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Kabira capitalises on the Indian cuisine
A section of Kabira Country Club. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Review. With many restaurants around Kampala failing to define themselves, Kabira Country Club has found their niche around Indian dishes, writes A. Kadumukasa Kironde II.
Kabira Country Club has undergone tremendous transformations over the years, and is currently building an ambitious multimillion dollar extension which will see it double its room capacity within the next couple of years and create a couple more specialty dining restaurants. In the meantime, there has been a remake of the bar and the loos as well as the new furniture with the end result giving the place a wonderful new look and feel to the property.
Whenever we think of where to find better than average Indian eating joints in Kampala, few come to our mind and for a long time Kabira was the last place that one would ever have imagined. Lately, as we have discovered we can with much pleasure confirm that excellent well-cooked Indian food has become the holy grail of their kitchen while at the same time maintaining the Continental fare. On our last visit we were bowled over by the remarkable improvement in the Kabira Country Club’s Indian curry corner which of course goes with good service, decent food and a favorable ambience.
Needless to say, in an ever increasing narrow and competitive market for up market exotic food, one has to be aggressive and not stand on one’s laurels and take things for granted. Rather than be known as a Jack of all trade and a master of none, the powers that be at Kabira have decided that Indian food is the specialty and the results are remarkable.
From the moment one sits down to dine at this establishment, the waiting staff are there to take one’s order and indeed they seem amiable pleasant and knowledgeable. It always helps to have an Indian manager on hand to guide one through the typically long menu that these places are wont to have though mercifully this one tends to be pithy and compact with a selection of classic Indian favourites. It seems that no Indian place would feel content without a whole lot of variety and in most cases it seems to work out rather well though such an arrangement is best suited for busy establishments.
The chicken tandoori was served hot and succulent without in the least being chewy having benefited with the right marinade of yogurt, lemon and a combination of spices. It was done to perfection and irresistible, while the portions were ample.
Besides the welcoming atmosphere, the food presentation is worth it.PHOTO/FILE
Another splendid entrée was the Rogan josh or mutton curry. It was obvious that the chef in situ knows exactly what he is doing and leaves no doubt in the mind of the diner that he has the right Midas touch when it comes to cooking Indian food. If ever there was a true test of how good a chef )in this case we are speaking of Indian cooking)ranks, Rogan josh is the best benchmark.
We have always emphasised that good food should be appealing to both the eyes and the palate and Kabira is by all accounts on point.
Rating
Place: Kabira Country Club, Bukoto
Recommended items: The chicken tandoori
Service: Excellent
Ambience: The al fresco setting or you can lounge around the pool or inside near the bar where they have several screens for watching sports and the like.
Open: Breakfast, lunch and supper seven days a week
Our Rating: Worth a visit
The Place Kabira Country Club, Bukoto
Menu: The Curry Corner: Chicken Tikka masala, Goan fish curry, butter chicken, chicken curry, mutton Rogan Josh, chicken shai korma, tawa chicken, chicken patiyala, dal fry, dal bhukhara, paneer makhani, mixed vegetable masala, palak paneer, malai kofta, vegetable curry, meethi mutter malai, aloo gobbi, assorted bread
The Space: Informal and semi alfresco, comfortable
The Crowd: A cross section of diners
The Bar: Coffee, tea, juice beer wine smoothies
The damage: A couple should plan on spending Shs150,000 with drinks included
Sound level: Very good
Parking: Extremely secure and well organised, you cannot fail to find a space
Smoke free zone: Not permitted
If you go: Daily
RATINGS: Not to be missed, worth a visit, OK/so so, don’t waste your time.
These ratings are purely the reviewer’s personal reaction to food, ambience and service with price being factored into consideration. The menu listings and prices are subject to change without notice.
Recipe >Oxtail Soup
* I large oxtail, cut into pieces
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 stalks celery, chopped * 2 carrots, chopped
* 2 small onions, sliced * 6 cups water
* 2/3 cups red wine
* Bouquet garni
* 6 black peppercorns, crushed a bit * ½ teaspoon dried leaf thyme
* 4 whole cloves * Salt and pepper to taste
* ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper * 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp corn flour
Watercress Dumplings:
* 1 cup self-rising flour * ½ teaspoon salt
* Pinch mixed dried leaf herbs * 2 oz shredded suet
* 1 bunch watercress, trimmed
* And finely chopped * 1 small egg, beaten
* 1 tablespoon water * Chicken stock for cooking dumplings
Sift the flour into a medium size bowl. Mix in salt, herbs, suet and watercress. Add egg and water and mix to dough. Roll dough in 24 balls. In a large saucepan, bring stock to a boil and drop dumplings into stock, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove dumplings from stock and add soup to serve.
1.Wash oxtail and trim off any fat and heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the oxtail and fry until brown. Remove the oxtail and cook vegetables in oil until they begin to brown.
2.Add the oxtail, water, wine, bouquet garni, peppercorns, thyme and cloves. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, skimming off any scum. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 3 hours. If you have a slow cooker also known as a crock pot, this will do very nicely.
3.When done, remove oxtail and cool. Remove meat from the bones, discarding the gristle and strain soups through a sieve set over a bowl. Add the oxtail meat to the stock.
4.Prepare dumplings and for making parsley dumplings substitute 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for watercress.
5.Begin to reheat soup in a small bowl, blend the cornflour with a small amount of water. Stir the cornflour and cayenne pepper into the soup. Season again with salt and pepper and if necessary, adjust accordingly.
6.When the soup simmers, drop in the dumplings and cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until dumplings are done.
