As a self-confessed foodie and habitual diner, I’m a sucker for tasty healthy food enjoyed in a warm ambience, in good company.
However, I have realised that affordable good restaurants in Gabs are few and wide apart, and the fast food equivalent of “good food” is oily, fried and overly-spiced cheap meals which fill the tummy than impress the taste buds. Having visited almost all the restaurants in Gaborone, I have selected a few favourites and concluded that there weren’t any more cropping up.
However, when Flavors came along I couldn’t resist the urge to sample their menu and gauge their service. Located in a corner on the outskirts of the Main mall, this restaurant isn’t as bad as I have imagined. The d├®cor is a unique bright red and green colour scheme, with plants entwined on the front porch area.
The restaurant is quite small, so if you want a sit down meal, it’s best to go there any other time apart from lunch when it’s usually packed.
The ambience is not necessarily the best except if you enjoy watching your food being prepared and the waiters bustling about helping customers. The interior is shiny and clean and the friendly waiters are at the customers’ beck and call, greeting politely and guiding you to a chair to wait for your meal, although a constant smile from them would be welcome.
Flavors is not the typical queuing in line type of food outlet. The waiting time is average, between five and fifteen minutes.
Before I get to the food, I must note that I was impressed by the take way packaging; simple plastic containers stuffed inside brown bags. Very snazzy and portable… It’s like a little lunchbox and you can keep some food for later.
I was also impressed with the menu. Unlike other outlets, which focus on a specialty food item, Flavors inculcates Thai dishes with the common Western ones. They offer chicken and chips meals, a range of pastas and noodles, burgers, fried rice and the likes.
If you have a large appetite, you might want to sample the Wall street or Diplomat’s burger.
My favourite was the Chicken Thai chicken noodles, which had well-prepared chicken strips, peppers and onions with pineapple cubes. The fried rice is a popular dish worth a try, one told me. However the dish wasn’t the best I have had. Most of the meals come with a delightful free side sauce in a small container, which I believe is unique to the restaurant. It’s a tasty sauce but unfortunately, you can’t buy them individually.
Most meals are priced between P30 and P50, which is value for money. My hope is that they don’t increase the prices anytime soon.
The beverages are simple, filtered coffee, an assortment of popular soft drinks, green tea, espresso and basic tea, as well as smoothies and milkshakes in different flavours like strawberry, banana and chocolate. One happy customer, Kgalalelo Mosweu, said that Flavors is a welcome variety to the usual establishments in the area.
“I particularly like their menu, which is different with many options. The food is also well priced, which is great. I wish they would also offer health juices and salads as well because some of us are watching our weight,” she said.
Another customer who refused to be named had a few gripes, but noted that wouldn’t stop him from visiting the restaurant time and again.
“I wish the cooking was of better quality. The ingredients are healthy, but the food doesn’t have an edge; some of the dishes are too bland. I like that it’s affordable and one doesn’t have to wait too long for their order,” he said.
Since it leans more towards being a corner take-away outlet, Flavors is not the ideal place for big family sit-downs, or hosting business associates or a large group. Flavors, is, however, a cool place to have a quick afternoon meeting over a meal and drink with a friend or colleague.
