Incredibly tasty

Many Ugandans are not aware of the fact that Italian cooking as such is non-existent, indeed many may think that this is a loaded statement though truth be told it remains more of a conundrum. However, to put it more accurately and succinctly, the phrase ‘Italian cooking’ is an expression of convenience seldom used by Italians. more to the point, the cuisine of Italy is the cooking of its regions that until 1861 were apart, independent and normally hostile to each other. They were governed by different rulers and protected by sovereign armies and navies. Over time they developed their own cultural traditions and it goes without saying their own unique, special and distinct approaches to food.

When one travels through Italy today, the unique features of each region and of the individual towns and cities can easily be observed. These are living differences that appear in the physical cast of the people and in their temperament and spoken language and most noticeably in their cooking.  

The cooking of Venice as an example, vastly differs from that of Naples, albeit  both being Italian cities that specialise in seafood. Notwithstanding, not a single authentic dish from the one is to be found on the other’s table. One finds it difficult to explain differences between Bologna and Florence despite the fact that each is the capital of its own region yet they are a merely 100km apart. One also finds subtle but substantial differences between the cooking of Bologna and that of other cities within easy reach such as Cesena, Parma or Modena all of them not far to the north.

It is not only from the inconstant contours of political geography that cooking in Italy has taken its many forms, even more significant, has been the forceful shaping it has received from the two dominant elements of the Italian landscape viz; the mountains and the seas. 

As good luck would have it thanks to the ingenuity and ambition of Mario Brunetti, who honed his cooking skills from his mother in Italy, the results are Azzurro restaurant that made its debut in August this year.  Mario is the man behind this flourishing enterprise. Fellow trencherman and I, recently spent a memorable afternoon dining on an array of superb Italian food.

When I eyed bruschetta on the menu it brought back memories of many years ago when we used to dine at the Italian Mamba Point restaurant that was owned by Guido Notari,  but closed shop. Despite the fact that bruschetta to foreigners is known as garlic bread, this is an unforgivable faux pas. Unbeknownst to many, the most important ingredient in this much loved Italian delicacy is not garlic but olive oil. The main course has a wide variety from which to choose ranging from the mix spice beef fillet medallions or the pan fried beef fillet on rosemary with black pepper. As might be expected there is also fish and chicken and rare to find offals. In many countries, the offal is not commonly served and is discarded as it is considered poor man’s fodder. In Italy and France, offals are an important component in many traditional dishes. Many are delicious while others need more of an acquired taste.

Traditionally, the first course of an Italian meal is always a pasta, a risotto or a soup. Sometimes though not often, a vegetable or an antipasto or even a fish item may become the first course. It is sheer heresy to turn pasta or soup into a side dish or second course. On offer for antipasto are the favourite and much loved antipasto (starters) such as bruschetta, friselle puglies, caprese as well as a couple of others.   As for the soups the fabled and well known minestrone is available, not to mention the chicken and spinach soup. Mario cajoled me into checking out a particular soup that is not commonly found in Italian eateries, and it so happens that the recipe belongs to his mother.

Naturally it has been handed down for many generations in the family and I could not resist the temptation.  The soup is the Scippelle mbuse (salted crepes with Parmesan cheese in chicken soup). I loved the earthiness and interplay between the salted crepes with Parmesan cheese and a delicately flavoured chicken soup.

No discourse on Italian cuisine would be complete without the mention of pasta and pizza. In the case of the former there is a selection of gnocchi, penne, tagliatelle, fettucine etc. and you will also find pizza Margherita, pizza Pollo, pizza Contadina etc. Last but not least the fresh homemade mousse ice cream was subtle and wonderful and as for the tiramisu, if you are a fan of ladyfinger cookies, espresso, mascarpone cheese, eggs, sugar, Marsala wine, rum and cocoa powder then this dessert is at your alley. The version at Azzurro is incredibly tasty and superb and for lovers of this rich dessert sit back, order and enjoy!  

if you go...

Place:  Azzurro Italian Restaurant and Bar

Address: Entebbe  Town, adjacent to  Umeme.

Our rating: Not to be missed

The space: Semi al fresco and cozy

The  crowd:  A mixed crowd of Ugandans and expats 

The bar:  A good selection of wine, beer and soft drinks. There is also a complimentary jug of Sangria 

The Azzurro Restaurant menu: Mix spice beef  filet, chicken breast in tomato sauce, offals in tomato sauce, garlic green and sweet pepper, parmigiana, grilled pork chops, grilled lamb chops, oven cooked chicken with Irish potatoes. An assortment of Italian bites such panzerotti filled with ham and cheese or tuna and sweet pepper, Mozzarella in carrozza, square pizza, panni caldi (warm sandwiches)  

Sound level:  Okay

The bill: A couple can get by with Shs 100,000 or so while a glass of wine is Shs20,000 and the bottles range anywhere from Shs 60,000 and up.

Smoke free zone:  Not allowed

If you go:  Open daily

RATINGS: Not to be missed, worth a visit, OK/so so, don’t 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.