Bamboo Lounge and Guest House

38 Oduduwa Way, Ikeja GRA | Instagram | 0812 993 7001

Note: This is not an ‘official’ review, as we did not have what we consider ‘a fuller experience’ of Bamboo Lounge’s menu.

I’m currently very into the outdoor eating/lounging/enjoying drinks vibe on the Mainland these days, as an escape from my everyday reality of typing all day, failed attempts at potty training and watching endless episodes of Cocomelon (iykyk). On recommendation from a good friend and in a bid to spice things up a bit and break the chokehold Cubana’s grilled catfish has on me, I dragged my S.O. to Bamboo Lounge for a night out.

One of the first things I noticed is how it gives off a Londoner’s vibe, something you’re likely to understand if you’re on the millennial spectrum and familiar with the Mainland. It’s not exactly a pub, and its decor is considerably different, but Bamboo Lounge is clearly a place for after-work beers, a plate of asun or peppered gizzard with a mound of onions by the side, with loud music playing in the background. They have a pool that doesn’t look like it gets a lot of swimmers, rather serving as something nice to look at while you decide on what to order, long palm trees decorated with lights all the way to the top, like it’s Christmas, and an indoor and outdoor space, both of which are decent.

Naturally, the first thing you want to know is if the food is any good. For drinks, we got a can of Coke and a bottle of Smirnoff Ice, keeping it super simple because although their cocktail list was standard, I’ve been too disappointed lately with drink orders and I didn’t feel like wasting N6500 that night. For starters, we had a shared a plate of chicken suya, which is probably one of the best I’ve had. It was tender, juicy, glistening with oil and really flavourful. Safe to say expectations were high at this point.

The anticlimax came when the mains arrived. I ordered a margherita pizza (I thought I had seen something that looked like a proper pizza oven in the corner, so I felt safe), while my husband had grilled croaker fish coated in pepper sauce with chips. The fish looked good and was presented well, but unfortunately, wasn’t seasoned well enough, and the chips were lacking the all-important final sprinkle of salt while it’s still piping hot (why home cooks know to do this and restaurants think its optional is way beyond me).

The pizza… was not a pizza; it was a doughy bread with lots of cheese on top. I can never be mad at “too much cheese” — as far as I’m concerned, such a thing doesn’t even exist — but common guys, if you can’t get a pizza base right, don’t offer a range of pizzas on the menu. It’s simple.

The actual flavour of it wasn’t bad, but that’s because cheese and tomato sauce were made for each other; in my opinion, it’s a lot harder to mess up. I struggled through two slices and had the rest bagged up.

We thought about having dessert (the menu had a lot of attractive options), but I was too full on the main that wasn’t mine (seeing as mine was a bust), so we decided to hit the road. But not before a fire shot for the ’Gram though, because the aesthetics were aesthetic-ing and please, if I go out after 7pm, my fans on Insta Stories must hear about it.

Update: I had a slice of the margherita pizza two days later, and the freezer really does wonders for leftover pizza. It tasted way better!

Postscript

I’d go again, but try other things on the menu

Damage

Coke - N450

Smirnoff Ice - N1200

Chicken Suya - N2200

Grilled Fish and Chips - N6000

Margherita Pizza - N5000

Parking

They offer a valet service, so no stress