Vegetable fried rice. Photo/Kadumukasa Kironde
When one has toddlers, finding an ideal location, which offers a play area and good food, specifically on a Sunday, is never easy.
Besides this critical factor has to be accessibility, safety and choice of menu. In this case, our taste buds were primed to have Indian food, and while no doubt they are many a fine Indian restaurants that abound in town, none of them seemed to have the requisite play area for children.
Several phone calls later, we settled on Namaste, which pretty much ticked all the boxes and without any further ado, the matter we proceeded.
Located within easy reach of the city centre, coupled with ample parking, it was an ideal choice.
Upon entering the restaurant, one encounters a vast terraced place, and despite it being a Sunday, there was no shortage of service staff and who were courteous though not terribly confident.
We were a sizable number, but this was not a problem since the place can seat several diners. Looking at the menu, the first thing that strikes you is the number of dishes indicated which are over 300 (sic) which by any account is a tall order. There is also the issue of different types of fare.
Under the soups, there is tomato soup as well as cream of mushroom, hardly Indian in nature or character.
There is also a continental menu with standard runners such as chips and chicken, goat muchomo, chicken steak, mutton steak, rolex, assorted burgers including fish, egg, sandwiches, Greek salad, pizzas etc.
In terms of the Namaste kitchen, that is an open one and not terribly large; we can only wonder how such a menu can possibly be put into practice.
We were disappointed with the overall preparation of the food with the exception of a few items. However, among the starters, we found the vegetable samosas worthy of mention.
In keeping with eating habits of the Sub-Continent, the vegetarian is amply catered for offering an abundance of items from which to choose.
Among the starters, one can choose the homemade cottage cheese cooked with sliced onions and other vegetables embellished in a bounty of aromatic spices.
The paneer tikka is another one my favourite starters that is cooked in a tandoori oven and having sampled it on our visit was passable.
For the non-vegetarian Rogan josh (goat) is a safe bet and of course, the legendary chicken tandoori is always there as a fall back for non-meat eaters as is the fish curry. Overall, we felt that Namaste did not live up to our expectations although the children’s playing area was par for the course, with a child-minder in attendance. Whatever possessed the owners to come up with such an ambitious and unworkable menu beats me entirely.
Trying to be a jack of all trade and a master of none in the retail food business is a no brainer and no good will come of this model.
It means that the kitchen staff have to be trained and expert in all the items that appear on the menu, not to mention the possibility of many of them seldom being ordered.
As for the staff, they seemed to be groping in the dark and lacking confidence with orders taking an eternity while our bill took ages to arrive at our table.
Given the prevailing menu that obtains at Namaste, until they amend it to a more realistic and workable offering, we intend to give the place a wide berth.
Our Rating: Ok/ So so
The Place: Namaste Indian Restaurant
Address: Plot 8 Windsor Loop Road, Kampala
The Crowd: Cosmopolitan
The menu: More than 300 items from which to choose, it is a vast tapestry of foods from different cuisines.
Beverages: Juice, soda beer and wine
Recommended dishes: Nothing comes to mind
The damage: At least Shs150,000 for a couple with a starter, mains and drinks
Sound level: Agreeable
Parking: Available
Smoke free zone: Enforced
If you go: Daily
RATINGS: Not to be missed, worth a visit, OK/so so, do not waste your time.
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.
