I've been a bit behind in posting... apologies to those who were eager to see what's next... It's been pretty busy at work this week and I'm just really tired when I get home and have no desire to write. It also didn't help that I've been eating out everyday for the past 4 days. But finally today, I was able to come home a bit earlier (because I'm taking a call at 7:15pm at home) and cook my own dinner (cook leftovers into deliciousness).
I've actually accumulated quite a bit of food photo because of all these eating outs. Hence I've decided to aggregate them and post them all at once.
First up, is a restaurant called Lucky Bean on a vibrant strip of a neighbourhood called Melville (near the guest house where I stayed). This restaurant has had very high ratings on review sites (as well as the Bain recommendation list). It's where i decided to take the other volcon from the UK for his first dinner in Joburg. So in true Joburg fashion, we sat outside on the patio even though it was totally getting chilly very quickly
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| Slow cooked Pork belly and anise sauce on spinach - delicious - it melts in your mouth ;) |
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| Jonathan's main - prawn risotto |
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| My main - a grilled kingklip with lime and coriander dressing, and jasmine, spinach coconut milk rice - delicious |
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| For dessert, I opted for a chilli mango and a blue cheese and fig home made ice cream. I was being adventurous.. the blue cheese and fig ice cream was surprisingly good |
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| I needed to ask for a blanket as this point as it was getting cold... *burr* or maybe *purr*? |
Overall, it was a very good experience at the Lucky Bean. Their menu is seasonal so I will definitely go back and see what else they have!
Then I had breakfast at VoVo Telo (the cafe that we go to all the time) at 44 stanley on Monday. I finally sat down and ate there because of a client meeting. Hence I was able to get some pictures of the interior.
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| Bunny salt and pepper shaker at VoVo Telo.. SUPER CUTE, i want! |
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| The hearts are so cute :) |
That evening, we went out and explored the same strip in Melville (because it is only a short car ride away from where we were staying). And went to Melon (for those who remember, that's my first Joburg restaurant experience where I got a juicy chicken burger and penne pasta during my first few days here).
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| Here's Jonathan's main - more prawns, they looked really good though |
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| I opted for something lighter and it was a baked butternut squash with halumi cheese, spinach and tomato inside. IT was very good - I think they cook with a lot of butter here.. so everything just tastes good |
Finally after 2 nights out, I decided that it was time to stay in and have a quiet evening. So I made my own dinner the next night
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| Chicken, portobello mushrooms with onions and a butternut squash soup from woolworths. |
(Mel, this is for you!) A few days later, I finally had a chance to go into the "fair trade coffee" coffee shop inside 44 stanley - (a colleague was getting coffee, so I went in and got chocolate). The decor was very cute and the coffee aroma was quite strong. Before I leave, I will definitely get some tips and pick up some coffee beans for you mel (and others if you let me know).
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| The coacoa in my chocolate was from one of the african country. This hot chocolate was very smooth and rich (not too sweet). It's quite good. |
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| Random picture of the tree in the "neighbour"'s yard where I park my car. I think this is actually where the domestic workers live. |
On Friday, we decided it would be a good idea to get out of the office early and enjoy some sun. Jonathan found this place called the Loft (still on that same strip on Melville) with a good review and off we went.
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| The menu was very long.. even longer than the table |
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| Duck Spring rolls starters... yummy |
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| Jonathan's chicken liver pasta... |
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| My Steak!! It was reviewed as one of its specialties so I went for a green pepper corn sauce with sweet potato fries. IT was a bit more cooked than i liked it (but I'd rather that than the other way round). It was quite juicy and yummy. |
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| The candle that was used to light our table. I've underestimated how bright candles can be! |
Over the weekend (last weekend), the other volcon from Australia, peter, finally arrived. I decided to take up Sarah's recommendation and we drove to Parkhurst early Sunday morning (11am) and went for brunch at Nice on 4th.
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| A Joburg classic - half and half - on the left - strawberry pancake with bacon (sounds strange, but it was delicious) and on the right the "Egg basket" (toast made into a basket form with a poached egg inside and bacon). Yes I do not eat non super cooked eggs normally, but this was sooo good that I made an exception for it. I think I still think about this dish everyday and it's been almost a week. |
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| The other option smoked salmon and scrambled egg |
That day we ended up just running some errands at Rosebank, getting more groceries and Peter picking up his essentials. At night, we went back to the Melville strip and decided to try Nunos (portuguese)
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| This was a mozambican Curry with chicken. It was very interesting that it was served with 2 types of rice. The curry was different than the South African version that I had in Sophia town. And yes I sucked it up and ate the green peas. |
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| Mozambican Peri Prawns - it looked quite epic.. and Peter devoured it very quickly |
On Monday night, I had to go to Alliance Francaise to sign up for my DELF A2 exam in November. After consulting the Bain recommendation list, I discovered Moyo at Zoo lake which was very close to AF and serves South African Cuisine. Zoo Lake is also surrounded by a park and the restaurant has received great reviews online especially if you go near sunset time. Apparently Moyo is a chain, but we figure we need to experience it anyways, so why not.
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| Its entrance - so cool |
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| Need to photoshop myself in =P |
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| The path towards the restaurant |
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| You can see my shadow at least |
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| Looking at the sunset <3 |
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| The patio area where we had drinks |
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| Even the menu was cool - it was a bit heavy though |
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| Peter's pineapple crush (slushie?) alcoholic drink |
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| In the front is my non-alcoholic mint black currant extract and berries drink and in the back is a n alcoholic cocktail named "fallen fruit".. The two drinks look alike and both were delicious |
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| The bread was very good, yum |
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| Peter's springbok shank! I was worried that it would be gamy, but it turned out to taste very good and not gamy at all. But it was also massive. Please note that there's no veggie on the plate! |
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| Ostrich berreberre (sp?) Ostrich burgers.. it tasted a bit like steak.. but again not gamy |
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| My Oxtail Amos (tagine).. This is apparently the pot that portjie stews are served in (which I really need to try). It was very tasty but unfortunately a bit on the salty side... Nonetheless yummy when served with rice |
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| There was entertainment! |
After a great experience at Moyo at Zoo lake (portion sizes were huge, but price reflected that) we decided that we should probably only go back about once a month...
On Tuesday, we had drinks after work at 44 stanley, and Chloe strongly recommended the Savannah Cider. I had a sip, it was a pretty good beer. But since I've decided to stay dry throughout this South Africa trip, guess I wont' be able to taste much of it.
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| Chloe and I =) |
For dinner, I actually left the group and drove up to Bryanston to meet two of my future INSEAD classmates - Alon and Danny (and also Danny's gf Kandice). We went to Ghazal at Coachman's crossing. It was a bit difficult to find, but a restaurant with very nice ambiance.
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| My Chicken tika masala - very rich |
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| The Naan bread with nuts on it.. very tasty and a bit sweet |
It was a nice evening of conversations. Both Alon and Danny will be starting in SG, so I look forward to seeing more of them. We decided we definitely need to do this again so that some of the others who are in town can make it too.
On Wednesday, Peter invited us to join him when some of his friends were meeting up with him at 44 Stanley. We were still a bit early after going to the gym, and I was hungry so I ordered a Brushetta - this was mozzarella, basil and tomato... the basic basic but it was so good.
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| The pizza chef in the background rolling away - I should try a pizza next time. They have a stone oven! |
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| My quail with bacon wrapped around it and flambe'd.. It was delicious and HUGE... (I guess I haven't gotten used to it yet).. |
That's all the food pictures I have accumulated for now. I took a break today and made my own food... Now that we have finally joined the gym, I definitely need to go there tomorrow and make the most use of it given the portion size and all the heavy meals I've been having!! (as you can see!)
Anyways, last note of the day: congrats to Kanya and Avon on the arrival of their baby girl! So excited for them =) I can't wait to meet her.
Also, I believe asian count is up to 33 now! wow!
