Standard Style 25 May 2014 - 31 May 2014

May 25 to 31 2014 THE STANDARD STYLE / EATING OUT / STEAK OUT 15
Steak Out at Avondale SC
EATING OUT WITH DUSTRY MILLER
WHAT I love about Steak
Out in Avondale Shopping
Centre is that it has some
of the nicest, friendliest
staff in the business. And
I’m sure their amiability and wide,
warm smiles are genuine.
What I like about it is that it
replaced the dreadful Wimpy Bar
which was on the same site. Wimpy
across the globe is known for no fuss,
no frills value for money fast food
(their breakfasts in South Africa are
jaw-droppingly good for the price)
and international consistency.
When the franchise here was
indigenised, international standards
flew out of the door, food varied
between disgusting and diabolical,
service was shoddy, hygiene was a
joke and paradoxically prices shot
up as management chased a quick
buck.
Result is most of the Zimbabwean
chain is now in the dustbin of
history.
What I dislike abut Steak Out is
that it’s strictly halaal: I won’t get
proper bacon and pork bangers with
breakfast; pork chops and ribs are
verboten; a toasted ham-and-cheese
sandwich is taboo.
It will never be a restaurant in
which to celebrate your son’s PhD,
a 30th wedding anniversary or party
on our appointment to the board.
And even if it were, the owners’
strict Islamic rules would mean
you couldn’t pop a bubbly bottle of
Champagne…or even Methode Cap
Classique…because they don’t serve
booze, nor allow you to bring your
own.
All of which I can live with when
the steaks are as good as the entry
level tenderised flame-grilled piece
of nyama I had in a toasted bun (a
“Prego” steak) on a freezing Tuesday
lunchtime. Recommended by my pal,
Richard, beef in the steak roll was
melt-in-the-mouth tender (it tasted
almost like export quality fillet)
and there was plenty of it. (Cooked
weight, I estimate, about 200g)
It came with unannounced
barbecue sauce which wasn’t as
cloying and sweet as they often are,
with onion and tomato in the roll
and a side salad for US$8. Chips are
an optional US$2 extra and were
grand: home-made big, square-cut,
golden jobs, piping hot, crisp on the
outside, floury within.
At a buck less there were nice
sounding beef burgers weighing
180g, made with mushrooms, onions,
peppers and steak mince; a chicken
breast burger is also US$7.
Some pretty fine baking takes
place at Steak Out and I hope to
return soon to try pie, chips and
gravy at US$5 and also to enjoy a
new kipper breakfast: pan-fried
kippers with two poached eggs and
hollandaise sauce on toast at US$9.
Talking to people at neighbouring
tables, I admired a splendid looking
T-bone on one table. Rump, sirloin or
T-bone steaks are US$15 for 200g and
US$19 for 350g, with a 250g fillet at
US$18. They come with chips, salads
and a choice of free sauces.
My waiter told me his life story
and said we’d met at the Shop Café,
in Msasa and at Restaurant of
the Year functions; day manager
Themba Sigauke (ex-Book Café) was
going off duty and was replaced
by night manageress the bubbly
Taeniel David, a former pupil at
Midlands Christian College, Gweru,
who studied hospitality with Species
and previously ran Triton Gym’s
coffee shop.
She thought she was named after
the distaff side of Captain and
Tennille, who made the smash hit
“Love Will Keep Us Together” in the
1970s, when Tennille was a honey
of note. In checking spelling, Prof
Google says the couple recently
divorced after 39 years…so love,
unfortunately, didn’t keep them
together!
I ended with a lovely retro hot
apple crumble and steaming yellow
custard (could have done with a bit
more of that…should have asked!) at
US$4 and an apparently bottomless
pot of Tanganda tea, US$2.
Rating: I don’t award more than
four stars to an unlicensed (to serve
booze) eatery; Steak Out gets Threeand-a-Half
Stars.
The place is semi al-fresco and I
suspect may possibly have earned
full marks on a nicer, warmer day!
Open daily: 8am-10pm.
Telephone: 0714 488 5005.
dustym@zimind.co.zw