All Roads Lead To … Restaurant Gathemann

Over the years, I’ve walked down Independence Avenue more times than I can count. From brisk morning walks to work in 2009 to slow Sunday strolls with my best friend in 2014, if you asked, I would be quick to tell you that I know that stretch of Windhoek like the palm of my hand.

But that would be a lie.

One part of it I don’t know very well.

A little slice of Windhoek that has never caught my eye, never made me curious.

Until recently, that is.

Not at all obscure or hidden, Restaurant Gathemann has been around longer than I have.

It isn’t until Monday around lunch time that I finally take the time to follow the signs that point me up stairs and through an antique living room complete with an old school gramophone.

With a balcony overlooking ever-bustling Independence Avenue, sitting outside is an easy choice to make.

Granted, the view is slightly marred by the construction at OK Parking, but my table proves a prime spot for people watching so I’m not upset.

With the green of Zoo Park right across the road, Gathemann has a serenity that almost seems out of place in Windhoek’s lunch time rush.

The view might not take your breath away, but the prices on the menu will.

Enough to make any hard working pleb clutch their chest and frantically start searching for the nearest exit, the prices at Gathemann are probably why no one has ever casually brought the restaurant up when my friends and I make lunch or dinner plans.

Easily the most expensive restaurant I’ve ever been to, a greek salad at Gathemann goes for a whopping N$94, and comes with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers and feta. I half expect them to list gold leaf or caviar too to justify the price.

I’m tempted to bolt but I’ve got a job to do and a review to write so I take a deep breath and order the Oryx steak.

The complimentary bread my waitress brings around soon after does little to silence my accountant brother’s voice in my head listing all the things I could rather be doing with the N$180 the Oryx dish goes for, but my order’s been placed and since I prefer living life on the right side of the law, there’s no running away now.

Served with spaetzle (hand-rolled egg noodles popular in Germany), vegetables and red cabbage that tastes like grandma’s house in all the wrong ways, the steak is perfect. Cooked well and seasoned even better, the steak and spaetzle shine on a simple but stunning plate and sing all the way down.

While you’re guaranteed to not pay much attention to the sides, the veg and cabbage leave much to be desired and it’s almost a pity that they weren’t prepared with as much love and care as the stars of the dish.

But with the best steak you’ve ever had radiating happy vibes from the bottom of your belly, I doubt you’ll even notice.

The verdict? Yes. The food at Gathemann is good. Great, even. But does that justify the prices? You tell me.

Restaurant Gathemann is open from 12h00 to 22h00 Mondays to Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays. Call 223853 for bookings.

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