It’s good to see the restaurant space at Kensington shopping centre freshly decorated and open for business again after the sad demise of Taverna Athena.
By Le Connoisseur
The bright décor, large beautifully painted wall murals of Mozambique scenes and lovely traditional print tablecloths establish the restaurant’s Portuguese credentials.
There is a large covered outside dining area sensitively shaded from the passing public, as well as inside tables on a raised deck. Although it was a wet evening, we dined outside. Hopefully, in the cold season there will be heaters so this pleasant area can continue to be utilised.
The menu is, for me, delightfully simple and well presented in large print.
Dishes are described in English and Portuguese and are a comprehensive selection of prawns, hake, chicken, beef and pork chops including several unusual combos. Most impressively as well as the usual potatoes, vegetables and salad to accompany main dishes, Portuguese rice is offered.
Thankfully chips with everything is not de rigueur! Another bouquet is that wine can be purchased by the bottle (US$13 – US$20) or by-the-glass from the same Estate Vineyards (US$3,50 -US$4), allowing the single glass imbiber something more palatable than the usual Chateau Box!
Our choice was a Graham Beck Sauvignon Blanc which at US$18 was not a bargain but I’ve seen much worse!
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For starters, we chose mushroom soup (US$4), one of the two soups offered, and an indulgent (if retro) prawn cocktail (US$7). Both were exemplary, the soup, full of real mushrooms though taste alone was proof of its origins, and the prawn cocktail made from fat meaty prawns and not the small shrimps so often used in this dish.
Our main courses were chicken with lemon and garlic (US$11) and steak (US$15) which although not specified our well-versed waiter George assured me was fillet.
With her chicken my companion chose vegetables rather than Portuguese rice, interestingly the choice was “one or t’other” though I am sure had we asked, it would have been possible to broker a half-half deal.
Butternut mash and tender green beans accompanied the chicken which was smothered in more real garlic than even a garlic addict would dare dream of, the bird itself beautifully cooked with seared crispy skin and moist meat. With my steak I had an excellent salad full of interesting bits, including feta cheese and wonderfully crisp green leaves.
The absence of chips definitely fuelled my enthusiasm for desserts, the choice was easy as it was between ice-cream and chocolate sauce or chocolate mousse (US$4), so we had one of each which we then shared. Not enough chocolate sauce on the ice-cream and the mousse was definitely unique to Arnaldo’s as it didn’t pretend to lightness or rich dark chocolate (more cocoa based?) but even so was very pleasant and not sickly sweet.
Filter coffee completed our meal, which we both declared excellent in taste, value and service.
Speciality Restaurant – Portuguese 5 Plates Expect to spend US$16 – US$35 Kensington Shopping Centre, Harare
