VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

[Matthias Offodile]

Victoria Island is a part of Lagos. It is rather big and it is like a city within a city. It is not Lagos Island where the Central Business District is actually located. Victoria Island and to be more precise Lekki (Peninsula) is where all the newly rich of Lagos live. Ikoyi (see map) is aother part where the ultra-rich live. but the photos below do not show Ikoyi. All of the following pictures are mainly taken in 2005.


Here is a map - even if it is of miserable quality - it gives you an idea of its location.





































new mall in Lagos



new office and appartment towers of Victoria Island

[Matthias Offodile]

Victoria Island is also a place where the more upscale night clubs, bars, malls, hotels and restaurants are located. I will give you a a brief selection of some of them, where I could find pics of. A lot of restaurnats and bars have sprung up from 2003/04 onwards....with actually no end insight due its constantly growing demand for them.

Golden Gate

Enormous restaurant. Chinese, Japanese, & Thai food in separate restaurant areas. Rooftop garden, conference rooms & catering. Very popular venue for large receptions.




Bonsai


Delicious (and deliciously expensive) sushi & other Japanese cuisine, with a strong wine list. The interior is pure Kyoto. Everything is lovingly detailed, from the cutlery to the woodwork.





Marco-Polo


Marco Polo launched late in 2005. The menu has a strong seafood bias, with Croaker, Prawns, Lobster, Crab and Squid all on offer in various forms. The interior is sleek, well lit and inviting. Expect to pay around N3000 per head not including drinks.





Pearl Garden


High quality Chinese food, with prices to match.



Imperial Chinese


Authentic good food, with a warm atmosphere & pleasant decor. A good option for large or small groups; you can pre-order for large parties. They do takeaways.





Saipan (Chinese)



Opened in March, Saipan is a bit of a treat. The entrance is on the 3rd floor of Dream Plaza. The bar has seductive shadowy lighting and a huge range of wines, cocktails and liquors (including a cocktail aptly named Crude Oil). Upstairs is the restaurant with fabulous views over Lagos (private dining also available). The food has all the usual Chinese options - soups, seafood, chicken & duck, beef & lamb, pork dishes as well as six vegetarian/tofu dishes. Expect to pay around N5000 (not including drinks)










and their wine bar:



Churras


Churras, the first Brazillian restaurant in Lagos, opened in January 2006. Set in a circular space overlooking Five Cowrie Creek in the compound of The Lagoon Restaurant, the location is superb.

A bar in the centre of the room is the ideal place to meet up for a relaxed drink. Order a daiquri and watch jet skiers whizz passed the window. Close your eyes and drink in the dreamy latin music.. For those coming to eat, the usp of Churras is hidden in its name: churras are Brazillian-style barbecued meats that are served by waiters swanning from table to table slicing off choice delicacies.

Eat all the meat you can for N5500. Churras is also an excellent option for veggies, with a wonderful collection of salads (eat all you can for N2000).




Santa Fe


Tex/Mex cusine on Awolowo Road. If your thirsting for an authentic rum-cocktail (Daquiri, Mojito..) this is the place. Food options include enchilladas, fajitas, ponderosa chicken etc. Expect to pay N2000 for the main course. Good food, good atmosphere.




Yellow Chilli


Opened in 2004, Yellow Chilli is just about the most stylish place to eat Nigerian food on the Island. Lunchtimes draw a loyal crowd of professional types drawn by the lovingly prepared food. There is a bar upstairs with a cosmopolitan ambience.




Tanjia (Moroccan)


Tanjia is perhaps surprisingly the first Moroccan restaurant in Lagos. It was worth the wait. The interior is gorgeous, a real North African experience. Find yourself a secluded room for tea and cake, or sit near the front for more formal dining. Upstairs is a private members club.













Al - Basha


Wide selection of Lebanese mezza (side dishes), from hommous and baba ganoush to felafel, taboulleh and felafel. A good option for vegetarians.






Maroush


Maroush offers up the best in Lebanese snackery - kebabs, ice cream, fresh juices and a wonderful collection of cakes. There's also a bakery.

[Matthias Offodile]

The Londoners


The Londoners is a Fish and Chips Restauarant and Bar run by a British expat, also equipped with dining facilities. Nice spot for family outings.







Barcelos


Nice Portugese theme restaurant cum fast food joint. Equipped with a cake shop and a café.




L'Oasis Restaurant



A French Restaurant with a cutting edge menu and fresh approach to the dinning experience,a haven to the discerning and style conscious individual....









Le Saison


Tastefully designed cafe-bar. Le Saison is big on breakfasts, offering healthy options or fry ups, as well as pancakes and sandwiches. For lunch, a choice of burgers or chicken-based food is available, as well as 30 different salads. For those with a sweet tooth, Le Saison can tempt you with a range of Danish pastries and cakes (they also have a cake-to-order business on the side). Drinks-wise, you can wash your food down with a good range of coffees and wine. Breakfasts range between N735 and N1800.










Swoops

SWOOPS is a new modern African fast food outlet offering mouth-watering snacks and irrestible African cuisine. Some attractions include: ample parking facility, private dining, secluded Garden space for quiet luncheons, birthday parties, cocktails,etc. There's also a sports cafe with round-the-clock service.







Cactus

Stylish and popular restaurant with baked breads, bagels, juices, pizzas etc and decent coffee. The patio outside overlooks the lagoon. There is a children's play area to the side, making Cactus an excellent family option for the weekend. A live tropical soundtrack is provided by the in-house African Grey parrot by the entrance. They now have wifi, at N500 for 30mins.



Le Chocolat Royal


French patisserie with a large selection of breads, croissants, ice cream and coffee.





Candy Bar



Candy Bar is a good choice to meet up for good quality coffee and cakes. There's an excellent bakery/confectionery downstairs offering mouth-watering pastries and cakes. Upstairs is the restaurant, with pizzas and other Euro-fare on offer.






The Lobster Pot


Reasonably priced, good grub doled out in large portions. The wine list is very large. The place has a pleasant atmosphere.






Piccolo Mondo


Piccolo Mondo ("small world" in Italian) specialises in upscale Italian style sandwiches and burgers. The ambience is clean and bright, with good service. Upstairs is a lounge/bar area.

Expect to pay around N1000 for a sandwhich (Mozzarella, Steak, Smoked Salmon etc).







Tako Juice Bar


A neighbourhood bar offering delicious food and drink in a warm, laid back atmosphere.






Havana

Expect HAVANA V/I to be a lot bigger than the the one in Ikoyi. Same drinks and prices. Very good service, friendly staff. However, there is an extended menu, better music and a restaurant upstairs and patisserie with a nice lounge area.

Good mixed clientele; Superb service; Good music (requests possible); Well priced drinks.

[Matthias Offodile]

Da Grotto


A recent addition to the Lagos scene, Da Grotto is favoured by a youngish trend-setting crowd. A good option if you are planning pre-club activities.








Once safely ensconced in the lush interior of Casa del Habano, you enter another world: exclusive, suave, refined, Cuban. This is THE place in town to stock up on your cigar collection (there is a shop just as you enter). It's also the place to enjoy a stylish smoke or a discreet rendezvous. Stocking the very best cognacs and champagnes, Casa del Habano exudes exclusivity and good breeding.





Hacienda


The best thing about the Hacienda is the garden at the back: all bamboo and tropical plants. Point to a fish swimming in the water channel and they'll scoop it out and cook for you on the spot. Fish doesn't get fresher than this in Lagos. Live music on the weekend with the house jazz band.






Swe


Swe bar lounge is one of the latest hotspots to open in Lagos. The joint has several plasma screens, in case you are bored of your chosen company. There's a lovingly chosen selection of cocktails available. Friday and Saturday nights open till the early hours. Soon to turn into a 24 hour bar.



The Soul Lounge

The Soul Lounge is the latest place to see and be seen in town. Lagos big boys and girls are making it a second living room. The bar is well stocked with all manner of vices. Wednesday thru to Saturday is party night, with live bands, djs etc.



Cafe Vergnano

A very good place for an espresso, frappucino or cappuccino in Lagos. Cafe Vergnano opened in mid 2006 and would give Starbucks a run for their money (if there were currently a Starbucks in Lagos). They also sell lovely cakes. A good place to people watch - there are often owambe's in the conference venue upstairs..



Terra-Kulture-Vulture

Terra Kulture is the place to hang out in VI and pretend to be cultured (or be cultured if you already are). There's a multitude of activities on offer: sup palm wine or eat naija grub in the restaurant, check out the exhibitions upstairs, browse the library (or the net), go for language classes round the back, or generally sit around looking stylish.

[Matthias Offodile]

More pics of VI taken in 2005





if you strain your eyes you can see some parts of Lagos Island (Central Business District)

[Matthias Offodile]

More VI pics. All taken in 2005







this is inside the "silverbird Galleria Mall", the beautiful dome



















bridge between Ikoyi and VI



...to be continued

[JAB323]

Victoria's sweet.

[You are to blame]

I have been waiting for a lagos thread like this. I think you should also repost it in the main photo forum as it's a very good thread and it will let the rest of SCC see Lagos.

[Matthias Offodile]

Thanks to those who have left a comment so far.


You are to Blame,what do you mean by palcing it in the main photo forum? Do you mean that place where all cityscape pics are? How can I do it more easily otherwise I will need to click on all the webpages again in order to copy the pics out of them and that is a hell lot of work! Better I will just give a link and that´s it!

[biggerthings]

wow! why dont they ever talk about this place?? they don't want tourist or something, most people where I'm from only think South Arfica & Nairobi are this cool!

[Very Controversial]

Looks like a nice place.

[zexyworm]

very charming, VI has BIG tourism potentials, if only some well-capitalized resorts came into being. There were feasibility studies a few years back for the total rehabilitation of Bar Beach and transforming the area into a "Cote d'Azur" of Africa but we are yet to hear any developments...

Mathias have u got any photos of the new Nu Metro stores in either VI or Abuja?

[Matthias Offodile]

Zexyworm, as always it is very hard to find pictures of specific places in Nigeria/Africa....and the Nu metro stores that popped up in Nigeria are nowhere to be found. But I will continue to "hunt" for pics. As far as the big resort project is concerned ("Bar Beach Marina"), it is still there, it has not been dropped but due to still heavy buraucracy and too many people who want to have their say, things have been put off....

Biggerthings, one huge problem with most African countries is that they have not invested a cent into branding and marketing what Kenya did and South africa really does marvellously! Here in Germany South Africa is really present (I like it when Africa countries portray themselves) There are cute nice places in West Africa7Central africa (Senegal, Côte d´ivoire before the war, Gabon, parts of Cameroon, and even parts of vast Nigeria). Out of these five only Senegal has truly invested/invests into branding but unfortunately only heavily targets the French market from where almost a million tourist flock to every year.
I really don´t know when Africa will come up with some large-scale marketing campaigns. (like Asia is doing) I am sure that people of the world would like to come and visit our continent but all they see on TV is Aids, famine, pitiful boatpeople and drug-addicted rebel kids...but if African governements don´t do anything to change this image, who else will do it for them?????

[iluvnaija]

nice work matthias

[AmerikaMosWanted]

Victoria Island and Ikoyi are the best part of Lagos, they are so pretty.

[9yja]

SAIPAN

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Bambuddha Restaurant and Lounge Bar
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[Tbite]

Yeah, it's a nice compilation by Matthias. Arguably the best Lagos Photo Thread.

[Khalfani]

These are some beautiful pictures, but are most of these resteraunts are Black-owned? It seems like were ever there's success non-blacks are controlling the economy. I hope this isnt the same in Africa's most populated country.

[naijalove]

Originally Posted by Khalfani

These are some beautiful pictures, but are most of these resteraunts are Black-owned? It seems like were ever there's success non-blacks are controlling the economy. I hope this isnt the same in Africa's most populated country.

They are owned by Nigerians. Nigeria is very different. Non-Nigerians and Non-Africans can barely survive the fast paced Nigerian brand of capitalism.

[Khalfani]

Thanks for the answer. Now I have no problem about the immigrants doing what they can to make a living, but I just hope the indeginous are controlling their country, so it wont end up like Kampala.