Beef fillet mignon. PHOTO/KADUMUKASA
My earliest recollection of the new Choate Boutique Hotel was back in the late 1990’s, when it was then known as The Shanghai Chinese Restaurant and Hotel and was being run by Jeff and Mai Linn.
The couple, newly arrived from Ghana, where they owned a timber company, had decided that they wanted to check out Uganda, which at the time offered virgin opportunities in the hospitality industry.
And to crown it all, the deal came with accommodation in form of a small 12 rom inn, plus an apartment for the tenant. Prior to taking over the premises, it had been in a dire state of disarray and neglect. They promised to bring it up to standard and to be fair, considering the 1990’s, they did an exemplary job.
Taking into account the strategic location and the proximity to Kampala Club next door, it offered great opportunities for the Linn’s. For three decades and then some, Jeff and Mei held sway at the property, although sadly towards the end, let it go to rack and ruin; with the advent of Covid-19, sounding its death knell.
Nature abhors a vacuum, a few years ago, Kampala Club decided to call for tenders to run and manage the Place and that is how the present management came to take over what eventually became the Choate Boutique Hotel and Restaurant.
As good fortune would have it, the chosen promoters were a well-travelled, creative, serious, qualified and dedicated group, who were more than willing to go the whole hog and come up with an outstanding Reno job.
As they took up the works, unbeknownst to them, little did they realise that they had undertaken what appeared in many ways to be a veritable minefield, which opened up a Pandora’s Box. In some cases, to wit; the accommodation, given the age of the buildings; renovation was out of the question.
In the end, a completely new structure emerged, which is modern, elegant and is just what the doctor ordered for a boutique hotel. A few years ago, when the promoters behind this venture first saw the notice advertising the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant situate next to the iconic Kampala Club, their curiosity was aroused.
The group had long wished to venture into the hospitality sector and lo and behold, an opportunity presented itself. However, some of the colleagues amongst them were skeptical of there being transparency in the tendering process, given the high stakes involved and held the belief that the deal was a fait accompli.
A shoe in for one of the usual suspects, signed, sealed and delivered.
The promoters combed through the application and with meticulous research and homework left no stones unturned and met the deadline and waited for the results.
A few weeks later, they received a notice informing them that they had been short-listed. As ill fate would have it, they were beaten to the punch by the competition. Several months later, much to their surprise, they were contacted and asked if they would still be interested in taking up the mantle.
The company that had won the tender had failed to live up to the expected terms and conditions and were thus terminated. Without any hesitation they took up the offer with both hands.
One of the unforeseen perils of renovating a property that was built in 1911, was the condition of the buildings, which had become dilapidated and worn out. The upshot of it was enormous unforeseen cost overruns, and in many instances complete change of building plans, as in the case of the dozen or so rooms which formed the accommodation section.
As for the front of the house in the main, this was left intact with few minor changes. The back of house saw the kitchen given an entirely new workover in terms of equipment and with the addition of a much-needed cold room, as well as an essential laundry room and changing facilities for the staff.
The final results are a classy high-end state of the art boutique hotel, which is superbly crafted and tastefully designed. The menu is eclectic, inviting and daring. There is nothing hackneyed or commonplace about the Choate restaurant menu.
Butternut soup is an incredibly flavourful creamy soup, which one rarely finds on the Kampala dining scene and a great choice at this establishment. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to choosing which type of steak to go for in a restaurant, I recommend the beef fillet mignon. Why? Because this particular cut comes from the tip of the tenderloin, which is a very delicate and tender part of the loin primal. However, the meat does not have the kind of character and taste that sirloin has; look no further.
The Choate sirloin is an excellent and worthwhile choice and it turned out to out to be tender, succulent and medium as requested.
Another rare item is the pork belly. This slow roasted delicacy, cooked confit style in its own fat and yielding superbly juicy tender meat that is crowned with the most incredible crackling I have ever seen.
Perfect and exquisite pork belly, sublime crackling. Choate Boutique Hotel and Restaurant is a wonderful quaint and welcome addition to the Kampala hospitality scene and is off to a great start. There is little doubt in anybody’s mind that this new kid on the block is here to stay and is playing the long game.
Place: Choate Boutique Hotel and Restaurant
Address: 8 – 10 Ternan Avenue, coterminous to Kampala Club
Ambience: Airy, offering a semi-alfresco setting, and spacious
Open: The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and supper every day
The Menu: A nice and thoughtful section of soups such as butternut squash soup, clear chicken and vegetable soup, hot and sour soup etc. Nibbles: Tempura perch, Choate wings, salt & pepper squid, meat balls.
Assorted salads: super zucca salad, classic quinoa salad, twisted classic Caesar salad.
Butcher’s block: Beef tenderloin, ribeye steak, pork chops, sirloin steak, roasted pork belly.
Slow cooking; Beef short ribs, pork spare ribs, and lamb or goat shank, stir fry goat.
Inspired feast: Half roast chicken, three way Teriyaki bowl.
The Crowd: A cross section of middle class Ugandans and expats
The Bar: A good selection of wines, cocktails and drinks of all nature
The damage: Entrees start at around shs Shs40,000 and up. To be on the safe side, a couple should reckon paying at least Shs150,000 with some drinks
Sound level: Good
Rating: Not to be missed
Parking: Available
If you go: The buffet is from 13:00 to 15:00 hours Monday to Friday
RATINGS: Not to be missed, worth a visit, OK/so so, don’t waste your time.
