Style, beauty at La Fontaine

When she visits her children in Harare North, she will visit the lingerie department of John Lewis and ask the helpful assistant to measure her up for a girdle to bopa her sagging midriff, and a reinforced bra to raise her bosom to a respectable ninety-degree angle.
After applying the latest make-up at the Lancôme counter on the ground floor, next stop is Marks and Spencer, to buy a linen suit from the Per Uno range. At this point the makeover is complete.
At Meikles Hotel La Fontaine Grillroom, which opened fifty years ago, resembles a beautiful woman upon whom much love and attention has been lavished.
Last Monday I was invited with a number of food writers and journalists to celebrate La Fontaine’s birthday, and to try out the new menu created by Executive Chef Gonzo and his team of cooks.  Smartly attired and urbane waiters ushered us to our table, and although I was hungry enough to eat a horse, I tried not to look too eager, as I sat down and spread a crisp white linen napkin on my knee.  A delicious homemade bread roll from Meikles’ in-house bakery, served with butter, staved off the hunger pangs, and a Malawi shandy was served in an elegant glass.
Sunshine streamed through ceiling to floor windows, framed by elegant drapes, glinting on silver cutlery, spotless glassware and bright white table linen. Fresh flower posies in silver vases stood on every table. There was a great sense of occasion as we sat back in our Louis Quatorze dining chairs, and studied Chef Gonzo’s exciting new menu.
I fancied most of the starters on the menu, particularly Thai chicken and coconut soup, and beef Carpaccio with olive oil and Parmesan cheese, but finally settled on smoked Nyanga trout with horseradish cream and lemon segments.
Served on a bed of crisp Iceberg lettuce, with a minimal dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with two brown bread triangles on the side, this was totally delicious. A glass of du Toitskloof Sauvignon Blanc 2007, the sommelier’s choice to accompany this, was perfect.
Along with most other meat eating Zimbos, steak au poivre is one of my favourite dishes.
It is difficult to resist top quality grass fed beef, which has a unique flavour, very different from that of corn fed cattle confined to their pens, in countries to the north.
At least half the guests at our table requested organic beefsteaks, flambéed before our eyes, and served with a delicious sauce of pepper, cream and mustard. 
A glass of du Toitskloof Shiraz 2004 complemented this tasty dish.
The French fries served with the steak were merely average, rather than being uniformly golden and fresh from the deep fryer. Zucchini, cauliflower and carrots, elegantly served from a silver dish, were al dente and looked colourful on the large white dinner plates.
In addition to the tantalising dessert trolley, several of chef Gonzo’s signature desserts were on offer, such as chocolate and nut brownies with mint ice cream, and hot apple crumble. My choice was described as a fruit omelette, served with ice cream and chocolate sauce. In reality it was a large crepe, folded around an apple and raisin filling, and topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Delicious.  Many guests had by this time taken their leave and returned to work, but diehards like myself, a journalist from a rival newspaper and one of our courteous Meikles hosts, stayed on to enjoy desserts, sip a cup of coffee and discuss the future of tourism and enthuse about all the good things we have to offer on the home front.
Each passing year calls for a celebration at La Fontaine, where style, beauty and fine cuisine make this a winning restaurant.

– La Fontaine Grillroom, Meikles Hotel, Jason Moyo Ave/3rd Street, Harare
Tel: 263 4 707721
Comments to: cmalakoff@gmail.com