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The Olive Salad Bar & Coffee Shop
11 Churchill Avenue, Alex Park
0774 397 804

The Olive Salad Bar and Coffee Shop 2011

A relatively recent newcomer to Harare’s cuisine scene, The Olive Salad Bar and Coffee Shop is already making waves. Offering tea or coffee throughout the weekday and Saturday 8 am to 2 pm, it is also a great spot for breakfast or a healthy lunch.

We dropped in for an early lunch before a HIFA show and were lucky to find a table, so take a tip and book to avoid disappointment. Most tables are situated in the shady garden, three or four under Zimbrella’s on the patio, with a couple more indoors – we had glorious weather but I did wonder what happens in wetter circumstances.

Not surprisingly, the menu had a good selection of interesting salads and a range of coffees and teas, with a bit of more solid stuff for the serious eater. Several of the options on the menu were distinctly Mediterranean or Middle Eastern; perhaps the proprietors, Gudrun and Pieta, could develop this theme a little more and abandon the slightly incongruous Full English Breakfast.

My partner chose, from five or six interesting salad options, a strawberry salad with grilled haloumi cheese, (I know, strawberries are not traditionally Middle Eastern, but saved by the cheese) while I picked beef lasagne. By now, all the tables were occupied and the waiters running around. We had also ordered our drinks, which came promptly – a strawberry smoothie to match the salad and a fruit-juice blend of carrot, pineapple, orange and ginger from a mix and match selection – rather a nice idea. The smoothie was absolutely delicious, full of fresh fruit pulp and yoghurt-based rather than ice-cream. I thought my fruit juice was too heavy on ginger, which rather overpowered the other ingredients. While we waited for the main course, we nibbled on some very tasty home-made bread.

The salad arrived first – an attractively presented mound of strawberry slices on a bed of salad greens, doused in a balsamic vinegar dressing and garnished with the grilled haloumi. One might imagine that the salads would be aimed at the more calorie-conscious amongst us, but the generous portion of salad and the bread together made a perfectly satisfying light lunch. The lasagne, on the other hand, was clearly aimed at the hungrier diner and a huge portion arrived with its own side serving of salad. Plenty of cheese and a delicious sauce with it, but I found the ground beef component a little bland. 

For dessert, we sampled the carrot cake and a special-of-the-day pomegranate ice-cream, both served with what we were beginning to recognise as trade-mark generosity. The carrot cake was as good as any I have tasted, with pecans rather than walnuts, but the ice-cream was simply superb and deserves a more permanent place on the menu. The pomegranate pulp in the ice-cream gave it a refreshing, tart flavour accentuated by the fresh pomegranate seeds strewn over the portion. Both desserts were complemented by good cappuccino or filter coffee.

The Olive looks like a great spot to enjoy a leisurely tea or coffee or a more substantial breakfast or lunch and I predict considerable success. The food is attractively presented, fresh and tasty, the service cheerful but its strongest point must be the originality of the dishes offered, which made it difficult to choose. I will certainly be back to test some of the other dishes on offer.  
Deluxe Coffee Shop
5 Plates
Expect to pay around $25 per head for a three course meal with drinks
11 Churchill Avenue, Alex Park, Harare