A mélange of two tasty cuisines

A guest being served the samptuous food at The Asian Fusion Restaurant. Inset, some of the foods on offer. PHOTOS BY ISMAIL KEZAALA.

Fairway Hotel and Spa, one of Kampala’s oldest hotels, is central and offers ample parking. The Asian Fusion restaurant at the hotel offers the perfect semi al fresco setting for very good and tasty fare.

A fusion in the true sense of the word is a mélange of two cuisines and this is something that chefs world over sometimes do, to a degree of near insanity. What can never be argued is that no two fusion dishes are alike.

Wisely, the powers that be at this establishment have had the presence of mind to offer two very distinct schools of cooking, albeit with one common denominator – they are both found in the same region.

Do not get me wrong; fusion cooking (in the true sense of word) works very well, but in order to gain maximum currency, it best works in large cosmopolitan cities such as, New York or San Francisco.

For starters, I would suggest the spring rolls or samosa. This time around, we chose the chicken wings that can be served either hot or garlicky, which was our preference and we were not disappointed.

On the snack menu, I saw something known as matooke samosas which left me wondering just what that might be. More familiar were the cassava sticks and dips as well as the guacamole and naan chips which are bountiful; a reflection of Spanish and Indian fusion.

When it came to the mains we chose the Chinese sizzlers along with a sublime whole steamed fish with garlic, ginger, fermented black beans, soy sauce, sesame sauce and spring onions. This was served with stir-fried vegetables including pak choi, broccoli, snow peas, carrots etc.

Last but not least, was the fried rice.
By and large, the food served at the Asian Fusion is of a high standard and as authentic as one would wish. The service is brisk and professional and the al fresco setting is lovely.

THE DEAL
The Place: Asian Fusion Restaurant, Fairway Hotel, Nakasero
The Crowd: A good mixture of residents and folks from town
The menu: Chinese and Indian
Lunch special: Combo at Shs24,000 including a soft drink and served Monday to Friday. One can choose any one vegetable or non-vegetable item from a selection that includes fish tikka masala, mutton Rogan josh, kadi chicken, paneer tikka masala, aloo gobi etc.
Beverages: A wide variety of soft and alcoholic beverages including a selection of well-priced wines
The damage: There is the lunch special combo nicely priced at Shs24,500 including a soft drink and served Monday to Friday. However, the curries range between Shs22,500 and Shs55,000 for the prawns, with prawns being the highest priced. Similar prices obtain with the Chinese fare.
Sound level: Good
Parking: Enclosed and well organised and very secure.
Smoke free zone: Allowed on the veranda though strictly forbidden indoors
If you go: Daily
Our Rating: Worth a visit

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.