On a Tuesday afternoon, which also happened to be Boxing Day, my friends and I found ourselves wandering into Brisk Lagos, nestled in the heart of Falomo Square Mall in Ikoyi. It was a hot day, but the sun bathed the outdoor setting of the mall in a warm glow, and as I stepped inside the restaurant, I was welcomed with a much-needed cool and inviting ambiance.
I had been to Brisk Lagos two times before this, so this wasn’t a particularly new experience for me. In its brief stint of less than six months, Brisk Lagos has become a brunch favourite for Lagosians. I was welcomed at the entrance by two smiling hostesses who asked me if I had a reservation. I did, and I was led to a high-set table where my friends were already waiting.
Navigating the diverse menu
Our waitress introduced herself and proceeded to take our orders. However, it appeared to be such a busy afternoon at the restaurant that she had to attend another table before finishing with us. That definitely ticked us off a little, but we decided to take a closer look at the menu to consider all our options.
Knowing that the portions here are quite large, I chose not to order a starter and just stuck to the steamy turkey coconut with a red sauce as my main dish. When our waitress eventually joined us, my three friends ordered the prawn soft shell tacos, barbecue beef tacos and sausage skillet as starters, and barbecue beef ribs and jumbo prawns with saffron rice as their main dishes. Upon seeing how filling tacos looked by peeking at another table, one of my friends chose not to order a main dish.
The menu is a vibrant canvas that goes beyond what you would expect from a restaurant that positions itself as a brunch spot. Sure, they’ve got the classics – pancakes, sandwiches, French toast, and even pasta. But if you’re up for it, Brisk Lagos also takes you on a flavorful adventure with meals ranging from a Tomahawk steak, to goat curry, and even fish and chips.
Now, let’s talk about the drinks. Brisk Lagos is open till late everyday, so it doesn’t surprise me that this is one of their strong points. The menu had everything from the classics like every Lagos woman’s favourite, the strawberry daiquiri to signature cocktails like Brisky — a mix of whiskey and tropical fruits. Unfortunately, due to the other activities we’d engaged in this Detty December, none of us were willing to even have a drop of alcohol that day. Instead, two of us settled for a mocktail called Wild Passion, and my friend and I asked for water with ice and lemon.
The overall experience
On my previous visits, what truly set Brisk Lagos apart was the experience. The attentive staff, the meticulously crafted dishes, and the overall setting were brilliant. But on this day, it was a bit difficult getting our waitress’s attention for just about anything.
That was about the only downside of this visit, because our starters arrived at lightning speed and we weren’t even done eating those before our main dishes arrived. This made me question if the chef read our minds as we walked into the restaurant and got to work immediately.
Digging into the food
In the spirit of giving you a thorough and well-rounded review, I stylishly had a few bites of all my friends’ meals. Every single starter we ordered was a hit. The shrimp in the tacos tasted really fresh and crispy, and the guac provided on the side gave the tacos a sour kick that I really liked. The barbecue beef tacos and sausage skillet were also great. The potatoes in the sausage skillet had the perfect balance of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside that I love.
The jumbo prawns and barbecue beef ribs came with one of the best side salads I’ve tasted. And as someone who hardly ever likes salads, I think that’s a huge compliment. The prawns were well seasoned and the beef ribs were fall-off-the-bone, as they should be. However, the steamy turkey coconut was a bit underwhelming for me this time around.
For context, I’ve tasted this dish twice before with a white sauce and rated it a 10/10. However, this time around, I went for a red sauce in search of something different and I quickly regretted my decision from the first look at my meal. My meal still tasted close to perfect but something about the red sauce just reminded me of stew, and that wasn’t a flavour I thought went well with the coconut rice and turkey in the rest of the dish. Even from the appearance of both dishes, I’m pretty sure you’d pick the white sauce.
As for the drinks, the Wild Passion mocktail was supposed to be a refreshing tropical cocktail with exotic pineapple, passion fruit and lemon juice. There was definitely a lot of passion fruit and lemon juice, but not enough pineapple juice. The balance between sweet and sour was off, and you could clearly see my reaction at every sip.
Our roundup
Food – A lot of the meals on the menu are great and the portions are generous. Just don’t order the steamy turkey coconut with red sauce – 8/10
Drinks – We’re still side eye-ing Wild Passion – 6/10
Service – Very polite staff but their table management needs work when it’s a busy day – 7/10
Parking – Falomo Square Mall has abundant parking – 10/10
Overall Rating = 8/10
Damages
Prawn Soft Shell Tacos – ₦14,000
Barbecue Beef Tacos – ₦10,000
Sausage Skillet – ₦11,000
Steamy Turkey Coconut – ₦21,000
Barbecue Beef Ribs – ₦21,000
Jumbo Prawns with Saffron Rice – ₦25,000
Wild Passion – ₦6,000
Water (3) – ₦4,500
Total (prices are VAT inclusive) = ₦112,500
Brisk Lagos is the perfect restaurant for those who seek an immersive dining experience with more than just brunch meal options. And just like we mentioned in this article, the aesthetics actually match the quality of the food. For more tasty reviews of restaurants all around Africa, subscribe to the Deliciously newsletter!
