No doubt that Christmas still remains the ultimate family time of the year.
However, what is becoming increasingly evident in Kampala is the gradual disappearance of home- cooked Christmas meals. Instead, families flock to restaurants and hotels, creating lunchtime traffic jams across the city.
If you thought Sheraton’s Shs 160,000 meal per person was exorbitant, think again; it was fully booked!
After being turned away by several outlets due to lack of reservations, we eventually found ourselves at Golden Hill Restaurant and Lounge at Tank Hill Muyenga. Here too, reservations were mandatory, but we got lucked out when a family called to say they would be late.
That is how we managed to secure a table with strict instructions – only until 5pm. Talk about pleading to spend your own money!
Golden Hill’s Christmas menu, priced at Shs 69,000 per person, felt like a bargain compared to other places.
The three-course meal offered an impressive culinary experience, starting with a choice of two starters; grilled broccoli, cauliflower, and satay chicken topped with seasoned beetroot sauce or grilled beef tenderloin steak served on a bed of iceberg lettuce, aubergine, and blistered cherry tomatoes.
Both starters were an ideal introduction to the main course, which featured four enticing options; Smoked turkey infused with aromatic herbs and served with cranberry sauce, artisan bread stuffing, sage, and dried fruits for option one or slow-roasted chicken marinated in garlic herbs and lemon zest, accompanied by savoury pan jus as option two.
Option three was glazed pork chops drizzled with maple syrup while option four was chicken cordon bleu layered with ham and Swiss cheese, topped with a creamy dijon mustard sauce and sautéed beans. And to wrap up the meal, diners had a choice of two delectable desserts of either tiramisu or lotus cheesecake.
Just like Ugandans slowly handed over managing funerals to funeral homes, it looks like they are slowly handing over the troubles of cooking on Christmas to the hotels.
fkisakye@observer.ug