Freshly Ground Coffee Shop at Halsteds a breath of fresh air

Breakfast at Freshly Ground Coffee Shop.

CONFINED to barracks during the recent three-day stay away, meal preparation depended upon the contents of an ill-stocked freezer and whatever the pantry shelves might yield. Recent vegan house guests had left behind some packets of quorn (meat free mince grown from mushrooms in fermentation tanks), but in-house supplies of dried kapenta, rice, pasta and some tinned goods kept us going, without attempting to make quorn cottage pie or quorn burgers.

Later in the week, supermarkets faced with hordes of hungry shoppers were obliged to close main entrances and let people in through side doors, two by two, like Noah’s Ark. Half an hour after opening, the Amanzi Farmers Market on Friday had sold out of bread and fresh, organic vegetables. It was time to venture forth in search of sustenance, so we set off for Freshly Ground, a coffee shop located within the new state-of-the-art branch of Halsteds in Borrowdale.

Travelling north along Alpes Road, we crossed over Harare Drive. Should you continue onwards towards Pomona Barracks, you will navigate potholes, a burgeoning fuel queue, a narrow bridge and potentially life-changing speed humps. Beyond lie the odiferous municipal dump site, scenic Wingate Golf Club, home of the spotted eagle owl, and busy Emerald Seedlings, with its eclectic variety of plants and trees. Exploring Alpes Road could wait, and we turned left off Alpes Road into Halsteds’ spacious car park. Arriving at Freshly Ground Coffee Shop was like a breath of fresh air.

There are four branches of Freshly Ground in Harare – one in Msasa, one in Sam Levy’s Village, and another at Village Walk. On one side of Freshly Ground at Halsted’s is a garden shop, and on the other are wide, spacious aisles stocked with hardware, tools, plumbing, sanitary ware and top quality interior and exterior house paints. A builder or DIY expert will find everything his heart desires, from the smallest screw, to a new bath or a wooden door from the timber yard.

Breakfast being the priority, we entered the coffee shop and sat down on a comfortable two-seater sofa upholstered in chocolate brown and orange. The decor is imaginative and attractive: open umbrellas hang at different levels from the ceiling, and bright African prints decorate brick walls. Modern stainless steel light fittings hang from the ceiling, and a spotless light-coloured tile floor leads out into the garden centre with its flourishing plants and garden accessories.

Menu choices for drinks are on a board on the wall behind the counter, and food options are on display on glass-fronted shelves. This was my first visit to any branch of Freshly Ground, and although I found a wide selection of nice looking cakes and eye-catching trays of millionaire’s shortbread, there was nothing resembling a full English breakfast or a cheese omelette with two slices of toast. Receptionist Praise says, however, that she has received countless requests from patrons for a classic breakfast menu.

There are three sizes of coffee latte – short, tall and grande. The short latte ($4.35) was delicious – hot and aromatic. It was the same height as George’s tall hot chocolate ($8.30). He found the hot chocolate luke-warm, but declined to send it back for nuking.

From a selection of muffins, sandwiches, wraps and crepes, I chose a bacon and chives muffin ($8.05). Although it was large, well-risen and looked attractive, a possible excess of rising agent affected the flavour, and I lost my appetite half way through. George, however, enjoyed the beef fillet and green pepper panini ($8.05), his only complaint being that the strips of beef fillet were hard to find.

There is no waiter service at Freshly Ground; you make your order at the counter, and collect it when it’s ready. This works perfectly well, as the area is small, and the counter visible from every table. There was a steady flow of customers, although Praise said numbers had dropped recently.

Freshly Ground at Halsteds is a great place to stop off at if you’re doing some DIY home repairs, or need to buy gum boots and protective clothing for your work force. If you live in the area, or need a break from queueing for fuel at the service station opposite, swing by for a coffee and a slice of cake.  – A Matter of Taste with Charlotte Malakoff

Freshly Ground Coffee Shop at Halsteds
Monday-Friday: 8am – 5pm
Saturday: 8 am – 3 pm
Sunday: 9am – 1 pm
Cnr Harare Drive / Borrowdale
Tel: 0242 885331