Eat, hang out

 Unfortunately I don’t live in that city so it’s rather difficult to pop in for a monthly or weekly meal — but it has everything required of a regular local — an engaging proprietor who greets you by name and asks after your life and family, cosy, crowded seating, simple well-cooked food, and being French, lots of lively Beaujolais.
Back home, the closest I come to a comforting local is the Sitar — where we have been going for family meals for a couple of decades. A visiting guest took us out to dinner last week and Sitar was the first choice though I realised we hadn’t been there in over a year.
Mid-week was busy with a couple of large tables of visiting businessmen from China and India in deep discussion with locals. Let’s hope that augurs an economic boost. An essential factor of every local is a favourite dish and mine is prawn green masala — juicy little prawns in a spicy coriander sauce. Now US$16 (up a dollar from 18 months ago) it’s as delicious as ever. Basmati rice and delicious buttery naans soak up the gravy accompanied by unchanging sambals — tomato and onion, fresh cabbage pickle and mango chutney. Glad to see tomato ketchup no longer on the sambal tray! I had been looking forward to a sticky syrupy gulab jamun for dessert but this one, made from semolina tasted like stodgy school pudding.  Too bad. The kulfi (Indian ice cream) was okay. A robust du Toit’s Kloof shiraz accompanied the meal — at US$18 not as free flowing as in the Paris bistro, but did the trick.
Second local foray was to the Flat Dog Diner in Msasa. Haven’t been there for years though it has been a regular with friends for ages. First surprise was the packed car park. No-one was in the restaurant      however, except a couple of kids waiting for their parents. All the business was at the flourishing outside bar, not surprising with beer only US$1,50. Red wine from the box was the same drinker friendly price. 
Second surprise was the large menu — too large — as the kitchen was unable to cope with an order for four different dishes. Our friends don’t usually even consult the menu and go for their comfort dish of choice, pork chops (US$14) with butternut and mash — this time served with chips. We did look at the menu which includes a lot of steak dishes (all around US$16),chicken, pork, various combos and a seafood selection. Which tempted us into prawns (US$16) and fried calamari (US$14) . Mistake!  We might have done better to go for the spare rib special (US$10) or the chicken (US$9).
The food took some time to arrive. My prawns were cold and flabby and had been sitting around for a while.  The calamari, deep fried in a very stodgy batter, seemed to have gone straight from freezer to fryer and came with chips that were hot (unlike my cold soggy ones) but not cooked through.
The evening was saved by the staff. Service was charming and waiters attentive, polite and friendly — in spite of things not working in the kitchen. We sat on the verandah in deference to the smokers and enjoyed each other’s company, the lush garden and moonlit night. But it would be nice to have some cushions on the rather uncomfortable metal strip chairs.
Guess it’s predominantly a watering hole and perhaps better to concentrate on good pub food for when the drinkers need sustenance rather than offering a menu which they can’t deliver.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com