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Travel Plaza
29 Mazowe Street
Harare
700094 091 408 550

 

Gaby’s – good food but lacks atmosphere 2011
My previous visit to Gaby’s was when it was owned by the Prandini family (ex-Italian Bakery now Da Eros fame) and Travel Plaza, where it is located in a picturesque colonial style homestead, was relatively new, shiny and up-market.  Things have definitely changed since then, when I arrived for lunch the Arcade was virtually deserted as was Gaby’s and the pervasive ambience was “run down”!  I fear my first experience, that of parking, may have coloured my whole outing but then that will be so with other diners, so it is worthy of comment.  Having spotted the “Gaby’s Restaurant” signs on the pavement parking bays I pulled into one of these hoping that as a prospective diner I might get special treatment.  Definitely not so, I was immediately surrounded by very intrusive street vendors and kids wanting to guard my car.  On arrival at the Restaurant I asked the Receptionist, who was hidden behind a tall desk and not inclined to communicate, if they had a guard for diners’ cars and was told that there might be someone for the complex around somewhere.  I then enquired if my car would be safe and was told that if it was locked “that was a start”!!

Hunger got the better of my concern for my possessions and things looked up when we were shown to our table by the pleasantly communicative Tariro.  Although I had booked and requested non-smoking she wasn’t interested in this technicality and showed us to a table on the empty veranda. Taking my job seriously I decided I would do “toilet inspection” before eating and this proved to be my second unpleasant experience.  I was provided with an up-market carrier bag containing some sheets (not a roll please note) of toilet paper and a bottle of liquid soap and directed to the Plaza’s communal toilets.  Enough said – they were dirty, broken and the hand dryer had long since expired.  Returning to my table I was in serious need of a restorative alcoholic beverage but alas they had no ciders and the only bottle of wine was Mukuyu, so I settled for a glass of Robertson “Chateaux Box” (to my eyes and taste it was oxidised) which I diluted with soda to make it more palatable.

Tariro presented us with the comprehensive and reasonably priced menu and we decided to share starters of Deep Fried Mushrooms ($4) and Haloumi ($3) – both were very acceptable but then neither requires a great deal of skill in preparation.  On the recommendation of our waitress my companion chose Tibes ($10 - cubes of beef with peppers and tomatoes and spiced according to taste) and being a Friday I chose grilled Tilapia with Garlic Butter ($10).  Both dishes were excellently prepared, the Tibes in particular was perfectly spiced best quality fillet served with chips and vegetables.  The salad decoration had seen better days but then I was told long ago never to eat such decorations as it is moved from plate to plate in the less discerning restaurants and so can end up very well travelled!

I rarely manage to eat desserts, even in the course of duty, but my companion chose ice-cream and chocolate sauce ($4) from the small selection on offer which included apple crumble.  My double espresso ($2) was really excellent, Vumba coffee, Tariro told me.  By this time the restaurant had attracted a few more customers but was still far from humming though we were told that the previous day it had been full at lunch time and at night people drinking at the Roof Top Bar then wander down to soak up their liquid intake!

Eating out, even in moderately priced restaurants like Gaby’s, is not cheap and so the complete experience needs to satisfy.  Although the food was good (and Tariro especially recommended the breakfasts) and Manager Rodney was on hand to supervise, Gaby’s ambience (or should I say lack of) and location put it low on my list of restaurants to revisit.  Open every day except Sunday. 
Family Restaurant
2 Plates

Gaby’s, Travel Centre, Harare - Do you believe in miracles?(2010)
On first sight, the only sign of activity coming from Gaby’s was that the lights were on.  Not a single soul was to be seen as we entered, but there were a couple of security guards in the shopping centre itself.  An unusually high reception desk revealed two heads hidden, and deeply engrossed in something, but it wasn’t us!  I felt a bit foolish announcing that we had booked a table for four.  “Oh!” was the reply.  As if on cue, the double doors behind the reception opened and our waiter ushered us past empty tables to where we would be sitting, and started fiddling with the electric fire that didn’t work.  I held my breath for the delights on the menu.  A pretty pink bow held the wine and food menus together and the girls in the family instantly let out an involuntary oooh!  Would the actual content of the menus illicit an equally enthusiastic response, I wondered?

The wine list looked more impressive than the food menu, offering some good imported choices.  It was difficult to hide our disappointment when we were told that only Mukuyu was available.  What about the South African wines?  I lamented.  I suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, and then I got even more confused when Hot Chocolate‘s “I believe in Miracles” suddenly started playing!  I did, for a moment, too, because at the bottom of the list, I noticed that a Robertson Rosé was available by the glass!  Drinks and fruit juices ordered, we whiled away the time comparing witty phrases and sayings scattered under the glass table top for the amusement of patrons.

Our waiter was young, helpful, and enthusiastic.  It crossed my mind that he was over-qualified for the job, but for the time being, he seemed quite content.  There were no starters as such on the menu, but we all opted to try the chicken livers as they seemed to be the only item resembling an appetiser.  We had them with peri peri and garlic, and they were delicious.  My youngest asked if we could order some more.

“I like the orange walls, Mum, and I like the feel of this place.  It reminds me of Monte”.  The décor did in fact ooze of that pseudo Italian extravaganza in Jo’burg! 

For kids, the choices are easy, as everything comes with chips.  The ribs and chips, and chicken à la crème with chips, were a done deal.  Hubby opted for the chicken and chips, and me?  Well I played safe and had the steak with chips.

The mains arrived just as Dad was starting to mellow to the harmonising of Marvin Gaye. The kids loved their food.  The ribs were sticky sweet and the chicken covered in a mushroom and cream sauce.  The only description that I have about the slivers of fried potato lying on my plate is that they did resemble chips.  I just couldn’t hazard a guess as to the age of the oil they had been fried in though.  My steak had been cooked as I requested, but it looked as though it had been thrown on the plate, and my daughter having the chicken à la crème declared jinx padlock when she saw we had the same sauce!  (For the uninitiated, this is Playground Law - if something occurs at the same time. Anyone who has young kids knows this as a jinx for children, and it can only be unpadlocked by repeating their names twice!)

More drinks were kindly offered and replenished by our waiter who also took the opportunity to ask if we wanted dessert.  Ice cream was the order of the day, as the only other option was fresh fruit salad, but that was off the menu anyway.  To round off the meal I had a cup of adequate espresso.

I left Gaby’s with “Kung Fu Fighting” drifting in the air, and asked myself what, if anything, I would go back for.  There was little to excite me as a discerning adult diner, but my children thought the food delicious.  At between $10 to $15 a head it was also value for money, so if you want a quick meal that the kiddies would be happy with at a good price, try Gaby’s - but be prepared to be dining alone with only Gary Glitter to keep you company!
Family Restaurant
3 Plates
Expect to Spend $10 to $15 per head

 

Gaby’s uninspiring 2009
Towards the end of term, a teacher’s life becomes scarily hectic and it was with great relief I handed in my reports on time.  The wonderful thing about writing reports is that when they are finished a huge burden is lifted and life seems immeasurably joyful again, so many wonderful possibilities await, especially with the Women’s Film Festival about to start. However, another deadline was looming and I remembered how many times I have lectured my dear pupils on the importance of handing in their assignments on time so that they would be able to manage in the real world with so much competition.  I decided that the only time we could fit in Gaby’s was after school during the week at about 1.30 pm, if I was to make that deadline.  Perhaps an unfortunate time to visit a restaurant, although apparently Gaby’s does stay open to 5 o’clock and when I booked they assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem. 

Gaby’s is an attractive venue, with its rag washed terracotta walls and lovely pictures of Mediterranean-looking coastlines.  We were warmly welcomed and shown our table in the middle of the restaurant, and while we waited for the menu we started to read the quotations under the glass table, which seemed rather a fun and novel idea to amuse the customer.  Mind you, quotes like, “Greatness is when someone walks away from pleasure to protect their integrity”, did not exactly promise a hedonistic experience ahead! 

My poor husband’s face fell when he was told that there was no beer available, as unfortunately Gaby’s had not yet been granted their liquor license.  However, the mineral water arrived beautifully chilled and the children were happy to have their soft drinks of Coke and Sprite.  My cappuccino was substantial with a reasonable amount of foam. 

I was fairly lucky in that I made the best choice when it came to the main dish.  I felt that I would have loved to interview the owners to hear what would have prompted them to name my dish, “Tibes” which seemed to make no sense at all.  ‘Tibes” turned out to be very tasty morsels of steak, and deliciously crunchy green peppers and onions with gravy, which went very well with the chips.  I had originally wanted to go for the Vegetarian Pasta, which was on a separate menu, but I was kindly warned by the waiter that this dish would involve a long waiting period.  This was useful to know as time was rather short before the children had to be dropped off somewhere else.  Likewise, rice was also not a possibility for my husband’s fish, although I wondered why this was not cooked beforehand and simply heated up.  To be fair we were offered extra chips as a compensation for the lack of rice.

I must say that most restaurants are trying to be very creative with their bream and since it is such an ecologically good choice, I think this is very commendable.  The bream came with a curry sauce and was enjoyable although my husband felt that the description on the menu should have included the sauce.  My children both ordered the homemade hamburger which sounded as if it was going to be a fresh tasting beef patty inside a soft white roll. The problem was that the homemade extended to the rolls as well and they were so heavy and cake like that when you chewed them it was like swimming in the warm pool at Tshipise, you just felt like you could not be bothered.  With all the lovely buns and bread available in the supermarkets why would anyone want to make their own?  Well unless of course it was some kind of specialty bread that some restaurants seem to excel in. The garden salad we shared between us was a little on the anaemic side, I assumed that the odd few peas that were thrown in contributed to the name.  This was a shame as an interesting salad and some good bread can be a perfect choice for lunch on a hot day.  My husband had to rush off to a course he’s taking, while I stayed on with the children and a few other lone diners.  Plain unadulterated ice-cream came in white clunky basin-like dishes to finish off an adequate but rather uninspiring meal.   

As for the toilets, which are outside the restaurant and presumably shared with other businesses in this complex, they were simply appalling, and I later noted that exactly the same criticism was made in Gaby’s 2007 Review, and I quote:  “Like a few other entrants, Gaby’s has the misfortune to be sharing the loos with others in this otherwise pleasant mall.  What disaster!  And like other such entrants, Gaby’s lost a lot of marks here – no loo seats, no towels, broken hand driers, no soap, a most unpleasant pong, and all told, a thorough lowering of the fine tone set in the restaurant.  Let’s hope that, like other restaurants in this predicament, Gaby’s resists the temptation to cry foul and claim a lack of control.  Having refurbished the entire premises, perhaps the new owners should have addressed this thorny issue and built their own facilities.  They simply must resolve this problem.  If this is impractical or unaffordable, then Gaby’s simply has to take some control themselves – and monitor the state of its facilities” .

Clearly, Gaby’s have failed in over two years to take heed.  It simply is not acceptable to expect your patrons to use reeking toilets lacking even seats, let alone loo paper, when running a restaurant!  It ruins the entire dining experience.  Perhaps I am overly fussy about such things but to me it really does pull a restaurant right down.   The purpose of these reviews is to assist restaurants to improve in areas needing their attention and surely this should by now have been a relatively simple issue to address?
Family Restaurant
2 Plates
Expect to spend about $10 dollars per head

Gaby’s Restaurant-Under New Management 2008
Gaby’s restaurant is located at the Travel Plaza Shopping Mall, 29 Mazowe Street.  When we visited this restaurant it was after three unsuccessful attempts.  The establishment had been evidently affected by the mad days of currency shortages, commodity scarcity and pricing distortions. Its opening had become erratic and it has since those days completely stopped serving dinners. Last Monday we decided to visit them for a quick lunch. 

Although we had booked a table by phone, we were told to just sit anywhere when we arrived.  I have a feeling those days when booking would be a necessity or else you would have to wait for a free table are coming!  While we looked for the reception which is hardly visible when you are coming from parking which is along Mazowe street, the waiters did more smiling than ushering, until one of them advised “you can sit anywhere”.  We ordered our first round of drinks, a passion juice for myself and a Schweppes Lemon for my companion.  I was thoroughly disappointed by the temperature of my juice as it was not chilled.  After I complained, the waiter took it away and brought another glass which was not any better.  So Life goes on. 

A very well laid out and quite appetising, although fairly limited menu was brought to us.  The restaurant offers a Gaby’s breakfast consisting of 2 eggs, 2 rashes of bacon, baked beans, tomato and toast.  This you can enjoy with their wide range of teas, coffees as well as cold drinks and juices.  For a light snack, they offer chicken mayonnaise, ham, cheese and tomato, plus bacon and egg sandwiches.   They also have a selection of juicy pies which come with a delicious gravy, salad and chips.  Our waiter Rodrick urged us to try their pies as they were a fast option, and most succulent.  Perhaps he was right.  But wanting something a bit more filling and a dish that required some preparation and would allow me sufficient time to assess the restaurant, I ordered a chicken a la crème.  This is chicken breast fried in butter with mushroom, garlic and cream.  My companion ordered a grilled hake fillet and throughout the meal he kept insinuating that it tasted like beef!  My chicken was fairly tasty, although I must admit; I needed a microscope to find the mushroom.  There was no hint of garlic either.  Perhaps this was so because the food was lukewarm when I got it.  Spices are generally more active and discernable in most dishes when the dish is actually hot!  Apart from these dismal servings, we could have also ordered from the steaks stable with fillets, sirloin and T-bone.  There was also a dish described as beef cubes, fried with fresh tomato, green pepper, onions and garlic, served with chips and salad.  Sounds delicious!  Very little on the table however for the vegetarian (I call them the faint hearted).  On desserts, Rodrick offered us ice cream or coffees/tea.  We were somewhat in a hurry and could not have dessert.

Perhaps what Gaby’s lacked in the food they could recover on the neatness of their establishment.  The restaurant is already fortunate to be located in a fairly well-looked-after shopping mall with other well to do businesses.  It has a contemporary feel with neatly laid out chairs and glass tables. 
The green plants that are neatly arranged in the foyer and at strategic places in the restaurant give it a welcoming feel and an uplifting experience which inevitably lifts your expectations.  The waiters are generally friendly and knowledgeable although they need to improve on their ushering.  Their attire and general demeanour is excellent and they all look like the real time in their white (branded Gaby’s) shirts and blue jeans.  It is good that this restaurant (with its ideal location in the avenues) is now fully operational.  The new management which we were advised has just taken over the establishment need to work extra hard to create a note-worthy wining and dining place.  Talking of wining, the restaurant does not yet serve wines and liquor but this is coming shortly, within a week from Monday the 24th of February.  Fair experience.  Expect to spend between USD 15-20 per person. 

Family Restaurant
2 Plates