Foodies keen as mustard to eat out again.

JUST over a year ago, COVID-19 arrived in Zimbabwe, and before you could say Bob’s your uncle, the tourism and hospitality industries, both leading players in the country’s economy, were in dire straits. Restaurant and foodservice businesses were severely impacted and dining in restaurants virtually closed overnight. It has been a hard year for restaurateurs and their employees, with some businesses conceding defeat, and others hanging on by a thread.

Pre-COVID restaurants were a place to hang out, work and socialise. You booked a table at your favourite restaurant to celebrate milestone events such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries and job promotions, thinking nothing of inviting fifty of your best friends to party with you. (Even if it meant finding creative ways over the next few months to pay for the event.)

Antipasto at Garfunkels, Rolf Valley

For foodies, eating out was an opportunity to taste something delicious. Spicy chicken from @jasminealiarab, CEO of Tinkabell Restaurant was awesome. Back in my own kitchen, could I replicate the spices and grilling technique, handed down from her grandmother, that Jasmine used? Probably not. Chicken pepper soup and five spice oxtail from Amanzi Restaurant (now closed) were favourites to return to time and again.

The good news for restaurant owners is that restrictions on dining in have been lifted, and the majority of guests are as keen as mustard to eat out again. Restaurants will follow health and safety guidelines, and restrict capacity to 50 per cent, which should reassure former patrons still wary of catching or passing on COVID-19.

Enjoying out new-found freedom last Saturday, George and I drove down Addington Lane towards a new branch of Garfunkels, in Rolf Valley. Located in premises previously occupied by Sorellas Pizzeria, go-to place for authentic Italian cuisine and delicious cakes, Garfunkels have made extensive renovations and come up with a modern new look, likely to be popular with local residents.

Gammon steak, chips and salad at Garfunkels

The route to Garfunkels was fraught with life-threatening potholes and importunate freelance road menders, but this didn’t dampen our excitement at the prospect of eating out and socialising once more. We found the last parking place outside Garfunkels, and masks in place, passed through the sanitising station into the restaurant. Airy and bright, the new Garfunkels offers a version of patio dining that should reassure guests wary of eating a meal in an enclosed space.

Long standing and popular restaurateur Paul Sinclair, last seen at The Village Greek, greeted us with his usual bonhomie, and led us to a table for two. Patrons at suitably-distanced tables on either side were enjoying the moment and settling in for the long haul. Garfunkels is not yet licensed, so if you enjoy a glass of shiraz with your pork ribs, coated in sticky sauce, remember to bring your own.

When a new restaurant opens, it can take a few months for things to settle in and run smoothly. Even so, the antipasto I ordered was a disappointment. Who could resist a dish described thus: ‘Antipasto: a fine selection of Garfunkels Gold Range Cured Meats: Black Forest, Italian Coppa and Pancetta Ham, Milano, Pepper Crusted and Napoli Salami, Danish Feta, Kalamata Olives and fresh Focaccia bread’? Thinly spread out on a large wooden platter, alongside a row of coppa and a row of salami (both fresh and tasty) were cubes of cheddar cheese spiked on toothpicks, black olives, and swirls of Middle Eastern hummus and wholegrain mustard. There was no Danish feta, and instead of focaccia, a light, fluffy leavened bread, there was a small stack of rather dry bread sticks. The highlight of the platter were some spicy pan fried zucchini sticks.

Although Paul Sinclair obligingly asked the pizzaiolo (pizza maker) to make some focaccia to replace the bread sticks, the end result tasted very like a thin crust garlic pizza. Many people may enjoy a bread stick with their antipasto, but I can’t appreciate well made pancetta or pepper crusted salami without slice of freshly baked focaccia or ciabatta.

Garfunkels speciality, horseshoe gammon steak with honey and mustard, was served with crispy potato chips and a fresh garden salad. George found it well cooked, but thought the presentation lacked the wow factor.

Patson, the pizzaiolo, worked in Sorellas kitchen for many years, and there’s not much that this self-actualised pizza maker doesn’t know about authentic Italian cuisine. He was kept busy on Saturday by frequent orders for take away pizzas, and judging by the garlic pizza he made me, Patson could be the top pizzaiolo in town.

We’ve all enjoyed the take aways, but now that restaurants are opening up again, make a booking and enjoy what Zimbabwe’s chefs can offer.

A Matter of Taste with Charlotte Malakoff

Comments to: cmalakoff@gmail.com