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Restaurant Reviews
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Rainbow Towers Hotel
Pennefather Avenue
Harare
772633/9

A DISAPPOINTING HARVEST 2012
Arrival at the Rainbow Towers still has something of a “wow” factor.  From the friendly welcome of the guards at the boom, parking under the shady trees, the short walk through the immaculately maintained grounds, the courtesy of the smartly turned out doormen and so to the foyer.  This has the feel of an up market international hotel.  The marble floors gleamed, the gilt and glass shone and the coffee shop and lounge area were pleasantly abuzz whilst the pianist expertly played single-handed on the grand piano whilst simultaneously engaged in a whispered telephone conversation on his cell phone, thereby disproving the myth that men can’t multi-task.

We had decided on a family get together to discuss our disparate plans and synchronise diaries for the year ahead before it all got too out of hand and a break from the kitchen was the order of the womenfolk.  A hotel seemed a safe option and it was decided that the buffet at the Harvest Garden was long overdue for a visit and would hopefully satisfy everyone, including the children.  Unfortunately the glitz and glamour of the entrance seemed to diminish as we made our way to the restaurant which is in need of uplift.  The theme is ethnic but only vaguely so and is lacking in atmosphere.  Perhaps unsurprisingly it was not well frequented on the day we lunched there.

We were soon seated at a window-side table overlooking the pool and after placing our order for drinks, ventured forth to establish what was on offer, having merely been told to ‘help ourselves’.  The drinks service was unacceptably slow, especially so, given that there were so few patrons.  After my second request for the wine list, I was brought a glass of red wine.  On insisting on the wine list, two bottles, both South African reds, were brought for me to make my selection.  I then discovered that the wine by the glass was in fact Nederburg Baronne, one of the bottles on offer, so accepted the glass already poured and brought a smile back to our worried waitress’s face.

We commenced with the butternut soup which wasn’t bad and, in my case at least, was an excuse for a liberal helping of golden, crunchy croutons.  Bread rolls from the hotel’s in house bakery were also on offer but rather disconcertingly were displayed on a tray covered in cling film.  We then progressed to the cold selections.  The salads were fresh but unoriginal – coleslaw, carrot, tomato and cucumber and spinach.  There was ham, unfortunately of the processed variety, and sliced battered fish.  I avoided the chicken and apple salad which was generously coated in a rather lurid yellow mayonnaise.

Rather surprisingly the hot buffet did not include any roast or curries.  There was a pedestrian mutton stew, lacking in flavour and certainly not melt-in your mouth. To accompany this there was rice, sadza, sautéed potatoes, green beans with cauliflower and cabbage.  The saving grace was the stir-fry, with a choice of beef or chicken strips and a julienne of vegetables.  In the end we all went for the stir-fry flavoured with ginger and/or garlic, although a few also sampled the stew.

The array of desserts included trifle, chocolate gateaux, individual custard tarts, custard slices, fruit salad and ice cream.  Nothing wrong with the choice but nothing outstanding either. The plastic tub of ice cream had melted almost to the point of liquification.  However, having pointed this out, our waitress brought us individual bowls of the frozen variety.  On a positive note the stir-fry was rather good, as were the coffees with which we ended the meal.  However this restaurant is entered in the Deluxe Family Restaurant Category and does not come up to standard.  It is the main restaurant in a five star hotel and falls short of expectation.  The food is mundane and unexciting, the décor is dull and the lack of a wine list or even an acceptable range of wines is unforgivable.  At $25 per adult it does not offer value for money either. 

The Harvest Garden’s produce was disappointing.  It would not take a great deal for the restaurant to improve standards.  The buffet concept works well in hotel restaurants but they need a more imaginative selection and to raise the quality of their fare.  Vegetarian options should also be made available, this is after all an International Hotel and soup and salads, unless exceptional, do not, in my opinion, a meal make!
Deluxe Family Restaurant
2 Plates
Expect to spend between $25 and $35 per head
Rainbow Towers Hotel, Harare

 

Harvest Garden - needs to up the ante 2011
As school finishes earlier on Fridays, I decided to head for the Rainbow Towers for lunch, with my eldest.  Our optimistic mood took a turn for the worst as the traffic in town got more and more congested due to the failure of several sets of robots.  We crept towards our destination only to discover hundreds of cars and people milling around the Towers.  There was a convention taking place.  By now it was close to 2pm so we made our way hastily to the open plan Harvest Garden restaurant located at the back of the hotel near the pool and spa.  There was no one to greet us so we chose a table on one of the elevated sections overlooking the buffet area.

We quickly ordered drinks which were thankfully served speedily.  The restaurant looked a tad shabby, which was a bit of a surprise because the Towers received a facelift, not long ago.  The carpet on the steps was on the point of becoming threadbare.  I’d visited another restaurant next door a short time ago at night time and it had looked extremely inviting.  Maybe in the cold light of day I was being over-critical.  The food debris on the carpet under our table also suggested we were not the first to sit at this particular spot.  However, even at 2pm the restaurant seemed well patronised.

The starters were a mix of salad leaves and cold meats and each station was still well stocked.  We also noticed a dish of Mopani worm salad but declined to try it and opted instead to head for the main course section.  The roast beef looked very good so we piled our plates with fresh, pink slices.  There were plenty of vegetables to choose from, a potato bake with a cheesy topping, and sadza.  There was a rather bony beef stew, but the waiter kindly delved into it with his serving spoon, to see if there were any lean pieces for us.  I managed to find a nice portion of breast in the chicken stew.  The waiter was obviously very proud of the dishes and told me the names of all of them.

As our lunch was by now very late, and our stomachs were grumbling in anticipation, we looked longingly at the generous slices of beef on our plates.  What a disappointment then, as it wasn’t quite the cut of meat we were used to, but a tough and chewy imitation.  We felt a bit cheated.  Not what you would expect in a five star hotel.  The chicken casserole was enjoyable and the beef stew tasted good with the rape.  The other vegetables were crisp, a mix of cauliflower, carrots and green beans, but they lacked any seasoning.  I realised I had enquired about the wine menu some time ago but couldn’t see the waitress. 

The dessert section looked appealing with its brightly coloured cakes, fruit salad and apple strudel slices.  My daughter loved the carrot cake, but the cheesecake was a little too sweet unlike the apple strudel with cream, which was lovely.  We skipped coffee, not only because time was marching on, but at $4 a cup we thought it a bit excessive.  Upon leaving the restaurant we spotted the 'wine' waitress.  She tried to avoid us!  Maybe that was just as well, if the price of drinks in general was anything to go by!  The Rainbow Towers is a five star hotel yet the management couldn’t go wrong by encouraging the Harvest Garden to up the ante a bit, so that it’s in the same calibre as the rest of the hotel?
Deluxe Family Restaurant
2 Plates
Expect to spend between $22 and $30 per head
Rainbow Towers Hotel, Harare      

 

Harvest Garden lacks wow 2010
The Harvest Garden restaurant is found in the imposing Rainbow Towers hotel.   Spacious and well lit, you can enjoy a full view of the establishment before you select a table.  Arriving at the reception, we expected a welcome.  However, the young lady manning the desk was busy on the phone, and did not even make eye contact or smile.  We stood there for a few seconds not sure how to proceed, hoping another waiter out of the four we could see standing at a distance would usher us in and ask us if we had a booking, because this time, unlike most times when so many phones are out of order, we had actually made one, and religiously supplied our details. 

What a waste of time that exercise had been.  We were asked which table we wanted with no reference made to booking.  The tables are set out an elevated floor on either side of the restaurant and one overlooks the serving point where the buffet is presented.  I must commend the management of the hotel for the facelift done to the walls of the restaurant.  The orange-terracotta shade complemented by brown tiles and brown chairs, creates a warm and calming environment which resonates very well with the overall Rainbow Towers décor.  Tables were neatly laid and although there were not that many people about at 7.30, there was no doubt that the evening was ready to roll. 

We ordered mango juice but unfortunately unanimously agreed it was rather tasteless - perhaps a little bit more chilling would have done the trick!  Having time to spare and for the sake of our reviewing duties, we decided to start with the vegetable soup, the soup of the day in the literal sense as it was the only hot starter available, although they made up for this on the cold starters and salads.  These included lovely looking fish mousse, and a crispy lettuce and cheese platter as well as cold meat platters.  The soup was fine.  In any restaurant I always look very critically at the quality of the bread being served.  It says a lot about any restaurant.  Is the bread being made from scratch or is it being bought?  Is it fresh and inviting?  I always get frustrated when the bread is of a low supermarket standard.  Unfortunately, when we tried the rolls, they were concrete dry and the ordinary eating knife had a torrid time trying to dissect them.  This was quite below expectation.

The buffet menu available for the main course was fairly conventional.  For the carnivores, there was roast chicken, beef stew, goat stew, and grilled Kariba bream.  I decided to sample the chicken, beef stew and bream.  The fish was on the dry side with no hint of seasoning, a far cry from the succulence you would expect of a similar offering in an up-market restaurant, in which calibre the Harvest Garden certainly intends itself to be counted.  My companion chose the same with macaroni while I opted for the rice.  Sadza was also available. 

We tried to order some wine midway through the meal but when we heard that each glass of ordinary wine such as Four Cousins or Robertson’s (however, not all options were actually available) was $60 a glass, we stopped the conversation right there and went for Coke Zero, which I believe could spare you a couple more weeks of life than Coca-Cola regular. 

Although there was no wine list the waiter kindly advised that the restaurant had three local wines and the same number of imported wines.  The meal we had was very ordinary and the overall comment we both made was that the food was decidedly lacking in spice and flavour, the whole experience lacking any wow effect, being everyday cuisine.  After our dinner, there was no sense of, “we'd like to do this again”. 

The dessert table offered some appetising trifle, some cake, fruit salad, the usual fare.  There was no ice cream, and when I asked the waiter of this could be procured, he politely answered that ice cream was not offered on the buffet and would have to be charged separately.  We had already paid what I considered to be more than fair for us to get a complete meal, so we settled for fruit salad.

The waiters were generally friendly and courteous, although one did not get the impression that the manager on duty was concerned with the level of service the establishment was offering - not that anything went terribly wrong.  Throughout the meal no one came to check on how we were doing. 

I thought that for a restaurant of its size, and considering the diversity of needs it has to serve, being part of a hotel that receives visitors from all over the world, not having a senior member of staff checking on whether the guests are well looked after, is a major omission.  Harvest Garden has plenty of room to up its game.
Deluxe Family Restaurant
2 Plates
Expect to spend between $25 and $30 per head

 

Vast choices, delicious food, at Harvest Garden 2009
There is something about having one’s choices clearly laid out in a menu that curbs the appetite, brings limitations and forces sensible decisions to be made.  There is something about NOT having a menu that unleashes the appetite, widens one’s ability to experiment and positively encourages raging gluttony even though you know you may feel thoroughly ill at the end of it all!

At the end of an exhausting and fraught week all I wanted to do was to relax and overindulge.  I managed to do both at the elegant Harvest Garden restaurant located in Rainbow Towers (formerly the Sheraton).

We arrived just before 7pm and as we had phoned in to book a table, we were greeted at the desk by 3 servers, one of whom confirmed our booking and announced that every Friday night is a ‘Traditional Night”.  One encouraged us to wash our hands in warm water and another escorted us to our table.  Our drinks order was immediately taken.  I was struck by the “openness” of the layout.  There are two “islands" of seating arranged around a central area which holds both the starter and the main course buffets.

There are well spaced tables which seat two to four customers on each raised platform and these have longer tables at either end.  There were several diners already seated around the room – couples, business acquaintances, young families with babies and toddlers as well as larger groups.  The room is decorated effectively with large canvases of artwork by David Chinyama and mirrored alcoves set in the walls which hold clay pots full of various dried flowers and grasses.

The starter buffet has at its centre a carved leopard surrounded by colourful clay pots and gourds.  Armed with the knowledge we could eat till we dropped, we decided from the outset to load our plates with as much variety as possible and then share the goods, to ensure we missed nothing!  This proved a great idea and we were able to experience a bit of each starter on offer.  The livers were perfectly spiced and full of flavour, the nyimo beans were boiled and salted to the right degree, salads were fresh with crisp lettuce and refreshing cucumber and the thousand island salad dressing was the perfect topping. There was a delicious sweet and sour beef starter with small, tender slices.  An array of cheeses and various savoury crackers rounded off this mouth watering palate.

After an appropriate rest period we felt ready to tackle the seemingly endless choices offered at the main course buffet.  Once again we employed our strategy of piling our plates with as many foods on offer as possible.  On offer were fish, curried road runner (free range chicken), oxtail, braised beef, tripe, spicy kapenta and guinea fowl accompanied by tsunga in peanut butter sauce, plain greens, sadza, mhunga sadza, plain boiled white rice, rice with peanut butter, and sweet potato.  With fully loaded plates, we settled down to taste and savour our choices.  As far as the meats were concerned we were very impressed by the oxtail and kapenta.  The fish was well cooked with crispy skin and soft, succulent meat.  The guinea fowl was a new experience for both my companion and I.  It had the taste of roast turkey and duck, and was interesting to try, though we found it not really to our tastes. 

The accompanying vegetables and starches were all cooked to perfection, especially the rice and tsunga in peanut butter sauce.  Understandably it took a long time to work through the delicious fare on our plates!  The atmosphere in the restaurant was very relaxed with the soothing sounds of artists such as Miriam Makeba and Salif Keita playing in the background.  To accompany our meal we had chilled club specials which were timely delivered at regular intervals. We also sampled a glass of Aboomi Merlot, a delightful discovery emanating from Western Australia.

During our second rest period my companion went to check out the restrooms.  She was very impressed with the cool lighting, finding it preferable to harsh fluorescent light.  The toilets were clean, well-scented and roomy, tastefully adorned with a single, beautiful painting of a glossy starling.  

Tackling the pudding choices forced us to change our strategy.  We decided to take only what we really liked, and so we limited our choices to the trifle, jelly, cheesecake and pineapple tarts.  They were all delicious, and after having had our fill we ended our gourmet guzzling efforts there.  To cap our delightful gastronomic binge, the bill was totally reasonable at a very modest $58 for the two of us.  We slowly lumbered to our car, now well aware of the general wisdom of being handed a menu!
Deluxe Family Restaurant
4 Plates
Expect to spend $20 to $30 per head

 

RAINBOW TOWERS HARVEST GARDEN - very average 2008
The Harvest Garden Buffet Restaurant housed in The Rainbow Towers ***** (ex – Sheraton) has recently undergone an attractive refurbishment with regard to the décor. It is situated to the left of the Kombahari Restaurant off the foyer

I went with memories of the old Harvest Garden which used to produce in my opinion some of the best buffet meals in town. We were greeted very pleasantly by the staff, all smartly turned out with name badges. The restaurant itself was extremely deserted although  it was only 1.15 pm. I asked for a table in a relatively cool part of the restaurant as it was quite a warm day. We were probably given a table in the warmest part of the restaurant and it was placed right next to the Waiters’ Station. Of all the seats in the house…… Anyway I tried to keep an open mind. The restaurant is attractively done out in soft colours of terracotta, creams and marble, a bit barn like, but for some reason it seemed to be very stuffy – maybe the aircon was not working.

Our waiter introduced us to the buffet and then offered us drinks. We asked for a Wine List, however they appear not to have one. We finally managed to establish that they had a bottle of Nederburg Baronne 2006, which we ordered along with a bottle of Mineral Water. Gin and Tonics were off as they appeared to not have any tonics according to our waiter. We later found out that they did have tonics.

The Buffet Area is rather large and is set out quite attractively, however the food presentation does not do it justice. The bread (rolls and loaf) were laid out on a small table to the left and in the centre of the room is the salad bar. This consisted of Coleslaw, large pieces of Tomato, Lettuce, Cold (very dry) Chicken, Beef diced Salad (very dry and tough like biltong), Beetroot, Butternut, Potato Salad and that’s it. Soup was available on the Hot Buffet table to the right of the cold table. This was Potato Soup and was served with Croutons. The soup was rather bland and tasteless.

The main buffet consisted of stodgy rice with raisins, roasted potatoes rolled in some sort of cheesy spice (I think), some bream fillets in batter, a very dried-out chicken and mushroom casserole, butternut and cauliflower (plain), spaghetti and pasta (overcooked and dry, no sauce), sadza and a very tasty relish, baked potatoes covered in a thin layer of salt, and what appeared to be chopped up pieces of beef that looked like biltong.  Oh yes, and different gravies: tomato, plain and mushroom.

I tried a bit of everything and I have to be honest and say that out of that whole meal I only enjoyed the relish, potatoes and tomato gravy.  The remainder of the meal was very dry and very overly salty.  My husband was of the same opinion. The dessert table was situated near the entrance of the Restaurant and this consisted of a Bread and Butter Pudding (this was very nice), a Trifle, Cakes and more cakes, Jelly, Fruit Salad and Cream. Very unimaginative to say the least!!

For what it was, at $16 a head this meal seemed pricy for a very average meal. Buffet Restaurants are supposed to be on the economical side in any hotel or restaurant. Another point I must make is that we are coming up to 2010 (FIFA) and we are about to hopefully entertain the international market.  I can honestly say that I am of the opinion that this Buffet restaurant is not up to world class international travel standards, let alone local, even though the Hotel has a five star rating.  Our local Restaurants have undergone hard times in the past year, but it is imperative that they maintain standards, quality of food, good service and good value for money during this next year if they are put people on seats and to remain in the running. We are now US$ based and this should go a long way towards maintaining all of the above.
Family Restaurant
2 Plates