Somehow, No Visit To This Place Would Be Complete Without The Glorious Reshmi Mushrooms
Oct 31, 2002
One would be forgiven for thinking that the people of this town do not really venture out to eat, in other words, those who really have what, for a want of a better word, we would call a discerning sense of taste and above all really wish to eat well.
Rating: xx
Food: Northern Indian
Service: Very Good
Ambience: Subtle and subdued
Location: Acacia Avenue
Parking: Safe
Prices: Up market
Closed: Mondays
By Kadumukasa Kironde II
One would be forgiven for thinking that the people of this town do not really venture out to eat, in other words, those who really have what, for a want of a better word, we would call a discerning sense of taste and above all really wish to eat well. The reason for this can be partially explained by the scarcity of decent and worthwhile eating joints, plus the cultural attitude of Ugandans towards food.
One might further point out that these people are the ones who, have now come of age and are the children of the Amin era, where good restaurants were conspicuous by their absence and hence the rise of the bitanda culture, that in turn spawned the present day Bufunda sub-culture that has become all pervasive.
To a newly arrived visitor , one would naturally be forgiven were one to get the impression that frequenting restaurants in the accepted sense of the word is, honestly, some what vulgar.
For the few Kampalans, who dining out seems to have remained a respectably private ;pleasure: ravenous revellers are advised, therefore, to choose their spot with great care. When it comes to Indian food, there are but a handful of places from which to choose and among these would have to fall Khana Khazana.
Easy enough to find along Acacia Avenue in a sprawling bungalow with an equally impressive outer garden, the place offers an idyllic setting that is rare to find in Kampala, and to crown it all, an equally captivating menu that goes hand in glove.
In the olden days of India, very much like China, menus in the known sense of the word did not exist. One would shudder at the thought of all manner of food simply being brought to ones tables without any regard for order. Fortunately, times have changed and the menu you will find at this place is impressive if only by its sheer scope as well as finesses of cuisine. With over 100 items from which to choose, it can be awesome. Not to fear, Mrs Kaporo, the joint owner will be only too happy to lend a hand. Ah, but just in case you are not familiar with Northern Indian food, be prepared to throw all caution to the wind, sit back and indulge yourself to a grand feast that is rich with spices, herbs, sauces that will leave you agape, cream, yoghurt, butter et al. It is no coincidence that this type of food was created and evolved around the courts of the many royal countries, scarcely what one would refer to as a cuisine of necessity.
Somehow, no visit to this place would be complete without the glorious Reshmi mushrooms. Fresh farm mushrooms from Nakuru, Kenya cooked in butter and cream and then finally garnished with cottage cheese and coriander. Fellow trencherman went ape over the Dal Maharani. I would have you believe that, something as simple as good old plain black lentils, cooked in a clay pot and flavoured with garlic and onions, not to speak of other secret spices, then garnished with fresh cream and cilantro leaves would produce such wonderful results?
When it comes to starters, once again the choices are enormous and for potato lovers, I dare you to try the tandoori bharvan aloo. These are your so called Irish Potatoes that are charcoal baked but first stuffed with cottage cheese etc. what a treat and guaranteed to convert even the most steadfast person who loathes potatoes. Oh and the prawns bukhara, marinated in a secret marinade and then cooked in the tandoori oven, orgasmic is the only word that comes to mind. Oh, and who could forget the mutton nihari, it was declared a winner.
Although cutlery, is laid out and can be used to eat Indian food, fellow trencherman agreed that eating with the fingers is a lot more fun. By the way, it is customary to eat with ones hands but more especially with the right hand! The interesting corollary to this is that the left hand is considered unclean and hence used neither to eat nor to serve food. hmm, I wonder where that would leave those of you who are southpaw?
I recall a conversation I had with some north Indians in New York some years back. While we spoke of many things, they were all in agreement, by and large, that the Southern Indians were hopelessly lacking in refinement and delicacy in their manner of eating. to put it mildly, they tended to view their brethren as being gauche. One can hardly blame them, old habits die hard, and they are famous for having a tendency to plunge their whole hand into their food. Well, by contrast the South Indians are of the view that no decadence or absurdity is too extreme, to be unexpected from those finicky fellows from north India, who never permit their food to creep past the first knuckle. There is no accounting for taste in this world.
Rating
XXX Excellent
XX Very Good
X Worth a visit
X Average
O Not worth a visit
Food: Northern Indian
Service: Very Good
Ambience: Subtle and subdued
Location: Acacia Avenue
Parking: Safe
Prices: Up market
Closed: Mondays
By Kadumukasa Kironde II
One would be forgiven for thinking that the people of this town do not really venture out to eat, in other words, those who really have what, for a want of a better word, we would call a discerning sense of taste and above all really wish to eat well. The reason for this can be partially explained by the scarcity of decent and worthwhile eating joints, plus the cultural attitude of Ugandans towards food.
One might further point out that these people are the ones who, have now come of age and are the children of the Amin era, where good restaurants were conspicuous by their absence and hence the rise of the bitanda culture, that in turn spawned the present day Bufunda sub-culture that has become all pervasive.
To a newly arrived visitor , one would naturally be forgiven were one to get the impression that frequenting restaurants in the accepted sense of the word is, honestly, some what vulgar.
For the few Kampalans, who dining out seems to have remained a respectably private ;pleasure: ravenous revellers are advised, therefore, to choose their spot with great care. When it comes to Indian food, there are but a handful of places from which to choose and among these would have to fall Khana Khazana.
Easy enough to find along Acacia Avenue in a sprawling bungalow with an equally impressive outer garden, the place offers an idyllic setting that is rare to find in Kampala, and to crown it all, an equally captivating menu that goes hand in glove.
In the olden days of India, very much like China, menus in the known sense of the word did not exist. One would shudder at the thought of all manner of food simply being brought to ones tables without any regard for order. Fortunately, times have changed and the menu you will find at this place is impressive if only by its sheer scope as well as finesses of cuisine. With over 100 items from which to choose, it can be awesome. Not to fear, Mrs Kaporo, the joint owner will be only too happy to lend a hand. Ah, but just in case you are not familiar with Northern Indian food, be prepared to throw all caution to the wind, sit back and indulge yourself to a grand feast that is rich with spices, herbs, sauces that will leave you agape, cream, yoghurt, butter et al. It is no coincidence that this type of food was created and evolved around the courts of the many royal countries, scarcely what one would refer to as a cuisine of necessity.
Somehow, no visit to this place would be complete without the glorious Reshmi mushrooms. Fresh farm mushrooms from Nakuru, Kenya cooked in butter and cream and then finally garnished with cottage cheese and coriander. Fellow trencherman went ape over the Dal Maharani. I would have you believe that, something as simple as good old plain black lentils, cooked in a clay pot and flavoured with garlic and onions, not to speak of other secret spices, then garnished with fresh cream and cilantro leaves would produce such wonderful results?
When it comes to starters, once again the choices are enormous and for potato lovers, I dare you to try the tandoori bharvan aloo. These are your so called Irish Potatoes that are charcoal baked but first stuffed with cottage cheese etc. what a treat and guaranteed to convert even the most steadfast person who loathes potatoes. Oh and the prawns bukhara, marinated in a secret marinade and then cooked in the tandoori oven, orgasmic is the only word that comes to mind. Oh, and who could forget the mutton nihari, it was declared a winner.
Although cutlery, is laid out and can be used to eat Indian food, fellow trencherman agreed that eating with the fingers is a lot more fun. By the way, it is customary to eat with ones hands but more especially with the right hand! The interesting corollary to this is that the left hand is considered unclean and hence used neither to eat nor to serve food. hmm, I wonder where that would leave those of you who are southpaw?
I recall a conversation I had with some north Indians in New York some years back. While we spoke of many things, they were all in agreement, by and large, that the Southern Indians were hopelessly lacking in refinement and delicacy in their manner of eating. to put it mildly, they tended to view their brethren as being gauche. One can hardly blame them, old habits die hard, and they are famous for having a tendency to plunge their whole hand into their food. Well, by contrast the South Indians are of the view that no decadence or absurdity is too extreme, to be unexpected from those finicky fellows from north India, who never permit their food to creep past the first knuckle. There is no accounting for taste in this world.
Rating
XXX Excellent
XX Very Good
X Worth a visit
X Average
O Not worth a visit