Our waiter struggled a bit with the Campari and orange – first we got the Campari from the bar, then he had to go to the kitchen to get the juice, and finally he brought the ice. I would imagine that not too many guests place orders for Campari and orange!
The Protea has a choice of a buffet for 35,000/= or you can order A’la Carte from the menu. We had a look at the buffet as well as the menu card. On the card they had a selection of starters – the usual salads like Nicoise, Caesar and Greek as well as chicken wings, smoked salmon (17,000/=), calamari rings and carpaccio. The main courses included Beef fillet steaks and T-Bones, roasted chicken breast, pork chops and lamb cutlets all with a selection of sauces like blue cheese, pepper and mushroom. The mains are all in the region of 17,000/= to 20,000/=. There is also a pasta of the day, line fish of the day, surf and turf and calamari and prawns (30,000/=).

We decided we would try the buffet instead as they had soup, a selection of salads and cold meats as well as a selection of hot main courses, desserts and cheese and crackers. I skipped the soup and went for a salad which consisted of smoked salmon, onions and capers. There were also salamis, a rice salad, mango salad, and a good selection of relishes and dressings. My partner went for the mushroom soup first which was a bit floury. She then had a salad course which she enjoyed.

We then went for the main course where we had a choice of chicken in a white cream sauce, beef fillet in a mushroom sauce, lamb shank with rosemary or the fish which is done in a lemon butter sauce. There was also rice, rosemary sauté potatoes, carrots, courgettes and pasta. We were obviously too late for the buffet since although there was lots of the meat dishes left, both the rice and pasta had gone dry and crispy. The courgettes were soggy, the rosemary on the sauté potatoes rather scarce, and the caramelised carrots were coated in more sugar than most Ugandans have in a cup of tea! That aside, the meat was not bad. The lamb was tender, and the beef and chicken were both succulent with tasty sauces. My partner had the fish which was delicious as well. The waiters were attentive and quick to clear our plates between courses and to offer more drinks. Considering we were eating in a hotel the drinks prices were not too bad. A beer costs 5,000/= and wines like the Landskroon Pinotage (a South African red wine) sold at 55,000/= a bottle which is very reasonable by Kampala standards.

The selection of desserts was not quite up to The Serena standard but they did have a variety to choose from. These included the chocolate cake which was dry, a crème caramel, fruit salad, a trifle which was good except that there were water melon seeds in it, and a fancy looking sponge cake that looked tasty but was basically just a coloured sponge. Finally, we made our selection from the cheese board which offered a rather small selection of cheeses and slightly stale crackers.

Although the restaurant at The Protea Hotel offers patrons good value for money, I was overall a little disappointed with my meal. The superb setting was ruined by the cheers from the crowds watching the football which could be heard from the bar later on. In my opinion it would have been better if the kitchen had added some more rice and vegetables and they could have been a little fresher. The starters and salads were great but they were let down by the desserts. If you do have a large hungry group and you like your meat, I would recommend the buffet but otherwise stick to the A’la Carte menu.

For more information, please contact:
The Protea Hotel Kampala
Tel: 031 2550000
Email: res@proteakla.co.ug
Website: www.proteahotels.com