Why bother going home when we can go eat somewhere? That was the response I got from my friends when I wanted to leave them to go break my fast (iftar) but to be honest, what was I rushing home to? Everyone in the house is away for the long weekend and it was just me and the pigeons left in the house.
I agreed to stay back since it was 15minutes to the call for prayer, so I walked to the nearby mosque to join the congregational prayers and we were off to Club House Restaurant Life Camp situated inside Tak Continental estate.
We got to club house- such a beautiful and salubrious ambience with natural green plants around it. We chose to dine indoors as the weather was warm that evening. I chose the table by the large window for its proximity to an electrical socket so I could charge my phone battery.
Menu was brought and before going through it I asked the waiter if they served fruits, but got a rather indifferent ‘no’. Disappointed, I settled for spaghetti Bolognese with Pepsi on the rocks and hot chocolate to come after the meal. My friends weren’t in the mood for food so one opted for burger and strawberry mojito and the other 2 shawarma and water.
While I waited for our orders to be executed I noticed the place was full as different sets of people kept tripping in and out of the place, most of which were expatriates. I observed the interior was made to look like an African gazebo or rather an African cabin with hanging plants from the ceiling: just the right amounts needed unlike some other restaurants which have many room plants like those of a funeral parlour (lol)…. The ceiling fans also complimented the artistic milieu of the structure with large windows and chilling units, enough to prevent one from converting the menu to a hand fan.
Drinks were served. Pepsi tasted like Pepsi but my friend wasn’t quite pleased with her strawberry mojito as she complained the taste wasn’t close to standard and that it didn’t seem to have alcohol at all. She drew the waiter’s attention that smiled and assured her the alcohol was at the base of the glass. She asked the waiter to inform the bar man but nobody came back in that regard.
Finally my pasta was served and appearance was professional but the quantity was small for the price being charged. I have had the same dish in few places in Abuja that serve more quantity, some at a lower price while some slightly above the price but at least one is sure of getting the value for his/her money.
The taste wasn’t impressive as every sip of my drink made the taste forgettable. The meal wasn’t spicy and the chef did not think it wise to serve chilly or hot sauce by the side, probably because most of the customers are of different race.
I had finished my meal before the burger and shawarma came. Quite slow I mean how long does it take to make burger with fries and shawarema? Well as for my friends, they averred the burger was ’just there’ as it wasn’t the best she has had but the shawarma was yummy according to my friend.
The table was cleared and my hot chocolate was still not in sight. I could have made follow-up orders but was discouraged by the perceived delay in service. I noticed the Lebanese family next to our table were served fruits. I couldn’t believe my eyes so I called the waiter’s attention again and to my chagrin, the waiter assumed I asked for parsley….. Does fruits and parsley sound alike?
Moments later, my hot chocolate surfaced; it brought with it, memories of boarding secondary school as it bore an uncanny resemblance with the beverage called Pronto. In an attempt to savour the reverie of secondary school days caused by this beverage mix, I asked for the kind of pastries that was served and again, the waiter shocked me by saying ‘spring roll sir’. At this point, I gave up and almost reclined.
