The Metaphor

78a Younis Bashorun Street, Victoria Island. 0818 712 2351

We decided to go back to the Metaphor Lagos after a year and share our experience yet again to see if it’s gotten better or… 

 The Metaphor is located on a quiet street in Victoria Island, Lagos. 

When you walk into The Metaphor, you get the feeling that you just walked into somebody’s home. The decor is homely with comfortable furniture and a great ambience. I was greeted by a waitress called Tiana, who showed me all the dining areas in the building.

Ed Note: We visited the Metaphor in January 2019 when it newly opened in Lagos. See review here

The ambience was lovely. There was classical music playing in the background, which I liked. 

I dined in the Sip and Paint room, which was a small room used for such events. One thing I liked about the Metaphor is that it didn’t feel like a restaurant at all, I felt like I was at a friend’s place to eat and they had stepped out of the room for a moment. The only drawback was that even though the AC was on, it was a little hot or maybe it was because of where I sat. It was also hard to get help since I was alone in the room. 

Tiana brought me the menu, which was displayed on an iPad, which I thought was nice since COVID is still very much around. 

It was a hot day so I ordered a Virgin Mojito which was ₦2,500, and also a plate of gizdodo, which was priced at ₦5,000. The drink took about fifteen minutes to arrive, and the Gizdodo arrived not long after that. The Virgin Mojito was refreshing, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The Gizdodo was an appropriate portion – not too large, not too small. The plantain had a lovely texture; soft and sweet, but the gizzard was a little chewy. The Gizdodo was made with what I’m guessing to be palm oil (since it was red  in colour), which was surprising because I wasn’t aware this type oil was used for Gizdodo or it was just the Metpahors way of making this. I’m not sure I liked that because the oil tasted a little raw, almost like it had been poured over the already-cooked Gizdodo. Outside of the chewiness of the Gizzard, I enjoyed it somewhat. The textures were conflicting, which is not always a bad thing, I just wish the Gizzard had been softer. I liked the crunch of the green peppers and onions used in the dish.

I dined alone in the Sip and Paint room at the Metaphor and because there was no waiter in the room, I had to wait until someone came in to check if I needed something, which was a little frustrating because I had to wait for quite a bit before I could get some water or pay for my meal. 

But all in all, lunch at The Metaphor was just an okay experience. Service was good but could have been a little better in terms of speed. 

Ed note: Seems not much has changed almost two years later since the opening. The space is great but the food could be better

The Metaphor Summary

	Ambience	The ambience is lovely and quite welcoming. It felt like I was in someone’s house, not a restaurant.
	Food Quality	The food was just okay. Did not appreciate the raw palm oil bit and the chewy gizzard and the red oil.
	Location	Easy to find, although parking is limited.
	Price	Virgin Mojito- ₦2,500 Gizdodo –   ₦5,000 Bottle of Water – ₦500 Total Damage was ₦8,000 View Restaurant Menus here
	Service Delivery	Service was a little slow and could be better

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