adminMonica Cheru-Mpambawashe Lifestyle Editor
Although a good number of establishments have closed over the past few years in New York, it is still possible to have each meal out three times a day for more than three years and not go to any place twice.
Harare is nowhere near there but the number and range of eateries is ever increasing. About thirty years back, one had to go to one of the top hotels for fine dining. But now good restaurants are scattered all over if you are in the right neighbourhood. It is heartening to note that traditional Zimbabwean cuisine has come into its own with many top end eateries replacing the old icons like Leonardo’s and Greatermans’ Bull Dog Pub and Grill which have been swallowed by the shifting sands of time.
Mapping Harare’s eating scape is certainly no easy job as there is always a new place that one has not yet been to. The following attempt is by no means comprehensive and is naturally subjective based on the writer’s experiences and preferences.
Avondale’s mixed plate
The area surrounding Avondale Shopping Centre has become the hub of restaurants in the city. Mediterranean, continental, oriental and traditional Zimbabwean fare can all be found within a three kilometre radius of the shopping centre.
So whether you want to indulge in a pizza, or would like to watch your weight while nibbling a Caesar salad and mineral water or crave the uniquely filling sadza nematumbu, just drive along the area and you are bound to find something that suits your gastronomic urges.
It would be criminal to talk about this area without singling out Mojos. If you love meat with no apologies, then you just have to make the pilgrimage to that restaurant. They understand meat and the grill. No further words are needed.
Oriental
Oriental food is considered the best in the world and Harare has a respectable number of outlets to choose from.
Chinese
More restaurants are being opened almost every day with 53 Selous Avenue and the Long Cheng Plaza eatery being the latest to join others like Great Wall and Wing Wah.
But Shangri La remains the Hilton of the crop. One of the very first Chinese eateries to be established in the country the restaurant has remained on top of the game with a menu to die for and divine surroundings like the mythical place from which it takes its name.
Elegant furnishings set Shangri La apart. The choice between public dining room, private rooms and decadent tent settings make it the ultimate place to be seen or not seen as the occasion demands. The restaurant also
Shangri La is also perfect for functions including weddings, birthdays and corporate functions as there are separate areas to cater for such events therefore patrons do not have to suffer inconveniences of mixing with the wrong crowds.
Indian
Oddly enough restaurants serving Indian food are not too many in the capital city in spite of a sizeable portion of the population being of that ethnic heritage. They seem to suffer the fate of Italian fare eateries which seem to somehow not quite get a grip on the population despite having the most fabulous food. Could it be that other locals have not cultivated a taste for the spicy Indian fare?
The Spice Lounge in Milton Park is arguably the best in this class. The best thing is that they understand that not all of us would like the roofs of our mouths blown when having a curry so their mild is really mild. The range of dishes on offer is mind blowing and one is tempted to constantly return to sample yet another dish.
The sitting is also convenient as it is central without being in the CBD and parking is not a headache.
Thai
The Thai fare restaurant along Churchill Road has retained the mouthwatering menu that patrons had gotten used to before it relocated from its Msasa base. If noodles are your particular food fetish, then Thai cooking is for you. A big plus for this place is the portion size. Take along a monster appetite but the good part is that like the Chinese restaurants, doggy bags are part of landscape.
Mediterranean
Paula’s Place along Samora Machel which relocated from the same road in the CBD remains largely popular. The Portuguese grilled chicken is definitely one of the dishes that seems to know no cultural barriers when it comes to palate satisfaction.
Since Nandos upgraded from a takeaway to a proper dining facility a few years ago, we must surely include them in the must go places for this kind of cuisine. With many outlets and a more laid back atmosphere, Nandos remains a firm favourite for many.
Tinkerbell’s tucked away in the unlikely spot of the industrial areas near Houghton Park Shopping Centre is another place to put on your dining list. No wonder why it has become Harare’s most poorly kept secret as patrons trek across town to go there.
Continental
Emmanuel’s at the Bronte Hotel, Mirabelle’s at the Meikles Hotel and Victoria 22 are among some of the best places to go for the more continental approach especially if you are entertaining to impress. But for me Amanzi remains the top dog in this category.
Perhaps their biggest plus is the menu which is refreshed often and is always guaranteed to take you around the world as you choose between West African dishes and something from the middle east tucked in somewhere between the beef olives and stuffed chicken breasts which we have come to associate with Western dining.
Traditional Zimbabwean restaurants
Garwe Restaurant in Eastlea must claim the accolades for raising local traditional food from no-choice eating into classy dining choice in the psyche of the yuppie.
They capitalised on the market that had been disenfranchised after the closing of the legendary original Cresta Mbare where executives loved to go slumming to munch their pap alongside kombi crews, Mbare Terminus touts and pick pockets. So popular was the ordinary high density house with its basic furniture and open air kitchens that the usual suspects were muttering about voodoo and juju as they cast envious eyes at the enterprise.
In the past few years countless eateries offering traditional fare have come up all over town with a good number of them in the Avondale area. Most of the places serve the same food with nothing to set them apart from the next place.
Vumba Restaurant at the Holiday Inn has been at the game for years with their special Friday lunch. The buffet style meal which means that you can have everything and the touch of maheu, the traditional malt drink with which patrons are welcomed certainly puts them ahead of the pack. And the entertainment by traditional dance troupes also makes the atmosphere just right.
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