A pilao platter served at Pilao Point. Photo | Kaddumukasa Kironde
When we were growing up and living in Butikiro/Mengo Rubaga Division during the 1960’s, after independence, there was little doubt in anybody’s mind that where we resided was the utmost posh area for the indigenous Ugandans.
The Kabaka’s palace aka as The Twekobe stood majestically at the junction of Lubiri Ring road and the beginning of Kabaka Anjagala road also often referred to as the Royal Mile and plumb opposite the Palace is the Lukiiko, the Great Parliament of Buganda.
Unbeknownst to many locals, right opposite the Palace alongside Ring Road still stands the Butikiro (the official residence of the Katikiro) and less than half a mile away used to be a lovely and well-designed and modern built estate situate on six acres of prime land, specifically for the Kabaka’s ministers.
Sadly due to the political shenanigans and chicanery of the Mengo establishment, this land was sold off to some wealthy land wheeler dealers in Kampala.
Again during the 1960’s, there used to be a famous night club known as Top Life located near Mengo market which was famous for attracting top government officials and businessmen and no less a person than the then Prime Minister, Milton Obote, who used to frequent the place. Looking at today’s dining landscape in the Rubaga/ Mengo area, one is hard pressed to come up with a first class eatery, the exception being Café Javas on Namirembe Road and 2 K for local food.
It is not known to have many good dining places and when you think about it, given the proximity to the city centre, I really wonder why this is the case. Offhand, 2 K Restaurant happens to be the exception than the rule and by the way, has been around since 2,000.
Speaking of which they opened shop in a one room lock up and the same can be said about Pilao Point Restaurant, which made its debut in a lock up shop, a couple of hundred metres from its new location with the fare strictly being pilao and snacks.
The chaps who ran the joint appeared to have been young lads fresh out of college and were trying their luck in the business, which appears to have paid dividends, since they have now moved to a new building and can now boast of being a fully-fledged establishment.
One must give them credit for having persevered in this terribly cut-throat business and we can only wish them luck.
The new place is a far cry from the former in terms of space and has the potential to attract more customers since they can seat a good 30 plus.
Being upstairs, they need to do a better job in terms of directions and signage. Presently, one has to scout around a bit to find the stairs leading up to the place which is not clearly indicated. Once inside, the place looks somewhat topsy-turvy. In fact, rather as though they just moved in yesterday, with nothing in place to indicate that it is a restaurant.
When we asked for the menu, we were given a long yarn concerning how it was not yet in place despite having been open for five months. Frankly speaking, it was a lot of malarkey of which we could not make neither head nor tail.
One thing that is not in dispute is that the pilao is always a sure deal, with the other items being a hit or miss. Speaking of which, their pilao is average in taste and needs improvement. We were not favourably impressed with the overall seasoning, but better luck next time.
To this day, Uhuru remains unrivalled in the making of pilao in the low to medium price range. When we got there, the waitress on duty seemed to be in another world and not very attentive and badly in need of a uniform.
It is a big challenge when you have a place that is not busy and the waiting staff get very bored staring at walls or massaging their phones as they look at endless TikTok videos.
Place: Pilao Point
Address: Rubaga Road, Opposite the Red Cross Head Quarters
Smoke-Free Zone: Not allowed
Recommended items: The pilao is okay
Service: Poor
Ambience: Greatly lacking
Open: Open daily until late
Menu: Katogo, pilao with chicken or beef, matooke with beef stew or chicken stew
The Crowd: People from around the area
The Bar: Soda and mineral water
The damage: Shs 20,000 is enough for two
Sound level: Good
Rating: OK/so so
Parking: Not available
If you go: They are open daily
RATINGS: Not to be missed, worth a visit, OK/so so, don’t waste your time.
