Affordable Treats for Pensioners at Tinkabell Restaurant

For the baby boomer generation, stringent daily exercises would be incredibly hard work, and a diet of lentils, even with a dash of oil, cumin seeds and chilli flakes, could become tedious.

Millennials, on the other hand, are mostly in mid-career, advancing their qualifications and pursuing leadership roles. While chasing their dreams through networking and establishing an online presence, this generation needs to keep in touch with youthful trends on the internet, dye their hair, practise pilates to keep fit.  The effort required in keeping young, trendy and alert during these productive years is worthwhile, bearing in mind that according to The Older Person Act in Zimbabwe, a citizen aged sixty-five years or above is classified as ‘an older person’ and may have reached retirement age.

As the inflation rate gallops on and the cost of living soars, Zimbos lucky enough to have a job will try and hold on to it, deferring retirement for as long as possible. By the age of 60, however, many workers are unemployable, and will resort to eking out a living on a pension, or on handouts from diasporans. Fortunately, thanks to discounts offered to the over 60s by some restaurants on certain days, pensioners can still afford the pleasure of occasionally eating out.

Last Thursday I was invited to the launch of the Pensioners’ Breakfast at Tinkabell Restaurant in Ballantyne Shopping Centre in Harare. Jasmine and Rui Fonseca, restaurateurs well known for the popular Tinkabell in Ardbennie, recently opened another branch in Ballantyne Park. Going from strength to strength, the restaurant, which specialises in Portuguese and fusion cuisine, is now focusing on affordable treats every Thursday for pensioners.

The breakfast launch was generous, offering yoghurt, cereal, fresh blackberries and strawberries. Freshly-baked croissants, Danish pastries, pasteis de nata and Chelsea buns generously studded with currants and gleaming with sugar glaze proved irresistible, when accompanied by a large, steaming Illy cappuccino. Flavoursome scrambled egg with a hint of green chilli was served with toast and classic savoury baked beans. Finally, Jasmine emerged from the kitchen with a platter of feather-light crepes, hot from the griddle, and perfect with a cup of Illy filter coffee.

Pensioners can enjoy breakfast any day between Tuesday and Friday at Tinkabell Restaurant. Continental breakfast will cost no more than $5, a cooked breakfast no more than $6, and for the month of May, pensioners can fill their own travel mug after breakfast with a coffee-to-go at no extra charge.

Illy coffee, with its delicate flavours and refined sweetness, is a favourite for coffee lovers. It has been suggested that ditching your morning coffee for a cup of green tea could have health benefits, but Dr Frank Hu at the Harvard School of Public Health is confident that drinking coffee lowers the risk of heart disease, liver cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Drinking one or two cups of coffee daily, he claims, can reduce the risk of an early death.

Cynthia Ndoro was at the pensioners’ breakfast, representing Illy coffee, which is based based in Graniteside, Harare. An enthusiastic coffee drinker, Cynthia described the many products available from Illy.  Blended from nine different types of arabica coffee beans, they are all available for purchase from Tinkabell Restaurant.

Over 60s may long to be filled with dynamic, youthful energy, but as the secret of eternal youth continues to be elusive, remember that Jasmine Fonseca at Tinkabell has your back. So get a morning boost every Thursday with a breakfast you can afford, and a steaming cappuccino. A Matter of Taste with Charlotte Malakoff

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