Review: Talindos
My friend, B and I decided to go for dinner last night and in choosing a location we had the option of going somewhere for ‘the vibe’ or ‘the food’. We settled on ‘the food’ which brought us to Talindos; we had both read the glowing review on Eat Drink Lagos and figured it was worth giving it a go.
Talindos has been around for a while and stepping through the doors I felt like I was stepping back in time. Remember those old restaurants you used to go to with your parents when you were young? With the cloth napkins and tablecloths and the real place settings? Yeah, it was just like that.
As we were seated we noticed that there was only one other group of older gentlemen there- we laughed to ourselves that we definitely weren’t there for the vibe and hoped the food wouldn’t disappoint.
As this is a proper restaurant the menu isn’t like what you’ll find in most of the restaurants in Lagos, there were no easy options like a burger or pizza. Everything consisted of a protein (usually with a fancy name) and a side. Talindos is a steakhouse so the steak menu was a nice size- probably the most extensive I’ve seen in Lagos.
B ordered the Tomato crostini starter and the Rib-eye steak for his main. I ordered the 175g of ‘Grilled steak’ which I was informed is basically just a fillet cut. (It’s only February so I’m still on my fit-fam mission and I told myself that as this cut has the least fat it’s probably the healthiest one. Got to get them gains!)
The crostini starter came and even though I didn’t order it, I helped myself to one, I had to, for the review. It was pretty much bruschetta with cheese. I wasn’t mad at it- the bread was just the right mix of toasted and soft, the tomatoes were fresh as was the basil. The size was just right too- not too big that you needed a knife and fork but not so small that you felt cheated.
Then came the steaks. Now I think it only fair that I set this disclaimer. I love steak. A lot. Like, a lot a lot, and I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur.
My steak was 175g of amazingness. Like legit, it was better than a lot of the steaks I’ve had in the past year, and I lived in the UK for most of that year. I asked for mine medium rare and when it came and I cut it open I was a bit concerned at how pink it was but I gave it the benefit of the doubt, and boy am I glad that I did.
The presentation was attractive and functional, I found myself using the glaze to add a tinge of sweetness to the steak. And the glaze was divine, so much so that I had to ask the waiter to ask the chef what it was. This was when I became impressed with the service here too because the waiter didn’t have to ask the chef, he knew exactly what the glaze was made of and how it was made. It was a caramel glaze with a hint of lemon juice, if you were wondering and it was delicious. The fillet was so full of flavour that the accompanying gravy/sauce wasn’t needed but was a nice addition. It was succulent, just the right consistency and not stringy at all. Go you Talinda.
I can’t speak with authority on the rib-eye except to say that it was massive. According to B though, it was delicious.
I need to add that a major reason I was keen to try Talindos was because of what had been said about the brownie. They actually labelled it ‘the best brownie in Lagos’ which obviously meant that I had to try it. Oh boy, oh boy, I’m glad I did. It was delicious and hot, and served on a hot plate, and delicious.
Seriously, it was rich and full of proper chocolate flavour. The consistency was the right mix of moist and crumbly which is hard to achieve when covered in bubbling chocolate sauce. I’m not an ice-cream fan really, but it was a perfect accompaniment and I found myself wishing I had more when B happily took the last spoonful.
All in all, I had no complaints. Talindos is the only restaurant I’ve been to so far in Lagos that hasn’t disappointed- even on the prices. We got I’d definitely recommend you try it out, especially for a special occasion.
p.s. please excuse the grainy photography, I’m still learning and the lighting wasn’t great.