He sent me up a bit of a bank which had my wheels spinning and my husband making rude comments about girls in 4x4s when he arrived a few minutes later!
Menus were waiting on the table when I arrived and a waiter immediately came over to offer me a drink; the early arrival was already nursing a Malawi Shandy and when he arrived, my husband had a Rock Shandy and although they looked a little surprised when I asked for a Club Special, it was duly mixed and tasted great.
The other two are regulars at Arnaldo’s so didn’t even bother to look at the menu and I was caught napping when the waiter came to take our order, luckily the menu is simple and I was able to make a quick decision.
Food ordered we settled back to conversation, nibbling on the French stick and garlic dip provided and not noticing the time passing until my husband asked if we thought they’d gone out to catch and pluck the chicken before cooking it! In all fairness, they were pretty busy and when the food came, it was most definitely worth the wait!
Two beautifully cooked half chickens with salad, one hot, although it’s never hot enough to keep my fire eating husband happy, and a mild one for our fellow diner. I’m not a big carnivore, but nor am I one of those people who is prepared to go out for peri-peri chicken and I’ll never order fish!
So, steak it was, mini steak and salad to be precise, well done, I don’t want to know that it was ever alive and won’t eat it if I have to chase it round the plate still “moo-ing” loudly in protest!
The chickens were succulent and flavourful and my steak was, quite possibly, one of the nicest steaks I’ve had in a very long time. Part of it was well done, but there was a portion that had missed the heat and had a good pink colour to it.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Much to everyone’s surprise, my own included, I didn’t do my usual stunt of leaving it on the side of the plate, it was so tender and had such a good flavour that I ate the lot. I might just find my self converted to ordering “medium” in future.
We ordered a second round of drinks, the waiter not needing to be told who was having what. During the meal we noticed that Keitha Ann was making the rounds, checking that people where happy with their meals. She greeted us and exchanged pleasantries, which seems to be something that she does with most of the “regulars” and there seem to be rather a lot of “regulars”! It must have something to do with the reliably good food.
Arnaldo’s does exactly what it says on the box, there are no unnecessary airs and graces, they are located in the industrial sites, so you automatically forgive a little dust and are not expecting polished crystal and a six course meal, they cater to lunch time, business diners, good food with service good enough to be able to entertain clients and hold informal meetings without fear of embarrassment.
We didn’t have coffees or anything boozy to drink, nor did we have the time or room for puddings, but adequate choices are on offer.
If I were to suggest changes at Arnaldo’s they would be small; please could we have some hot water in the ladies and a bigger bin for the used hand towels.
Other than that, I’m going to give credit, where credit is due, there are a number of places doing the same thing, but for my money, Arnaldo’s are still doing it better than the rest of them.
Speciality Restaurant Portuguese4 PlatesExpect to Spend US$15 – US$207 Bessemer Road, Graniteside
