Prime
Jikoni Restaurant serves tasty, local piping hot meals
A photo of the way food at jikoni is served in a bain marie. PHOTO/Kadumukasa Kironde
What you need to know:
Great local food: Jikoni buffet is priced at a modest rate and the restaurant is consistently at the top of the game. The bain marie is the magic.
The food at Jikoni Restraurant is tasty and well-cooked with an added advantage of always being served piping hot. The place is in a tranquil cool outdoor setting. The buffet is priced at Shs70,000, and as I have discovered over time, they are consistently at the top of the game. Compared to their competitors, the game changer is bain marie as opposed to the common and cheaper chafing of dishes.
In any outdoor restaurant, landscaping forms an important part of the ambience. However, for different reasons, all too often (at least in Uganda), it is overlooked as proprietors focus on setting up the restaurant and, of course, the menu.
Jikoni Restaurant, which opened a few years ago, has a lush setting, blooming with greenery all over the place, rarely to be found. In this layered haven, are a labyrinth of cul de sac like rooms, which offer relatively private sanctuary and dining. Naturally, space has to also be a consideration, which is never easy to come by in the centre of town.
One of the most acclaimed and versatile Sunday buffet in town today, is without a doubt the Kampala Serena Hotel Buffet, which will cost you a pretty penny to the tune of Shs150,000 and to my mind, offers excellent value for money.
I am sure that to many a Ugandan, that sort of figure for a meal, is a king’s ransom, but then again par for the course for a five-star world class hotel and comparatively cheap compared to Shs380,000 or so, one would fork out for the renowned Claridge’s Restaurant in London. Of course, one needs to take into account the cost of living in Kampala vis a vis London and never shall the twain meet.
The Jikoni buffet is priced at a modest rate of Shs70,000, and as we have discovered over time, they are consistently at the top of the game. Compared to their competitors, the game changer has to be the bain marie as opposed to the more common and cheaper chafing dishes.
Many foodies will agree that the technology of the bain marie is ideally better suited for the preservation of keeping food hot than the latter. A bain marie is similar to a traditional water bath or double boiler.
The water is placed in one container and heated by electricity and then a smaller container is put inside the first one. This method creates a heated bath emitting steam that keeps the food warm and moist.
On the other hand, while chafing dishes yield dry heat, because they use a more shallow pan for the water, they tend to make the food drier than that of the bain marie. They are also cheaper than the bain marie.
The Jikoni buffet is neatly arranged in a corner, and yes you guessed it; they have the bain marie set up, with servers behind, who serve customers with a big smile. Owing to the rails for the trays, this makes it easy and smooth to move along the line.
First on the menu, was the invariable ubiquitous soup of the day, which turned out to be a sublime vegetable soup or soupe paysanne, served with Melba cheese rounds.
The salads are in a chilled salad bar and limited to kachumbari and slices of avocado, although I am told that they, sometimes, offer coleslaw or potato salad and a host of other salad variety, depending on the chef’s whim.
The first item of food to be expected is the matooke, which notably is done to perfection. Next comes the rice of which we counted three types, including pilao, steamed and a potpourri of root vegetables such as yams, sweet potato, cassava, posho, katunkuma steamed in individual banana leaves, chapatti, smoked beef stew, tender and succulent roast goat, tasty deep-fried fish filet, barbecue chunky pieces of chicken, among other food items.
The juice on offer was beetroot or passion and mixed cocktail, while for the dessert, we were offered a selection of sliced fruits.
The food at this establishment is tasty and well-cooked with an added advantage of always being served piping hot. As for serving staff, they are smart, polite and respectful.
Place: Jikoni Restaurant
Address: 30 Clement Avenue
Smoke-Free Zone: Applicable
Recommended items: The buffet is first class. They also have an a la carte menu
Service: Good
Ambience: A labyrinth of green creepers and plants.
Open: Everyday, untill midnight
Menu: Buffet: Kachumbari, sliced avocado, steamed matooke, sweet potatoes, roast potatoes, steamed plantain, yams, steamed rice, vegetable pilao, grilled goat ribs, beef stew, baked fish cutlets, barbecue chicken, steamed bugga, mixed vegetables, carved fresh fruits.
Price: Shs70,000
The Crowd: Middle class families and Muslims, who appreciate good local food in a classy environ.
The Bar: Soda, juice and water
Sound level: Good
Rating: Not to be missed
Parking: Available and very secure
RATINGS: Not to be missed, worth a visit, OK/so so, do not waste your time.
