Exercise those taste buds!

The adjoining Maiden Public House, however, is in need of a makeover and currently resembles one of Cinderella’s ugly sisters. Any maidenly attributes this pub may have possessed in an earlier relationship with the Keg having dissipated, a facelift is now required.
The cool, south-facing verandah of Harare Sports Club must be a delightful venue in October, Zimbabwe’s so-called sweltering suicide month. At mid-day in the first wintery week of June, it was deep in shade and chilly to say the least. George and I sat at a picnic table with a grandstand view of the action, as the Zimbabwe cricket team took on Sri Lanka in the Micromax T20 series.
The Maiden may have lost some of its youthful bloom, but the waitresses are young, friendly and helpful and have charming smiles. I ordered ginger beer in a can (US$2) although Coke in a bottle would have cost half as much. George was meaning business, and ordered two Castles straight away (US$1,50 each). Although we were watching cricket, many dishes on the menu were named after footballers and their teams.
Starters included Fullbacks’ Mushrooms ($4) and Ronaldo’s Chicken Salad ($8). I considered a main course of grilled chicken, described as Referee’s Chicken (US$9) and then thought George and I might share a Bafana Bafana Braai Pack (US$18) made up of boerewors, pork belly and ribs. Eventually George settled for Ballack’s Boneless Ribs Burger (US$7), served with French fries and a salad garnish.
Although my final choice was for a 300g medium to rare beef fillet (US$14) I might easily have been tempted by Captain Chibhabha’s Chicken Nuggets, Lamb’s Noisettes or Taibu’s Tantalising Tempura. I thought Ballack’s Burger pale and uninteresting, but my unnamed beef fillet was quite superb. The meat was tender, flavoursome and perfectly cooked. Moreover, the essential beef taste was enhanced with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. Many an unimaginative Zimbabwean cook tends to smother everything in a sweetish barbecue sauce, so that all dishes taste the same, whether fish, fowl, pork or beef.
Side dishes of butternut squash and zucchini tasted fine, but the French fries were made from average quality potatoes and all cut to different lengths.
From the two puddings on offer I chose Baked Pudding served with ice cream (US$4). Two glossy red Maraschino cherries brightened up this soggy and sad looking dessert. A watery and lacklustre cappuccino was also disappointing.
In contrast, the game became more and more exciting as Brendan Taylor scored a hundred runs and Sri Lanka continued to fumble and drop catches. The shadows lengthened and I persuaded George to watch the remainder of the game on TV, from the cosy interior of the Maiden.
Were it not for our elation at Zimbabwe’s victory on that day, the Maiden’s drab brown carpet, ageing seating and absence of décor or decoration would have driven me to despair.

The Maiden Public House
Harare Sports Club
Tel: 700037

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