Zandi’s fresh chilli sauce adds pizzazz to underwhelming multi-cuisine.

Apple tart and ice cream Chez Zandi’s Bistro and Wine Bar.

AVENUES dwellers have Greenwood Park on their doorstep, nearby Gallery Delta for the latest cutting edge art from local artists, several cool bars and restaurants within jogging distance, and popular Chez Zandi Bistro and Wine Bar at the far end of Herbert Chitepo Avenue, next to the Alliance Francaise.

Chez Zandi will have had a captive audience during the run up to the FIFA World Cup, as fans came regularly to catch the action on the big screen in the wine bar. When George and I arrived at lunch time a few hours before the final match between France and Croatia, a pig was roasting slowly on the spit. Now, should I ever be preparing to ‘walk the green mile’ a plate of succulent roast pork with crackling and apple sauce might well be my last meal of choice. But there were several hours to go before carving time, so we entered the bistro and sat down to study the menu.

Romantic, Edith Piaf-style muzak was playing in the background, the decor was attractive, and if the cooks in the kitchen were well-versed in the art of French cooking, I could soon be tucking into a soupe a l’oignon or a coq au vin. Closer scrutiny revealed that Chez Zandi was a multi-cuisine or fusion restaurant, offering traditional Zimbabwean meals, French-style meals, and a selection of the dishes that Zimbos love to eat, such as burgers, ribs and Mozambique-style grilled chicken.

Usually I would avoid a restaurant offering multi-cuisines, fearing that the cooks’ skills would be stretched too thin, trying to prepare this, that and the other. But here we were, and I really wanted to enjoy myself. I decided that beef stew with brown rice, beans and muriwo ($6), was a safe bet, while George chose the Mozambique-style chicken and chips ($8).

We sat and waited as pleasant-looking staff walked up and down and in and out, busy doing not very much, as there were only four or five other patrons having lunch. Eventually I called out to a waiter as he was passing by for the tenth time. He smiled disarmingly, apologised for ignoring us, and took our order.

The chicken and chips arrived on a large white plate, sharing space with a silver gravy boat filled with tomato sauce. The chips were crisp and tasty,but the grilled chicken needed a large dollop of Zandi’s mouth-watering fresh red chilli sauce to give it a semblance of pizzazz.

The beef stew, served in a small bowl, surrounded by a smaller bowl of beans, a mound of brown rice and a spoonful of muriwo, was lukewarm and slightly watery, thus failing to dispel the rigours of the winter’s day.

Hoping that dessert would make up for disappointing main courses, I checked out a display cabinet showing some attractive looking layer cakes. We both decided on apple tart and ice cream ($5), which was attractively presented on a triangular white plate, the ice cream served in a tulip-shaped parfait glass. The apple filling was perfect – not too sweet and just the right amount of cinnamon. But the tarts had been nuked in the microwave, and what was probably a well-made pate brisee was reduced to a soggy pastry. Cappuccinos ($3), however, were hot and well-flavoured.

Chez Zandi has a wide-ranging menu, with perhaps too much choice. If Zandi were to perfect one style of cooking rather than trying to be all things to all people, Chez Zandi could become the go-to place, not only for Avenues dwellers, but for all the neighbouring suburbs and beyond. – A Matter of Taste with Charlotte Malakoff

Chez Zandi Bistro and Wine Bar
328 Herbert Chitepo Avenue
Harare
Monday-Saturday: 11 am – 11.30 pm
Sundays: 11 am – 11.30 pm
Tel: 0778 952 992

Comments to: cmalakoff@gmail.com