Vanilla Moon also seems to be a venue for worthwhile community events such as making Christmas crackers for charity and blood donations. On the day I visited there was a poster for a crafts day with lots of fun activities for the little ones, scrap-booking and some shopping therapy for the mums. One could also have an Indian head massage or a haircut from the Mastertouch hairdressers at the same premises.
There was a constant stream of ladies who lunch and various NGO types at Vanilla Moon proving that it is a very popular and well-frequented restaurant. The surroundings are soothing and relaxing, with cream wicker chairs and white roses in simple glass vases on antique pine tables.
My friend and I were a bit frazzled when we arrived after a rather frenetic morning and so we were looking forward to something to drink. There was a fascinating selection of teas like pomegranate or Echinacea, ideal for those who like to avoid the caffeine and enjoy their herbal teas. However, at that stage of the game I needed my caffeine fix so I ordered a cappuccino. My cappuccino had a most impressive amount of foam, and I really enjoyed voluptuously spooning it up. The actual coffee under the foam was a tad on the cool side and I would have liked the coffee to be a little stronger with a bit of a kick. Perhaps it was the luck of the draw, though, as later on in the day, my friend, a real Italian coffee fundi popped back to check her e-mails in one of the comfortable little nooks at Vanilla Moon. She reported that her cappuccino was hot and strong and that it was made with her favourite Farfell coffee.
Unfortunately, my friend’s vanilla milkshake came in a beer glass, which we felt detracted from the lovely atmosphere that the restaurant was obviously trying to create. However we did appreciate the beautifully refreshing iced borehole water which made us feel that we were saving both money and the environment at the same time. I was very pleased to see that falafel with tahini were on offer for the main course as I had thought that they would be an ideal choice for a restaurant now that chickpeas are readily available. They can be prepared in advance and cooked on top of a stove which is useful if there is a power cut. I did not actually order them myself as I was cooking them the next day for some vegetarian friends from Denmark. We were planning to have a picnic in Nyamaneche Game Park after visiting Tengenenge Sculpture garden. Mind you, I do not normally make them as they are quite tricky, especially when made from scratch rather than using tinned chickpeas.I finished the meal with a really scrumptious German nut cake drizzled with spicy, fragrant honey and orange syrup. I was slightly disappointed that they “run out” of ice-cream to go with it, although I was glad that I did not have children with me as they invariably want ice-cream. Surely some forward planning could have averted this problem since the restaurant is literally 5 minutes away from the newly opened Bridge and also Arundel Spar? Still, despite a few details, we enjoyed the community atmosphere and friendly staff at Vanilla Moon. According to another friend, I simply have to go back there to check out the white chocolate and ginger Chilla’s, apparently they are divine!
Coffee Shop, 4 PlatesExpect to spend between US$5 and US$15 8 Seagrave Road, Mount Pleasant, Harare.
