Favourite rendezvous in Eastlea

While petrol heads and racing fans huddled miserably in the pouring rain at Shanghai International Circuit, and Formula One’s super drivers aquaplaned through the chicanes, the early winter sunshine shone down benignly upon Zimbos celebrating 29 years of independence.
At Mashonaland Motor Car Club in Eastlea, a special breakfast was planned for racing fans coming to watch China’s racing spectacle on the club’s TV.
“I’m thinking of fried rice and sweet and sour eggs,” said manageress Moira, when I spoke to her last Friday. Hmmmm. Not such a bad idea, I thought, having recently watched a cookery programme where Chinese/ Australian chef Kylie Kwong fried up some duck eggs in a wok.
For many Zimbos, Friday lunchtime marks the start of the weekend. Journos, estate agents, CEOs, traders and even hustlers will call it quits for a few hours as they flag down an ET, or climb into their 4x4s and head for their favourite restaurant or watering hole.
George and I were no exception last Friday, as we sped down Samora Machel Avenue, dodging potholes and asserting our right of way wherever hibernating traffic lights slept on the job. Turning left into the Eastlea Shopping Centre, we soon found Annan Road and pulled up when we saw a large sign above a durawall, which read Motor Sports Club.
An obliging security guard promised to keep an eye on our car, where it was parked on the verge, and indicated the way down a garden path to the entrance of the Mashonaland Motor Car Club. You do not have to be a member to enjoy a meal or have a drink at the MMCC.
George and I were warmly welcomed by Moira. A large group of fishermen, recently returned from an expedition, were clustered around the bar, telling tales about the one that got away. We decided to sit in the garden, choosing a table in dappled sunshine, close to a pretty, but overgrown herbaceous border of coprosma, Nyanga bush and pink and yellow cestrum.
Spreading our table with a crisp white tablecloth, Moira showed us the menu. The only item not available was chicken, but other choices included fish and chips, a steak roll, ploughman’s platter and a garden salad.
George and I both asked for steak and ale pie, served with chips, vegetables and salad, priced at US$7. Our Cokes were $2, but members would pay $1. Lunch dishes varied in cost from $3 to about $10.
While kitchen staff prepared our meal, we drank ice cold Coke from a can, poured over ice into a tall glass. Only a few metres away, behind the flowering shrubs and a wall, the sound of traffic from busy Samora Machel Ave was surprisingly faint. If you closed your eyes, the swish of pneumatic tyres on the tarmac surface beyond sounded very like the distant crashing of surf upon the beach.
Apart from the jolly fishermen inside, George and I were the only guests. In no time at all, our meal arrived. Made with Milk Stout, the individually served ale pies were rich and flavoursome. The pastry, however, was not quite baked through and could have stayed a little longer in the oven. Baby carrots were perfectly cooked al dente, and the French fries were golden and crisp.
The Motoring Club is open five days a week for lunch, and for special events at the weekends. It is a favourite rendezvous, especially in the evenings, for bikers, survivors (ageing bikers), bog-wheelers, the 4×4 club, classic car enthusiasts and members of the Vintage Car Club.
There is plenty of space for meetings, lunches, dinners and special occasions, and for anyone working in Eastlea, it’s a great place for a lunch break. The lawn would look all the better for a mowing and a trim around the edges, but the Jungle Gym and swing are in good shape, and provide a suitable distraction for a generation of toddlers growing up to be the racing drivers of the future.  
Mashonaland Motor Car Club
2 Annan Road
Eastlea
Tel.: (04) 746 763
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