Ardbennie’s own handy lunch venue

TinkaBell is the brain child of Yasmin Fonseca and her businessman husband Rui, of Fonzie Engineering.
From Simon Mazorodze go left into St Georges Road and first right into Upton Road. It was once a tarred road but don’t be put off, keep on until you get to the last factory on your left with a green sliding gate.
It’s a relief to be off the bumpy potholed road and to find flowers, a fountain and even a duck pond.
Our introduction to Yasmin, better known as Cookie, was when the kitchen door swung open and she appeared wearing an apron. This is always a good sign in a restaurant.
As soon as Rui, who helps out at lunch time, had seated us all a waiter promptly served us with cold drinks from an amply stocked bar where a few well-oiled customers were gathered to choose music. One of them shouted to the waiter.
“Hey bring us two Dee’s Snack Platters with a big bowl of sauce.” Then he turned towards us and added, “I tell you, Cookie’s samoosas are the best! And her chicken kebabs — she’s not stingy with the garlic hey?”
To start we chose a mixed platter of Jazzy Giblets — cooked in wine and garlic and another of King Tharik which are strips of beef done in a special marinade sauce and served with bread.
For my main course I chose a steak roll and chips at US$7, the steak was done to order and it was perfectly cooked and meltingly tender.
The dishes have jazzy names such as ‘Galinha on the Run’, which is half a piri piri chicken with chips and salad at US$8. Ordered as hot as you like, this was chosen by most of our group.
All agreed it was delicious Portuguese cuisine at its best. Succulent and freshly barbequed with a perfect amount of chilli and served with hot satisfying chips.
‘Tasha’s the One’ is a succulent chicken breast soaked in a marinade and served in a roll with chips at US$7 and there are prawns, tilapa and kingclip in the region of US$15. The service was good and the garlic sauce was pretty sterek but the fiery chilli chutney so hot that we asked the waiter if the chillies came from hell!
A charming and unflustered Cookie explained that they are grown by various family members and the garlic by a friend.
For dessert, we enjoyed Tinka’s delight, a granadilla pudding at US$3 perhaps a little heavier on the gelatine than grandmother Tinka would have used but the flavour was good.
Others chose the chocolate mousse at US$4 and Margie’s ice cream surprise at US$3 all of which gave a perfect ending to our meal.
This is an ideal lunch venue if you work in the industrial sites. Tinkabell is opened every weekday for lunch.
And thanks to the reader who told me about this place and pointed out that it is also open for lunch on the last Saturday and Sunday of the month. It would have been the perfect place to take my angst ridden friend a few months ago.
They cater for parties, weddings, conferences and functions and do event planning. Next week this go ahead couple plan to open a Deli and gift shop with Portuguese wines, perfumes, samosas and cakes.

Phone 661697
Cell no. – 0914 069 925
0912 735 177
0914 374 778
011 401 271
Shereenarab@yahoo.com
l gjeke@yahoo.com