So much for fish pilau...
- Written by Frank Kisakye
Hikmat. I had no idea what it meant, but with the word pilau next to it, I knew I was in for a dining repertoire for the two words ooze an air of culinary adventurism.
The prospect of another go at fish pilau was not to be ignored after the unforgettable tastes in New Delhi and Dar es Salaam. Very few Ugandan restaurants dare go for this meal and so, Hikmat restaurant must be absolutely sure about it, or so I thought.
The dismal price of Shs 10,000 might have been the first red flag but well, some businesses specialise in mass sales over premium customers; besides, the location is Bwaise, just off the Northern Bypass flyover.
The meals are served quickly in less than two minutes. For starters, the fish and the pilau were on two different plates. Why then call it fish pilau,
I wondered. The two have completely no connection at all as they are cooked separately and each with its own flavours. At least the rice is biryani and still held the expected umami and savoury pilao scents.
The fish, on the other hand, was the typical never-judge-a book-by-its-cover or rather never-judge-food-by-how-nice it-looks-on-the-eye.
Its golden look was a misrepresentation of taste, and to make it worse, it was not even salted well enough yet everyone knows fish and salt are synonymous with the eventual taste. The gravy for the pilau was best left unserved.
Given the high numbers, for the area residents though, it doesn’t matter; it is probably an upgrade from the usual, given the high numbers that trickle in, especially the corporates.