KAMPALA RESTAURANT WEEK’S INAUGURAL EDITION HAILED AS UNQUALIFIED SUCCESS
(Posted 16th June 2015)
The inaugural Kampala Restaurant Week, which instantly made it into the stomachs and hearts of many Ugandan foodies, came to an end on 13th June 2015 with an elegant cocktail held at Yujo Japanese Restaurant on Kyadondo Road, Nakasero.
Launched at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel on the eve of the startint dates, did The Kampala Restaurant Week which ran from June 2nd to June 13th , saw 40 of Kampala’s top restaurants prepare creative meals at large discounts and had Kampala’s foodie elite and culinary thrill seekers hopping from restaurant to restaurant in a bid to experience the various flavours of Kampala on a pocket friendly budget.
The closing event, steered by former Big Brother Housemate Charlie Denzel Mwiyeretsi, also served as the Awards Gala. Invited guests were able to celebrate the various individuals that contributed to the social media success of the #KlaRestaurantWeek hashtag and more importantly to celebrate the emergence of Yujo Japanese Restaurant as the People’s Choice Top Restaurant for Kampala Restaurant Week 2015.
During the Restaurant Week, diners were asked to rate their restaurant experiences on the official Restaurant Week Webpage by rating restaurants on 1 to 10 scale with consideration to Ambiance, Food, Service and General Amenities. At the close of voting on 10th of June, Yujo Japanese Restaurant emerged the highest rated restaurant with a poll of 8.3/10 from the dozens of voters who showed their appreciation for the restaurant’s culinary offerings during the ten day event and the excellent service levels diners experienced.
Over 4,000 votes were cast in this exercise. The objective of the award was to challenge restaurant proprietors to continue aiming for the highest possible standards of food and service delivery in the Kampala’s restaurant industry.
The award was handed over by Philip Kalibwani of The Pearl Guide (organizers of Kampala Restaurant Week) and Kelvin Wanjira, Brand Manager of Nederburg Wines (Official Sponsor of Kampala Restaurant Week).
Other highly rated restaurants from this exercise included Seven Seas Restaurant at Kampala Sheraton, The Lawns, Mantra and Prunes Cafe Restaurant.
Individual Winners included Emma Namala Kironde who was awarded for The Most Creative Restaurant Week Photos as she dressed in the cultural theme of every restaurant she visited and Carol Kamanzi who emerged with the Most-Liked #KlaRestaurantWeek photo on Instagram.
The Kampala Restaurant Week, which promises an even greater experience in 2016, was a phenomenal success in its first edition by any standards. Visitors to Uganda and Kampala’s residents were able to finally discover how the restaurant scene has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years with literally all ethnic cuisines now on offer. In addition were Kampala diners exposed to the vastly improved quality of food and service and all the restaurants participating recorded a dramatic surge in visits during the 10 day event. The hashtag #KlaRestaurantWeek also set new domestic records with over 750 photos shared on Instagram and over 5,000 posts on Twitter.
Thanks and congratulations to the organizers and all the participants and to more of the same in 2016.
