I continue to be amazed at the opening of new restaurants in Zimbabwe, at a time when people’s pockets are under pressure as never before and I have to salute the courage of the folk who are opening up new ventures, hoping for them that their efforts are rewarded, and not just in the longer term.
Restaurant Review with Epicurean
It was to one such new venue in Harare that I went last Sunday for lunch, having discovered quite by chance that it had opened. It’s called Little Eataly, and it’s in Msasa’s Doon Estate, where Kerry Wallace ran his Shop Café for many years. Someone, obviously grossly misinformed, told me “truthfully” that the restaurant was the brainchild of Italy’s ambassador to Zimbabwe and my informant was convinced the representative of the Italian people was to be seen daily at the venue cooking for and serving customers.
I have surmised what may have happened to create this huge misperception: this new restaurant opened a short time ago, at about the same time that the ambassador, Enrico D’Agostini, was hosting a series of Italian nights at Cresta Lodge, which is not far away on the fringe of Msasa.
My informant probably added one and one and came up with 10 – a favourite occupation of many people in Harare these days, for whom the facts are usually too ordinary and unexciting to be faced and therefore need spicing up!
The restaurant is owned and managed by Christine Peters-Cassini and her husband, Luca, whom I remember being involved with the old La Dolce Vita restaurant in Avondale shopping centre a decade or more ago. With great courage and admirable fortitude, Christine has opened Little Eataly and is working hard to earn a reputation for good food, affordable prices and a pleasant setting. At the moment it’s a daytime-only venue, with occasional forays into the dinner scene on Saturday nights, but in 2017 it’s hoped to have a lot more evening dining available.
Dining is either indoors, or on the terraced area outside, and the rustic setting of Doon Estate makes for a relaxing environment and one in which children can run around without disturbing diners. The menu is not a big one and focuses on the provision of freshly-made pasta — and we had a chance to see the pasta-making machine while there … along with an ice-cream maker! When we were there last weekend, there were four other tables enjoying lunch, which was a very hopeful sign.
Starters on offer include a vegetarian tart and salad, calamari rings or a platter featuring either zucchini, prawn or potato fritters. My guest went for the calamari rings and I chose the platter, which in that day featured zucchini. Both were well-presented and very tasty. Prices of staters range from $4 to $6.
- 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
The mains feature the pasta range, and diners check with waiters to see what’s available on the day. This can include a pasta of the day with meat or fish ragu, or marinated vegetables and cherry tomatoes. Other possibilities include tagliotini in a creamed pepper sauce, spinach and ricotta travioli with meat ragu or tomato sauce, or pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage sauce, a meat ravioli with either meat ragu or butter and sage, or a gnocchi dish with ragu or blue cheese sauce. Also on offer are a festival sandwich, featuring a focaccia base with roast beef, vegetables and salad, or a chicken involtini with pesto or creamed red pepper sauce. There’s also a full-szie version of the vegetable tart that is offered as a starter. Main courses are very reasonably priced, at between $7 and $10. My guest selected the pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage, while I went for the spinach and ricotta ravioli, with a meat ragu. Both dishes were very tasty and the portion sizes were pleasing.
Desserts include cakes and tarts, as well as gelato made on site, at $3 to $4. We went for the gelato; my guest had orange and I had blueberry … both delicious. After that a really good espresso ended a super meal.
While dining my guest and I discussed the venue, and quite clearly it’s an ideal lunchtime location for folk who work in Msasa, or for folks who live in suburbs like Highlands, Eastlea and Greendale. I hope, though, that people from further afield make the trip, especially at weekends, as this really is a delightful dining venue that provides reasonable prices, good Italian food and a charming ambience. There’s no licence at the moment, so folk can bring their own wines and beers. We enjoyed a genuinely Italian meal and came away delighted at being able to try out a new venue in town, with such pleasing results.
Little Eataly is in Doon Estate, 1 Harrow Road, Msasa, and is open daily from Tuesday to Sunday from morning to about 5pm (they enjoy hosting late afternoon diners!). Call (04) 447331 or 0776 745727 for reservations or enquiries. E-mail [email protected]
