Best of oriental cuisine

 As Chinese restaurants continue to proliferate throughout the city, fried rice and pork chop suey look set to overtake sadza and nyama as our national dishes.
Last week, George and I were delighted to receive an e-mail from fellow food hounds Kathi and Tony, inviting us to join them for Sunday lunch at Harare’s newest Chinese restaurant, the Golden Bamboo.
“They’ve got a real Chinese chef”, enthused Kathi, “and he’s related to the family that used to run the Bamboo Inn in years gone by!”
 If you grew up in Harare and are over the age of twenty-five, you probably celebrated birthday parties with ten of your best school friends at the Bamboo Inn. Later, you might have worked there as a waitress, before heading south to UCT and the wide world. Couples tended to celebrate wedding anniversaries in the dark candle-lit interior, and lovers of chicken wings, butterfly prawns and Sichuan beef would regularly invite their chinas out for a slap up meal at the Bamboo Inn.
 All of which indicates that the presence of       the new chef at the Golden Bamboo, adjoining Seasons Restaurant       on Enterprise Road, Highlands, will act as a powerful magnet to many diners wishing to re-live the culinary delights of the Bamboo Inn.
 When George and I arrived at the entrance to Seasons Restaurant just after 1pm, nothing much seemed to have changed since our last visit in 2009. A pile of bricks left over from building operations was stacked beneath a menu blackboard, and the car park still looked run down. Smiling staff beckoned us towards the front door and entrance — an all-important feature in Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art and science, which has recently become so popular in the west.
 Feng Shui is said to balance the energies of a space, assuring the health and good fortune of the people inhabiting it. It follows that a large portal or doorway creates the opening into which large amounts of energy can flow: a titchy little door like the entrance to Seasons, will admit correspondingly less energy. I felt my qi (life force) diminish as I entered the darkened interior and bar area: fortunately a friendly receptionist guided us through the shadows to where Kathi and Tony awaited us, drinks in hand. We transferred immediately to the Golden Bamboo, turning right at the red Chinese lantern, and entering a small room with clinker brick walls and perhaps eight tables.
 Red tablecloths and napkins, a symbol of authority and power, created a suitably Chinese atmosphere, and matching blue and white tableware looked attractive. In the interests of creating more space for the many dishes we were about to order, the men in our party agreed to push a small vase of fresh flowers to one side.
 The menu was small but attractive, and I was pleased to see that it did not contain photos of dishes, none of which ever seem to resemble the food they claim to portray. Interestingly, the kitchen has limited the menu to a number of ‘safe’ options. Do not expect to find Hong Kong steamed lobster, Fairy Duck or Szechuan style cows trotters. Stick to chow mein, chop suey and spring rolls and you won’t be disappointed.
 We started off with chicken-filled spring rolls and a dipping sauce. They were freshly made, and without a trace of grease. Mmmmh! We shared a Prawn Foo Yong, hot off the skillet, which was also delicious. Pork Chop Suey and Chicken Chow Mein were tasty and if they lacked a little fire in their collective belly, there were two kinds of chilli sauce to faka moto. Sauteed beef with black bean was hot, spicy and delicious.  In the absence of banana fritters, Kathi and I made do with indifferent chocolate mousse served with crème fraiche. Tony and George seemed content with ice cream with chocolate sauce and crème caramel respectively.
 The wiry young manager of Golden Bamboo, who looked as though he might feel more at home serving parathas and Tandoori chicken, will need to make further adjustments to improve the restaurant’s Feng Shui.
Opening the space up to the attractive garden and water feature outside would provide a relaxing environment for patrons, and reduce the steamy temperature on late summer afternoons.
 Waiters accustomed to serving western food require a little education about the preparation, ingredients, and taste of Chinese food. Chow mein cannot be passed off as chop suey, or pork described as chicken.
 We took our own bottle of Lutzville Chenin blanc, specially created to be drunk with spicy oriental food, and our bill came to just over $15 a head.
This is probably  the cost of just one entrée at a restaurant in Manhattan or Beijing, and  a compelling reason never to aspire to be a super power.
Golden Bamboo at Seasons
146 Enterprise Road
Highlands
Tel: 443467
– Comments to: cmalakoff@gmail.com