fermented foods. Although food sources are best, you can also take a probiotic supplement- choose one that contains acidophilus and bifidus.

Pears are considered very helpful for the Lungs. Pears eliminate heat and phlegm, soothe dryness, and strengthen the Lungs. They are delicious to eat through the Autumn and are very soothing for coughs and sore throats.

Make sure to drink enough fluids. Stay hydrated with water, teas, soup stocks, and fermented drinks.

Make sure to get enough sleep. Sleep is very regenerative and keeps the immune system strong.

Exercise is helpful to keep the lungs strong. For those prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder, exercise is very helpful to keep moods stable. If you exercise outdoors, please wear appropriate clothing. Avoid wearing shorts in the cold weather. Instead, keep the body protected and wear layers.

Green tea (contains caffeine) and rooibos tea (herbal, contains no caffeine) are excellent sources of antioxidants to help you stay healthy.

Wash hands regularly, but do not use conventional "antibacterial" hand soap containing triclosan. Triclosan is a pesticide that has shown to decrease healthy flora on the skin, increasing our chances of infection! Instead use gentle organic soaps. If you wish for something a little stronger, you can use organic soaps with natural antibacterial essential oils such as tea tree and lavender.

Find ways to decrease stress. Stress depletes our immune system. The following are just a few ideas, but come up with your own: exercise, a daily meditation practice, exploring your creativity with art or music, laughter, taking up a hobby, enjoying time with friends and family, and gardening. Taking time to focus on things we are "grateful for" can really help with our sense of happiness and can ease anxiety.

Full-spectrum light bulbs are helpful to people who are emotionally affected by the darker days of winter. These bulbs produce light the same spectrum of sun light.

In Chinese Medicine, we make an effort to avoid "catching a cold or wind." This translates to wearing a scarf to protect the neck from being cold and wearing appropriate clothing. It's not recommended to go outdoors with wet hair.

At the first sign of a cold or flu, rest and get extra sleep. Try not to "push through" your illness. Listen to your body's need for rest. Drink teas, sip soup broths, and eat nutritious whole foods. Decrease processed sugar, and if you have phlegm, avoid dairy products (especially unfermented dairy). Honey soothes sore throats and helps with coughs. Perhaps take a soothing hot bath. Mild exercise is okay; intense exercise will only deplete your immune system further.

Regular acupuncture treatments are helpful to keep the immune system strong. Acupuncture treatments can also be really helpful to alleviate symptoms if you do catch a cold. When working with a trained herbalist, herbs are also helpful to stay healthy, prevent and treat colds and flu.

Top 5 Qi Improvement Ingredients in Chinese Herbal Soup & Free Recipe

In Chinese medication books, there are 1000 types of herb to look for, however there are way too many herbs with different features and nature, so it is not advisable that you simply mix and match with Chinese herbs. At least you need to understand the nature and behavior before mixing them around in soup.

The top 5 Chinese Herbal Soup ingredient for Qi improvement are:

1. Wild Ginseng
Ginseng is beneficial to all internal organs, it stimulates physical vigor, soothes temperament, promotes general well-being and longevity. It is the "Yang" type of herb according Chinese medication reference book. The older the age of this wild ginseng, the better and higher level of minerals and nutrition.

2. American Wild Ginseng
Stimulates energy and nourishes the lungs and spleen. It is beneficial to those who suffer from mental and heart weakness, cough, fatigue and menopause. America Wild Ginseng is sometimes very good in having it anytime in the day, usually it is best to drink in the morning or before bed.

3. Radix Codonopsis Pilosulae (Dangshen)
Reinforce Qi, invigorates and improves blood circulation. It is also effective in the treatment of fatigue and pale complexion. It is the most commonly used in Chinese herb soup making as the ingredients.

4. Chinese Yam
Tastes sweet and is neutral in nature. It nourishes the lungs and kidneys, strengthens the spleen, stop diarrhea, improves vitality and restores Qi. Since it serve more healthier in cleaning up the body.

5. Walnut
Walnut improves Qi and regulates blood circulation. It is also known as "longevity fruit". Other than this, it also help in improving our memory power and healthier.

A Qi improvement Chinese Herbal Soup recipe: Chinese Yam with Pork Spare Ribs Soup

Ingredients:
1. Pork Spare Ribs 750 gram
2. Chinese Yam 500 gram
3. Soup Stock 1000 gram
4. Salt 8 gram
5. Some Ginger slices
6. Water 2 liter
7. Some White Pepper powder

Steps:
1. Soak port spare ribs in cold water and boil it until water is boiling. Pick it up and set aside to let it cool down.
2. Skinned Chinese yam, cut into slices and soak into salt water to avoid it gets oxidation.
3. Put port spare ribs, soup stock, hot water, ginger slice into pot and cook until half done.
4. Add in Chinese yam, continue boil it with big fire heating until boiled, then change to small fire heating continue for 40 minutes.
5. Add in a dash of salt and some white pepper powder before serve.

Enjoy~

Beat Cold and Flu with Chinese Medicine

Autumn.......Yang turning into Yin; time to remain calm and peaceful, gather one's spirit and energy, remain focused and keep the Lung energy full, clean and quiet... - The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine

Yes, it's that time of the year here in North America. Autumn is now complete, colder weather is seeping in, we are on the verge of the rainy, snowy and all around colder season, and with that, comes increased vulnerability to respiratory ailments. During this change of season, cold and flu are the most common ailments that we get hit with, resulting in a compromised immune system, a system out of balance and impaired functioning.

But there is hope in the battle against cold and flu. No, I'm not talking about the flu shot. I am however an active proponent of maintenance and taking care of your body and immune system so as to avoid attracting the pathogens that cause cold and flu. However, if you succumb to the cold and flu bug this season, there are a number of pro-active steps you can take by utilizing Traditional Chinese Medicine.

First, TCM views the common cold as an invasion, not being invaded by a "bug" but the body being invaded by wind, one of the five main external elements in our climate. TCM describes wind as the "spearhead of 100 diseases" as it is the main element that we get affected with most often, and drives all other elements. Think of the last time you had a cold--probably one of the first symptoms that you noticed was that you felt achy, probably had a sore neck or stuffy head, along with sniffles and sneezing that followed thereafter.

When wind invades the body, it hits the exterior portion first: stiff neck and back, arms, chills all over, headache at the back of the head, coughing in the upper chest; then as it progresses further into the body, we feel deeper symptoms such as sore throat, headache with irritability, cough with yellow mucous and fever. TCM calls these patterns wind cold and wind heat respectively.

In order to be pro-active at not only maintaining our health, it is important to take steps to nourish our Qi, or vital energy and working at balancing these elements. The TCM approach to cold and flu comprises of several approaches: acupuncture, herbal treatment, moxabustion (rolled mugwort) as well as dietary modifications. These also can be used not just after you are plagued with cold, but also as preventative medicine to strengthen the immune system and prevent the wind element from invading the body. Acupuncture and moxabustion in particular are important in strengthening Qi and expelling the wind from the body. Specific herbal formulas are often used at different stages of cold and flu to prevent deeper penetration of wind, and ultimately infection. Cordyceps and astragalus are good herbs to take to strengthen the lungs, which are our primary source of defense against cold and flu.

Chinese Medicine also recommends that dietary changes be made during this time: for example, no dairy, meat, sugary or starchy food. A plain diet of vegetables, lots of fluids, miso soup with onions, garlic, ginger and tofu are recommended as the main protein and carbohydrate sources. Getting enough rest, keeping your neck and head warm is also important. Remember, the wind invades from the back first - so especially keep the back and of the body and neck covered.

So ultimately, you can do something to ward off cold and flu. It is preventable and the battle can indeed be won. Boosting immunity and keeping your body in balance is key.

Here's to your health!