ONCE bitten, twice high. Yes, we were on a high as we got our teeth into the crocodile. We were at Carnivore, the famed game meat restaurant in Nairobi, Kenya.

It was love at first bite. We knew it would have been hell if we had landed in the swamp or marsh and encountered the nasty-looking reptile. But eating the crocodile it felt like heaven. We wanted to croc 'n roll that night at Carnivore.

It was our first night in Kenya and we were game for a meaty time, even before we encountered animals awake on the wild side in the Masai Mara.

The crocodile, we discovered, tasted like a merry mix of seafood and chicken. Like all other meats served at Carnivore, it was charcoal-grilled to retain the natural taste, texture and flavour.

It takes a long time for the crocodile to reach your table but the wait is worth it. In fact, you could even forget about the crocodile for the eat treat preceding its arrival is quite an exciting experience.

The sizzle starts at the entrance of the 380-seater restaurant. Here, you see cooks at work. Sparks fly as they roast the meat on sword-like skewers over a huge charcoal pit. Constantly basted and turned until cooked to perfection, the meat is succulent and flavoursome.

Waiters carry these swords, carving unlimited amounts of prime meats on sizzling cast iron plates. A blackboard proudly proclaims the fantastic fare in store for you. Our hearty meal that night comprised cream of spinach soup, meats including rump steak, beef sausages, pork sausages, chicken yakitori, chicken wings, chicken liver, leg of pork, pork spare ribs, leg of lamb, lamb chops, chicken gizzard.

We ate a little bit of this and a little bit of that, keeping place for the game meat. On the charts was zebra (no, it was not striped), hartebeest (served as meatballs) and ostrich, very tasty indeed. Depending on availability, you could also get to eat buffalo, giraffe, impala, eland, Thomsons gazelle, wildebeest, onyx.

Accompanying sauces include garlic, chilli, peanut, mint, fruit salsa, barbecue, sweet and sour, masala. On the side were bread rolls, brown bread, rice salad, mixed salad, kidney beans, corn relish, cole slaw, jacket potatoes.

It was all too much. Just imagine if you also have a sweet tooth. In that case you could go in for the ice cream, fruit salad, strawberries, pineapple pie, cheese cake, brandy snaps filled with fresh cream. Rounded off with Kenyan tea or coffee.

We did not have the hot beverages. We had something even hotter. It was called Dawa, said to be a Brazilian cocktail, comprising two tots of vodka, one tablespoon of sugar, lime cut into quarters, crushed ice. We pounded it with a wooded stick and had our fill. It was just what the doctor would have ordered.

Sitting in the rustic restaurant with log tables, green lawns, the sound of flowing streams and water cascades, we also discovered a cocktail called Crocodile In The Sky. This was with vodka, jacaranda orange liqueur, passion juice, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, ice cubes, served in a sugar-rimmed wine glass with garnish of slice of orange and strawberry.

Or course, if we felt like it we could even chill out with Tusker beer and finish our meal with a generous shot of Kenya Gold, the liqueur that reminds you of Tia Maria.

Vegetarians, please note, a veg selection is available, if the smell of the meats doesn't bother you. Animal lovers, please note, game meat is not the result of indiscriminate killing, it is the �cropping� of excess numbers of a particular species, done by ranchers who have a licence to kill. Health freaks, please note, game meat is said to be low in cholesterol. Ostrich, they say, has no cholesterol at all.

Carnivore was founded in 1980 and is part of the Tamarind Group founded by Kenyan Chris Seex in 1972. Adjoining Carnivore is Simba Saloon, a vibrant nightclub and informal restaurant, open from Wednesday to Sunday with themed nights like bhangra night on Saturday, popular among Kenyan Indians and even others. For Indian food you may eat out at Haandi in Nairobi.

An eating out experience in Kenya could also include a black-tie dinner in the bush and champagne breakfast following a thrilling balloon safari. Fine dining experiences are also offered in prestigious places like Aberdere Country Club nestling on the slopes of the Mweiga hill and the Mt. Kenya Safari Club at Nanyuki, located on the Equator, at 7,000 feet above sea level.

Here's a sampling of a dinner in the main restaurant at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club: prawns and stir-fried vegetable spring roll with a sweet and sour sauce; game consomme with diced impala; pan-fried fish cake with lobster sauce; orange and Cointreau sorbet; salad dressed by the chef at the buffet; medallions of pork loin topped with glazed apple and fresh herbs; mignons of beef topped with sauce choron; freshly prepared pasta cooked to your taste; frozen lemon and honey yogurt cheese cake with tartar of fruits; chocolate mousse gateau with a coffee bean sauce; tea or coffee.

At The Stanley, now in its 100th year, a treat awaits you inside the cool Victorian elegance. At the fusion restaurant Zen you may have salad of lobster (char-grilled with a panache of greens); roasted Peking duck (with a jalapeno ginger sauce laced with Southern Comfort); chocolate assault (rich chocolate and nut caramel served on an orange and strawberry terrine).