Al Fresco lunching at Bell’s Coffee Shop in Rolf Valley

IT’s always fun to lunch al fresco, providing you don’t forget your sunscreen, and have a cool pair of sun glasses to wear. In Harare there are a number of restaurants surrounded by pretty gardens, or with verandahs and balconies overlooking green lawns or thriving pot plants.

Fresh and delicious carrot, ginger, mint and apple juice at Bell’s Coffee Shop.

Bell’s Coffee Shop in Willowmead Junction, off Rolf Avenue, is one of the prettiest places to visit, with tables and chairs grouped beneath indigenous trees, in open sunlight, or inside the rustic log cabin interior. Besides its attractive setting, another plus point for Bell’s is that it opens on a Monday, traditionally the day that most restaurants in Harare take a break and are closed.

Friends visiting Bells had described their lunch as ‘very good’, so last Monday I booked an al fresco table for two, overlooking the garden and a wooden bridge leading to the reception. The mild winter sunshine was pleasant (no need for sunscreen), our waiter was cheerful and well informed, and the menu looked promising.

A tall glass of fresh apple, ginger, mint and carrot juice (absolutely no additives from a box) ($12) was an energising and delicious starter. Things were looking good. It took a while to make a choice for the next course, from the sandwiches, salads, pastas and burgers described on the menu. George zoomed in fairly swiftly to ‘Generous Chicken Schnitzel’ ($34) crusted with Parmesan and couscous, served with well-made chips, roasted vegetables and a mushroom sauce. The chicken was perfectly cooked, and a dish to go back for.

The roasted butternut and beetroot salad with bulgur wheat, peas, pumpkin seeds, crispy leaves and feta ($26) was a disappointment. Moulded into a large sausage shape, it was padded out with chopped tomato and sliced cucumber, making everything soggy. There were infinitesimal morsels of feta, and only small traces of bulgur wheat, while the pumpkin seeds were non-existent. George very kindly shared the chicken schnitzel with me, also finishing off the butternut salad.

I had really wanted to enjoy the meal, and decided to hang around for a dessert that might impress. We shared a waffle, half with ice cream, half with cream. Garnished with strawberries and gooseberries, it looked delicious, but tasted stodgy and heavy. A large cup of hot, flavoursome cappuccino was soothing, but failed to save the day.  By A Matter of Taste Charlotte Malakoff

Bell’s Coffee Shop

216 Rolf Avenue, Rolf Valley.

Tel: 04 850294