The Pub keeps it basic
- Written by Frank Kisakye
With an aura and architectural vibes of an Irish pub of low lighting, intimate and snug ambiance – all secluded away from the noisy city traffic – The Pub along Dewinton road promises so much but delivers little.
It is best known for its cow hooves broth (mulokoni) that it has served for years. You would by now expect some unique recipe, given its decades-long experience and the price of Shs 12,000 per plate, which is more than enough to buy the entire raw hoof that they cut into three to four parts.
The price would not really be a problem given the elaborate (can even be five hours of boiling) and complex preparation process, and if a diner needed any reminder about what kind of meals to expect here, the meaty flavours and aromas that strike the nose at the entrance are a great reminder.
For those that don’t eat red meat, there is the local-breed chicken which is served with boiled cassava and Irish potatoes. It is also boiled to the finest and will be as tender sweet and sinewy as expected.
The soup is quite loose as it is boiled with little tomatoes and onions – not that the diners here, many of them nursing alcohol hangovers, seem to care. The soup just serves its desired purpose. Everyone seems to have their preferred part served, either the ‘pipe’, or ‘akalenge’ (hoof).
And what would be mulokoni without the bone marrow? It is always the epitome of the meal and is best eaten last. No matter the preparation process, it always tastes the same – creamy and greasy, fatty, flavourful and nutty.
But The Pub can certainly do better; boiled foods don’t necessarily mean flat taste.