Fang Fang: A Ugandan Delight

Michael Rakower

     Suppose you're in Uganda and have a desperate craving for Chinese. You might think that you would have to wait until you return home before you could satisfy your craving. Fortunately, you would be wrong. Dead wrong.

     Amidst the hustle and bustle of Kampala, Uganda's capital city, lies the beautifully decorated and wonderfully traditional Fang Fang Chinese restaurant. The restaurant boasts an enormous menu, offering all of the usual Chinese fare, as well as numerous gourmet dishes that one might be shocked to find anywhere in Africa.

     The lunch specials are an especially good value. For approximately $6, this author was treated to a large lunch consisting of vegetable soup, two spring rolls, crispy fried tilapia fish, steamed rice, and sliced fruit. But the best part of the meal was saved for last. But first a little background is required. Many years ago I was introduced to the most delectable dessert I had ever had the pleasure of tasting: honey-fried bananas. Sadly, I have been to few restaurants in the world that serve this dish.

     Longing for those sweet and delicate, crunchy morsels of fried banana coated in a honey shell, my family and I once broke down and tried to make them ourselves. Sadly, we were left with a glutinous mess spilling over our stovetop as the honey boiled over the pot. We decided that such a dish was better left to the professionals.

     Since that fateful day, I have searched far and wide for this elusive delicacy. It's a rare occasion when I find it on a menu. And there it was, in its typewritten splendor on page 5 of Fang Fang's menu, the holy grail of Chinese deserts, honey-fried bananas. Beaming with childish jubilation, I gorged on a plate that could easily feed three, savoring every bite.

     So, if you happen to be in Uganda searching for Chinese, look no further than Fang Fang restaurant. The service is excellent and the food is delicious. And, whatever you do, don't miss the honey-fried bananas.

Fang Fang Chinese Restaurant
3rd Floor, Greenland Towers
Plot 30, Kampala Road
Kampala Uganda
Telephone: 344806, 340067
Fax: 250422
Managing Director: Fang Min

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Michael Rakower, Contributing correspondent to AsianConnections.com, obtained a BA in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993 and a JD from the University of Virginia in 1999. He began working for the New York office of Latham & Watkins this Fall.