Carnivore v ThunderGun v Sanza @ Spaza Art
Well we finally got around to doing some food reviews… This past weekend we went to three completely different restaurants to check them out and let you know what we think…
Friday was dedicated to a dinner at Carnivore, situated just off Beyers Naude out at the Misty Hills hotel… We had heard all about Carnivore and the…
thought of meat meat and more meat was definitely a puller for us non-herbivores….The restaurant was almost full at 8pm on a Friday… large groups of tourists feasted on venison next to Black and White South Africans all tucking into their inyama. The decor was a little ‘cliched’ and looking tired, the theme being African and Wildlife, this was to be expected. But as my dining partner commented, “it’s perfect for the African safari desired by eager tourists…it gives them what they fantasize about” – but it was a little gaudy and over the top for us.
The way Carnivore’s works is that you pay a set menu fee, around R175 a head, you then feast on a three course meal. Starting off with a delicious butternut soup we moved onto the meat and salads… luckily the waiter told us about the ‘surrender flag’ – a little paper flag that you lower from your well-laden lazy Susan when you just can’t take anymore meat. You will surrender. The waiters ciculate with huge chunks of meat or sausages, offering you 14 different types of meat that you can devour. The waiters were friendly if not a little “cliched” themselves, brimming with quirky Carnivore spirit and tip-obligated friendliness… It worked.
We didn’t have space for desert after the indulgment of the meat on offer and staggared out of Carnivore feeling very satisfied but a little bored on the experience side. We give it a 6 out of 10. But you know we’re fussy.
CARNIVORE
“Muldersdrift Estate”
69 Drift Boulevard
Muldersdrift 1747
Tel (+27 11) 950-6061
Saturday required a trip to the famous burger joint on Beyers Naude, ThunderGun Steakhouse… Stories of death-defying burgers and solid hangover cure food lured us in. Our first impression on entrance was that we had stepped into an English-style pub, with most of the patrons appearing to be white middle-aged British ex-pats…A suprising consistency at the tables both inside and outside the restaurant. Looking straight into the carpark, there’s not much of a view here so the food must be the attraction, we guessed. We were right. It certainly wasn’t the kitch “land of Haiwatha” decor that graced the walls, totem polls and all. Clearly the decor was a direct translation of the menu, with the cowboy and Indian theme taking pole position. As one often finds in these offbeat little places, the music did not suit the theme at all, with Britney and Corinne Bailey Rae coming through the stereo… The burgers arrived and lived up to their reputation, fat, filling and freaking great. But bored with our environment, we wandered on. 6 out of 10.
Thundergun Steakhouse.
Steakhouse & Pub.
Palala Centre
Beyers Naude Drive
Blackheath
Tel: 011 678 7724
Sunday took us to the extreme of Friday, a phenomenal vegetarian meal prepared and served by none other than one of Represent’s most ardent supporters, Sanza Fakudze aka the fast-talking dj on YFM. Sanza has been been cooking up his vegetarian delights on Sundays at the quaint and oh-so chilled Spaza Art Gallery Wilhemina road in Troyville since 2002….Sundays are his day and superb food is his way. The meal cost only R30, including desert and the drinks were cheaper than usual. The restaurant area is in the small but interesting back garden of the restaurant and the patrons are an array of fascinating people and artists all who come there for it’s chilled out vibe and Sanza’s cooking. Music, although way too brief, was provided by two steel drum musicians, who tinkled to the rays of the afternoon sun that poured through the pretty trees. The meal consisted of an interesting chic pea dish, filled with secret flavours and tasting extremely morish… this was joined by a scrumptions ricotta dish that no words can describe but the taste of fennel and cinammon lingered gently in our mouths. Desert was a range of tropical fruits – it was the first time we had ever tried persimmon, a tomato-looking fruit with a suprisingly sweet taste. But the after-lunch dates cooked with wine, butter and sugar definitely took the… “cake” so to speak.
We have to score a 9 out of 10 for this experience. But maybe that’s because we appreciate the authentic, original, underground and bordering on hippy.
Sunday Lunch with Sanza
2pm
Spaza Art
+2711 614-9354
19 Wilhelmina Str,Troyeville,
Johannesburg
Painting of the restaurant at Spaza Art by Karl Geitl
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