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The epicurian
More and more people take pleasure in cuisine that offers healthy eating, so it’s no surprise to find that lunchtimes at Harare’s Shop Café are almost always busy. It’s a venue with a superb selection of mostly — but not exclusively — vegetarian dishes offered in a delightful buffet setting.
Each time I have been there it has been busy, especially on Fridays, when a varied and buzzy morning market is run adjacent to the dining area. This is in the colourful gardens of Amanzi restaurant in Highlands, which is the main dining venue on site and which has the added offering of The Shop Café at Amanzi, Kerry Wallace’s operation that has been on site since mid-2015.
The Shop Cafe was well known and popular as an easy dining venue when it was situated in the heart of Doon Estate shopping complex in Harare’s Msasa industrial area. It closed early in 2015 but after getting repeated requests from former patrons to get back into the game, Kerry decided to revive the venue, this time as a secondary lunchtime venue within the Amanzi restaurant premises along Enterprise Road.
Kerry and his team offer a specialised style of health food, but there’s nothing dull and unappealing here, with some of the most flavoursome and enjoyable of dishes. The Amanzi site is extremely attractive, with green and colour-filled gardens surrounding the restaurant, a former homestead on a large property. The Shop Café at Amanzi is situated on the western side of the building, on a terrace and veranda wing that is cool and calm, with a running water feature that cools and calms. It’s open at lunchtime from Tuesday to Saturday, with the offering of the day set on a buffet table featuring plates of salads and other delights. Friday starts earlier that the rest of the week, as the fair brings people in as early as 9am.
For $18 you can have a selection of these vegetable and salad offerings, and for $5 extra you can have a meat added to the meal; on the day we went the choice of three meat dishes, all tantalising and very enjoyable. This is not a venue for an ‘eat-all-you-can’ scenario, but rather a buffet for people who are reasonable in their approach to dining. Each time I have sampled the food, we have selected just a little of each dish on offer, and ended up with quite a plateful. There is always a wide range and the mix of content and flavours is really imaginative and appealing.
Kerry’s son LeeRoy, once at Café Veldemeer in Mount Pleasant, has been working with his Dad for the past two years and also enjoys create dishes that offer flavour, visual enjoyment and healthy dining. Apparently they also do outside catering, and they bring the same mix of cuisine to this service. We didn’t have dessert, but a dessert offering of various cakes of the day is popular with most diners and there was a choice of four the day we went. These are $4 or $5.
The Shop Café opens from 12.30pm to 2pm (earlier on Fridays) and, by serving one’s self, a guest can choose his or her own timings for being in and out, which is very useful for business people. I have always noted that Kerry is very proud of his kitchen team and felt one of the features of his offering is not only their input but also the fact that he personally acquires the ingredients and uses only pure olive oil or sunflower oil in preparation.
Adjacent to The Shop Café is, of course, the well-known fine dining venue, Amanzi restaurant, owned and operated by the popular Andrew Mama. He gets on well with Kerry, so the arrangement helps maximise the use of the restaurant, situated along Enterprise Road a few kilometres short of the Chisipite shopping centre and across the road from Nazareth House. It’s easy to reach from across the northern suburbs and a reasonable run from the city centre.
Kerry has been in the local hospitality business for 30 years and knows what his customers like, and he provides a selection of food that is excellent and are good value for money. The venue is welcoming and attractive, and it certainly gives lunchtime diners a super choice for quick and easy dining and one that rewards folk who enjoy creative cuisine without necessarily having to place meat at the core of the meal.
Among the most frequent items of feedback that I get in this column is the question: where can we get a good selection of vegetarian dishes, and not just a few add-ons to a carnivore’s menu? Well, the answer clearly is The Shop Café, judging by the enormous range that I have seen on display. All too often I have observed that lip service is paid to vegetarians and one can almost sense a disdain for non-meat eaters, resulting in a tiny selection of offerings for them. But here there is thought, imagination, stylish presentation and a genuine desire to please, and on the plates are colour, flavour and visual delights that are satisfying even for the hungriest of diners.
The Shop Café at Amanzi is fun and informal, with food that is wholesome and appetising. As with all my previous outings there, my guest and I had a delightful time on our most recent visit. Booking can be done by calling Amanzi on (04) 497768 or 0772 336224. It’s at 158 Enterprise Road, and opens Tuesday to Saturday from 12.30pm to 2pm. The fresh food fair on Fridays is well worth a visit and it is open from 9am to lunchtime. Parking is plentiful on site.
The Grapevine wine group is holding its annual wine weekend in August, when members and anyone keen on a fun weekend away can join in. it will be hosted at Gordon’s on 125, a fairly new and upmarket boutique bed-and-breakfast venue in the heart of Mutare.
Wine tastings and delightful meals will be a core focus, as wll trips to local attractions. All ages welcome and anyone who wants a super weekend of fun is most welcome to come. WhatsApp or call 0785 300144 for more information and details of dates and costs.
Feedback is welcome and The Epicurean is keen to know what readers enjoy or dislike about Zimbabwe’s dining venues. What have been your experiences, good and bad? E-mail [email protected] with your input and feedback.
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