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Zim on a Plate, Zim in a Glass
Restaurant Reviews Sponsored by the Cheeseman
with Press Partner The Standard
©All Zimbabwe On A Plate Reviews and Ratings are
copyright to The Cheeseman and may not be
reproduced without permission.
Nesbitt Castle Hotel
6 Percy Ave Hillside
Bulawayo
09 282726, 226470The Ultimate Dining Experience At The Coach House 2011
It’s a fact… dining at the Coach House is a wonderful experience readily available to residents of Bulawayo as well as to those guests who may be staying at the Nesbitt Castle Hotel. As Bulawayo residents we are privileged to have such a fantastic and prestigious restaurant on our door-step – situated in a quiet suburb well away from the congestion and bustle of the City. Coach House is a terrific place to relax and enjoy the sheer luxury of leisurely dining, delectable cuisine and service par excellence – and also a great choice for celebrating a special anniversary. Our dinner reservation was made on the previous day and we were impressed to receive a very pleasant telephone call the next day to confirm that they were expecting us that evening.In true Coach House style and throughout the entire experience we were made to feel as very special guests, from being met as we parked our car, greeted by name and escorted through beautiful gardens towards the impressive front door into the spacious entrance hall where we were invited to be seated for pre-dinner drinks. We chose tomato juice which came suitably chilled and garnished with fresh tomato, accompanied by a small plate of tasty savouries - just enough to set us in the mood for the main meal while our headwaiter, Godfrey, introduced us to the evening’s menu. There was no a la carte menu or “Specials” but a three-course set meal with choices of three dishes for each course. The restaurant does not have a printed menu but was presented verbatim by Godfrey, suggesting that we could decide whilst enjoying our drinks and snacks and perhaps wish to make our final choice when we were seated at our table.
In due course we were escorted up the broad staircase to the upper floor dining-room and welcomed by Waiter Tich to our table for two – beautifully set with gleaming silverware and crystal, white china and crisp white linen napkins - most effective on solid wooden tables matching the general Tudor-style décor. Also an arrangement of flowers complemented by a lighted candle in tall candleholder.
The choice of Starters comprised chicken salad, vegetable spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce, or cream of butternut soup. I was tempted to opt for the soup, but in the end decided on the spring rolls which were quite delicious. My husband, who is a fish-lover, asked if there was any fish available and Tich promptly offered to inquire whether this could be arranged. He soon returned saying Chef would be pleased to prepare a seafood cocktail!
Main course dishes were chicken, beef or pork and we chose the rolled pork tenderloin with spinach stuffing and the crumbed beef fillet. These were accompanied by a medley of fresh, delicately cooked vegetables and potato wedges. Choice of desserts were toffee-apple pie with fresh cream; crème brulee; and fresh fruit salad and cream. We chose toffee-apple pie and crème brulee – In all a most excellent meal, washed down with a cool Chardonnay, and finally a pot of Tanganda tea and a perfectly decadent Dom Pedro!Our three-course dinner cost $22 each and it was interesting to note that prices had been reduced somewhat since our last visit whilst the choices have been increased!
One recommendation that I would venture to make would be to have a written menu which could be handed to customers to help with their selection of dishes. In all an unforgettable experience in a unique setting, to be highly recommended for good food, excellent service and attention to detail.
5 Plates
Expect to Spend $25 - $35 per head
Nesbitt Castle Hotel
6 Percy Ave Hillside, Bulawayo
Coach House at Nesbitt Castle one of the country’s very best - superb service, excellent food, fantastic ambience! (2010)
As one pulls up at the entrance gate, the feeling of being someone special is carried through all aspects of the Coach House. This restaurant is found at Nesbit Castle, a well known Bulawayo landmark, and it was at the Castle gates that we were welcomed by a well-spoken and cheery ‘keeper’ who confirmed our booking details. The drive up to the main building is through a small forest with subtle lighting which guided us to the car park. We must have looked a bit lost as a voice called out from above, ‘Welcome to Nesbit Castle’, and we saw the maitre d’ standing at the top of a flight of stone stairs!
When we got there, he confirmed our booking and then led us over a small bridge and on to the Castle. The battlements, gargoyles and stonework are quite something to wonder at, and certainly deserve a second look in daylight. We were led into a cosy bar area rich in castle regalia and seated in two baronial carving chairs. A waiter introduced himself and took our drink order, glass of dry sherry and rum and coke. The drinks were served with a platter of cocktail sticks; chicken and beef with grilled peppers and baby tomatoes and ham and cheese. These prepared us for the deliciousness of our main meal!
As we relaxed with our drinks, the maitre d’ came to read out the ‘bill of fare’. This gave us a choice of two starters, four main dishes and three desserts and they all sounded so divine, it was difficult to make up one’s mind. Butternut soup with Amarula took my fancy, whilst my partner opted for a chicken salad. For main course it was beef fillet with blue cheese sauce and wild rice pilaff with vegetables but we decided not to make a decision on the desserts until we were certain they would be appreciated.
Just as we were finishing off the cocktail bites, our waiter came to lead us to our table, which was up a flight of stairs to a large indoor balcony. Again, the décor was very baronial – rich red wall hangings and carpets with dark table and chairs and to off-set this, were the crisp white napkins shaped as birds, gleaming crystal ware, silver cutlery and white place settings. At the table, each diner had plenty of ‘elbow’ room which was quite important considering all the hardware on the table – the correct wine and water glasses, and enough cutlery to remind me of the scene in ‘Pretty Woman’ when Julia Roberts is faced with her first experience of silver service and the waiter discreetly points to the correct fork!! My starter was soup, so no problems there. It was served piping hot from a tureen with a subtle hint of Amarula – quite different. My partner’s chicken salad came on a bed of crisp lettuce with a light drizzling of sweet dressing. As the starters were cleared, our waiter topped up water and wine glasses. The water was cold, but not too much and had a very refreshing taste of real lemon juice – just right to clear the palate.
The wine list did not have any local red wines, but had a fair selection of white and rosé. We decided on a Du Toitskloof Merlot 2009. We are no wine connoisseurs but this has to be the smoothest red wine we have tasted in a very long time and we would definitely like to have a couple of bottles on the wine rack. Our main course arrived and even before my pilaff was placed before me, I could smell the spices, so much so that my partner’s blue cheese sauce rather took a back seat. The vegetables which made up the pilaff were cooked to perfection as was my partner’s fillet. We were offered in season vegetables to accompany the main dishes and roast potato. Although the plates were not piled high, the flavours merited slow and careful mastication and so one felt quite full by the end of the meal, but not too full to sample the desserts! I chose a light chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream whilst my partner still had a hole to fill and so decided to take on the toffee apple pie with cream!! It was a challenge but he rose to it. We heard the coffee grinder going and so to round off a simply wonderful meal, we accepted our waiter’s offer of coffee. The Coach House must be one of the best restaurants in Zimbabwe to dine out in, if one is after superb service, excellent food and wine and a fantastic ambience and setting all of its own. It certainly deserves more attention and maybe it will as this year progresses.
Deluxe Restaurant
5 Plates
Expect to Spend $25 - $40 per head
Dining in absolute splendour at Bulawayo’s Coach House 2009
What a perfect treat for a midweek evening, following a truly chaotic day of varying duties and more than the usual frustrations, to be able to relax and enjoy wonderful food and tranquillity in our dining at The Castle! Such a peaceful place to unwind in the incredible luxury of being waited upon hand and foot and made to feel very special....We made our call around mid-day and reserved a table-for-two, after being advised that they would be serving a "set three-course meal". That actually turned out to be a "three choices of three-courses" meal! So, although they did not at that time have an À La Carte or Specials Menu, there was a decent selection of dishes offered which were given to us verbatim.
We have dined at, for us, the recently discovered Coach House, a couple of times in the past year, and been most impressed at the warm welcome and excellent service we had received thus far. Would this be the case again, when secretly sampling the place on behalf of the dining public, for Zim on a Plate?
No shadow of a doubt: Once again we were treated royally and the whole experience was delightful. We were greeted by name by the very mannerly guard at the gate and directed towards The Castle like "invited guests". There is a very pretty drive through the well-kept estate to a spacious, shady car park from where one is welcomed and escorted through a tree-lined path and gardens, and by an attractive pool area, towards the main building and into the "baronial" entrance hall.
Once inside we were invited to be seated near the small bar and enjoy our first drink of the evening together with a plate of delicately-prepared, delicious snacks - a nice interim period to rest awhile and relax before proceeding to the dining room. Here our Head Waiter Godfrey came along to recite the evening's menu and to take our order - all in a very leisurely and unhurried way. It was here that we discovered that the "set meal" had a variety of choices, with starters ranging from Cream of Cauliflower Soup to Chicken Liver Pate to Bacon and Feta Cheese Tartlets, Mains options like Fillet Steak with Pepper Sauce, Oven-Baked Bream or Chicken Kebabs, and for desserts, Crème Caramel and Chocolate Cheesecake.
We placed our orders and settled down to imbibe the extraordinary atmosphere of such a unique setting. Looking around, we were quite cosily surrounded by antiques, Persian carpets and numerous artefacts, military pictures, weapons and memorabilia of a bygone age. Plenty to gaze at whilst contentedly enjoying that first glass of wine - being in no particular hurry to rush to the dining-room! However, in due course, our waiter for the evening came to politely introduce himself and escort us up the curving, balustraded staircase to the most elegant and amazing dining-room with soft lighting and soothing music playing in the background. There were eight dining tables - some long refectory-type tables to seat from eight to ten people, and other smaller square tables to seat up to four - all with elegant tapestry-upholstered chairs. However... as on our previous visit, earlier in the year, it was a very quiet night at The Coach House. A sign of the still tight times, financially, perhaps? Many indeed do continue to reel as we slowly recover from the economic woes of yesteryear, and dining out does for lots of us remain very much a luxury and special treat.
With great formality we were shown to our table, and assisted to be seated, our napkins unfolded and placed ceremoniously on our laps, in the manner of true fine dining establishments. Our table was beautifully laid with crisp white linen and table mats, sparkling crystal and silver and in the centre a beautiful arrangement of mixed, fresh flowers and a tall lighted candle in a gleaming silver candlestick.
The food was – again - excellent! The soup was delicious - piping hot and definitely a good choice. The chicken liver paté was very tasty, prettily garnished and attractively presented. The steak, served upon pepper sauce, was cooked to perfection, and so was the bream. The vegetables were sliced green beans and carrots, roasted cauliflower and chipped potatoes - all beautifully cooked and nicely served. The desserts were good too, and the portions "just right"! All told - a terrific meal!
We checked the bathrooms on the way out and these were also in total keeping with the rest of the castle-like décor: Rough stone walls and heavy wooden fixtures, but also floor-length brocade drapes and gold taps - and a 3 gallon Flush More lavatory tank complete with chain and handle! Also, before leaving, we lingered for a while in the front hallway taking a last look at items such as the ancient medieval helmet balanced on the newel post and the old-fashioned wall telephone and money till. But also, quite prominent, and unlike all the other items on display, was their Zimbabwe on a Plate Restaurant of the Month Award Certificate from 2006. We felt sure this was not the only award they’d had, and on checking when we got home, on the Cheeseman website, found that, sure enough, they have actually won a Restaurant of the Month Award every single year since Zim on a Plate began (I wonder why their other certificates aren’t proudly displayed too? They should be!). Thoroughly deserved, I’d say, and with such fine food, settings, décor and service, we were left wondering why this excellent establishment is not better patronised, a real puzzlement. Might they be running at tremendous loss - on the restaurant side, at least? The set three course meal charge of $25 per person was very reasonable and had actually dropped since the last visit – another sign of the times, and this, an encouraging good one; it seems many prices have actually dropped in the past several months, especially at restaurants – and the house wine, which was most enjoyable, also cost less this time round.
While we thoroughly enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of a good meal in a very pleasant place, the atmosphere cannot help but lose something when the place is scantily patronised, and we have noted that other diners who’ve written Zim on a Plate reviews of Bulawayo restaurants in the past few months have commented similarly about the poor turn-out of fellow discerning appreciators of places that offer really good food, good value and good service. Like them, we urge the Bulawayo dining public to get out there and support these fine eateries which regularly earn really excellent Zim on a Plate ratings and rave reviews!
Deluxe Restaurant
5 Plates
Expect to spend $30 a head with drinks
Pure dining elegance and a touch of fantasy at The Coach House 2008Wow! What an experience! On Saturday night we were whisked for a short time into the sheer luxury of elegant dining. An experience of a lifetime and, for a moment in time, we got a glimpse of truly gracious living!
We had telephoned the previous evening to be sure of making a reservation and were advised that a “set three-course meal” would be served. That sounded great. We were very happy to have the choice made for us, knowing that the setting would be a treat in itself.
Coach House is the beautiful restaurant in the magnificent Nesbitt Castle Hotel. An interesting and beautifully laid out hotel/restaurant in a quiet road in the pleasant Hillside suburb of Bulawayo, not too far from the city. The approach to the hotel is through an imposing castle-like entrance of natural stone walls with stately wrought iron gates guarded by impressive stone griffins. The gate was opened for us by a smartly uniformed sentry who greeted us in military style with a salute, and who had a note of our reservation and greeted us by name.
Once inside the property the paved road wound picturesquely through manicured lawns and tall trees, over a little bridge, towards the shaded car park where we left our car. Ours was the only car in sight, which we thought was rather unusual – especially for a Saturday night. As we walked through the very pretty garden with shrubs and flowers and mounted a flight of stone steps, there, waiting to welcome us (we felt, as “honoured guests”) was our butler/headwaiter who, after addressing us by name, introduced himself as Godfrey and graciously escorted us the rest of the way towards the open castle door. Waiting there for us was Lamsin, our waiter for the evening. Together they ushered us through the palatial hall towards a cosy inglenook near the bar with a lighted fire, which was particularly appreciated – it being a rather chilly evening - where we sat for our pre-dinner drinks. Utterly charming, beautifully furnished with dark oak benches and table – walls decorated with swords and shields, pictures and hunting trophies – so much to take in and admire. I must admit that it was the perfect place to imbibe the ambience of the place. It was like going back in time and being part of history!
The Castle was built originally as the home of the Holdengarde family, wealthy industrialists who lived in Bulawayo sometime in the nineteenth century. It was never a castle in the usually accepted way but it was certainly built – and later restored by the Nesbitt family – as close to authenticity as one could imagine with battlements and dungeons – and as a near-perfect replica of a really historic castle! Such an interesting place to visit.
After our glass of wine – which was served with delicate and wonderfully tasty snacks – we were led to the dining-room on the upper floor by way of an imposing carved, tudor-style staircase.
The dining room was impressive to say the least; again following the style of an historic castle with heavy brocade drapes at the mullioned windows and tables set immaculately with sparkling crystal, gleaming silver and beautiful china with crisp, white table cloths and napkins. Every table had a silver vase with fresh flowers and a silver candlestick. Our table for two already had a lighted candle. Soft Gregorian music playing in the background… The scene was quite overwhelming – and all this was before we even ordered the food!
We had been informed that the dinner would be a set three-course meal but we had a choice of seafood cocktail or cream of butternut soup – which happened to be firm favourites with us, so we ordered one of each. And both were absolutely delicious! The main course was fish or chicken so we were well-suited. John’s trout was grilled and attractively presented and my chicken was breast stuffed with a spinach mixture in an herb coating. The vegetables were steamed and beautifully served. The dessert offered was fruit salad with cream or steamed pudding and we both opted for the fruit salad. This turned out to be the one disappointment (if we were looking for one!) as it was tinned fruit cocktail. (Surprising really, as there is plenty of fresh fruit available at this time.) Our tea, which rounded off our meal, was beautifully served from a silver tea set by Lamsin, who had, throughout our meal, waited at a discrete distance seemingly in the style of a “footman”! Interesting that we were not actually asked if we were enjoying our meal, as happens in other restaurants, but rather did we get the impression that we were being attended to individually as we might if we were “at home”.
Did I mention that we were the only people at the Castle that night? There were no other diners! A rather strange and unique experience – but one that we thoroughly enjoyed. And being treated so royally from start to finish, in solitary splendour (so to speak) and in such a regal atmosphere, was in itself simply amazing!
We almost became unaware of the reason for our visit to The Coach House (a bit of a misnomer, I would say) but the hospitality we received was far in excess of our expectations and definitely deserves top billing.
Deluxe Restaurant5 Plates
