Slow baked nile perch served at Four Points. PHOTO/Kadumukasa Kironde
A few weeks ago, I chanced to meet Shovan Mandal, the very dapper, knowledgeable and irrepressible food and beverage manager of the Four Points by Sheraton Kampala.
During our conversation over tea and crumpets, he informed me with great pride and without batting an eyelid, that when it came to diversity, volume, presentation and tastefulness, the Sunday Brunch Club, stood head and shoulders above the others.
In my mind, this was not a statement to be taken lightly and we vowed to seek out this much vaunted repast. Sure enough, a fortnight ago, fellow trencherman and I, with our five-year-old niece, Amani in tow, trekked over to the Sheraton Four Points, to check it out. And lo and behold, by all accounts, it turned out to be an impressive and memorable feast.
Before I delve into the food, I would be remiss in not mentioning the ambiance, which is opulent, elegant and tastefully laid out with much emphasis on light and spaciousness.
The indoor dining area is fully air-conditioned, while for those who prefer an alfresco setting, there is a sweeping veranda, which mercifully is on the second floor, thus obviating the noise from the traffic coming from the street below.
Back to the menu and with so much from which to choose, one needs to be judicious and restrained in their choice of what to eat and avoid becoming overwhelmed with sheer gluttony.
From savory mains revered as classics such as butter chicken (Asian) or beef luwombo (Buganda), chicken ballotine wrapped with spinach, (French), sweet and sour fish and I stopped counting.
Naturally, when you are with a five-year-old, the first thing to do is to dive to the children’s corner and see what it gives and the little girl was thrilled with the mini French fries, aka shoestring or matchstick fries and she loved them.
These were accompanied with fish Goujons, which can take the form of chicken or fish fillet, mini burgers, vegetable spring rolls and beef sausages. All in all, a generous repast for any child.
As for the grownups, the choices were legion and one was hard pressed where to start. I decided that for starters, why not go with the barbecue meats coupled with the baked Nile perch? Wisely, the portions are small and practical as a taster rather than offering large portions that may end up not being consumed.
Over to the hotline and basically one has a choice of European, Ugandan or Asian and here I decided on a potpourri, which included goat pilao, stir fried noodles, with shrimps, sweet and sour fish and more.
Experience has taught me that the best way to enjoy and make the most of such a magnificent repast is to allow ample time and eat on separate plates dividing the food into different selections. I was able to eat a bounty of savory mixed salad, a cornucopia of mains, divine minestrone soup, a sushi and a plethora of desserts.
Food should be pleasing both to the eyes and the stomach, and if ever there was a truism of this maxim, it unreservedly belongs to The Four Points by Sheraton, Kampala Sunday Brunch Club.
Place: Four Points by Sheraton Kampala
Address: Plot 1 Elgon Terrace, Kololo
Smoke-Free Zone: Strictly enforced in the public areas
Service: Certainly on the money
Ambience: Light and airy, convivial and spacious
Open: 24/7 though the buffet is strictly held on Sunday
The Crowd: A cross section of middle Ugandans and expats
The Bar: A good selection of wines, cocktails and drinks of all nature
The damage: The buffet is priced at shs 110’000 while children under 12 pay shs 60’000
Sound level: Good
Rating: Not to be missed
Parking: Underground and very secure
If you go: The buffet is from 13:00 to 15:00 hours
RATINGS: Not to be missed, worth a visit, OK/so so, don’t waste your time.
