The Standard

14 THE STANDARD STYLE / EATING OUT / THEO’S 167 ENTERPRISE ROAD
September 14 to 20 2014
Breakfast at Theo’s/167, Enterprise Road, Lewisam.
Dusty Miller
Main picture: “Lolly” Nel, co-owner of 167
wither her son, Theo.
I
woke early on Wednesday, realising
I’d nothing to fill the then
yawning centimeters of this column.
It meant breakfast then or actually
going for a lunch I’d planned
thrice but on each occasion a flurry
of e-mails and/or minor panic at
the Word Factory kept me chained
Dusty’s “What’s on Diary”
Contributions are welcome, to arrive in good time, bearing in mind
events in which readers of this page are interested.
SMS 0733 401 347 or 0776 903 161; (e-mail dustym @zimind.co.zw)
CUT OUT, KEEP, WATCH FOR NEXT UPDATE
Sept 14 (today)Rhino Awareness Day.
Battle of Britain Sunday Service Athol Evans Chapel.
REPS fun pub quiz (music…Spot the Tine!) with Tony Palmer. Main bar 11:15
sharp. Royal Society of St George Battle of Britain private picnic lunch
Royal Navy Officers’ Association of Southern Africa Battle of Britain lunch Harare
ClubLast day Zimbabwe Motor Show, Old Georgians
Last day AEL Tiger Fishing Challenge, Eagle’s Rest Hotel, Siavonga, Zambia.
Lunch: Alo, Alo, Arundel; Theo’s, 167, Enterprise Road; Adrienne’s, Belgravia;
Da Eros, Fishmonger and Great Wall, East Road; Sitar, Newlands; Palms, Bronte
Hotel; Willow Bean Cafe, Rolf Valley, English roast/pudding US$15. (BYOB, no
corkage.) Paula’s Place; Wild Geese, Teviotdale buffet/live music; City Bowling
Club, Harare Gardens (roast brrf, Yorkshire pud etc); Italian Club, Strathaven, Mu
kuvisi Woodlands Coffee Shop; Centurion Pub & Grill, Harare Sports Club, Arti’s,
New Section, Borrowdale Village; Hellenics, Eastlea
Sept 15 Keep fit, Zumba Dancing, City Bowling Club, Harare Gardens. And every working
night except Fridays. 5:30pm-6:30pm.To Sept 17 “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
REPS Theatre 7pm. Matinee Saturday 2:30pm
Sept 16 7pm Line dancing City Bowling ClubSept 17 Farmers’ market, Maasdorp Avenue,
Belgravia (next to Bottom Drawer)
Sept 17-20 and 24-27 The Importance of Being Earnest REPS 7;30pm and matinee Saturday
at 2:30
Sept 18 (and every Thursday) Tapas night and music by Evicted, Amanzi Restaurant,
Chisipite. (and every other Thursday) fun pub quiz blue@2 Private Wine Bar, 2,
Aberdeen Rd, Avondale. Booking essential, Tel 0772 856 371
Sept 26.
Sept 27
to the work station… or, at a pinch,
supper that evening, writing early
Thursday.
Given the state of Harare’s
roads and drivers ranging between
selfish and suicidal, I tend to rarely
“do” evening meals out these days.
I have, however, attended evening
fun pub quizzes in the bar at
GGF&WAS lunch Fishmonger, East Rd. twelve-thirty for 1pm
Karaoke night, with Dave and Debbie, City Bowling Club, from dusk. Supper
available.
Greek night with Costa Nicolas, Hellenic Club, Eastlea. Details Joanna 0772 390
960 Murder Mystery dinner 6:30pm, The Venue, Avondale. Tables of eight,
US$75 p/p. Details nancybenham@aol.comOct10-11-12. Zimbabwe 5s Bowling
Tournament City Bowling Club. Full bar and catering; pig-on-a-spit Friday, music,
raffles.
Oct 11-12 Zimbabwe Trout Fishing championships Nyanga. To compete: mmatipano@zim
parks.co.zw stay at Rhodes Nyanga Hotel.
Oct 22-25 53rd annual Kariba Invitation Tiger Fishing Tournament, Charara Eastern Basin
Oct 29-Nov 8. EatOut Zimbabwe Restaurant Week. Enjoy bargain 2 and 3 course meals at
top eateries in Harare and Bulawayo.
Dec 29-31 Jameson Victoria Falls Festival. Book now!
(Neither StandardPlus nor Dusty Miller take responsibility for inaccuracies,
postponements, cancellations. No charge for entry.
Deadline 10am Tues prior to publication day.)
“167” (Enterprise Road) and it was
in that direction I drove to break my
fast on a rather warm spring day. In
fact sitting on the stoep at 167 awaiting
their splendid “full English
breakfast”: of the sort which few
Poms have enjoyed since the days of
King Edward VII, was at one stage
uncomfortable in full sun.
I dipped into a Cold War spy
thriller, people-watched (the “people”
all seemed to be regulars and
largely knew one another) and
gawped at comical silky bantams
quartering the pretty gardens by a
swimming pool needing some TLC
for the odd grub. I always think
there’s something therapeutic about
watching poultry scratch, squabble
and indulge in lightning-fast fornication.
167 is the enjoyable little eatery
at 167 Enterprise Road, also known
as Theo’s House of Coffees and (by
many, still) The Stables. (There was
a livery stable there a generation
back.) It sits where Lewisam meets,
Chisipite, Colne Valley and Rietfontein.
Incidentally did you know
Lewisam isn’t a misspelling of
London suburb Lewisham, as often
claimed?
Sam Lewis, a colourful Jewish
Pioneer of this country, began an
early woodlot and timber-yard just
off the road to Enterprise Valley’s
once highly productive farms… today’s
Lewisam, (his name almost
reversed, geddit?)
Now the plush, leafy suburb is
largely populated by diplomats on
“hardship” postings to Ha-ha-harare
(Africa’s fun capital!)
Theo’s is a splendid little family
outlet. I like al fresco eating when
the weather’s right (about 350 days a
year in this “hardship” post in Sunshine
City!) The gardens and stoep
are always inviting.
There’s maybe three hectares
of rolling real estate fringed with
venerable trees; several arty-crafty
shops and boutiques are dotted
around the property and then a little
oasis of manicured green lawn,
lovely roses, pool with brand new
slides and early Colonial-style
dwelling, which is now a daytime
eatery. What I assume was the original
farmstead is a bar (at nights)
often with live entertainment, a fun
pub quiz every fortnight and great
value US$5 suppers.
Matronly part-owner “Lolly”
Nel (a former van der Merwe, from
Lupane) is, sadly, rather poorly at
the moment. Previously she told me
there were many bijoux businesses
operating on what was until fairly
recently a small-holding, including
a used vehicle dealership, run by
her son, the eponymous Theo, and
stunning garden centre.
The Nels owned the (then) hugely
popular Hot Springs Resort at
Chimanimani, but had a torrid (and
horrid) time with so-called war-vets,
who thought they could just walk in
and “liberate” it. Last time I called
it had been “given” to Chimanimani
Rural District Council, notwithstanding
the fact the RDC had made
a total dog’s breakfast of running
Chimanimani. It was operated by
a “committee” of councilors and
functionaries all wanting pay, freebies
and perks.
Their manager was loading
crates of empties onto a chicken bus
going to Mutate for him to return
many hours later with (hopefully)
“fulls”. It was, of course, a committee
which designed the camel when
they wanted a cow!
Theo’s lists several breakfasts
and, enjoying them, you can vicariously
tour the world! I liked
the sound of an Irish one: two Irish
potato cakes topped with creamy
scrambled egg and tea or coffee at
$7; full English is US$13, American
breakfast, US12 or American pancakes
US$8 and French toast $4!
I chose the full English job: two
sunshine-yolked soft poached eggs,
a stack of excellent bacon, nice
pork sausage, maningi mushrooms,
grilled (ox heart?) tomato, a mountain
of golden chips and brinjal
with two slices of toast, butter and
lovely thick shred piquant marmalade
with TWO pots of hot, thirstquenching
tea and biscotti: a very
filling, satisfactory US$13 artery
clogging greasefest, as good as you’d
have been served in a Pommie transport
“caff ” 50 years ago (for fivebob!):
that’s praise indeed!
To offset that, they serve grand
healthy salads; bacon and blue
cheese is one of seven nice-sounding
toasties which come with chips
and a side salad or you can have it
in baked potatoes (or crepe.) In the
past, I’ve had a huge tasty baked
floury potato stuffed with a splendid
creamy chicken and mushroom
filling (now US$9), with substantial
side salad for late lunch.
They open 8am-5pm weekdays, from
9am at weekends. Telephone: 443720
or 0772 881 877.
Theo’s House of Coffees, 167,
Enterprise Road (opposite Lewisam
Motors). Dusty Miller rating threeand-a-half
stars.
dustymiller46@gmail.com;
www.dailymiller.co
Theo Nel
Full English breakfast in the
sunshine
Mushroom-filled baked potato
with salad
A US$5 spaghetti Bolognaise as
served at night in the bar. These
are especially popular at the pub
quizzes.
All pictures by Dusty Miller