Older readers will remember the days when restaurants in Zimbabwean urban centres were mostly to be found in the central business districts, with a scattering of others located at suburban shopping centres.
Restaurant Review with Epicurean
In Harare in 2017, a large percentage of them are operational in former residential homes, a trend that started back in the 1990s when the city’s CBD started to decline. The trend does not relate, of course, only to dining venues, as all manner of businesses have taken over homes. It’s a development that is, in my view, appalling and which has contributed to both the lack of municipal will to sort out the CBD and the lack of development of suburban shopping centres — apart from Sam Levy’s Village and surrounds. That is no criticism of the restaurants, however, as these operations must do what is necessary to be active and successful. That is also not to say there are no dining venues in the CBD, among which are a number of excellent in-hotel restaurants and cafés.
It was to a former suburban home that I went this past Thursday to sample what was advertised described as Indian-Pakistani cuisine. The restaurant is The Fuzion Palace, situated in Highlands close to its border with Eastlea, and it’s a fine-looking venue set in a very attractive garden. It was once the home of Terry Begemann, one-time owner of the famed Silhouette modelling studio and a respected guru in the modelling and fashion worlds from the 60s to the 80s. She left Harare in the 80s and now lives in Cape Town. Although Silhouette ran after that — memorably, under the capable management of Karen Mutasa, owner of today’s excellent Organikks restaurant — I don’t think it’s still in existence.
So it was with nostalgia that I went to this exciting new culinary centre, where a major makeover has changed the domestic residence into a very upmarket and trendy restaurant, complete with private dining rooms, as well as a central indoors eating area and a terrace dining area overlooking the front garden. It’s owned by Ash Munshi, whom I had met at the most recent restaurateurs and hoteliers monthly luncheon, although Ash was away on business when we dined there. Instead we met the very welcoming manager, Desmond Fernandes, and enjoyed excellent service from waiter Donald Navonika.
The name of the restaurant includes the word Fuzion, with a funky “z” of course, and we soon discovered this meant that there is additional cuisine to be found, over and above the advertised Indian and Pakistani styles. There’s a selection of Indian-Pakistani dishes, as well as a Chinese dish or two, and a choice of western-style meals, including a number of pizza options. So, an interesting mix and not what could be described as the “standard Indian restaurant” with which we in Harare are most familiar.
For starters, my guests had oxtail soup and chicken samosas, while I went for a fried haloumi cheese — all very tasty and each with good portion size. For mains, I had the mutton korma with rice, while one guest had chicken chow mein and the other had a chicken biriyani. Again, these were excellent and portions generous, and we had some paratha bread as accompaniment. My mutton was among the best I have ever had, with superb, tender meat and a really delightful, tangy sauce.
I was sorry there were not more Indian-style desserts on the menu, but Desmond explained that they had dropped items that were not popular, and I remembered that at other Indian cuisine venues managers telling me similar things: the traditional desserts are not all that popular, surprising as this may be. So for us it was one ras malai — a paneer-type cheese in spiced milk, which was delicious — as well as milkshakes for the other two; peppermint crisp for me and vanilla for my other guest. It was an excellent meal, very satisfying and filling. Service was quick and efficient.
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The menu is fairly extensive and reasonably priced. Starters, which also include chicken livers, chicken wings, stuffed mushrooms and quesadillas, run from $4 to $7. Mains include chicken, beef, fish and seafood dishes, as well as a selection of five or six Indian-Pakistani dishes, six traditional-style vegetarian offerings and a number of pizzas, which come in medium and large sizes. These mains are priced between $9 and $35, but most are in the area of $10 to $14. A children’s menu offers a small but appetising selection, priced at $6. Desserts are $5 and $6. Accompaniments for mains include salads, rice, breads, vegetables and sadza.
The Fuzion Palace has a strict no-alcohol policy, so guests will not be able to bring any with them. Beverages on the menu include a range of soft drinks, hot beverages and “mocktails” that are both colourful and interesting. The private dining rooms, aimed at hosting between six and a dozen guests, are also available for corporate conferences and meetings, and the venue itself promotes usage for corporate events, celebratory parties and private gatherings.
The venue is very attractive and has ample parking on site, and the design style is minimalist and modern. The cuisine offering is varied and interesting and our group of three thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. We sat indoors, on a very wet and almost blustery day, but look forward to going back on a sunny, hot day for a terrace dining experience.
The Fuzion Palace is at 71 Glenara Avenue North, Highlands. Call (04) 442528 or 0772 305076 for reservations and enquiries, or e-mail [email protected], or visit the Facebook page. It’s open every day except Tuesday, with opening hours 11:30am to 9:30pm (9:45pm Saturday).
