Drop in for a choc treat

A slap up meal would help avert the crisis so I spent an hour on the internet on Saturday morning trying to find somewhere suitable to have lunch. It was very frustrating and when I eventually thought I’d found the perfect place they didn’t bother to answer their cell phone.
So we met at the Cocoa Tree because I knew it would be open.
It’s situated in the jungley bit at the TM end of Borrowdale Shopping Centre. There is a large pond with a waterfall and fish and the restaurant wraps itself around three sides of a building.
It’s all set about with wiggly walls and windows set at odd angles. Old kettles, pots, ferns, pebbles and Citra bowls and broken tiles are squirreled away into nooks and crannies. I found a quiet table between a fountain and a group of French women having lunch. It was quite draughty in the filtered shade at the back so when girlfriend arrived we moved to the front (where it was even more draughty!
But that filtered sunlight will be lovely in a few weeks time.)
As the name suggests this place specialises in chocolate but also has a limited selection of light savoury lunch dishes. We ordered a fresh orange and a home made lemon at US$2 and US$1,50 respectively.
Girlfriend went for a Quiche Lorraine and salad and I ordered a BLT Ciabatta. Other options were scrambled eggs, sandwiches or anchovy toast on home made bread. Prices range from US$6 to US$4. They also do breakfasts which include a boiled egg at US$2 and omelettes or scrambled eggs with mushrooms at US$6.
Service was good, the conversation was riveting and the food was fine, well-cooked and well-presented.
Unfortunately girlfriend doesn’t like chocolate and as writing a food column has it’s downside, which is an upsize, I didn’t either.
However the chocolate fondue sounded extremely interesting…
In the sixties you hadn’t arrived unless you owned a fondue set. It was a small pot that stood over a burner and came supplied with six or eight diabolically sharp long forks. You speared a piece of bread and dipped it into the sauce made of gruyere or emmental cheese which simmered in the pot.
Or you could spear bits of meat and fry them in hot oil then burn your lips. It was generally a bit fiddly, but a chocolate fondue at US$10 sounds worth making the effort with someone who likes chocolate. As does a hot or cold chocolate float, depending on the weather, at US$7. There are also chocolate croissants, a Brussels waffle, scones, pancakes and ice creams.
They have a fine selection of coffees including Turkish and decaff and ten different teas. A large hot chocolate will cost you US$4,50 and a small US$1,50 I’ve now been to the Cocoa Tree twice by default. A few months back when a friend had invited me to lunch then forgotten to cook anything and now with a girlfriend who really required a Baccha-nalian feast.
On both occasions it acquitted itself well and in view of Harare’s badly publicised and severely limited range of Saturday lunch venues, I look forward to returning to it as a coffee shop, which is what it is.

– The Cocoa Tree
1 Village Walk
Green Close
Borrowdale Shopping Centre
Open Monday to Sunday 8 am to 5 pm and 8 pm on Friday.
g.jeke@yahoo.com