The rustic feel and tasty food

When it comes to better than average eating establishments in the city centre, not that many come to mind. Confessedly, many of them are in the suburbs. Notwithstanding, ever since The Great Indian Dhaba opened in 2015, they have managed to maintain that consistency of quality and authenticity which is important in terms of ensuring success and patronage.

The menu

Boasting of an extensive Indian menu, they also have a fusion and Chinese offering as well as Continental.  At the same time, they also have excellent service and an alfresco ambience that can best be described as rustic, informal and unsophisticated.  Be that as it may, it goes without saying that in an ever increasing narrow and competitive market, for exotic and ethnic food, one needs to be aggrieve and not rest on one’s laurels and take things for granted. Realising the need to come up with a better mouse trap, was the idea of putting up a large multi-purpose structure which is normally used as a dining area with adequate space among the dinners and can also serve as an exclusive banquet hall for more than 200. Alternatively, it can be divided up into several sections with partitions allowing three or four different functions at the same time.

The chef

Then, the chef who is the engine of the enterprise, the person who makes the difference when it comes to menu planning, quality control and assurance that teamwork prevails and overall excellence is assured. Fortunately, The Great Indian Dhaba has Chef Mohamed Chand who is the brilliant and talented head chef whose Midas touch, when it comes to cooking, few can rival. Chef Chand’s dragon paneer was an example of his talent in this simple but sublime and appealing item viz  cottage cheese marinated in an interesting medley of exotic flavours, deep fried and tossed in soy sauce. The results were enthralling. Equally inviting and delicious, was the Afghani chicken, comprising of tender morsels of boneless chicken marinated in spices such as cumin, black pepper, turmeric, cardamom seeds etc. and cooked in a fragrant creamy coconut sauce. With chef Chand at the helm, one can comfortably be assured that whatever your order shall be cooked to perfection leaving you content.

The service

From the moment one sits to dine at this establishment, the waiting staff are there to take one’s order and always seem amiable, pleasant and knowledgeable. It is always of great help to have a highly experienced general manager such as Kaiwan Bamji on hand to guide one through the typically long menu that these places are wont to have. It goes without saying that no Indian place worth its salt would feel content without a variety and in the main it works rather well.

Recipe > Saikyo Grilled Salmon

The salmon portions for this dish may seem quite large, but they will shrink after marinating and cooking. Serve with a salad, steamed rice or stir-fried vegetables.

Serves 4

100ml (7 tablespoons) sake

100ml (7 tablespoons) mirin

150g (3/4 cup) caster (superfine or granulated) sugar

300g white miso paste

4 x 200g  salmon fillets with the skin left on

Lemon wedges to serve

1. Heat the sake in a large, heavy based pan and ignite it to burn off the alcohol. Add the mirin and sugar and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Carefully whisk in the miso paste, a little at a time, making sure the mixture is smooth. Raise the heat and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly the pan. Strain and leave to cool completely. This concoction can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

2. Place the salmon fillets in a non-metallic container that is large enough to hold them in a single layer and pour some of the cooked marinade over them, making sure that the fish is completely surrounded; save a little of the marinade for later. Leave in the fridge to marinate for 24 hours, turning the fillets over once during this time.

3. When ready to cook, preheat an overhead grill (broiler) and remove the salmon fillets from the marinade, wiping off any excess. Place the fillets on a non-stick baking tray and grill, skin side down for five to six minutes, taking care that they do not get too dark or caramelised.  Turn the salmon over to cook the skin side until nice and crisp. Serve with lemon wedges and a little of the reserved marinade on the side.

Ratings…

Our rating: Not to be missed

The place The Great Indian Dhaba 

Address: Wampewo Avenue, Kololo 

The crowd: The middle class Ugandans and Asians

The menu: Northern and Southern Indian food with a wide selection of favourites such as chicken tikka masala, Afghani chicken, Indian street food, Chinese and fusion, assorted Biryanis, etc. There is  limited Continental menu

The bar: wines and spirits, beer, juice and soda

The damage: Shs 100,000 for two would suffice

Sound level: Perfect

Parking: Available 

Smoke free zone: Not allowed 

What we liked: The food is tasty and well prepared

If you go: They are open daily

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