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30 Bath Road
Avondale
764349

Utano, lacking in Olé 2012
Ariba, ariba!  We’re off to Utano to eat Mexican food for lunch.  Olé!  I had visions of small swarthy men with long, black moustaches wearing sombreros and waistcoats and riding around on wild horses.  I could imagine ladies in long red and black Spanish dresses swirling their skirts up and clicking their castanets.  But as for Mexican food I wasn’t too sure – lots of rice and refried beans perhaps?  And, OF COURSE, tequila!

We were mildly disappointed (and slightly relieved) to find it a little more tranquil and a bit sleepy.  The waiter who greeted us seemed as if he’d just woken up and was a bit reluctant to show us to a table as if we were ruining his siesta.  We chose an outside table on the huge, cool veranda overlooking a pretty, landscaped garden and ordered a couple of cool drinks while waiting for the menus.

For starters there’s a choice of a chilli bowl (ground beef, beans and rice), a Mexican pizza (baked tortillas with toppings) or spicy potato wedges.  All the above were supposed to be served with guacamole, but the guacamole was not available!  Guacamole is a sort of sauce made from mashed up avocado, sometimes with added tomatoes, onions, garlic, chillies, lime juice and/or yoghurt.  It really is a staple of Mexican food and as it is easy to prepare and avos are freely available right now, there’s no excuse not to have any, especially as it’s offered with just about every dish on the menu!  Very disappointing!  Anyway, we settled on a mixed platter which came with strips of beef, chicken pieces, a couple of mini burritos (pancakes with beef filling) and some samoosas.  I always thought samoosas were from India rather than Mexico, but it was all very tasty and advertised on the menu as being served with a side salad – unfortunately it wasn’t.

The menu for main courses for lunch consists largely of tortillas in various guises – fried, baked or toasted – with a choice of beef, chicken, fish or vegetable fillings.  My partner ordered the ‘chimichangas’, two fried (you guessed it – tortillas) with a beef filling.  The tortillas were flavourful and were served with rice, spicy beans and a rather depressing salad, but sadly again not exactly what was on the menu.  There was no guacamole, no sour cream and the ‘salad’ consisted of about half a grated carrot.  Mexican food usually uses a whole wealth of herbs and spices and the carrots could certainly have done with a drizzle of lime juice and honey, some cilantro (coriander) or oregano, or even a little chopped chilli and onion.

I ordered from the dinner menu which was a little more imaginative.  The chicken breasts with almond and garlic sounded interesting, as well as the sizzling fajitas (strips of beef, chicken or fish) and the steaks.  I decided to try the fish fried with coriander and lemon juice.  The fish was well cooked and flavoursome, but again the accompaniments were disappointing.  Cheese is a big part of Mexican cuisine, but sadly nowhere on the menu.  I’m not exactly a connoisseur of Mexican food but I do know that chocolate is widely used in both sweet and savoury dishes, the most famous being chicken mole.  I’ve never tried it but wish it was on the menu at Utano!  Mexican food also uses a lot of fresh fruit, like guava, papaya and pineapple, all of which are easily available in Zim but sadly absent from the menu. 

The choice of desserts was disappointing, vanilla cake only.  Never mind, we were quite full of rice and beans already, so asked for an espresso and a tequila to round off the meal.  The espresso tasted like instant coffee – inexcusable for a Mexican joint - and the bar was out of tequila!!  Ah well, maybe next time!
Speciality Restaurant - Mexican
2 Plates
30 Bath Road, Avondale, Harare

  

 

Utano - Mexican cuisine in relaxed, friendly atmosphere 2011
New Mexican specialist entrant Utano is situated in a converted old house in Avondale set in a small but attractive garden.  In times of old it was the popular Art Café but has been through several changes in the turbulence of the past few years.  A prolonged power cut at home seemed a good excuse to pay it a lunch time visit in its new guise.

We had phoned ahead and booked an indoors table, but, on arrival, given the warmth of the day opted to sit on the verandah and tables were joined to accommodate our family group.  The interior is dramatically painted a vibrant red and with its stylish wooden furnishings and crisp linen provides an elegant ambience.  The verandah is spacious and essentially undecorated but overlooks the garden and there is additional seating within the garden itself.

Utano is themed as a Tex-Mex Restaurant and I am certainly no aficionado of this cuisine although it is a popular 'fast food' across the Atlantic.   Although the food in this establishment was not served in any manner that qualifies as 'fast', I have no complaints on that account.  Not being qualified to comment on the authenticity of the food served, I can say that I enjoyed both the meal and the relaxed and friendly atmosphere in which it was served.

The menus were brought with our order of drinks and it was explained there were two menus, the original menu, and the second being the new simplified bill of fare with reduced options and reduced prices – welcome news in this environment!  The new menu comprises appetisers, (only two, but to my mind these were light meals rather than appetisers), burgers, salads, a limited lunch menu and a more comprehensive dinner menu. Tortillas, enchiladas and burritos are present but nothing with a mole sauce.  The staff were most accommodating and allowed us to choose dishes from the dinner menu which took our fancy.  There is no wine list but I visited the bar and was shown the limited range available – mostly local – from which I made my selection, espying a bottle of Nederburg Lyric which proved a good choice.

We ordered two starter platters for our table of six and they proved to be more than adequate.  Each comprised a burrito, chicken pieces, fish bites, beef strips, a samoosa, a spring roll, potato wedges, and a crisp salad.  For my main course I ordered the Utano Dinner Special which comprised a tortilla, spicy rice, pinto beans, mixed salad, avocado, salsa, yoghurt, beef strips, chicken pieces and fish.  The chicken was especially succulent and delicious in a honey glaze and I had fun making a wrap with the tortilla, beefstrips, avocado, salsa and yoghurt.  The fish, unfortunately, was under-cooked, but that, we discovered, was due to a dearth of ZESA – also to blame for the cold plates which we complained about.  Vegetarians are catered for and the vegetable stir-fry served with beans, rice and tortilla got the thumbs up from one of our party.  I had expected the Mexican inspired food to have more heat and a separate bowl of chilli wouldn’t have gone amiss.  Be warned though that the portions are generous and we left with 'doggy-bags'.

Our friendly waitress, Charity, had impressed on us early in the meal to leave room for cake.  Being more than comfortably replete, we reluctantly ordered two slices for the table and I strongly recommend the chocolate – dark, rich and not too sweet, it was the perfect foil to my espresso.  The coffees were excellent and the quirky cups in which they were served enhanced the experience.

Utano is worth a visit and, if you don’t fancy the food, enjoy a leisurely coffee and piece of cake in the garden either before or after braving the Avondale Shops and Flea Market.  If you are going for a meal you would be well advised to take your own wine and to fast beforehand!
Speciality Restaurant (Tex-Mex)
3 Plates
Expect to spend $20 – $30 a head