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Epicurean
Dining out on a Saturday lunchtime dining is something of a habit for many people, and I think this has lots to do with the leisurely and family-oriented nature of such mealtimes. The people concerned are usually looking for a welcoming and relaxed ambience, good prices and a place to spend what we call ‘quality time’ with family and friends.
I have eaten out at Harare’s Casa Mia restaurant many times, but for me the best experiences have been on pleasant Sunday afternoons, especially if the weather has allowed for dining in the lovely garden area. When we were there on a recent Sunday I felt sure we would experience rain, so we sat indoors; as the weather held out, however, we moved outdoors for desserts and coffee and also to be closer to that afternoon’s entertainer.
Casa Mia is Italian for “my house” and indeed the venue was once the family home of Nevio Prandini, owner of the popular Da Eros restaurant in Belgravia, which closed in 2015.
When that closed (later to become home of St Elmo’s, formerly of Avondale shopping centre), Nevio and business partner “Ginge” Olivier created a new restaurant along King George Road, aimed at being equally friendly and primarily an Italian-style dining place. As with Da Eros, the aim was for a relaxing ambience, and indoor and outdoor seating areas.
The menu is quite a big one, with a wide selection of starters, salads, pastas, pizzas and other main courses, and there’s a general Mediterranean feel to what is offered on the menu.
As with all restaurants at the moment, some items are not available, but when we dined the selection was still large, and was complemented by a special of the day listed on the board as main course and dessert.
In fact we did a mix and match lunch and management seemed happy with this, but best to check with them before doing so.
For starters my guest and I each had the prawn cocktail, and we fully expected the standard version to arrive (cold prawns with a thousand-island sauce and light salad).
What we had,however, was much more interesting: cooked shrimps still hot, in a superb cheese sauce, with lettuce. I suggested they change the name so people don’t mix it up with the internationally-known style of “prawn cocktail” that perhaps does not excite the taste buds as much as this version does. It was really good!
For mains my guest had the special of the day, a generous portion of pasta marinara (she chose fettucine as the pasta), while I selected off the menu and went for tortellini (pasta envelopes of ham and ricotta) in a cheese sauce (similar to the starter sauce, but so good that repetition did not worry).
As I said, we moved from the indoors area to a garden table for desserts, which was made up of tiramisu for me and ice cream and chocolate sauce for my guest; both were lovely.
The restaurant has entertainers most Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, and the day we went it was the very chilled and friendly Mande Snyman singing, with a selection of what she calls light rock, pop and country.
Entertainment does make a big difference for diners and I know many people who check out what entertainer is on duty before making a booking from a range of venues offering food and entertainment. As always at Casa Mia, we had a delightful afternoon of good service, enjoyable food and delightful music in a family-friendly atmosphere.
We had a warm welcome and great service from manager Dorothy Peel and waiter Memory (surname not given, in the style of all good restaurants!)and I was pleased with the speed of service. I liked Mande’s willingness to take song requests and she seems to have a good repertoire to offer. Casa Mia is open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch between 12 noon and 3pm, and for dinner between 6pm and 9pm, and coffees and light meals can be sourced between lunch and dinner times, too.
It’s situated on the corner of King George Road and Aberdeen Road, opposite the Avondale Primary School and there’s parking inside the property and guarded parking on the street outside for when it is busy.
Reservations are essential on Sundays and recommended on Wednesday and Friday evenings. Call (024) 2332044 or 0732 272642.
Feedback is welcome; e-mail [email protected]
Online Reporter