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Sahara Café
 39 Courtenay Place, WellingtonPhone 385 6362
Good things: Good food and good service at reasonable prices Bad points: The odd prickly seat
Menu items tried: Ham-stuffed chicken, mango pudding, hot chocolate
Price: $27
Rating: 80%
The first thing I can say about the Sahara Café is that it’s really Turkish. This was proven when my friend rang up to make a reservation…
"And what name is that under, please?" "David" "Can you spell that for me please?"
Fortunately, the staff were fully fluent in the language of the trade, and everyone got what they ordered. Having arrived early, I started the ordering with a hot chocolate to tide me over until company arrived. Two dollars fifty for a fair-sized hot chocolate, would you believe? I’ve paid twice that for worse. The drink nevertheless came complete with marshmallows and swirly sauce on top. It wasn’t necessarily the best hot choc I’ve ever had, but it did the job and the dregs on the bottom of the cup testified to higher ambitions as yet unfulfilled.
I had an authentically-but-not-memorably-named main consisting of yummy ham-stuffed chicken with an assortment of fresh vegetables. The veggies and dressing were lumped in surprisingly anti-social clusters, but a little fork-work quickly forged bonds of flavoursome friendship that were entirely satisfying. The quantity of food was commensurate with the price, but once dessert had filled in the edges I was quite happy.
The mood of the place was well effected, with dim lighting and cosy ergonomics giving it an intimate feel. It was a pity for the intimate couples that there was a tipsy party of twelve celebrating my birthday in the corner with much fanfare. In spite of this, and our paying separately in the face of their one account per table rule, the staff were genuinely friendly and seemed pleased to see us. (And not in the way that pirates are pleased to see people.) A warm smile goes a long way after a hard day at work.
The only significant flaw at the Sahara Café is the bench seating provided along one wall. The backs of these seats are carpeted with angry rugs that forced those of us in our shirtsleeves to assume a straight posture or feel the vengeance of a thousand pointy fibres. A flaw that can be rectified with a sweater is hardly a flaw at all, however, so I still give the Sahara Café 80% for a great evening at a good price.
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