I’m beginning writing this story 13 hours after leaving yet another new Harare restaurant and still feeling major after-effects of lavish Bavarian hospitality!
Eating Out with Dusty Miller
Because barbarians from the Black Forest had us toasting the success of their Bavarian Bar and Restaurant in schnapps, Jaegermeisters and chilled Polish vodka, downed (at the time) lustily, after several pints of good local draught beer quaffed before, with and after a substantial Teutonic supper and regretted ever since!
Bavarian Restaurant and Bar is at Third Street and Baines Avenue where (until several years ago) Fat Mammas, of fond memory, was.
Prior to that the site was home to Spago’s, where some of the finest Italian grub cooked in this country was served, but, by gum, the service was appalling!
The service at the new Bavarian eatery on Tuesday night was snappy and slick, although at first I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry on spotting the waitresses, three young Shona girls, were dressed in the traditional folk dirndls of Bavaria and Austria.
We recall none of their names, but nicknamed one “June” — because she was certainly busting out of her low-cut bodice!
The new operation is the brainchild of engineer Dietmar Wirbel, born in Bavaria, but he’s lived in Zim since Pontius was a pilot!
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Oompah band And by Jove, he may have got it bang on the money! I wandered in quite late on a Tuesday, rain — once again — threatening with friends from Triangle (the Lowveld Lowlifes!) to the strains of a much amplified German Oompah band echoing from a stylish laptop plugged in dangerously close to where litres of draught Castle and bottled Namibian beers were being slopped around!
I can take music in a restaurant or leave it, but the strains of Teutonic operettas, popular music, rousing choruses of numbers which were probably top of the pops in Monchengladbach in the 1930s and 40s, contrasting oddly with a military band thumping out The British Grenadiers and the heartbreakingly lovely Kathleen Jenkins’ crystal clear mezzo-soprano helped make this a memorable night.
(I’d leave home for Kathleen Jenkins. Mind you, the way things are I’d probably do the same for Susan Boyle!)
We were tempted to eat at the well-stocked and welcoming bar, reluctant to leave the company behind and leaning on it, but chose a table in the dining room bedecked with Bavarian flags.
Three of us went for delicious smoky, moist Black Forest ham served in generous portions with salad garnish, sliced melon and the most wonderful home-baked German-style brown rye bread with butter.
The dish is US$5 as are two other starters: tuna salad in a vinaigrette-based sauce or sliced German sausage with onion, peppers, dill gherkins and spices.
Much of the charcuterie is from the top-of-the range label made in Namibia by folk whose ancestors hailed from Germany, imported here by Colcom. Talented chef is the ever smiling Ezekiel, recruited from “next door” (The Pointe Portuguese restaurant.)
White sausages Listed as “Light meals — German sausages” were bockwurst: finely minced pork sausages served with trademark German potato salad or German fried-potatoes (bit like a scallop) or chips and sauerkraut; or grilled pork-and-cheese sausage with similar accompaniments; or weisswurst: Traditional South German white sausages made from pork and bacon, flavoured with onion, parsley, lemon and garlic, which my mate Karl, born Triangle of Austrian descent, had.
All three dishes were US$7 each. I took home a weisswurst, having it cold, with a little Black Forest ham and fried egg on French toast, for breakfast next day; it was wonderful.
Half crumbed chicken, or crumbed chicken pieces, are US$10 and US$8 respectively with either the potato “sides” already described or home-made noodles (spaetzle) or potato dumplings. (The Bavarian Restaurant and Bar is no place for the weight-conscious!)
I had a “Ziguener” gypsy chicken schnitzel: tautological name as politically correct Professor Google tells me the “z” word means “untouchable” and is an offensive term for Romany people. I’m sure it’s the root of the English word
Tzigane, which comes from the Hungarian for gypsy and presumably wasn’t offensive a few years ago when a Magyar restaurant of that name used it in two metre high letters close to Headingley Cricket Ground!
The dish was golden crumbed moist chicken breast, topped with a spicy paprika-based tomato sauce and came with German fried-potatoes and a green salad at US$13. The “Jaeger” (hunter) schnitzel — with mushroom sauce — is US$13 and an “ordinary” one (without sauce) a buck cheaper.
Two other pals had Weiner schnitzels (made with pork fillet) also US$12 or US$13; we were all outfaced by huge, hearty helpings. Steaks are fillet, rump or T-bone at US$16, US$15 and US$14 (weight unstated).
Roast eisbein Very Teutonic dishes are laberkase (literally liver-cheese): Tender meatloaf with two fried eggs at US$10, schweinnackenbraten (pork-neck roast) US$12, two kassler chops (US$14), eisbein (slow roast pork shank) US$30 for 1 500 grams or US$17 for 800g and German-style pork chops US$12.
Puddings, cakes and ice-cream are US$3/US$4 and include Black Forest gateaux, apfel strudel and sacher-torte chocolate cake. Tea, coffee and speciality (like Irish) coffees are US$2-US$4.
Imported beers are US$3, locals US$2. I’m unsure how much draught beer was but our bill for four pax including three starters a “light” meal, three main courses and “several” beers was US$84.
Wine list is sparse: Imported labels are US$2 a glass, US$8 a bottle with —temporarily–no corkage for BYOB.
There’s an extensive cocktail list and reading it now, 14 hours after leaving the place, I’m tempted to return pronto and order that well known babbelaas cure Bloody Mary (vodka, tomato juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, pepper and celery stick at US$6!)
Bavarian Bar and Restaurant, 116, Baines Avenue, The Avenues. Tel 0772 252037. Smoking/no smoking, dining indoors or out, great bar, guarded parking, child/handicapped friendly (but I hear the lunchtime mob can often be described as picaresque, rather than picturesque!)
