Indian curries in Uganda

While we’re continuing to mention good food outside Belgium, let’s bring up this little gem in Kampala.  This Indian restaurant off Kampala Road serves up excellent versions of rich curries and other spicy meat and vegetable dishes.  At the time we ate here, we were thinking about the lack of good Indian restaurants around Brussels and how strange it was that we sated the craving in Africa.  Next time you’re in Kampala (via Entebbe through KLM or Brussels Airlines), stop off at Haandi.  They had much more spice than many places in Brussels.

Succulent meat, but I didn’t like the balls

The Indian restaurant at the northwest corner of Place Jourdan by the hotel gets great marks for entrees and service, particularly given the difficulty of finding good Indian around Brussels.  Conveniently located at one of Brussels’ main squares doesn’t hurt, too.

We got there early at 7pm, from in the middle of yet another Brussels winter rain, complete with surprisingly un-Belgian chilling wind.  The cozy space inside, with its candles and velvet hues, immediately warmed me up, though one mint tea did more of the trick.

I wasn’t daring that night and didn’t go for the vindaloo.  Instead I had a satisfying stew-like dish (~13 eu) with very tender and just as tasty beef, cooked with spinach, tomatoes, bay leaves, and various other Indian spices.  Served with rice and nan along with some red wine, it couldn’t go wrong.

Since I hadn’t ordered a starter,  I still wanted a little something more and went for dessert: gulab jamun.  I was hoping for a hot, dense and rich version of those doughnut-like sweets in saffron syrup, but it did not deliver.  My two balls weren’t hot, the consistency reminded me of something a bit old, and overall it wasn’t anything special.  Even the dame blanche didn’t look so great.  After eating the main meal here, I’d advise heading to the SuperGB in the square to buy some single-serving Haagen Dazs instead.

Nevertheless the experience overall was commendable, and I would go again.  The service was excellent, although maybe that was because we ate early, as the place filled up between 8-9pm.  As Indian restaurants go in Belgium, this one’s not too shabby.

Main dishes:  A-
Dessert: C
Prices: B+
Languages:  French, English