16 THE STANDARD STYLE / EATING OUT / AROMA CAFFÉ <strong>June</strong> <strong>15</strong> to 21 <strong>2014</strong> Aroma Caffé, Highlands Dusty Miller IT sometimes takes me months to get round to reviewing a “new” restaurant or an established eatery that has moved to new premises. Sometimes I don’t make it all! I never set foot in Elcombe’s, a reportedly exceptionally good steak house at Graniteside (despite the fact it was run by a chum), mainly because I rarely get to that gritty (Freudian slip: mistyped “grotty”!) industrial suburb these days. It shut two months ago. Aroma Caffé opened in Highlands three weeks before I visited, having not made it to two immediate successors on the same site: Jack Sprat’s (formerly at Chisipite, and I never went there either!) and Eve’s Garden. That always seemed to be in these pages when we ran the Restaurant of the Year competition; probably because it was popular with ladies who lunch lightly and languidly and the competition organisers were women. Aroma Caffé was pleasantly full with women and men (and kids) when I went on Tuesday to say “sorry” to co-owner Marina Picci. Apparently her other company, Il Pomodoro, really did the catering at last week’s Italian National Day diplomatic reception, featured in this section. Whereas I said Zest were responsible, mainly because every waiter, waitress and bar person seemed to wear Zest livery and I was offered a dozen of their business cards. Marina wasn’t there when I went to Aroma; she was catering the Portuguese National Day; so her business partner Kahlua Clarke showed me around. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, of Italian parents, she says her first name is down to her father loving the eponymous strongly alcoholic Mexican coffee liqueur! (Amazing… I could have been called Tetley’s Bitter!) Kahlua ran Italian restaurants in London for 13 years, coming here about a decade ago. Set in large mature gardens, the coffee shop/restaurant shares a rambling former Colonial-style home with a hairdressing salon, gym and vitamin bar. It was a warmand-cool day, depending on the clouds. Sadly not nice enough to eat al fresco under venerable trees as comical Silky bantams and guineafowl scratched in colourful herbaceous borders. I love ravioli, but it was already sold out, so I went for the Italian platter off the blackboard specials at US$12. The Italians call this dish antipasti and enjoy it BEFORE a substantial main course. Served on a large white rectangular plate it comprised mortadella (sausage/salami) and delicious Parma ham, mushrooms, grilled aubergine (brinjal/eggplant), sun-dried tomatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes with home-made pesto, thinly sliced Parmesan cheese, gorgeously unctuous black un-pitted olives in olive oil and garlic; toasted home-baked bread spread with olive oil. It was a wonderful taste of the Mediterranean, full of flavour and freshness. Service was a bit laid-back in a sunny south Italian way, but everything is freshly made to order so pastas, for instance, will take around <strong>15</strong> minutes. People around me ate pasta: penne with salmon or gnocchi (I haven’t had a decent one since Genoa, must try this) and blue cheese and mushrooms at US$<strong>15</strong>, or spaghetti with tuna and pesto, US$12. I asked if Aroma were licensed (to sell booze), it isn’t, BYOB, no corkage; Kahlua promptly served a glass of a nice, crisp, cold Cape dry wine from her own stock, gratis. (I wasn’t hinting.) Panini looked splendid, especially Roma, which stars grilled fillet steak and caramelised onions, with Feta cheese, aioli and rocket at US$10.I finished with a very generous slice of moist iced carrot cake decorated with halved walnuts and a mug of Illy filter coffee with biscotti. Bottom line: US$17. Dusty Miller rating (maximum for unlicensed eateries is four stars) FOUR STARS! Aroma Caffé, 5, Hurworth Rd, Highlands. Tel 497888 0778 598 918 aromacaffe5@gmail.com Opens Monday-to-Saturday 7:30am-4:30 pm (breakfast served all day); unlicensed; eat indoors or out; smoking outdoors; background music: light Italian opera; safe onsite parking; child and handicapped friendly; no dogs. dustym@zimind.co.zw; dustymiller46@gmail.com Kahlua Clarke, one of the partners in the coffee shop Penne with salmon Roma panini with fillet steak $27.00 $21.00 $32.00 $59.00 $58.00 $56.90 Valid to 30th April, <strong>2014</strong> Whilst Stocks Last
<strong>June</strong> <strong>15</strong> to 21 <strong>2014</strong> THE STANDARD STYLE / FOOD & DRINK/FATHER’S DAY SPECIAL 17
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