I’ve often thought that the most desirable location for a dining venue in Harare’s northern suburbs must be Sam Levy’s Village (SLV), which is more or less right in the centre of the swathe of suburbs as far east as Greendale and as far west as Marlborough.
Restaurant Review with Epicurean
I’ve noticed of late, though, that even this prime location is not immune to the drop-off in business among the restaurant trade. But restaurateurs elsewhere assure me that the collection of establishments at SLV is still in the lead in terms of numbers.
Whether these facts are correct or not, I looked at the village with a view to this week’s restaurant review and, coincidentally, at just about the same time made contact with Paul Sinclair, a longstanding operator in the trade (many people will know him from the time of the popular and busy Kegs). He is now in partnership with the Babiolakis family in a fairly new venture in the SLV called The Village Greek.
It’s a takeaway venue but has a sit-down facility for people who want to eat on site or have a coffee and chat. In this respect, it’s fairly similar to Antonio’s (reviewed a couple of months ago), which is just across the car park in a separate block. I had noticed this new venture some time ago and mistakenly thought it had replaced the Freshly Ground coffee shop, but of course that is still operational and is a couple of doors down from The Village Greek.
We chose to sit at one of the tables rather than take home our meal, and it was on Tuesday, a busy day just ahead of the next day’s national shutdown. The weather was superb, with clear blue skies and a light, modestly-chill breeze, and sitting outdoors for lunch was very enjoyable. A great effort has been made at SLV in recent years to make things very tidy and attractive and full marks to the team there for this; the solar lights in the car park and surrounding areas at night are very welcome. So although our view was the car park, rather than a park, say, it was nonetheless a pleasant experience, and it’s quite interesting to watch all the coming and going of people in and around the restaurant.
A board inside the restaurant highlights specials of the day; from that I selected the lamb chops, to be served with salad rather than chips. My guest chose from the menu: as recommended by Paul, she had the Merida, a chicken-skewer dish with accompanying salad and tzatziki dip. Both dishes were excellent and the portions good. We followed this up with dessert: rizogalo for my guest had ice cream and freshly-made pancakes for me. The rizogalo is a creamed rice pudding topped with cinnamon and my guest was very pleased with its taste and freshness. Mine was equally enjoyable, and I liked the Italian gelato-style ice cream (strawberry flavour, from a choice of four or five).
The menu features a range of Greek starters and mains, and my guest could have selected one of a choice of meats, or haloumi, for her Merida. Desserts offer a choice of five traditional Greek treats, and the ice cream selection will be especially welcome to younger diners and folks with a sweet tooth.
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The restaurant is open from 9:30am to late evening between Tuesday and Sunday, and invites customers to call and order by phone. We found the food delightful and the layout neat and clean. Inside the service area is a groceries section, where we had a look at the coffees, biscuits and other international treats on sale. On the day we visited, things were very busy, with a sprinkling of takeaway customers and four or five tables occupied by diners having lunch. It has a pleasing buzz and the access to a range of Greek dishes was very satisfying.
Prices were very reasonable: starters in the $2 to $4 area and mains from $4 to $7. Salad of the day is $3 and side dishes such as chips or baby marrow chips are $2. Desserts are $3.
The Village Greek, New Block 3, Sam Levy’s Village. Call 0772 156 667 or (04)850666 for orders and information. The restaurant is on Facebook.
