Seafood by the Sea at KingFisher
My friend, Tobi, and I visited one of the newer openings in Lekki - Kingfisher Africa. It is located in the same compound as Marco Polo and has a nice view of waterfront property in the area - very aspirational stuff.
[Ed Note: Kingfisher and Marco Polo might have the same ownership. At least, that’s what the POS receipt suggested"]
Calamari Prawns in Garlic Butter
But, you know what it doesn’t have? A closer view of people suffering in the Lekki-Ikoyi bridge traffic :)
Random fun fact - a ‘Kingfisher’ is a cute little bluebird that dives to catch fish but it isn't the king of fishers. There are so many other birds better at catching fish than the Kingfisher. What a betrayed.
Tobi and I visited Kingfisher twice because we got terrible photos on our first visit. The first time we had the Calamari Prawns in Garlic Butter and Penne Marinara. The second time, we ordered the Prawn Quesadillas and the Penne Marinara (again).
The Calamari Prawns in Garlic Butter is a starter and its basically 3 prawns with a couple strips of calamari covered in chopped bell peppers. A little messy but still really nice. The garlic seemed to overpower that smell locally sourced prawns have, and the calamari was nice and tender. ALSO, it wasn’t too spicy, which was excellent.
I was really torn about how prawns were served. When it’s a messy dish like this, I’d rather the prawns be de-shelled. While for a drier dish leaving the shell on is fine. However, this wasn’t a drier dish and therefore, I wasn’t too pleased.
The quesadillas tasted decent but were a bit too heavy on the garlic butter which caused them to “break”. They were structurally compromised. It also seemed like they had been ready ages ago but weren’t served to us, which is why the tortilla soaked up the oil. If I’m not explaining this well, have a look at the pictures below and you’ll get my drift.
Quesadillas
Quesadillas at KingFisher
The quesadillas were straight to the point - prawns, a lot of cheese and some bell peppers. The guacamole, on the side, was both fresh and a welcome addition.
The Penne Marinara was the only main we tried at Kingfisher. It is a tomato-based pasta dish that came with calamari, fish, and baby shrimp. On our first visit, the pasta was nice and al dente, complementing the texture of the calamari but the second time, it was quite soft and not it.
The fish in the sauce was crunchy, like it was fried before being tossed in the tomato sauce, something I didn’t know I’d like till I tried it. There were a few things that could be improved on though. I absolutely wasn’t a fan of the oiliness of the marinara sauce. Secondly, I’d have gone with proper prawns in this instead of baby shrimp as the tiny shrimp sink and settle to the bottom of the bowl. If you eat your meat after you get through your rice, you might appreciate it. Delayed gratification and whatnot, but no, it wasn’t for me.
POSTSCRIPT
FOLARIN: Besides the questionable consistency of the pasta dish and not-so-clean water, Kingfisher does a better job of being a seafood restaurant than most places in Lekki. Like, the Lighthouse, for instance.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Calamari Prawns - N6500
Penne Marinara - N5000
Quesadillas (with Prawns) - N3800
PARKING
6-8 cars inside and another 6 by the gate outside
