What you need to know:
- Review. The place may have not needed a renovation but a renovation it got and with it, a lot has changed at Cinque No 5, writes A. Kadumukasa Kironde II.
One would be surprised what a little imagination can do bearing in mind the availability of good creative architectural concepts, and with cash on hand, one can do wonders in creating a restaurant out of unutilised space.
Cinque No 5 Boutique Hotel that has been around for close to three years and is an exquisite and beautifully built gem of a boutique 15-room hotel located in Entebbe. Situated in a quiet idyllic part of Entebbe surrounded by a labyrinth of fauna, it is the ideal place to chill out on a weekend away from the hurly burly cacophony of Kampala.
Not to say that the hotel really needed a reno job, but then again when you are at the top of the league and in a class of your own in Entebbe, it is not surprising that the powers that be had an urge to come up with a better mousetrap.
Renovations are part and parcel of the realty game in the US and other advanced countries, and require creative minds that
are not straight jacketed into conventional ways of thinking. To drive the point home even further, agreed that Cinque No 5 Boutique Hotel was a well-designed and attractive small is beautiful hotel from the inception, but then again looking at the new Cinque @ No 5 pizza joint the place takes on a new appeal and aura with vintage lovingly made pizzas hitherto rarely seen and enjoyed in Entebbe.
Three months later, the new look has turned out to be an amazing triumph in terms of creating a new specialty pizza restaurant. The end result is a beautiful and expansive alfresco dining establishment that is truly elegant and luxurious and at the same time not being stuffy or contrived.
To the true pizza cognoscenti there is no argument when it comes to pizza; thin crust is the operative word and that is precisely how they are made at Cinque 5. This popular Italian pie began its eminently successful career as leftover, improvised from surplus bread dough, but today has attained universal acclaim throughout the world.
I ordered for the special of the day which had blue cheese, confit garlic, spinach and chicken. A good choice despite the fact that it was somewhat on the salty side which was to be expected with the blue cheese (like it or not it goes with the territory) but the brilliant creamy confit garlic more than made up for this anomaly. As for fellow trencherman, she preferred the Margherita which is always a good indication of how good the chef in situ is at any Italian joint. After all, one may reckon that putting together some Mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil is as easy as pie, if you will pardon the pun; many try but few succeed. It was a winner; while the size of their pizzas can best be described as gargantuan. They are very generous with the cheese while they are not stingy with the toppings. One really feels that they are getting their money’s worth. We noticed a table of four young ladies who ordered a couple of pizzas among them and some drinks and probably ended up spending 30 thousand bob each for a decent meal including a couple of drinks each.
In closing, I would be remiss in not mentioning the irrepressible charming and great foodie Ms. Victoria Mugwanya who is the Assistant General Manager. She is in charge of operations including the F&B docket and much credit goes to her for the great pizzas of which they are rightfully proud!
In brief…
Place: Cinque @ No 5
Address: No 5 Boutique Hotel, 5 Edna Road, Entebbe Uganda
Smoke-Free Zone: Strictly enforced
Recommended items: Their pizzas are truly inspiring and superb
Service: Excellent
Ambience: Unstated elegance, quiet and serene
Open: Tuesday-Sunday from 12.30pm to 20.00 hours
Our Rating: Not to be missed
Menu: The special on a given Sunday could be: Formaggio blu with chicken, blue cheese, confit garlic and spinach, otherwise the regular meu comprises Margherita, Pesto al Basilico, Capperi, Caprino, Sukuma wiki, Pollo, Prosciutto Funghi, Diavola, Spinaci, La Pancetta di Ciaran, Focaccia. The pizzas are served with a dressed rocket and Parmesan cheese salad. Extra toppings are extra.
The Crowd: Middle class Ugandans and hotel guests
The Bar: Coffee, tea juice, smoothies, wine, beer etc.
The damage: Pizzas range anywhere from around Shs 35,000 to shs 58,000
Sound level: Comfortable
Parking:
Ample parking within the forecourt
Rate: Not to be missed, worth the 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.
