Mamba Point Pizzeria

Kampala, Uganda

Pizza

“Probably the best pizzas in East Africa” spouts Mamba Point Pizzeria’s menu. The pizzas, with their crispy thin crust and varied toppings, are certainly top notch in the scheme of Kampala. Mamba Point, however, was correct to cover its bases with its carefully worded advertising.

This pizzeria has a generally casual atmosphere, but can also suit those looking to impress as well. Like many higher end Kampala restaurants, once you are inside Mamba Point’s walls you are easily able to forget the pothole lined streets and raucous congestion waiting outside. The restaurant’s perimeter hosts thriving plants and greenery, and the seating is elevated on a wooden platform nestled under a large grass roof. While the pizzeria is a friendly and relaxing setting for lunch, the evening dim lighting offers both romantic and easygoing vibes for dinner as well.

Whim Rating:
A4	Q4	V4
AQV = 12	AQV =	AQV =
★ ★ ★ ★	☆ ☆	#/6 stars

Mamba Point prides itself on the preparation of Italian pizzas and wide selection of cheese. Although short on gorgonzola for my visit, the pizzas are crafted with various blends of mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, and even feta. The pizzas indeed reflect the style of their Italian relatives, with flour-dusted thin crusts, reasonable layers of cheese, and toppings that are not lathered on as if it were the last bite of melted cheese or bacon that one would ever have. The Margherita, while basic, satiated my taste for the wonderfully simple amalgam of mozzarella, bazil, and tomatoes. Other pizzas, such as the Valdostana, with boiled eggs and bacon, are both creative and packed with distinct and complementary flavors. If you get a craving for pesto, the Genovese will satisfy. This pizza’s main letdown is how the smooth blend of savory and cheesy pesto is not spread, but glopped onto the pizza in dollops. For those who are not keen on pizza this may not be the restaurant for you, but the menu also features salads and calzones. In spite of other offerings, pizzas are the way to go when ordering from Mamba Point Pizzeria, because they may not have the best pizzas in East Africa, but they are certainly some of the better pizzas in Kampala.

Did you know: Mamba Point has a sister restaurant with a more extensive Italian menu in Nakasero.

Hours:	Home Delivery: Yes
Address: Plot 62, Lumumba Ave, Nakasero	Specials/Discounts:
Contact: 0772743227	Price Range: 10,000-25,000
Directions: Mamba Point is located on Lumumba Ave in Nakasero. Going down Kira Rd toward Wandegeya, make a left onto Nakasero Hill Road and then turn right onto Lumumba Ave. The restaurant is shortly after the turn.

Khana Khazana

Kampala, Uganda

Indian

Khana Khazana is the place you take a friend or date just to see their jaw drop. Stepping off Kampala’s bustling streets and into Khana Khazana is like passing through a threshold into another world.  

This restaurant is laid out so that you are steadily confronted with resplendent adornments. Upon entering Khana Khazana I was greeted by a Ugandan woman who appeared to have been bombarded with layers of vibrant red silk fabric and sparkling rhinestones. The men stroll about in turquoise jackets and something akin to fez hats on their heads. Beyond the staff, the remainder of the restaurant is palatial. Fair stone walls and columns surround the tables and where the stone ends, a romantic splash of green delivers a trickling waterfall down one of the walls. While one end of the restaurant gives the sense of being indoors, the opposite side is open and embellished with greens and foliage.

Whim Rating:
A5	Q4	V4
AQV = 14	AQV =	AQV =
★ ★ ★ ★	☆ ☆	#/6 stars

The menu at Khana Khazana is so extensive that it is highly tempting to order one dish after another. Try to order only what you need. In my case no combination of dishes at this restaurant has ever failed, so you are unlikely to wish twenty minutes into your meal that you had ordered the chicken instead of the mutton. The Murg Akbari and Murg Makhani are creamy dishes you eat smothered with rice. Unlike these two, the Tandoori chicken is served dry, but the meat is unbelievably tender. For vegetarians, the Dahl is thick and rich, the Navrattan Korma is an excellent mix of nuts and veggies, and the Palak Paneer, brilliant green in a bath of spinach, is savory and smooth. Paired with naan, rice, and a sweet mango lassi, the meal is complete. Not only were the dishes up to par with my notion of good Indian food, but I would certainly return to the restaurant when craving a combination of delicious food and stunning surroundings.

Hours:	Home Delivery: Yes
Address: Plot 8, Windsor Loop, Kololo	Specials/Discounts: Dessert special served only on the weekends.
Contact: 0782755201/0715881644	Price Range: 10,000-30,000 VAT not included
Directions: New Delhi is located off Acacia Ave where Kisementi becomes Kololo. Not only is there a sign on the side of the road, but you simply turn off Acacia onto Windsor Loop and follow that street down a short ways and New Delhi is on the left.

Arirang

Kampala, Uganda

Korean & Chinese

Arirang is one of my favorite Kampala restaurants, and this is not just because I desperately crave Korean food on the nights I visit.

Arirang is enormous. They have a brightly lit hall chockablock with tables that are a quarter full on a good night. However, on the opposite end of the restaurant is a still spacious, yet less expansive, hall with rooms partitioned off for larger parties. While the point is to sit on the floor with a crowd of friends or family, I’ve sat in these rooms as a group of two and three and did not feel at all uncomfortable. The waiters traverse the space barefoot, closing the sliding doors behind them to allow for more privacy. While the isolation is an asset of sorts, this part of the restaurant rarely seems quiet. Voices from next-door rooms carry over in a steady hum often punctured with laughter. Most wonderful, however, is the background music of screeching, heart-felt karaoke. Private rooms are actually rented out for karaoke purposes, but that does not mean their wonderfully awful singing remains private as well. I love dipping into a plate of spicy, cold kimchi to the sound of full grown men with no musical talent belting out songs I know but can’t recognize.

Whim Rating:
A5	Q5	V5
AQV = 15	AQV =	AQV =
★ ★ ★ ★	★ ☆	#/6 stars

This restaurant is an ideal place for someone with a maddening hunger. The servings are incredibly large, particularly the appetizers. Not only that, but you get a good quantity of food for the price. I’ve never been able to finish everything I’ve ordered. This is partly due to the fact that the portions are so huge, but also because everything on the menu looks so tantalizing that I can never commit myself to just one dish. Indulgent ordering does not hurt the pockets at Arirang as it does at some restaurants. As I mentioned the quantities are quite generous for the price, so it is rare to finish a meal at this restaurant feeling guilty about how much you spent.

From the Bibimbap to the noodles lathered in a bean paste sauce (Jajangmyeon) I’ve never been disappointed in a meal at Arirang. The food is certainly up to par with my amateur, but growing, conception of Korean food. The appetizers are piled onto plates until they can barely fit. Such was the case with the dumplings, which will satisfy a craving, but are not the best dumplings I’ve ever had. There is something about a perfectly fried dumpling where the insides are soft, but not watery, and the outside roughened, but not overly crunchy or burnt. Arirang’s dumplings fell somewhere closer to the better end of the dumpling scale, but they did not have the essence of a pristine dumpling. Fried vegetables are another endless appetizer that overloads the stomach without you even realizing what just happened. While the vegetables are well battered (tempura style) and salted, a majority of the pickings are actually potatoes. So if you are not in the mood for a load of fried starches, you may want to avoid this dish. Every sprout, vegetable, and grain of rice in the Bibimbap was so warm and soothing that it quickly climbed the ladder in my mental list of comfort foods. If your mouth is itching for tofu, I recommend the Sundubu Jjigae (tofu soup). The chili in this dish deals a solid kick that tastes amazing with the soft, squelchy tofu. For those craving meat the fried pork is crunchy, plentiful, and as delicious as anything fried should be. There are also a number of noodle, rice, and soup dishes that come with different varieties of meat.

What I recommend: Most Korean food connoisseurs know this, but we all have our weaknesses. Ask your waiter for the Korean tea with your meal. It’s free.

Did you know: You can rent out private rooms for drunken and boisterous karaoke

Hours:	Home Delivery: No
Address: Plot 15 Kyadondo Road, Nakasero	Specials/Discounts:
Contact: 0414346777	Price Range: 10,000-30,000 VAT included
Directions: Arirang is located on Kyadondo Road in Nakasero. Go up Nakasero Hill Road and make a left onto Kyadondo Road.

Emin Pasha: Fez Brasserie

Kampala, Uganda

Eclectic


Emin Pasha is likely the most recognized boutique hotel in Kampala. Nothing like the enormity and ostentatiousness of the Serena, Emin Pasha is small, but equally stunning. The restaurant, Fez Brasserie, follows the hotel’s lead in surrounding its guests with elegant and high class scenery. Unfortunately, the food lagged behind the décor. 

The Fez Brasserie is an ideal setting for a candlelit dinner. The tables are impeccably set with stark white cloths, scattered flower petals, and intricately folded napkins. Visitors can eat on the lush green lawn, seated in couches on the terrace, or within the restaurant’s tan walls and columns overlooking the terrace and outstretched greenery. While a starry night sky seems to be in collision with Fez Brasserie in creating a posh ambiance, the restaurant also remains visually alluring for breakfast, brunch, or lunch.

Despite Fez Brasserie’s splendid appearance, the dinner menu is an entirely separate story. The food selection vividly reminds me of the types of menus one would see in northern California. Fresh salads, pastas with experimental sauces and fillings, nuts and cheeses, and odes to “buying local” are dispersed throughout the regularly changing menu. As a whole they generally feature dishes with Italian and Indian influences, with curries and chutneys as well as risotto and chicken Florentine. On paper the food sounds fantastic, in person it looks decadent, but resting on your tongue it is left wanting. The panzarotti, a type of dumpling/ravioli pasta, was undercooked and chewy where it should not have been. The mozzarella in the avocado salad, while putting on the façade of being fresh, was bitter and more watery than standard mozzarella. Sides like the polenta fries were bland and so dry that even lathering them in the neighboring plate’s tomato sauce was not enough to flavor them. Fez Brasserie’s food is served in small portions, which adds to the sense of paying more for even less. Overall, the restaurant’s prices are extravagant, and while the food captures the appearance of classy, upscale meals, the taste does not.

Whim Rating:
A5	Q3	V3
AQV = 11	AQV =	AQV =
★ ★ ★ ☆	☆ ☆	#/6 stars

Did you know: Every Friday night Emin Pasha features a live jazz band called Qwela that is absolutely superb.

Hours:	Home Delivery: No
Address: 27 Akii Bua Road, Nakasero	Specials/Discounts:
Contact: 0414 236 977/8/9	Price Range: 20,000-40,000 VAT included
Directions: Fez Brasserie is located in Emin Pasha on Akii Bua Road in Nakasero. Go up Nakasero Hill Road and make a left onto Akii Bua. The hotel is immediately to the left.

Nawab

Kampala, Uganda

Indian

Mall food is usually not the most tantalizing, and Nawab is no exception. Located at the top of Garden City, Nawab offers an elevated view of Kampala paired with substandard Indian food.

Nawab’s most distinct feature is its location. Planted on the top floor of Garden City, some tables glimpse a peaceful view of the surrounding streets and trees. The remainder of the restaurant, while open to the outdoors, largely relays a cookie cutter vibe of your standard Indian restaurant. Murals of “Indian” scenes are scattered across the walls and there is little else other than the table settings. While Nawab is somewhat bland, it is not unbearable. The layout is spacious, the tables are standard elegant, and some tables even allow for floor seating. This can become somewhat complicated when with a large party. Be prepared to play footsy.

Whim Rating:
A4	Q3	V3
AQV = 10	AQV =	AQV =
★ ★ ★ ☆	☆ ☆	#/6 stars

Even though anything with a view goes up a notch in my book, the food at Nawab is somewhat disappointing. Kampala is an excellent city for Indian food, but Nawab seemed to have missed the memo. While the food was not awful, it also packed a bit too much of one flavor instead of achieving a fine balance of spices. The dhal also managed to taste like a bland mix of beans and tomatoes. Popular dishes like the murg makhani will not fail to please, but you can get creamier and more delightfully spiced versions at a great number of restaurants around the city.

What I don't recommend:Maybe Jal Jeera is an acquired taste. A drink made from amchoor powder (a biting mango powder), the combination of tangy with what seemed like nothing but water was dreadful. I traded mine for a lassi.

Hours:	Home Delivery:
Address: Garden City Complex, Yusuf Lule Road	Specials/Discounts:
Contact: 0414252205	Price Range: 10,000-30,000
Directions: Nawab is located in the Garden City shopping center. Follow Yusuf Lule Road until you reach Garden City, then go to the top floor.

New Delhi

Kampala, Uganda

Indian

Yes, New Delhi is in Kampala. Though certainly not as vast as its namesake, this restaurant’s expansive size follows closely in the footsteps of its spacious Ugandan brethren.

New Delhi hosts a panoply of seating areas, as if the owners couldn’t quite make up their minds which theme to implement, so they simply chose them all. First, there is indoor seating, which is white walled, clean, and somewhat lacking in appeal. Open to the outdoor air is a wooden, grass roof structure housing rows of tables. Even further along the restaurant’s path are candlelit tables perched beneath navy blue canopies. This area is the most private and overlooks the garden, a spread of green grass with a large tree settled at the edge. Even though they seem to be taking a leaf out of the Three Little Pigs’ book, the lack of uniformity is certainly not to their disadvantage. Throughout the restaurant each seating area is welcoming and distinct.

Whim Rating:
A4	Q4	V4
AQV = 12	AQV =	AQV =
★ ★ ★ ★	☆ ☆	#/6 stars

Feeling experimental once, I tried the Murg Do Pyaaza, a type of chicken described as the chef’s special. The chicken was a little too peppery for my liking.  However, classic dishes like the Murg Makhani and Dhal Makhani are luscious and buttery. I've eaten many satisfying meals from New Delhi, but my favorite dish is the Bhindi Masala, an okra dish with a subtle zing that even has those who doubt okra reaching for more.

Hours:	Home Delivery: Yes
Address: Plot 8, Windsor Loop, Kololo	Specials/Discounts: Dessert special served only on the weekends.
Contact: 0782755201/0715881644	Price Range: 10,000-30,000 VAT not included
Directions: New Delhi is located off Acacia Ave where Kisementi becomes Kololo. Not only is there a sign on the side of the road, but you simply turn off Acacia onto Windsor Loop and follow that street down a short ways and New Delhi is on the left.