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Cresta Lodge
Cnr Samora Machel Ave/Robert Mugabe Rd
Harare
487006, 487008, 487154, 7

Satisfying food, business talk, at Chatters 2011
Having only ever visited the Cresta Oasis hotel on the corner of Robert Mugabe Road and Samora Machel Avenue once before, I was put at ease by a helpful security guard at the entrance who immediately pointed me in the right direction.  I realised I could’ve managed quite well on my own as Chatters restaurant was clearly signposted from the neatly laid out car park.  The gardens to the rear of the hotel, which are easily accessed from the car park, lead you into the patio entrance of Chatters where almost all diners choose to sit.  I was concerned about the relentless vehicular activity outside but the cleverly laid out terraced gardens acted as an efficient noise barrier. 

The diners were easily identified as businessmen cum guests of the hotel with a smattering of locals.  We sat at a table adorned in crisp white linen napkins and spotless cutlery.  The main restaurant, which is looking a bit outdated, also houses the buffet area which is well stocked with favourites like roast chicken and beef, plenty of fresh salads and vegetables.  We however, opted for the three courses offered for the same price as the buffet, at $20.

There was one starter of homemade soup and, as it was a hot day only one bowl was ordered, so that we could at least give it a try.  There is no printed wine list but local wines were on offer along with a mediocre imported Merlot.  Whilst we were waiting for the soup our waiter brought a basket of exquisite and very tasty bread rolls to our table. They were so delicious that the children asked if they could order some more. The soup arrived and was pleasant, full of veggie goodness, but far more suited to a full on winter menu.  Our mains were hake in beer batter with chips and chicken breast stuffed with gammon and cheese with vegetables.  The chicken breast was on the dry side but looked good on the plate all the same.  Too much cheese and the substantial slice of gammon inside spoilt the dish somewhat.  The accompanying vegetables were sublime though!  There is nothing better than crunchy, beautifully seasoned vegetables at a meal, especially one you’re paying for.  I eat out a fairly often and I just wish that more restaurants would take heed of this. 

The hake was firm and there was enough to satisfy the heartiest of appetites but the batter was a bit on the soggy side.  The young ones absolutely raved about the accompanying lemon and butter sauce so much that I had to try it.  It was good, very good and I preferred it to the BBQ sauce that came with the chicken breast.  The dessert choice was uninspiring but chocolate cake and ice cream were ordered to appease the children.  I had a coffee to finish the meal and was very glad I did.  It arrived on a little tray in a white china pot and I could smell the rich Arabic aroma as our waiter poured the dark steaming liquid into a white china cup.  It was perfect in strength and deeply satisfying.

The only irritation experienced was the constant interruption of cell phones ringing, which played on my nerves during what was otherwise a pleasant meal - but after all, this was lunchtime and full of businessmen making deals!   
Family Restaurant
3 Plates
Expect to spend between $20-$25 per head
Cresta Lodge, Samora Machel Avenue, towards Msasa, Harare

A Mellow Night Out at Chatters 2010
The name Chatters invokes a lively, busy image, but this is not what we experienced when we went to dine at this restaurant, located in the Cresta Lodge on Samora Machel Avenue.  The parking area directly outside the restaurant was packed and we willingly parked further away and made our way to the restaurant in anticipation of a pleasant night.  It was a good night, I would go so far as to say nice, but no further.

The atmosphere was very mellow with background sounds provided by “older” music such as Fleetwood Mac and Michael Bolton.  We were quickly escorted to our table and then seemingly abandoned for a while.  When our waiter eventually reappeared I was busy placating my partner who had declared that she was ready to eat a horse.  We asked for a wine list and the waiter disappeared again for a while.  When he reappeared it was to straighten the next table and we had to demand his attention and remind him we were ready to order drinks.  He nodded his head and immediately started to wander off - without the drinks orders.  We called him back, and managed to place orders for various cocktails which were delicious, well presented and very prettily garnished with orange and apple slices.  We were forced to choose cocktails after we had chosen a lovely South African Robertson’s Merlot, as the prices quoted on this was mind-blowing as far as we were concerned.  This is a pleasant enough wine in which we indulge regularly.  It is priced at about $8.50 in the supermarkets and at $20 at Chatters.  This is excessive in my book so we opted for the cheaper cocktails.

It was a buffet night and immediately I was struck with a sense of foreboding. The last time we had a buffet we had set ourselves the impossible task of partaking of ALL that was on offer. This experience was highly enjoyable DURING the meal, but the after effects were rather alarming. We were not keen to repeat this experience!! The buffet involved a three course meal comprising a soup starter, a variety of meats and starches as a main and various desserts.  The soup was minestrone and was a treat as the night was fairly chilly.  It was well prepared and seasoned and quickly warmed us up thoroughly.  My partner was particularly pleased with the quality of the croutons.  Following the soup and after a brief recess we contemplated the dishes on offer as part of the main course with the debate mainly focussing on whether over-indulgence would be a good idea or not.  We rejected this idea after my partner reminded me of the consequences of such greed!  We quickly decided to stick to two or three choices...hmmmm, talk of the best laid plans......  on arrival at the buffet table, every dish seemed to scream out,”pick me!”  The table was beautifully laid out with a very attractive salad bar adorned with all kinds of fresh fruit, vegetables and interesting looking garnishes. For my partner the highlight was a loaf of bread that was shaped like a crocodile and even had the spiny scales.  We were spoilt for choice.  I eventually settled for chicken stew and rice accompanied by steamed vegetables, fish and pasta and a spoonful of each salad on offer.  The steamed vegetables were the highlight for me.  They were the correct texture and temperature and tasted wonderful.  The chicken was pleasant enough but we feel it could have been a bit tenderer.  The fish was not very exciting.  It closely resembled the boxed hake you buy from supermarkets.  The salads were attractive to look at and the coleslaw and green pepper and onion salads were delicious and the perfect accompaniments to the chicken dish.  According to my partner the roast beef was superb.

Temptation presented itself in the form of the deserts.  There was cheesecake, mousse, trifle, apple tarts and custard and chocolate éclairs! Choices, choices, choices...what could we do...try a little bit of everything of course.  The trifle and mousse were lovely and light on the palate.  The cheesecake despite its extremely delectable appearance was a disappointment.  It was multi- coloured and layered but it had no flavour. The only taste to emerge from it was from the chocolate sprinklings with which it was liberally decorated.  The apple tart and custard were nice but a tad overwhelming.  The cinnamon was too strong for me and I abandoned it after a couple of mouthfuls. My partner, on the other hand, was transported to heavenly bliss by the spice, and gobbled it up with glee!  I enjoyed the half of an éclair that I managed to eat before declaring a truce with my rebelling tummy. It was getting steadily colder inside the restaurant and I was very pleased when our waiter offered us tea or coffee during our dessert. The hot beverages rounded off a pleasant meal perfectly.  In summary, we concurred in our view.  As a dining out experience, the Chatters buffet was pleasant enough, rather than noteworthy.
Family Restaurant
2 Plates
Expect to spend between $20-$25 per head

 

Chatters much improved 2009
What a damp day!  We timeously arrived at Chatters, the restaurant for the Cresta Lodge near Masasa, between persistent soakings from the leaden skies so luckily avoiding taking on the mien of water-logged ducks.  Still, I had an email from England last night saying how they are “heartily sick of the sight of snow” so who’s complaining?

There was a little confusion as to whether there is an a la carte lunch menu for Chatters, or whether it’s just the buffet… but it looked like what was on the buffet was what was on the menu recited by our waiter!  Anyhow, to start there was soup-of-the-day in piping-hot plates, kindly brought to our table by a helpful waiter and after that, the usual buffet queue.

We sat down to enjoy the soup, a somewhat bland cream of carrot helped along with liberal sprinklings of pepper, along with a few home-made rolls that would have been lighter if made with a higher quality flour perhaps, and tastier with a bit of salt?  There actually seemed to be some thought given to the décor in this pleasant dining room with large, bright and colourful bird paintings along the upper level, not accurate portrayals but rather loose and imaginative interpretations by a local artist – ‘fun’ paintings, as my dining companion called them.  I easily identified a hornbill by its bill, bedecked in the vibrant costume of a South American trogon.  Against another jungley backdrop what might have been a paradise-flycatcher masqueraded as a bird-of-paradise or a Resplendent Quetzal… a francolin transformed into a female Great Curassow, another transfigured and bedizened into a Western Capercaillie… and was that a Kalij Pheasant or a Palawan Peacock-pheasant?  I even had high hopes of ‘ticking’ that amazing creature, the Hoatzin!  Altogether a cheerful and delightful aviary.

Then we were off to sample the buffet, first passing and scrutinising the dessert display, which brought on a mild anxiety attack …  At the main serving counter there wasn’t a bounteous selection – sadza or rice were the main staples, which we both shunned in favour of the roast potato wedges.  Then there were just three meat choices – roast chicken pieces, a beef stew (what out waiter meant by the minute steak perhaps?) and bream.  The hot vegetable dish was sliced carrot and courgette and I must say it was perfectly cooked and still crunchy.  Across the other side were a variety of salads – green beans, green salad, cold roast egg plant, tomato and cucumber, bananas in a sauce (looked interesting!), etc., with a few dressings and condiments.  I suppose one could heap one’s plate with a bit of everything but I just tried the chicken and my companion the bream.  Of the sauces that accompanied the meats there were mild chilli, tomato and onion, a plain gravy (I think) and the pepper sauce, which I tried and found very nice.  We both commented on how good the green bean salad was, though the egg plant could have done with a tad more cooking.  The chicken was a little dry, as tends to happen in these situations but fortunately the bream had leapt out of the pan in time! 

Back at our table, alongside the large windows and doors leading out to a covered verandah, we could look onto the garden.  The rain had paused and on a good day it would be most pleasant to eat out there, either on the verandah or one of the tables scattered on different levels amongst the greenery.  An Amethyst Sunbird came and chattered nearby, followed by a pair of Variable Sunbirds and the long russet tail of an African Paradise-flycatcher gave away the position of that beautiful little fellow perched amongst the leaves.

And then, already feeling fairly full, we made our way to the ravaged dessert display – ah, that premonition, the chocolate cake was but a memory! – to salvage what we could.  I’ll just say that the desserts were ok but not great!  The battered bits of remaining Triffle (sic) were rather trifling.  But that didn’t really spoil an otherwise very enjoyable lunch.  The service was excellent and the surrounds very enjoyable.  My dining companion said it had improved since the last time she was there and in fact, there are very few places to eat in and around Msasa apart from the Shop Café.  I hate to harp on prices but must mention that it is a little expensive starting at $20… and get your dessert first!
Family Restaurant
3 Plates
Expect to spend $20 to $30 per head

 

Chatters not what it once was 2008
Saturday lunch is not normally big on most people’s calendars, which might explain why Chatters Restaurant was a little quiet on the weekend that my partner and I decided to visit. Or perhaps it is just that business is slow in Zimbabwe these days. But then again, it may be that Chatters is no longer the place it used to be.

I had looked forward to the outing, having last been there in the 1990s. The booking had been painless, and the welcome cheerful and professional, save for the fact that we were shown a table inside when we had specifically booked for one in the garden. Once the confusion had been good-naturedly resolved, we sat down to enjoy the Harare sunshine and birdlife and hopefully the food.

Drinks were offered and served efficiently. A rather scruffy file was then presented as the menu but as we were perusing the sheets of bond paper contained therein, the waiter helpfully confided that in fact the “current menu” only carried three items – Mexican Chicken, T-bone steak and Stir Fried Pork. These were accompanied by either rice, potato or sadza and “vegetables in season”.

Starters consisted of the soup of the day and a selection of salads. My partner chose the soup, which was not only poorly presented in a rather curious-looking urn but as he discovered on sampling it, was tepid. As he normally prefers his soup piping hot, this was not a good start.  I found the salads fresh and of decent variety.

In choosing the exotically-named Mexican chicken, my partner had imagined some perky dish, visually pleasing and challenging to the taste buds. In the event, there was nothing Mexican about the chicken at all. It was boring and disappointingly bland.  On request, the waiter obligingly provided a hot sauce to accompany the chicken, but it was too little too late.

My T-bone and sadza arrived just barely warm. The vegetables in season (for both dishes) turned out to be poor quality green beans. Neither my partner nor I could recall vegetables being in short supply in the supermarkets, even during these difficult times! In any case, sadza and T-bone are better served with rapeseed, cabbage or spinach rather than the green beans staple on offer.

We had to specifically ask the waiter for a wine list.  He agreed that there was wine available but had to sheepishly concede that there was no wine list.  After we insisted, he retreated and returned a short while later with a list of five available local and imported ones, carefully scribbled on a coaster.  The waiter had to go back and forth to verify various details about the wine, until we eventually ordered local white wine by the glass, which we found thoroughly enjoyable and very fairly priced.

Dessert was self-service on the buffet. The options were neatly presented, enticing and offered surprising variety.  Among others, there was a delectable selection of chocolate éclairs, chocolate mousse, milk tarts and jelly and custard.  I wondered how the Chatters chef, who had performed so dismally on the main course, could have conjured this dessert selection.  My partner was disappointed that there was no fruit salad, a firm favourite with him and those watching their weight.  Incidentally, the wines on offer were displayed on the dessert table!  Had the waiter simply invited us to go and view the wines, he might have saved himself a lot of bother earlier!

All in all, though, the waiter, Michael, who had long lost his name tag, was friendly, helpful and tried his best to make the most of an uninspiring environment.  Full marks to him for his efforts.  However, his warm manner and service with a smile were not enough counter the general feeling that we came out with – that this was not the Chatters of old.  On a Saturday afternoon at least, a roadside gochi-gochi could serve the same fare, for a lot less.
Family Restaurant
1 Plate