Things started well, friendly staff, the drinks came quickly we were asked if we were ready to order. We requested a few more minutes to go through the menu which has a selection of soups (Baby Marrow and Thyme, Butternut with Cinnamon), salads such as Caesar Salad, and a collection of starters (Mozzarella and Tomato, Bang Bang Chicken – with ginger).For a starter, I went for the Aubergine Tower and my guest wanted to have the Chicken Fusilli, which was actually a main course, but we requested if we could have a half portion as a starter.

Unfortunately this was not possible, which was disappointing.

For the main courses there is Beef, Chicken, Pork, and Fish which is limited to a choice of three different dishes each. I like to see this on a menu as you can read the selection in a couple of minutes, not get confused by the choice, but also you know your food should arrive relatively quickly since the kitchen only has to prep up a limited number of dishes. For the beef there was Steak and Chips, Steak au Poivré, and Grilled Medallions with Madeira topped with melted mozzarella with rocket which my guest ordered. I choose the Moroccan Chicken Breast, served with rice and vegetables. There is also some pasta, vegetarian and curry dishes. I assume the menu is changed every couple of months to give variety. What I was impressed by was when the waitress took our order she did not write anything down although forgot to ask how my guest would like her steak.

The wine list consists of a couple of well known South African brands (KWV, Nedenburg) and the odd bottle of French and are not too expensive for Kampala prices so we ordered a bottle and then moved inside to await our meal. You still get some of the view of the city below inside but due to it been a cold windy evening (take a jumper as it does get chilly up on Busiga) the plastic “shutters” were down to stop us blowing away. The décor inside is minimal with the timber showing and white plaster in-between and a limited number of pictures and prints on the walls.

Seated at our table, we were served our wine and within five minutes our starters arrived with the bread rolls that we were expecting first. The bread rolls are home made which is a nice touch but they were not warm. Unfortunately the service slipped a little from here, although the starters made up for it. The Aubergine Tower which consists of layers of aubergine, roasted peppers, creamy goat’s cheese and tapenade served with rocket and drizzled in balsamic vinegar and olive oil was delicious. The Chicken Fusilli, made with strips of chicken fillet, peppers with rocket and Rockfort cheese was scrumptious too although lacking a little on the blue cheese.

No sooner had we finished our starters, our main course was placed in front of us. We had to request cutlery however. The chicken was succulent and the sauce tasty but I was a bit disappointed with the small portion of vegetables. Sadly the steak was not as good, it was over cooked and once again it came served with a small portion of vegetables, although there were plenty of potatoes.

Our main course was cleared away and we were offered desserts and coffee. Sadly they had no Irish Coffee Mousse or Chocolate Mousse which I was looking forward to so I tried the Crêpes Cassia.

Sorry to say, although the food is fine and portions are respectable, for the prices you are paying the service doesn’t do the place any justice. This was evident when we were presented with the incorrect bill. The waitress then tried to rectify the problem at the table.

Cassia Lodge also has an extensive lunch menu with a tempting selection of salads, burgers, sandwiches and desserts. They have a swimming pool, so why not go up there this weekend, chill out by the pool while enjoying the amazing view of the lake and hills of Kampala and enjoy lunch.

For more information please contact, Cassia Lodge & Restaurant
Buziga Hill in Kampala
Mobile: + 256 0755 777002. Email: info@cassialodge.com.
Website: www.cassialodge.com