Winter Art Fair

FRIDAY 3 MAY, 2013  /   COMMENTS [0]

 

From the same incredible people who brought you Food. Wine. Design. now for the first time bring you the Winter Art Fair. This one is really special as it combines food, wine and art at the Nirox foundation (which is a 15 hectare piece of land in the Cradle of humankind). I hadn't heard of it before but the pictures look amazing. It's just this WIDE open expanse of land with sculptures and interesting things around every corner.

All the top chefs and wine makers from Franshhoek are flying up to cook us amazing food and serve us their best wines and I just can't wait! I'm going with a whole bunch of friends and thinking of bringing some picnic blankets so we find a nice spot to chill and eat and enjoy the surroundings.

It's on this weekend 4th & 5th May. R100 at webtickets. Go here for more information on how to get there.

Best burger bar in town

TUESDAY 16 APRIL, 2013  /   COMMENTS [2]

is Beefcakes in my opinion*

Where else in Joburg do you get to drink an endless variety of pink drinks, play bingo, daaance and get to eat a proper burger while doing it? I had dinner there a few weeks ago with a few lovely local bloggers and had such a good time. I don't know if any of you remember the movie Pleasantville (?) but I felt like I was in the Pleasantville diner.. where all the cool 50's kids hang out on a friday night, drink bubblegum milkshakes and eat hamburgers. 

We went on a tuesday night, which is bingo night, hosted by Molly. We tried our best to win but think we were slightly pre-occupied with our Watermelon cosmos and Lemon drop Martini's.

 Later on in the evening they brought out these (above)... which are deep fried twinkie's and banana spring rolls. Oh. my. word. You have to try these at least once in your life. They will change you. (Also if you wanted to know... the burger I ordered above is a Beach Boy which is also delicious).

Find Beefcakes at Illovo Muse.

198 Oxford Rd, Illovo.

They're open Tues - Sun. Be sure to book a table for dinner!

Croft & co

MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY, 2013  /   COMMENTS [2]

Previously a men's luxury gift shop, Croft & co has become a wonderful cosy coffee shop to spend a morning in. They have delicious Lavazza cappuccinos, a nice selection of breakfasts and sandwiches, and free Wifi. They also still keep stock of a few nice gifts for men such as cigars, knives and wine.

It's also a great place to have a G & T or glass of wine on friday afternoon, they're open at 6:30 am for breakfast and lunches but stay open a bit later on friday evening (when they serve Prego rolls).

Find them at:

66 Tyrone Avenue, Parkview, Johannesburg.

Instawalks

TUESDAY 22 JANUARY, 2013  /   COMMENTS [0]

Instagram has to be one of the most relevant forms of social media today, and awesome for people who are more visual than wordy (ie. me!). Instagram has gone huge worldwide and is taking over locally too. Headed up by Gareth Pon @garethpon (managing the @IgersSouthAfrica account), he has been involved in organising instawalks (or instameets) all around Joburg and South Africa encouraging a community of iphonographers to explore interesting parts of the city and capture it through the lens's of their phones. This weekend @IgersSouthAfrica is hosting a combined instawalk across a few cities. If you follow @IgersSouthAfrica you can get the details of the different walks. So far i've seen @igersGrahamstown, @igersGeorge, @igersDurban, @igersCapeTown, @igersPretoria, @igersPortElizabeth and ofcourse @igersJozi (I hear East London is all in the pipeline). By taking part you can win some cool accessories for iphone namely an Olloclip which is a lot of fun, an iphone 5 lens (1st prize), or a framed print by SnapGram (2nd prize). Go to the @IgersSouthAfrica page for more details, and to find out when and where the instameet is happening in your city. I'm going to try make the Jozi walk. It's starting at Main Street Life in the Maboneng precinct on Sunday at 17:30. Perhaps i'll see you there!  

In the neighborhood: The Squires Loft

FRIDAY 11 JANUARY, 2013  /   COMMENTS [2]

If you're seeking out a really good steak i'd definitely recommend a visit to The Squires Loft. We went there on Tuesday for our anniversary dinner and were both really impressed. The wine, the food and the service were all excellent.

(It was also a nice evening to walk down to 4th avenue and take some pictures in the street apparently - don't know why I look so proud of my pasty legs)

Moving on. We had the Haloumi and Watermelon starter which was delicious and generous, definitely big enough to share. For mains I had The Supreme which was the most delicious fillet stuffed with mushrooms. Dylan had one of their signature steaks - The Biltong and Avo which was also really good (like a really nice South African surprise in your mouth).

We somehow made room desert and tried their cheesecake, which was one of the most delicious cheesecakes i've ever eaten at a restaurant.

All in all a good experience.

It's in the new (clock tower?) centre on 4th Avenue in Parkhurst.

Daleahs

TUESDAY 30 APRIL, 2013  /   COMMENTS [5]

After a meeting in the CBD this morning Dylan and I went to have quick bite and coffee at the new eatery in Braamfontein called Daleahs. It's lovely spot with delicious food, good coffee in pretty, transparent cups and an all around nice atmosphere. I just had croissant but Dylan had the beef sliders which were amazing, and so fairly priced. Dylan also tried the Greek coffee which was a really authentic experience, served with a shot of sparkling water and a sweet preserved fig.

 They're in the bright green building just off Juta street (opposite Post). :)

(I recommend sitting outside in the little courtyard, it's really nice).

Italian pop up lunch!

MONDAY 4 MARCH, 2013  /   COMMENTS [0]

There is an awesome (pretty new) Italian lunch spot that has recently started popping up every Tuesday at the Rosebank fire station from 12 - 2. I went last week around 12:30 and it was PACKED! You pay R45 for a take away box and then you get to fill it with all sorts of delicious Italian dishes from their harvest table.

We tried almost everything, but while we were there they kept on bringing out more and more dishes!

It is run by a couple of authentic Italian families and they all make a dish or two of something delicious. It's also a great place to learn a few Italian phrases (which will come in handy for our Italy trip in July!).

If you're bored of your usual lunch/take away and work near Rosebank it's definitely worth the visit - parking is a bit of nightmare so come on your vespa or car pool! 

Sweet local tunes by Matthew Mole

WEDNESDAY 30 JANUARY, 2013  /   COMMENTS [2]

Last week thursday we went to the Bioscope with some friends to see Matthew Mole live. I have to admit I had only heard about him that day, but I got listening to him on soundcloud (pretty much the whole day leading up to the evening). It was a nice intimate show in the theatre but totally packed with people. We (and I think the whole theatre) were totally blown away by his performance. It was genuine and effortlessly beautiful. If you like chilled folky tunes with awesome lyrics you have to go listen, download his EP or get to one of his next gigs. He's playing at Arcarde Empire in PTA tonight, and at Kitcheners with Yo Grapes on Thursday. Maybe see you there!

The Whippet & The Palm

FRIDAY 11 JANUARY, 2013  /   COMMENTS [4]

The Whippet has finally opened up properly in Linden, so we went over there today to say hi and try it out.

It's a really lovely space, light and airy, nice exposed brick and beautiful light fixtures. It was too hot for coffee so we tried out their special iced tea (which they make on site). They let us smell all the different flavours, and showed us how they brew and serve it. I think the winner here is the Pineapple and Ginger (served in a Consol jar). Perfect for these scorching Joburg days.

For lunch Dylan had The Whippet burger and I had this amazing cous cous salad (the name escapes me). Both were delicious, fresh and very fairly priced. They have a nice menu, full of some nice different options.

While we were there almost everyone around us ordered the milk tart (above), so we figured it must be good and got one to share.

It was the BEST milktart i've ever had. I'm not lying. It was heavenly. Try it and tell me i'm wrong! ; )

Us Joburgers crave beautiful new spaces like this, so I have no doubt The Whippet is going to thrive. Find them on 7th street in Linden.

Right up the road we discovered The Palm trading house, (at the first robots going towards Cresta on 7th). A real treasure trove full of beautiful vintage and art deco things. How awesome is that chair below?

It's not exactly a bargain bin, things are pretty pricey but if you're looking for a beautiful piece of period furniture for your house this is a good place to look.

Wakaberry now in reach.

FRIDAY 14 DECEMBER, 2012  /   COMMENTS [2]

Wakaberry officially opens at the zone in Rosebank today, I went to a little sneak taster last night where we listened to some sweet music provided by Short straw, and got to sample all the delectable fro-yo goodness. My favourites had to be the mixed berry and candy floss flavours.. and the most awesome part - the frozen yoghurt is 98% fat free! I forsee many summer "office runs" to Rosebank.