Day out at Dandaro retirement village

Having booked a table for two for Sunday lunch at Dandaro Restaurant last week, I later increased it to a table for five, and invited friends Elizabeth, Jonty and Tim to join us for a roast beef lunch. We arrived just after one o’clock, to find most of the tables occupied, and lunch well under way.
Friendly waiters directed us to a table on the verandah, with a view of the swimming pool, colourful flower boxes, and a duck pond, where assorted waterfowl played with ducks and drakes. Wine glasses were brought to the table, and our bottle of Arabella Shiraz was opened for the modest corkage fee of US$1. We all ordered roast beef, although I was fleetingly tempted by the alternative, Scotch egg. The beef was served with fondant potatoes, peas and carrots and fresh, quartered tomatoes. George was disappointed that neither French fries nor rice was an option. For visitors to Dandaro, a main course costs US$10, while residents pay substantially less.
Sunday lunch at Dandaro last week was quite a social event. Groups of friends chatted animatedly as they tucked into their roast beef and Scotch eggs, while pre-teens (presumably visiting grand children) skateboarded like swooping swallows up and down paved walkways. I had the distinct impression that life in a retirement village could provide a companionable existence, with convivial friends close at hand.
Our waiter performed a creditable juggling act, serving an armful of plates of food with a flourish. I could hardly believe the size of the slice of beef on my plate. Balancing the tiny paper napkin on one knee, I set to eat with a hearty appetite.
As I attempted to slice through the beef, the going suddenly became very tough, and tougher still when chewing the mouthful. There was no horseradish sauce available, but our waiter produced a bottle of mustard sauce from the kitchen.
We were all hungry, which made it easier to soldier on. The peas and carrots were hardly in the springtime of their lives, perhaps, unsurprisingly, as Zimbos are currently living through one of the bleakest midwinters on record. The fondant potatoes, however, were tasty.
Jonty ate very quickly, as he had to be home before 2pm to watch the start on TV of the Formula 1 race at Nurburgring. Tim, who lives in England, is 75 percent vegetarian, but had hoped to enjoy some good quality beef while visiting Zimbabwe. For an individual whose staple diet is ratatouille, chickpeas and rice, a slice of top grade, grass-fed Zimbabwe beefsteak, would have been something to write home about.
We fortified ourselves with glasses of Shiraz, and eventually felt mellow enough to order baked apples with raisins, served with ice cream and gooseberries. These attractive-looking puds cost US$2 each. Hot coffee, served in a capacious white cup, cost US$1.
Non-resident visitors to Dandaro Restaurant will probably think twice about ordering a meal, given the delicious two-course US$10 menu currently available at a number of Borrowdale restaurants. But for the inmates of this busy retirement village, Dandaro provides affordable meals in very large servings.

Dandaro Restaurant
Dandaro Retirement Village
Wenham Cl
Borrowdale
Tel.: 0912 909 095
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