Good value for money at Flatdog Diner

Wining & Dining
I hadn’t been to Flatdog in quite a while, so when a friend suggested we meet there for lunch, I was curious as to how things were faring there.

I hadn’t been to Flatdog in quite a while, so when a friend suggested we meet there for lunch, I was curious as to how things were faring there.

By Le connoisseur I ventured forth, passing through no less than four road blocks on my way to Msasa, which made me pretty late and had my dining companion wondering if I’d chickened out at the last minute!

On arrival I was warmly greeted and ushered into the garden where my companion was already tucking into a perfectly chilled Castle Lager.

Our waiter was quick to ask what I would like to drink and returned almost immediately with many apologies to tell me that they did not have any lemonade to make a Malawi Shandy.

He did however offer me several alternatives, so I settled on a Pilsener which arrived at the perfect temperature and to my delight, the glass was lovely and clean and devoid of dish towel fluff and sticky label residue on the base, these being my current pet hates from recent dining excursions!

The bar is generally well-stocked with a range of local and imported spirits as well as beers, soft drinks and ciders. Prices are reasonable across the board.

Menus arrived shortly afterwards and we were given the choice of ordering immediately, but we decided to finish our drinks and chew the fat so we were left in peace to get on with it. Having caught up, we were ready to order about 10 minutes later and a glance in our waiter’s direction had him scurrying over to take our orders.

Although there is a fairly wide choice of dishes on offer, it isn’t an overwhelming menu, a fact which I personally find quite acceptable for a pub menu.

Choices include salads, steaks, seafood, chicken dishes, pork and veggie vrêpes, and we were not told that anything was unavailable so I assume any order would have been met.

I have come over the years to trust that old faithful, half chicken and chips, and we both went for the “Hot” option, which I am pleased to report was served as ordered and was not the namby pamby imitation of peri-peri chicken that so many restaurants seem to serve these days.

The flavour was good, but I fear my chicken may have been a retired cage fighter as it was a little on the stringy side, nevertheless it tasted great and I cannot fault it for presentation or flavour.

Our chicken was served with a small side salad, which was more of a garnish than anything else, a hearty pile of perfectly cooked chips and the welcome addition of a small bowl of peri-peri sauce and another with garlic.

I must at this juncture mention how very impressed I am with Flatdog’s recognition of the mechanics involved in consuming a meal of this sort.

Not only do they provide each diner with a finger bowl, complete with lemon slice, they also provide a manful pile of paper napkins to deal with the fallout and greasy fingers that enjoying a half chicken to the fullest extent can cause.

Flatdog Diner worth a visit

During our meal at Flatdog Diner an extremely large troupe of monkeys decided to join us.

They were very well-behaved and the mothers spent some time entertaining us by proudly showing off their tiny babies, who were wide-eyed and clinging fiercely to the security of their mums. It was great to see that there is still some wildlife in Msasa and although the monkeys in the area have a reputation for being on the pushy side, this particular group, although not scared of humans, made no bold attempts to steal food, raid the bins or make a nuisance of themselves, merely observing the antics of their distant cousins with curiosity.

Mid-meal we were also visited by manager Hilary to make sure that we were happy.

It is clear that he takes a great pride in welcoming clientèle, something that I had noticed in the past and now take pleasure in being able to mention in this review. Our waiter checked on our drinks levels several times during the meal and on each occasion there was cheerful banter exchanged.

Having thoroughly enjoyed our meal we declined pudding as we both had to get back to our respective offices. It took them all of two minutes to present us with our bill which was refreshingly reasonable.

Flatdog is one of those places that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. A good value, down to earth restaurant aimed at the local business community.

If you’re happy with good food and service, clean facilities and sharing the garden with the occasional troupe of monkeys, then you won’t be disappointed.

Pub Restaurant 4 Plates Expect to spend US$15 – US$25 per head Harrow Road, Msasa, Harare

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