Aroma Caffè now open

I DID not expect to be enjoying a totally delicious crab pasta in Harare. But sun warming my back, a pretty garden and good company made a lovely first impression of Aroma Caffé. Open now for a couple of months in the health complex on Hurworth Road, off Enterprise, Aroma shares premises with the Vitamin Bar, Bodyline yoga and pilates studio, a physiotherapist, a special occasion dress shop and a Ministry. It’s a busy little complex and parking was full at midweek.

Currently they open from 7:30am to around 4.30pm but plan soon to offer some evenings also. I liked the look of the breakfast menu with dishes named after Italian composers. Verdi is a fried egg with bacon and tomatoes (US$6), Rossinni adds another egg, sausage and borlotti and cannellini beans with onions and a fresh Italian tomato sauce. Vivaldi — with smoked salmon and capers (US$9) sound lovely and Benedetto (US$10) is their take on an eggs benedcit with poached eggs in hollandaise sauce with spinach.

There is also an array of croissants — almond and chocolate at US$3 and filled croissants from US$5 to US$7.  If our lunch was anything to go by food is excellent. We enjoyed complementary tasty tapenade while choosing. We tried a couple of salads – the Palermo (US$12) with prawns, parmesan shavings and rocket and the Torino (US$9)– with chicken breasts, bacon and parmesan. Beautifully put together with a combination of leaves, decorated with pretty flowers and with a good dressing, they made a lovely early summer lunch. Extra olive oil and balsamic was offered by the waiter. Liked the sound of Campagnolo with lentils, butternut, lettuce and feta and the San Remo –like a nicoise salad including boiled eggs, tuna and potatoes was another non meat option

More substantial was the spaghetti crab (US$18) from the specials board, refreshed every day. Marina told me she sees what’s available and then chalks up a few specials on the black board. Seafood comes straight from Mozambique via a private supplier – and the crabs tasted really fresh. It was a new one on me to have unshelled crab pieces served with pasta, and it was messy, needing copious finger bowls and napkins to clean up afterwards. Cooked in a tangy tomato sauce the spaghetti was absolutely perfect and I managed to eat most of the crab and nearly all the pasta. Delicious. Could certainly enjoy that more often.

Equally messy was the positano – prawns, lettuce and avo in a cocktail sauce tucked into a baguette. Didn’t seem such a good idea to serve it on a board – and although it looked good – and tasted delicious, a plate may have been better to contain all the delicious juices and flavours. We managed all the same! Other sandwiches – all with Italian place names – ranged in price from $9 to $12 and included Roma, steak and caramelized onions with aioli, Bologna with mortadella and sundried tomatoes, Firenze – smoked ham and mushrooms, Milano with grilled chicken and eggplant and parma – prosciutto, pesto cheese and tomatoes.

Coffee is good and I was especially taken with the after lunch chocolate coated coffee beans. Proprietor Marina tells me she does these by hand every morning. Cakes also looked really special and I can imagine this rapidly becoming a very popular spot. Service was sweet and efficient and waiters on the ball. With Marina’s partner Kalua managing front of house and Chef Mike with an awesome spiky hairstyle doing a fine job in the kitchen, Aroma Caffe is friendly, warm and welcoming with lovely fresh food and real Italian flavour. Give it a try!

g.jeke@yahoo.com