After I sit down, I have a chat with a lady sitting next to me, Mandy, who would categorise herself as a fairly regular customer of Village Caffe. She tells me that what she enjoys most about Village Caffe is the “generally good service” and great food. Never once has she been let down by the people, the place or the food. I ask her what makes her choose Village Caffe over all the other coffee shops in Sam Levy’s, and she answer that it is in a convenient location being situated within the Spar premises. Therefore, Mandy says, it’s easy to have a quick cup of coffee on the way out from shopping. Her favourite selections on the menu are the breakfast options, and in terms of coffee, cappuccino is her choice of drink.
While some of the stops on The Coffee Shop Tour have been only part-coffee shop, this is far from the case with the Village Caffe. This coffee shop serves “Breakfast delights” all day, “Luncheon Pleasures”, “Sumptuous Nibbles” and “Beverage Quenchers”. I pay special attention to names such as “Norwegian Scrambles”, “Bacon, Cheese and Avo Burger” and “Chicken Tikka Salad”. On the café side of things the “Banana and Pecan Nut Muffin” and “Banofee Waffle” get me in a tizz. Similarly, inventive names such as “DIY Hot Chocolate” and “Frullaltos” make my choice that much harder.
However, sticking to the Village Caffe’s Coffee Shop Tour menu I order a cappuccino, and a slice of apple pie with a scoop of ice cream. My order comes in a short amount of time and I’m thoroughly impressed by what is brought to me. The cappuccino is a good as a cappuccino can get with a creamy, smokey and rustic flavour. I had the choice between a regular cappuccino for $2 and a mega cappuccino for $3. I chose the regular one, knowing I need to control my caffeine intake for the rest of The Tour.
Now I’m not usually a fan of apple pie because the texture can often get mushy, which freaks me out. You can definitely say that I went out on a limb with my order, and it has paid off amazingly. The warmth of the pie compliments the chill of the ice-cream and they meet each other halfway, perfectly. Warm chunky pieces of apple, raisins and all kinds of tasty spices are topped by a crumbly, shortbread-type layer. And to put the cherry on top, there is a literal cherry on top of all this.
The manager of Village Caffe, Edson Masawi, comes over to talk to me and I compliment him on all this. Even though I’ve already eaten, I ask him what the most popular items on the menu are. He lists the rib, chicken or calamari baskets as crowd favourites, as well as the famous lemon meringue cheese cake on the coffee shop side of things. It was a big temptation not to order the lemon meringue because the picture on the menu was so mouth-watering. The Village Caffe has been open since early 2011, and their current menu is a refreshing 2 months old.
Village Caffe can be found in the Spar at Sam Levy’s Village, Borrowdale, Harare. Visit The Coffee Shop Tour tab at www.eatout.co.zw for more information on The Coffee Shop Tour, and on their menu.
