Represent Recommends: Sophiatown in Newtown
If you love Newtown like we do and want to know about what’s going down from entertainment to downtown rejuvenation, then visit the official Newtown website – subscribe to the newsletter which updates you on all the news. Click here to zoom there. Always loving Newtown! Check out the list of Newtown restaurants here. Visit the Sophiatown restaurant on the ground floor of the KAYA FM building on Mary Fitzgerald Square. Service is still getting there and the menu was still en route when we went but the decor is stunning and the vibe on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon is great. Chilling out in the city having a glass of great wine and watching people go by! Thanks to Lungi and Shereen for the intro and one of the best afternoons in Newtown. From the Newtown site: “Located at No. 1 central Place, Sophiatown is set to be another huge attraction in the Newtown Cultural Precinct. The atmosphere at Sophiatown is laid back and stylish, with Jazz and African marimba beats playing while people come together to enjoy a meal with great company or just have a few drinks in the cigar lounge. Sophiatown can seat up to 180 people and is available as a venue for functions.Sophiatown is open during the week from 10am-11.30pm, and on weekends until late. Contact (011) 836-5999 “PIC and words above: http://www.newtown.co.za/ PIC and words...
Review: Greenside: Mama Themba’s v Vide e Caffe
Greenside is a fabulous Johannesburg suburb, there’s something so chilled, green and alluring about it but at the same time it keeps a low profile of sorts. Lets face it, as far as our pavement suburbs go, it lacks the grunge of Melville and Norwood, it doesn’t have the same consistent finesse (minus Jollies) of Parkhurst and you don’t get the village feel of Parkview. But is does have it’s own style. Vida e Caffe, is our latest most favourite coffee shop!… And the newly opened Mama Themba’s certainly adds a grungy feel. SJ reviewed the two Greenside restaurants for you right here. (Told you Editorista would be on the prowl…) Vida e Caffe Greenside was the first shop in the Vida Joburg clan, followed by Rosebank, Sandton and the newly opened Hyde Park. Vida lives the essence of ‘less is more’ with a brilliantly simple concept inspired by the flavours and textures of Portugal- it guarantees an overall pleasant, relaxed experience. We love the quirky touches like the dudes who sing a little song when you put a tip in the box “Obregado” (Sharpile in Portuguese) and the other little ditty they chant for when ladies arrive at the counter… “Ola Magents check out the ladies…” (something like that) – very flirty! You order from the counter, there’s a simple yet satisfying menu to choose from and you get to sit at “aesthetically appealing” table and chairs (for the design-minded)… and simply relax. If you’re lucky, there may even be a jazz performance from the very talented Marcus Wyatt or Carlo Mombelli and various supporting dishy musicians. Good taste. So good they were awarded a prize by the godfather of good taste, Wallpaper* Magazine for best coffee shop design or concept. We highly recommend JAZZ at VIDA in Greenside on Sunday mornings or at the Rosebank Vida (The Zone) on Saturday mornings. Click here to see our Youtube clip on Carlo Mombelli at the Vida in Rosebank on a Sat or watch the video at the end of this post. And… secret… if you go round closing time, which iis generally round 6pm, the staff hand out the remaining delicious and decadent muffins to all clientele – Mahala! And now onto Mama Themba’s…. eish. Well first of all, we thought we’d been teleported to the 80s when we walked past the colourful shopfront and busy pavement – it’s got an old, worn look and feels like it’s been there for years. But clearly it hasn’t been there for years as it wasn’t there last year. Apparently it used to be in Linden and recently relocated to Greenside. Well anyway, our experience wasn’t particularly pleasant but maybe we’re not the clientele they are after. First off, while we decided what we were going to have, we ordered still water and they...
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...
We will be back!
