Filipino chef, Manny Mejia, has been guiding dinners through Japanese food since 1991 – first in his home city of Manila and later in Kinshasa and Kampala.
Now the 54-year-old chef has started preparing Filipino dishes at the Nsaho Resort on the outskirts of Fort Portal in western Uganda. Nicknamed Uganda’s Tourism City, Fort Portal is known to attract large numbers of local and international tourists, and chef Meija – who still prepares Japanese food – says that Filipino food here has already become popular among African tourists.
“Filipino food is popular with Ugandans and and Africans from other countries in general while Japanese food is mainly popular with European tourists,” says chef Meija, who started preparing Filipino food here in January 2023.
Throughout his career, the chef has been preparing Japanese dishes in all the countries where he has worked, but only “used to prepare Filipino dishes at home.”
Chef Meija has been testing out Filipino menu items such as Adobo, one of the most popular dishes in his home county. On my recent visit, I tried out the Pork Adobo and Chicken Adobo, whose ingredients include garlic, onions, soy sauce, red pepper and vinegar. Adobo is served with rice and salads that are a mixture of cabbage, cucumber and tomatoes.
I also tried out Fuji Maki, the popular Japanese dish that’s prepared using ingredients such as nori (dried seaweed), rice, mayo (spicy sauce) and Teriyaki sauce (a combination of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake) – served with salads made up of avocado, cucumber and mango.
In the end, I realised why the Japanese dishes are popular in Kampala and other cities around the world: Fuji Maki tasted much better than Adobo, perhaps because it’s spicier and richer in ingredients. Compared with Japanese or other Asian cuisines, spices don’t feature prominently in traditional Filipino cuisine.
With locally fresh and tasty ingredients blended harmoniously in a colourful arrangement, Fuji Maki offers an explosion of tastes in the mouth.
And lke many other diners here, this was my first time to give Filipino food a try because, as it turns out, it is not available in most cities like other Asian cuisines are, such as Japanese, Chinese or Thai.
“I have lived and worked in the DR Congo and Uganda since 1999 but it’s hard to find a place where Filipino food is served,” said chef Meija.
I was delighted by this culinary experience accentuated with the theme of cultural fusion. With an offer of Filipino and Japanese dishes, this establishment transports us to the heart of far East Asia with a palette of exotic flavours.
Each bite was a taste journey, with balanced nuances that reflected the richness of Asian cuisine. The complexity of the aromas, the freshness of the ingredients and the careful presentation confirmed the chef's mastery in the art of Asian cuisine.
