Pork could be better done

Recently, we chanced to stop by Divine Village Restaurant. Conveniently located on Rubaga Road and within walking distance from home, going by the name one should be forgiven for thinking that the place is ecclesiastical in nature and virtue.

And truth be told, it has nothing whatsoever to do with God or divine providence.

Divine Village Restaurant happens to be type of pork joint albeit not in its entirety. If that sounds confusing then bear with me. The first thing that one does when they go to a restaurant is to ask for a menu, indeed this is what we did.

After waiting for a few minutes we were advised that one had to make an order for pork and this was done directly from the pork vendor who I presume is independent of the main establishment.

Ordering food
I made my way somewhere towards some dingy place from where the pork is cooked and asked them what was on the menu. It turns out that a stick of pork is Shs 4,000 while a kilo is Shs 15,000 and a portion of cassava is Shs 1,000 and so is the case with roasted matooke and what passes off as kachumbari is Shs 2,000.

Fair enough so considering that we were two, I ordered for one kilo and a side of cassava with kachumbari. I was asked to pay first and told that it would be ready in 45 minutes.

A 45-minute wait for an order of fried pork is not favourable and all the more so on a Sunday. Half that time would have been more acceptable but time wise we were not disappointed.

Our frowns
However, the letdown was in the preparation of the pork. The meal came on a small round platter and the entire meat was enshrouded in shredded cabbage and Royco with a smidgen of onions and tomatoes. Besides looking unappetising, the taste was awful with a strong flavour of Royco. To make matters worse, one would have thought that for Shs15,000 the meat would be lean and bereft of the rind.

Unfortunately, at least 20 per cent of the meat was pork rind and we ended up discarding some on the side. I counted three pieces of boiled cassava and stingy portion of the kachumbari.

And speaking of the same, the name was a misnomer and one should have simply informed us that we would be served finely chopped tomatoes and onions. Once again, this famous and popular Ugandan relish was not up to snuff.

Verdict
All in all, we paid Shs 22,000 including two sodas but felt that they really need to pull up their socks. I for one was not impressed with the cabbage and pork concoction and would have much preferred to have been asked if I wished to have my order minus this awful ragout rather than surprising me out of left field with no idea of what to expect.

The deal
The place: Divine Village Restaurant
Rating: Ok/so so
Address: Rubaga Road, next to the Uganda Red Cross offices
The space: Clean, cozy and small and cramped indoors though there is a large al fresco setting where there is also a bar.
The crowd: Ugandans who are pork lovers
The bar: A limited variety of drinks comprising mainly soda and beer
The menu: Fried pork accompanied with boiled cassava, matooke and so called kachumbari
The damage: A skewer of pork is Shs 4,000 while a kilogramme of fried pork costs Shs 15,000, cassava and matooke are Shs 1,000 per serving and the kachumbari is Shs 2,000
Sound level: Good
Parking: Limited in the forecourt but secure outside
If you go: Open every day of the week

RATINGS: These ratings are purely the reviewer’s personal reaction to food, ambience and service with price being factored into consideration.