Restaurant Week

As a gastronome I am always on the search for some interesting food festivals, promotions and all things gastronomic. When Eatout Zimbabwe started their marketing campaign for the 17- 25 May ZOL Restaurant Week  I was sold. A chance to sample 2-3 course meals from a range of US$ 15-25, at reputable upmarket restaurants in Harare- local residents will agree with me that is a steal.

I coerced two gastronomes in the making to join me. We analysed the set menus of the 18 available restaurants made our choice of two of the 18. Due to time constraints we had to settle for one restaurant to visit.

When I saw Chicken Tortellini, Gnocchi Piedmontaise and Panna Cotta on the Emmanuel's menu I was excited. I was hoping that this Northern Italian inspired menu- one which was filled with nostalgia for me- would provide my dining buddies a taste of Northern Italy. My dietary restrictions did not allow me to have this specific menu so I had to rely on my friends’ description of the dishes and their experience against my description from my memories of living in Piedmont.

Friday evening we found ourselves at the said restaurant. After a long week, the only thing we anticipated was a wonderful evening together at this fine dining establishment. I have learned not to presume too much about restaurants in Harare as I have had some disappointments to my palette and endured some poor service, so making sure you have good company allows you to overlook some of these undesirable shortcomings.

We were pleasantly surprised when we were cheerfully greeted at the entrance and promptly seated at our reserved table. A welcoming ambiance of well laid tables, dimmed lights was accentuated by infectious laughter coming from the several tables filled with what looked like groups of friends enjoying an evening out together. With such merriment, the barely audible, guitar playing musician, was eventually heard once the patrons were temporally silenced by their food.

Drinks ordered, we were ready to begin our meal. Our smartly dressed waiter came round and offered us a single piece of bread. That confused me since my experience of dining in Italy is the ubiquitous bounty of bread and wine, more so, our little table for three had a dish full of creamy petite butter balls waiting to be spread on several pieces of bread. I chose the not- so-focaccia like-rosemary topped focaccia. My slender piece was void of the olive oil, salt and other herbs that I guessed would be there.  To appease us, perhaps for the lack of bread, we were given a complimentary chicken roulande- a thick piece of cooked chicken breast fillet, compressed into a roll and stuffed with minutely shredded vegetables. 

Complimentary plates over, we began our three course meal.

My knowledge of tortellini is: minute pasta parcels, made from an egg- rich dough, stuffed with rich ingredients that take a painstakingly long time to make, hence reserved for special occasions and often served as a handful in a rich broth. Two large flat plates came with an entrée of three large tortellini stuffed with chicken garnished with crayfish tails. The stated broth of pea and mint appeared more like a sauce. Nonetheless, my dining companions cleared their plates. As the menu had read, my grand bowl of butternut soup had a chilly kick to it although I struggled to find the advertised croutons in the bowl of soup. I guess they were hidden in the layers of rich flavour that characterised the soup.

Our empty plates were swiftly taken away replaced by appropriate cutlery. My fish knife to my right I was ready for my sea bass. Yes, ordering fish in a landlocked country is not the smartest idea as you know that the fish would have traveled a long distance before it gets to your plate. However, against better judgment I still ordered it. It was pleasant, light, flavourful and complemented by a leek puree and sweet sun dried tomatoes. 

With slight hesitation, my curious gastronome friend ordered duck. Having never eaten this type of poultry before, she had a welcome surprise. The duck leg and breast were well cooked, and had a rich umami taste which she described as a cross between chicken and pork. I had a smidgeon of hers; it was, dare I say delicious.

The Gnocchi Piedmontese was possibly inspired by the Northern Italian region. I will give the chefs a leeway and say that they had artistic liberty to interpret this simple Italian dish as they pleased and transform it into fine dining, heavily laden with garnishes and aesthetic interpretations. The gnocchi around the plate looked as if they could have been served in a deep bowl that would allow the potato dumplings to soak up a rich sauce.

Dessert did not disappoint. Three types of dessert served on a large white plate. Panna Cotta, literally cooked cream is a rich northern Italian dolce- dessert. Rich fresh cream is simmered together with milk and sugar sometimes infused with some vanilla and left to set. Often served with a coulis, or sauce of some sort to compliment and lessen the heaviness of the rich cream. Our panna cotta was well set, with a slight little wiggle to it but topped with an out of season strawberry. In line with seasonal cooking I would have expected some winter citrus flavours. But I wont hold that against them, since I enjoyed the panna cotta. The large white plate had a square of sticky date pudding that complimented the panna cotta. To finish off; a refreshing passion fruit sorbet to compliment the richness of the other components.

Although we were beyond satiated, we found room for a cup of espresso to aid digestion. It was necessary lest it would have been almost impossible to drive home. The last gulp down and then the meal was finally over.

The panna cotta temporarily cured my nostalgia for Italy. I might be a certified gastronome but my education has not come to an end. The Italian inspired dishes opened my eyes to artistic interpretations and creativity. The chefs embraced their artistic licence: veering away from the traditional interpretations and creating dishes in a manner that some might frown upon, and question but somehow still appreciate.

My compliments to Emmanuel’s as it was an evening of laughter, excellent service- the best I've had in Harare so far.