Exploring what Harare has to offer

 It’s a feeling rooted in childhood and memories of the lovely, long Christmas holiday marked by rainstorms, sunshine, steamy growth and new clothes – and days that belonged only to you. 
But school starts this week and so does harsh reality, so Sunday offered an opportunity to get out gently into the real world.
I’ve been wondering how to explore the gamut of what Harare has to offer on the restaurant front and considered how I would proceed if I were a stranger to Harare without friends and connections.   So with ZESA smiling on me for a change and the internet working, I decided to explore the www.eatout.co.zw website and see where it led.
It needs patience even with quite a fast connection but offers a lot of information. Detail varies quite widely and I presume individual restaurants provide information themselves. In some cases a whole menu is featured – in others just a price range – and sometimes almost nothing.
But I learn that Papa’s has changed its name again and is now Applegees, that the Kraal Nyama Choma, advertised as a must try for any visiting tourist, is closed, and that something intriguingly called the Codfather is about to open –  though information on this one is scanty.
As it is a Sunday I click the useful looking button – Harare Restaurants/Open on Sunday – and choose Hellenic Cultural Centre – something that would not normally have come to my attention. There is not a lot of information but there is an option of online booking – so I fill in the form making a lunchtime reservation. Within an hour, I get a call back on my mobile with confirmation. Wow! I am impressed. Now to check out the restaurant.
We arrive soon after 1230 at the Hellenic Cultural Centre – next door to Chapman Golf Club – and are welcomed into a cool blue and white dining room with gorgeous smells coming from the kitchen.
Sunday lunch is a generous buffet US$15/ head – starting with hummus and tzatziki served with crisp pita bread and toast. Bar is run separately on a ticket system and a U$10 book was used up with a couple of beers, a Malawi shandy, a glass of wine and a bottle of mineral water.
The buffet spread was delicious and imaginative allowing lots of options and combinations.  Spinach pancakes served in a béchamel sauce, kebabs which could be stuffed into pita with more tzatziki and lots of lovely salad, roasted chicken pieces, roast potatoes, curry and rice. Highlight was the meltingly smooth beef pot-roast, cooked with tomato and spices and served Greek style with pasta shells incorporating the sauce. All very good.
Elegant and glamourous Irene Verghis has taken over management of the venue, done extensive revamp and keeps very busy with events – weddings, birthdays, conferences – and lunches. She plans to increase opening times and is considering which evenings will work best. A very hands on proprietor, she took time to sit and chat with us and offer a choice of desserts – baklava, tiramisiu and/or icecream. I couldn’t resist the baklava, a favourite, and this one was spiced with cloves and cinnamon giving a lingering Christmas taste to the lunch.
All in all a pleasurable start to eating out in 2012. Good service from eatout on a first hit and I look forward to more tastes in the coming year.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com