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6 Argyle Road
Avondale
Harare
333833

 

Sopranos quite good, could be better 2011
I had been to Sopranos before, albeit quite some time ago, and on this subsequent visit, found that it had not changed much.  It’s still quite a good place to go, although I must say that with a little more effort it could be much better.   There are a lot of these coffee-shop-type establishments around these days, in reality really daytime restaurants, offering breakfasts, lunches, light meals, snacks and of course, teas, coffees and cakes.  By and large, though, most are tending to have rather a ‘sameness’ about them, and are pretty average.  Not that there is anything wrong with ‘quite good’ or ‘adequate’ but very few of these places really shine.

On this fine spring day I wandered in before lunch and had a very relaxed and prolonged repast on the verandah, watching the hustle and bustle of patrons and staff.  I pretty much sat myself down and attracted the attention of a waiter… I noticed that many of the diners that followed had to do the same – the service was the main area that I felt let them down.  Having rushed around the Avondale shops I was in need of something to cool me down so started at the back of the menu with a fresh fruit smoothie, banana being the one available today.  There were all the usual suspects; cool drinks, chilled juices, milk shakes, mineral floats, iced Milo, etc., enough to keep anyone happy.  Dishes ranged from the main menu with steaks, chicken, chicken curry and also prawns, to salads, side dishes, toasted sandwiches, burgers, a kiddies menu and various other choices, certainly enough to choose from.

I thought I would try the Portuguese peri-peri chicken with chips.  The coating sauce was good but I should have asked for an extra bowl on the side, as I later noticed others had done, because this was one dry chicken; possibly it had been force-marched across the Kalahari to get to the table but it badly needed something to help the last part its journey!  Here again the service was tardy as I hadn’t been offered anything since finishing my smoothie some time ago and I eventually had to accost a passing waiter to get a second drink.

Now I was able to sit back and observe everyone’s comings and goings.  My table had been cleared but there was no sign that I was going to be asked if I wanted anything else… no problem, I wasn’t in a hurry.  Considerable table re-arranging was going on nearby as members of a large group arrived a few at a time; more tables needed, where to put them, more chairs, who wanted what, “hey waiter, what about our drinks?, what about our food?, bring the others later!”, on and on as another waiter joined the fray.  Quite an exhausting job but the waiters were managing – the trouble was, that I wasn’t getting anywhere fast so had to waylay my waiter to order a slice of Black Forest cake and a cappuccino.  There were various teas and coffees and hot chocolate related drinks on offer, some sounding interesting, but my cappuccino was weak and certainly more a latte and the cake, suffering from a hiatus since the last slice had been cut from it – rather dried out on the outside.  If I had only popped in for a coffee and cake I would have been rather disappointed.

Getting the bill took absolutely ages and I think my poor waiter had forgotten about it in dealing with the large table, so I eventually had to grab him in passing to ask again.  So, it was only an OK lunch and I’m afraid that Sopranos was not one of the shiners.
Deluxe Coffee Shop
3 Plates
Expect to spend $6 to $30 per head
6 Argyle Road, Avondale

New Sopranos Singing a Semi Tone Lower Than Expected (Review 2010)
Saturday afternoon lunches are bliss because they help define the weekend for families and individuals alike in the generally sunny and magnificent climate of our country, which drives us to be a people who enjoy the pleasures of outdoor living and dining, either in open spaces or on spacious verandas.  Sopranos is set in the hub of Avondale and is a wonderful example of spacious and verandah dining suitable for families and individuals alike.  Parking is available either on the street or in the car lot at the rear, both unfortunately in full sun and not that secure.

Only two days after re-opening under new management, the New Sopranos welcomed us with a beautiful garden that had recently been re–landscaped, with a couple of outside tables.  Hopefully, when mature, the garden will provide a welcome barrier to the noisy traffic hitting potholes just in front of the restaurant.  The venue is simply but tastefully furnished for both diners and internet users with wireless internet being available. Tables are well spaced and provide for privacy for patrons. Families are well catered for as there are large tables for bigger groups and a secure children’s playroom.

The architecture and design of the restaurant is a modern European combination of steel, glass, ceramic tiles, granite and bright shades of white and blue, all spotlessly clean right through to the toilets.  On the veranda a welcoming and peaceful modern water feature, and the name “Soprano’s” cleverly juxtaposed on the wall within the wide entrance.

Upon finding our own table, we were welcomed by our waiter who was very polite and immediately gave us a beautifully printed and illustrated menu with accompanying easy-to-read price list.  However, the menu content, not in keeping with the “Sopranos” name where one might expect an Italian theme, was confusing, with a clear mix of English, Portuguese, Chinese and Italian choices.

Our drinks consisting of a Sopranos Shandy and a Coke were served within minutes while we still perused the menu. The Sopranos Shandy, a layered drink of Mazowe orange, Sprite and Raspberry must be the sweetest drink on the planet, to the point of being almost unpalatably so!  Alcoholic beverages are not served at Sopranos.

For starters, my companion and I settled on Chicken Livers and Crumbed Chicken, which were served in good time. The Chicken Livers were rather uninteresting in flavour. The crumbed chicken was served with a huge helping of fresh fried chips and ordinary green salad and could easily have served two or three people as a starter.  Both starters were served with a bland sauce that was difficult to identify and did not complement the chicken livers.

As Main Course we ordered a Sopranos Fillet Steak and Hake Fish.  When served, the Fillet Steak turned out to be a tasty, succulent Rump Steak with, again, a generous serving of Fresh Chips and green salad which despite the apparent mix up and overload of food, I accepted and devoured with relish!  

My companion’s Hake Fish was folded and fried deliciously soft in a batter, but served with chips only and with what seemed an ordinary mayonnaise where a tangy tartar sauce would have been preferred.  We had to ask for a steak knife for the steak and lemon for the fish.

To round off the lunch we decided on a fresh chocolate éclair each as the Black Forest Gateau listed on the small desert menu was not available. This was accompanied with a lovely filter coffee and double espresso with ice cold bottled water to sooth the strong coffee.

The verdict - Sopranos is currently lacking in WOW factor.  It has a rather confusing mixture of themes in its presentation, ambience and product.  The shift from the original spacious, semi-outdoor, well-presented deluxe coffee shop environment, to rather a hodgepodge of meals on the menu that don’t seem to fit any particular theme, and some of which are in any case unavailable, a certain lack of imagination, and the multi-thematic presentation, made this a currently rather unmemorable experience for patrons.  The food itself, however, is plain, ordinarily, good.

The New Sopranos has every potential to become a top Deluxe Coffee Shop and needs to concentrate on detail to give the feel that patrons would expect of a Deluxe Coffee Shop. The New Sopranos seems to have started off singing a semi tone lower than expected, with, we hope, a promise of better performance in days to come.

Deluxe Coffee Shop
Two Plates
Expect to spend $13 - $25 per head
Corner Argyle Road, opposite Avondale Shopping Centre, Avondale, Harare 

Sunday Lunch at Sopranos
2009 Review
Sopranos on Argyle Road in Avondale is probably not the first place one would consider for a Sunday lunch but with it’s very convenient location it suited our needs to provide a light lunch before easing off to watch a movie at the Vistarama. Secure parking around the back of the restaurant provides peace of mind while eating which is a bonus and necessity these days and casting a judicious eye over the range of very smart vehicles parked outside we were obviously going to have some fellow diners for whom that would be extremely important!

In spite of the plastic awnings that enclose the verandah area of Sopranos (probably a very pleasant place to sit during summer,) we decided to move from our first choice of table near the door to escape from the chilly wind whistling through.  With its minimalist steel and blue décor and lack of any frills or much else other than a couple of modern abstract prints, Sopranos was definitely not the cosiest place to eat one’s lunch on a chilly mid-winter day.

Our waiter took our drink order but returned to say they were unable to supply either the Fresh Passion Fruit or the Soprano Shandy, having run out of lemonade, so I settled for a Liquifruit Cooler, a little pricey at $4, and my companion an orange cordial and mineral water.  Watching a number of Internet users, glued to their screens but sipping at steaming hot cups of Moccaccino, Choccoccino or Cappuccino, I decided they had probably made a better choice of drink for a nippy winter’s day!

The menu at Sopranos has a good selection of snacks for the not so hungry and larger meals for those needing more sustenance and the dishes sounded appealing and imaginative, with a reasonable selection of meals for children.  Speaking of children, there was an indoor jungle section, tucked around the corner for kids to burn off excess energy while mum had a little peace and quiet to sip her coffee.  For vegetarians, nothing specifically catering for their needs but a neighbouring diner was tucking into an enormous Greek salad with relish – very appealing for a hot summer's day, but with a nippy wind circling my ankles, I ordered a Chicken Escalope!  This was described as crumbed chicken on a bed of pasta.  My companion opted for the Soprano Fillet with Chips, both of which came with a side salad.  

After conjuring up images of juicy pieces of lightly fried chicken nestling on a bed of creamy tagliatelli or fettuccini, I was a little disappointed with the three rather oily chicken schnitzels and heap of broken pieces of spaghetti, covered in a rather lumpy-looking tomato sauce which was presented.   My companion’s “tough but tasty’ steak was definitely not a fillet, still, the double fried chips were hot and crunchy and the side salads were fresh if predictable.  Having said that, the helpings were generous, if unimaginatively presented.

Although there was a good selection of delicious sounding coffees and chocolate drinks and teas, we settled for a cappuccino and a piece of cheese cake to share, which had a rather odd jellied texture and was definitely minus the creamy cheese ingredient.

Sopranos, with it’s great location, secure parking and Internet Hotspot facilities, has a lot to offer but is perhaps a little thin on the “Deluxe” element in the décor and presentation of the food – funky crockery, alternative presentation of their cutlery rather than just wrapped it in a white paper napkin, and a few more imaginative touches to the décor might help to give this coffee shop more of a trendy, “boutique” ambience.
Deluxe Coffee Shop
3 Plates
Expect to Spend $12 - $18 per head

Sopranos – Vi Saluto!
2008 Review
Prologo: Suffering the usual frustrations and dead-ends attempting to resolve queries and statements at the bank (read not) I took a sanity break and nipped around the corner to Sopranos for a spot of lunch.  I was anticipating some thematic connection but there wasn’t a soprano of any sort, contemporary or otherwise, in sight or sound, this deluxe coffee shop being of the chic shiny chrome and marble milieu; in one corner of the verandah a silver waterfall laced a damascened portamento to a pebbly carpet.

Atto Primo: a patron waits impatiently for the appearance of the menu.  Ah!  Finalmente!  In my stupid fear I thought the waiter had forgotten or perhaps had diverted to the supermarket, lured by the rumour of a special … anything at less than what is was yesterday.  But the eventual appearance of said menu brought on a mild shock.  Che?  Can this be right?  A tad under $90 million for a coffee and (huge and extraordinarily sublime, I hope) slice of chocolate cake?  But in fact it turns out that $75-odd million for a slice of cake is the norm today.  Orribile, with prices rising faster than the temperature of the sun’s corona – and with as many noughts – it’s getting as difficult to keep up with changes since the week (or days!) before as to grab a will-o’-the-wisp by the throat.  That’s the consequence for escaping Harare for Easter – one loses touch faster than your unattended wallet can fly down the more tenebrous regions of Chinhoyi Street.  But what’s the point, let’s be merry – a toast!  Something to drink here!  Away with sad thoughts, up with your glasses!  Let’s drink!

Atto Secondo: Away!  Let’s lay the table!  Do we eat without a tablecloth?  With some persuasion I squeezed from the waiter, like water from a dry sponge, a recitation of what was available today… a cantata at last: oranges, dates, hot chestnuts!  Flowers for the pretty girls!  Brooches, trinkets, crosses, nougat!  Whipped cream!  Fruit pies, ho!  Sorry, echoes from the Latin Quarter.  Pickings being somewhat sparser in the here and now I settled for a simple hamburger & chips.  Duly it arrived, gaily sprinkled with a green confetti of finely chopped parsley (…  Polly stretched his wings, Polly opened his beak; a scrap of parsley, and like Socrates, he died!).

Settling back with a scrumptious choccochino I idly observe the other diners enjoying their meal, chatting and gossiping.  Motorists weaved banging and clanging down the road, having as much luck avoiding potholes as Cavaradossi avoiding a bullet.  A peppering of gremlins spice up surrounding tables for my entertainment.  The affable manager placates the gentleman on my left who is most dissatisfied with his stringy steak; a sign of the times and shortages with butcheries unable to hang their meat for the time necessary to ensure a properly seasoned cut.  Most adroitly handled I thought, and a free ‘something’ (sorry, I missed that) offered in restitution – bravo, a satisfied customer!  Next he darts across the floor to sort out a billing problem; turns out the cappuccinos have been bumped up from the menu price since they ordered!  Infamia, one need not be a prima donna to take exception to that!  Actually, I noticed the same problem on my bill – far better to launch a new price list on the morrow, no?

Atto Terzo: well, that will be delayed until HIFA 2008 where a soprano or two are sure to put in an appearance (a ventritrè ore, etc…) but before that I’m going to have to return for that slice of chocolate cake.  Always yours, for life.  Vi saluto!
De Luxe Coffee Shop
4 Plates