Uhuru Café menu delights with undeniable foreign twist by team of kitchen creatives

A flourish of gracious grills and greens, mouthwatering mains, sizzling spritzers and comforting coffees all enter into a light-hearted affair of delectable delights with a wholesome Italian twist at recently opened Uhuru Café in Polokwane.
The menu is a reflection of a taste of the things in life Uhuru Café owner Mmabogoshi Msiza favours. She believes life is about sharing and, in conjunction with a culinary team, ensured a diverse cross-over from breakfasts to mains, handhelds to pastas and quiches to salads that speak of hearty yet nutritional food as an ideal accompaniment to good conversation.
Judging from the constant flow of visitors crossing the threshold of this establishment that resorts under the stylish Uhuru Lifestyle Emporium in the making, the new eatery has already started taking Polokwane by storm.
At Uhuru Café patrons are treated to the end result of her collaboration of several months with a team of three creative chefs, who have worked together at an establishment in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg since 2013. As Msiza remarked, they had developed a menu around the tastes and preferences of their potential clientele in mind. Chef Phillip Moswana, who hails from Senwabarwana and decided to relocate back to Limpopo to be closer to his grandmother, explained that they had merged Msiza’s requests for a natural approach to food the Italian way with their own ideas to ensure an appetising menu.
Alongside Chefs Nkululeko Msipa and Sifiso Khumalo, who form a trio that embodies maturity and youthfulness as well as experience and team spirit, he gets to woo patrons with dishes that have thus far only elicited compliments, it was learnt. Apparently the Prego Uhuru, with char-grilled chicken breast on Turkish bread and served with French fries, that is part of the handhelds on the menu is what local patrons are mostly after.
When Msiza elaborates on the list of offerings from the café kitchen, she deviates from the menu with a summary of non-greasy breakfast items that are rich in protein for starting the day with clarity of mind and soul and would not invite further snacking well beyond lunchtime. To this the Smoked Haddock Benini, presented with poached egg and potato pea hash with a hollandaise sauce and bruschetta, is testimony.
Breakfasts, as with some of the dishes on the menu, are complemented by an array of artisan creations made on site – including rye, whole wheat, gluten-free, low-carb, Portuguese, Turkish or Italian bread – served on the side with a host of extras.
Getting to lunch at Uhuru Café might pose somewhat of a difficulty when having to settle for mains, having options between grilled lamb chops and steak with chips, or Trout Teriyaki with black rice or hake in beer batter with crushed minted peas and hand-cut chips. Msiza pointed out that their menu selection was inspired by the top quality red meat produced in Limpopo.
The variety of pastas – also catering for wheat-intolerant guests – holds the fort among the main dishes, with the traditional lasagne proving a firm favourite, according to management. The various toppings of smoked trout, grilled chicken, beef ragu, mozzarella and béchamel sauce should satisfy any craving.
Salad bowls are believed to be the obvious choice for the health-conscious and female clients who will be spoilt for choice between rubbed rump with leaves, smoked salmon with mixed greens or chicken flavours mixed in with the trimmings.
The body-conscious will find further appeal on the menu when getting to the smoothies section and if the nutrition factor in the Mango Mamba or the Coco Berry doesn’t get a thumbs up there is the Vitamin Blast or Berry Smoothy to attempt.
Cold-pressed, juiced vegetables like a shot of apple, beetroot and carrot with ginger and mint have already proven popular among patrons and are a must-try, suggested Msiza.
For the caffeine addicts there is added joy in the locally-made biscotti by Tea O’Clock in Polokwane that gets served with their coffees or cappuccinos, also available in decaf.
With a delivery service to be introduced, on-the-go dishes like a quick quiche would soon be available for delivery and could be ordered in advance by phoning 066 474 9074.
Locate Uhuru Café on the corner of Burger and Grobler streets and find them open Mondays to Fridays from 08:00 to 16:00 and Saturdays from 09:00 to 13:00. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.
Contact Uhuru Lifestyle Emporium on 015 065 0878. Email them on info@uhurucafe.co.za or otherwise visit www.uhurucafe.co.za and like, share and repeat by going to their Facebook and Instagram pages.

Story and photos: YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com