While I’d taken these requests on board, they were –candidly—in the “Good Ideas for Sometime” file (meaning that story would probably remain unwritten!) until a stranger wandered in there on Sunday afternoon to meet former music store owner and local radio disc jockey Bobby Potter.For my sins, I didn’t get his name, but he recalled attending Greendale Good Food and Wine Appreciation Society events in the mid-1980s as a guest of Tony “The Gypsy” Hooper, then a private detective here.
Flatteringly, he remembered the menu of a Robbie Burns lunch held at the Howff of Chisholm Restaurant at Chisipite, of fond memory; the name of the Pipe-Major (Charlie Hayley, now with the Brit Embassy) and even a couple of good-natured jokes I told at the expense of the late Major Dudley Clark. But it was only when he started gushing about our pleasant, if rather retro, panelled bar, the extraordinarily attractive verdant view from massive plate glass windows of bird-filled trees, trees and more trees, topped by Harare’s sky-line, which seems disproportionately striking from our angle, that I thought I must focus on the place.Last week, regular readers will recall, the club ran out of roast pork lunches on Mother’s Day; I was too late to eat at Harare Sports Club; it was supper at Coimbra before the inner man was attended to. This week –so fickle is this dining out lark, making planning problematical — CBC sold few meals on Sunday lunch and I wasn’t one of the purchasers.
I’d captained a scratch team at Reps in one of the occasional fun pub quizzes held around the city, which I’m glad to say we won, beating hot favourites “S” Bends by two points after 100 questions. Reps Club, at the theatre, holding a fund-raiser and membership drive, followed the quiz with genuine curry and rice and pudding cooked by an Indian member’s wife.
It was very, very good flavour-wise (a boneless chicken curry, an almost solidly packed vegetable curry, with poppadums, sambals and salads) but I was served early and I’m not sure portions ladled out then were really US$10 good in a not for profit club.It seemed they became more generous as the afternoon progressed and I was actually asked if I’d like some more. Even I don’t do huku after sub-continental floury sweet. And what’s a tenner, in a good cause? (It would have been even less if I could have wrested a receipt out of the caterer and put it on expenses!)
Incidentally, while on the subject of receipts: hokoyo! several outlets print them on fax paper (some supermarkets issue credit notes on the same stuff.) Dig in your wallet a few days later to fill in the exes claim or get 89c change that Spar didn’t have knocked off your current bill and …hey presto — there’s nothing there! The paper’s blank! Leave these items in daylight, it happens even quicker; in full sun on the dashboard, details of your purchases have disappeared by the time you get home!A picture’s supposed to be worth 1 000 words (they rarely are: after almost half a century of professional “smudging” and picture editing, I know the average newspaper or magazine picky takes up the space occupied by around 333 words!) So I’m reproducing a few recent snaps of CBC, which will graphically illustrate to hard-copy readers what I’m on about: an attractive garden-like setting; shots from the recent Zimbabwe National tournament (at which teams from Karen, Nairobi, Kenya played as did individual bowlers from Namibia, South Africa and Botswana) and a couple of punchy, solid comfort-food dishes served at attractive prices.Sadly, thousands of on-line readers across the globe won’t see this “artwork” and may find the previous paragraph rather frustrating.
CBC is by no means confined to “Old Men’s Marbles” (bowls). The social scene flourishes with bar and kitchen open almost every day of the year from brunch. (Last orders 17:30 unless it’s a tikkeidrei Saturday night!)
Two martial arts clubs meet there. A big hall hosts private events: church functions, art and photo exhibitions, fashion shows, fund-raising cabarets, wedding receptions, graduation parties, cocktails, product launches and the like.
The safe car-park is often used by visitors who dump vehicles there and walk into town to visit embassies, banks, lawyers etc. Many folk took advantage of its proximity to the main action at Hifa recently, avoiding menacing looking street kids (and adults) demanding lots of loot to “guard” committee cars.Membership, management and staff are multi-racial and multi-ethnic with much harmony and good humour on the three superb bowling greens currently used and at the well-stocked bar
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Membership is available, with priority being given to active or wannabe bowlers; members in good standing get 40% discount off drinks, meals and some other purchases through an electronic swipe card system.
CBC has reciprocity with several other bowling and sports clubs in the sub-region.Subject to the club’s own fairly relaxed by-laws and the more stringent demands of the Liquor Licensing Act, visitors and potential members are welcome to call in to see what the club has for them.l [email protected]
