Of tasty chicken roasts, wraps and crispy bhajias
Whether it’s for emotional or sentimental reasons, we all have those dishes that make us feel happy and, well, comforted. The savoury dishes at this restaurant in Hurlingham, especially its location did more than just awaken our writer Faith Kyoumukama’s taste buds.
Is it too late to say hello? Well, happy New Year foodies. It’s quite an overwhelming week, because I’m still trying to figure out my feeding routine.
You see, in December every time was munch time, and every day in January feels like Monday, but such is life, we foodie on.
I recently went for the launch of a new eatery in Hurligham right next to the Total Petrol Station.
This specific place brings back memories of campus days. It was the go-to fast food joint for some of us, especially during the fresher days, when the flow of cash from our parents was still intact.
Why comfort food
The graffiti on the walls of Kukito, a fast-food brand that is a subsidiary of Java House Group, are bright, bold and attractive.
This particular outlet has a photo prop in the form of a painting of their signature theme, a cock. It’s one of the first things you notice when you get to the joint.
It is the go-to place when you feel like a chicken roast, a wrap, frozen yoghurt, basically some comfort food.
Well, have you ever come home from work or are winding down your day and all you want to eat is what they like to call pasua, a campus delicacy that comprises of french fries, kachumbari (a mix of chopped tomatoes and onions) topped up with a generous amount of tomato sauce?
The only way to eat this is when it’s packed in a brown khaki bag. That foodie, is comfort food.
It is the nostalgia it brings with it. Maybe for you, it’s a Saturday morning tradition of pancakes, or every Sunday dinner chapatis tradition.
They extend beyond a biological desire and bring up memories of celebration and of spending time with the people we care about.
Secret sauce
Back to Kukito, I ordered a wrap and BBQ chicken served with a side of bhajia. The wrap had a coleslaw filling, with shredded chicken and chunks of avocado.
The wrap is a cold snack, and can be categorised as an appetiser, it is cut in two equals, making it easy to munch on unlike the messy burger.
I love the crunch in every bite, also the secret sauce used makes it juicy and easy to munch on.
They used the red cabbage which I find, very sweet in flavour and is softer than the green cabbage.
The chicken was not what I would go for usually, but I guess I was foodie distracted when I made the order.
Usually, I wouldn’t go for meat that is glazed with sweet BBQ sauce just because I don’t belong to the sweet tooth camp.
I obviously still gave it a chance, but it was exactly how I imagined it would taste, but I walling to share it with my foodie partner at the same time.
The glazed BBQ sauce has been coated generously and every bite is sweet and savoury.
It wasn’t my favourite, but the person across from me enjoyed it on my behalf.
The bhajias were hands down, the best I have tasted in my existing years. They are what we call Maru Bhajia made with thin potato slices, coated in spicy gram flour and deep-fried.
Three words for these specific ones they serve at Kukito…indulgent, comforting and delightful.
You could tell the batter was mixed with minimal herbs and spices, simply tasty in every bite, I had to order an extra take away.
