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Restaurant Review
Rhapsody’s
Heading back from Namibia, we stopped off in Livingstone for two
nights. Livingstone doesn’t have a huge selection of restaurants,
although the numbers are increasing rapidly, but we decided we would
take a trip to the newly opened shopping mall (much like a mixture
of Lusaka’s Manda Hill and Arcades in terms of shops, but it will
certainly make a huge difference to Livingstone residents in terms
of general shopping) to see what restaurants were there.
Yes, there was a Rhapsody’s. Although I hate to admit it, I have
only once been to Rhapsody’s in Lusaka and that was at lunch time,
so it was a good idea to have a meal there and see how this one is
doing.
For those who don’t know, Rhapsody’s is a South African franchise
although from taking a look at their website, they only seem to have
three in South Africa and we now have two in Zambia.
Being a franchise, one knows what to expect on the menu, from the
décor, the bar, the bathrooms, so there were no surprises there. But
this one does have something different – their al fresco
dining area has a very different and very interesting cooling
system. This comprises pipes around the edge of the roof which
pushes out a light spray of cold water. And very effective it is
too. The interior was delightfully cool (remember, this was
Livingstone in October). We sat close to the outer edge of the
outside dining area, and no, you don’t get wet from the spray, only
cool. Certainly makes dining far more pleasant.
As
expected, the service was excellent and the staff pleasant. Our
waiter, Davison, was a friendly, jovial fellow who, unlike many
Zambians, has acquired the social skills that are required in the
hospitality industry. He was also extremely observant, to the
extent of noticing that I am left handed (or mostly) and went ahead
to make the adjustments to the eating utensils and glasses at my
place setting, and this was done in a light-hearted manner with a
comment about ‘keeping left’ and ‘following the right channels’ for
those who are right handed.
The food at Rhapsody’s is prepared fresh, so is not served
‘instantly’ once ordered. To while away the time until the main
course arrived, we were served with a tapa sauce; a spread of
sun-dried tomatoes and anchovies served with still-warm bread rolls.
October in Livingstone is not conducive to heavy meals and the
portions at Rhapsody’s were perfect, as was the steak – probably the
tenderest, most flavoursome I have had in Zambia for a long time.
This is to do with the way the meat is cured (and of course, where
the meat comes from – it has to be good quality to start with).
Unlike the Lusaka restaurant, Livingstone does not have a dress code
(which makes sense in a tourist town), but if one would like to
dress up, then that is OK as well.
In
conclusion, we can recommend Rhapsody’s Livingstone with confidence.
Zig-Zag
Another ‘newish’ Livingstone dining spot is Zig-Zag, and if you are
a Livingstone resident, if you think Zig-Zag, you will think
‘restaurant’. But if you are not a Livingstone resident, you could
well think ‘bed and breakfast’ as they also have a ‘bed and
breakfast’ on the premises.
A
visit to Zig-Zag in the mornings will find numerous Livingstone
residents having breakfast there or meeting for mid-morning tea. So
if you are in Livingstone and don’t fancy the breakfast where you
are staying, then Zig-Zag is a good place to go. They have various
choices – the normal English breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausages
etc and some variations of this. But they go a step further with
healthy choices – healthy cereals etc and their delicious Breakfast
muffins.
For lunch and evenings, they have the ‘usual’ menu – steaks, toasted
sandwiches, burgers, tacos etc.
When we visited recently, we chose kudu burgers. This was a
‘special’ on the menu at the time and we decided to give it a try.
They were well presented, with chips, plenty of them and cooked just
to the right stage of crispiness and some salad. The burger was fine
except that there was nothing to differentiate it, taste-wise, from
a beef burger. But it was certainly a large enough portion; in fact
together with the chips, perhaps a little too big. It was fair value
for money.
The restaurant itself is open-air (under a corrugated iron roof) and
over the last few months, they have improved the décor considerably
and now have a pleasant lounge area as well. Clients can also sit
under the trees in the garden. This is what I prefer as much of the
food is cooked in front of clients in the restaurant and the smell
of hot oil is not something I can stomach, especially early in the
morning.
Parking is inside the walled premises so your vehicle will be safe
although they have a roundabout, round which you are required to
travel anti-clockwise. I, personally, can’t see the reason for
this, but I am sure there must be a good one.
If
you are in Livingstone and want somewhere for a light meal or
breakfast or even a mid-morning tea or cold drink, then we can
certainly recommend Zig-Zag.
Chanters
Old Lusaka residents will undoubtedly remember Richard Chanter from
his days, in the 80’s, as the charismatic, manager of the Ridgeway
Hotel (now Holiday Inn). Richard is now running his own guesthouse
and restaurant in Livingstone, in Likute Road. The guesthouse,
which is another story for a future Lowdown, can certainly be
recommended if you are looking for somewhere quiet to stay with
pleasant air conditioned rooms, plenty of hot water, comfortable
beds, a swimming pool, nice garden, good value for money, safe
parking and away from the crowds of tourists. But today we are
concentrating on the restaurant.
Being a guesthouse, it goes without saying that breakfast is served
and guests not sta8ing at the guesthouse are welcome for breakfast.
They serve the normal English breakfast : eggs, bacon, tomato, toast
but also available is kidney and liver for those that like these
delicacies. And all at a reasonable cost; depending on what you
choose the bill will be around K 36,000 (inclusive of service charge
and VAT).
They also have a variety of snacks and light meals – Samoosas,
omelettes, spring rolls, toasted sandwiches and so on, around the K
13,000 mark.
The rest of the menu gives you a good selection to choose from. For
starters, fried kapenta, smoked salmon, chicken livers, vegetarian,
pasta. They also have soups, which are good home-made, nothing from
a packet.
Main course choices include, amongst other things, Zambezi bream
cooked in a variety of ways; a variety of chicken including their
delicious chicken bottis. And of course, different beef, pork,
vegetarian and pasta dishes.
The specialities of the house include choices not often seen in
restaurants but which also appeal : liver with onions, braised
oxtail; and their Zambian specialities of game stew, chitonga
chicken stew and their Bemba Brown Bean Curry.
Whatever your choice, you can round it off with one of their
delicious desserts : pineapple fritters served with fresh cream;
lemon pancakes, also served with fresh cream or their delicious
chocolate mousse which is dark, sweet and rich. And then at the very
end, an Irish, Kahlua or Tia Maria coffee. Or just a plain coffee.
Like the other restaurants in Livingstone, they have tables inside
(nice in winter as Livingstone can get cold) or you can dine out on
the veranda or in the garden. And whilst dining, you are assured of
Richard’s personal attention to your dining requirements also his
attention to detail in the kitchen which ensures a delicious meal
for you.
Of
course, it is also always good to catch up with Richard’s news and
to talk about ‘old times’ in Lusaka.
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November
2006