Dining in the ‘Garden of Eden’

scampering around in their endless search for food, good music playing in the background while a special delicacy is being served.
The newly opened Dove Cage along the Harare-Shamva road offers such an invironment and much more for an ideal family event.
Located away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the restaurant is in the midst of Ewanrigg Botanical Gardens, in a serene environment, ably complemented by nature.
It is an ideal venue for Christmas parties, birthdays, company retreats or for a family outing.
To match its environs, the restaurant has an African set-up comprising a thatched roof under a stone structure that is complemented by reed mat-sidings to maintain coolness. The wooden chairs and table cloths of animal prints complete the African feel, something you can savour while enjoying your charcoal-grilled kuku karanga (traditional chicken).
“We decided to locate here (Shamva) because we want to give people a peaceful atmosphere, unpolluted air and a new sense of freshness to our patrons,” said the owner of the restaurant, Gihuhi Kariuki.
Dove Cage serves a variety of traditional dishes in an addition to Western cuisine.
Apart from the menus served in the restaurant, its environs are also ideal for people who love nature.
“We provide extra-curriculum activities such as bird watching and natural walk. It’s a stress-free environment,” he added.
Corporate organisations can use the venue for team building courses because of its spacious land in addition to conference favilities and other activities, right in the middle of Ewarigg Botanical Garden.
The garden is noted for its wide collection of indigenous and exotic plants and owes its origin to the late Harold Basil Christian.
Christian came to the then Rhodesia in 1914 as a farmer. He later turned his attention to botany and horticulture.
It was in the field of botany and in the study of the genus aloe that he made many valuable scientific contributions.
Today, Ewanrigg has become widely known abroad and possibly the most famous outcome of Christian’s work has been the garden’s capacity to create meaningful plant specie exchanges with other botanical gardens.
It also one of the largest aloe and cycad gardens in the world.