Alrfidause Sudanese restaurant is located at one of the complexes next to Arua Park. But before you even get to the restaurant, you will know that you are in another part of Uganda. There are a number of supermarkets selling merchandise from Sudan, people are dressed a little differently, there is a tea shop with people sipping on small cups of tea and altogether an air unlike most other food places in Uganda.
Because I wasn’t quite sure of the location, I wound up at another Sudanese restaurant. They were however glad to direct me to Alfridause, the lime green painted restaurant next to them. When I sat down, I found myself surrounded by languages, of which I could understand none. When you are used to picking up Luganda, other bantu languages and English, it can be quite unbalancing at first.
I was approached by a waiter who said they had, ‘Chips and chicken, fish and chicken…’ When I interrupted to say I wanted Sudanese food, he quickly rattled off some words which once more, I did not understand. A quick direction to the manager and the Chicken 65 was recommended. It is a dish of Naan and chicken. The manager told me that is what it is called in any Sudanese restaurant in the world. The lady selling sweets (for dessert) who had been listening in on our conversation concurred and added ‘…any good restaurant.’
Sight
The orange colour on the chicken, which it gets from the turmeric, pops even more because of those carrots on the side of the plate. With the tomatoes and onions arranged around the plate, you have a dish that looks almost too pretty to eat.
Touch
I think most of the meals at the restaurant are eaten directly with your fingers, which is why I think there are 3 sinks by the corridor. I wasn’t given cutlery, and as I looked around, hardly anyone had any. That orange colour you see on the chicken will stain your fingers long after you have left the restaurant.
The naan, is thicker than any naan i have eaten in an Indian restaurant. It is also relatively coarse.
Taste
There is a bit of a sweet taste to the chicken, but not to worry, it is too mild to be a problem. Because of this, the chicken has a very unique flavour. Another thing, when I asked for some chilli, it was delivered with some lemon. I couldn’t see anyone with tomato sauce on their table, but most everyone had lemon. Squeeze some lemon juice on your chicken and you will wonder why you haven’t been eating chicken with lemon your whole life. Have we been eating chicken wrong this whole time?? Trust me, try it.
The chicken is cooked with bay leaves and a few mild spices which means it is not too hot for those concerned about that. The entire mix balances it out to create a meal you will want to order again and again. The portion size was very big too. I packed nearly half my dish.
For directions to Alfridause, call 0779 196 669