Olam brings Acholi cuisines to Kampala
Feb 16, 2013
Astone’s throw away from the Nakawa foot bridge is Olam restaurant, which has over the years, attracted a host of journalists, accountants, doctors, mechanics and politicians from around Kampala, especially in areas of Lugogo, Nakawa, Kyambogo etc.
By Titus Kakembo
Astone’s throw away from the Nakawa foot bridge is Olam restaurant, which has over the years, attracted a host of journalists, accountants, doctors, mechanics and politicians from around Kampala, especially in areas of Lugogo, Nakawa, Kyambogo etc.
The one thing they have in common is they all have an appetite for kwon (millet bread), smoked beef, chicken in groundnut paste and potatoes served alongside akeyo and malkwang vegetables. The prices range between sh3,500 and sh10,000, depending on what you order. As I was having my lunch, I saw a diner fold his shirt sleeves and mumble a prayer to God before wrestling with the contents of his plate.
He would pinch off a boulder size of millet bread, dig his thumb into the kwon and scoop the thick soup. Dramatically, the concoction was slotted into his mouth, only to disappear, with the speed of an ATM card.
He was visibly enjoying the meal.Then a lady on the side, tenderly turned over a whole smoked fish. She seemed stuck; trying to figure out where to start from the head or tail. If you want to enjoy food from northern Uganda, you ought to follow these few tips; swallow the millet bread without chewing it, eat the meat last, avoid using a fork and do not talk while eating.
The manager, Eva Olam, often wears a tough expression and delivers the menu verbally to those who cannot read the menus pinned on the wall.
The place has a seating capacity of 30-40 people. The best time to go there for lunch is 12:00pm. The presence of Acholi music and art could have been a welcome addition, but the two are conspicuously absent.
The place is hot so a fan would do so much to enhance the comfort of the diners.