Silver seniors have whale of a time at Tin Roof.  

Starter platter for one at Tin Roof

A Matter of Taste with Charlotte Malakoff

CHECK out Tin Roof restaurants in Nashville, San Diego and Maui, and you’ll probably find that the Tin Roof off Enterprise Road in Highlands is right up there with its busiest and most popular namesakes. On another level, our local Tin Roof is a sociological phenomenon in Zimbabwe’s dynamic cultural scene, said to be popular with the white community and largely devoid (apart from the wait staff) of people of colour.

Stories abound of bored youngsters drinking and brawling into the early hours, while others speak glowingly of casual and business lunches regularly enjoyed at Tin Roof. Reports on TripAdvisor also say it’s the place to meet up with old friends. It was time to make a visit and find out for myself. Not reckless enough to invade the evening space of Generation Zs and Millennials (the dynamics change after 6 pm) we set off for the Tin Roof on a rainy Saturday, in time for an early lunch.

The mobile number had rung unanswered, and I couldn’t book in advance, but we took a chance and pulled into a large, muddy car park, and then made our way to the spacious open entrance of the dining area. There was no reception as such, so we chose a table with comfortable upright chairs, rather than one of the many picnic style tables with benches. Two or three waiters moved lethargically around the tables, but once we had attracted the attention of Leo, aka Shumba, he looked after us efficiently and cheerfully.

We shared a snack platter for one of calamari rings, a prawn kebab, fish goujons, onion rings and chips, with two dipping sauces, ($10). Apart from the prawn kebab which tasted weary and dry, everything else was fresh and crisp, attractively plated and garnished with a fresh lemon wedge and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Relaxing and settling into the vibe as Fleetwood Mac and Dexys Midnight Runners belted out retro favourites from the 80s, we looked around at the clientele.

I can’t recall ever seeing so many silver-haired and balding men, dressed in flip flops and shorts, getting together over bottomless beers and shooters, and having such a whale of a time. This felt like a time warp; had we joined a group of Rhodie revellers in the 1970s at La Boheme or Archipelago’s nightclub?

My main course, a 250g sirloin steak with chips and salad ($14), arrived promptly. There was a choice of mushroom, pepper, blue cheese or garlic sauce, at no extra charge – quite a change from restaurants that like to add on extra dollars for sauces. The steak, with its chargrilled cross hatching, looked superb. Sadly, it was verging on well-done rather than medium, and slightly tough. Flavour wise it was good, the chips were freshly fried, and the salad an artful concoction of crisp lettuce, cucumber, olives, feta cheese, croutons and nuts and a well-balanced dressing. The blue cheese dressing was only OK.

Crumbed calamari and chips ($14), George’s choice, was well-cooked and satisfying.

Time went by, and men clad in obligatory casual Saturday attire continued to arrive. Friends were slapped on the back, chairs were pulled up or space was made on benches, and the flow from the bar of buckets packed with beers increased. Women were outnumbered in these macho groups but they seemed content to go with the flow as beer after beer was poured, and the empty bottles tossed into a nearby bin, with a resounding crash.

Nutty Squirrel for dessert was sold out, so we shared a very nice vanilla panna cotta with a passion fruit dressing ($5).

Preparing to leave, we met up with old friends, embraced in the true Tin Roof Style, and sat down again to catch up on the news. The afternoon had slipped away before we finally departed. Generation Z would be on the way to Tin Roof, and it was time for the silver tsunami to recede.

Tin Roof Bucket Bar and Bistro

1 Lewisam Shopping Centre

178 Enterprise Road

Highlands

Harare

Open Tuesday – Saturday 11 am – 3 am

Closed Monday and Tuesday

Mobile: 0778 218 990

Comments to: cmalakoff@gmail.com