Rabbit in the Moon: Lunar Bunnies are Just Lovely

Restaurants in Joburg have really excelled in fine dining over the last few years. In Jozi, the trouble isn't finding a good restaurant, it's picking just one. The standards are high, and there's no shortage of great competition. Even having lived in this magnificent city all my life, there are still stacks of restaurants I haven't tried (I'm coming for you).

Rabbit in the Moon was one such restaurant. I'd driven past it, fallen in love with the name and the clean, open space, and shamelessly stalked it online, but I'd never actually eaten there. So when Simon, the owner and manager, offered to wine and dine JD and I, I was over the moon! (Did you see what I did there?) I had high expectations because, as I've said, restaurants in this part of the world are pretty damn good. Well, high expectations and all, I was not prepared for what awaited us. Holy bunnies of the sky, where to start?

Let's go with the ambiance, since that's the first thing you notice when you arrive. Rabbit in the Moon is an indoor-outdoor restaurant, with tables extending to a cleverly-constructed garden with tall glass walls that shield off the traffic noise. The tables here are dainty and quaint, with the most fantastic Indian theatre chairs! I've never seen these before, and it was just the sort of attention to detail that gets me intrigued about a place (aren't they gorgeous?).

Then there's the service. From the warm welcome when we arrived, the service didn't for a moment waver to anything short of excellence. The waiters were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and quite willing to help us out with suggestions when we were overwhelmed with what dessert/cocktails to choose (read: All. The. Time).

Simon, the owner and manager, was completely attentive and happy to tell us all about the restaurant, the menu, his favourite dishes - absolutely anything. I appreciated this, but, even more so, I appreciated the way he did so with every single table.

We've reviewed restaurants before where the manager paid us lots of attention but ignored the other guests who wouldn't be writing about the experience. Simon attended to each table individually, whether they were regulars, there for the first time, or (pick me) writing about the experience.

And then, of course, the most important part: the eating and the drinking! JD and I are both huge fans of cocktails, and Rabbit in the Moon's cocktail menu has no shortage of exotic and wonderful options! We decided on the Cucumber moon (their signature cocktail) - vodka, cilantro, cucumbers, agave nectar and lime juice (for realz) and the Hemingway Daiquiri - white rum, maraschino liquor, grapefruit juice, simple syrup and lime juice. Both were delicious, although I liked the combination of white rum and maraschino liquor the best!

For starters, we went for the bruschetta with emmenthal, provolone and asiago with honey and basil (R58). I'll be honest with you, I have no idea what all of those things are, but woah when you put them all together they taste AMAZING! The inclusion of honey gave it an absolute wow-factor, making it totally different to any kind of bruschetta I've ever tasted before. It was one helluva a good start.

For main course, we needed some help deciding, because everything sounded delicious. Simon recommended the grilled fillet tagliata (R130) for JD - sliced rare fillet with parmesan and rocket, dressed in a blend of juices, garlic, and lemon, and thee panzerotti pasta with butternut, burnt butter, fresh sage, and walnuts (R105) for me. (Trust him, he knows his food!)

They were the closest to perfect I can imagine a meal being. I honestly don't know if I've ever enjoyed a dinner as much as this. The panzerotti pasta, Simon told me, is handmade freshly for your meal. All the other ingredients were fresh and delicious, and the combined effect was utter brilliance. I couldn't quite finish mine and although there was only a small amount left on my plate I requested a take away box for the rest. I couldn't bear the thought of every last morsel of this deliciousness personified not being eaten.

When it came to dessert, again we couldn't decide, so our waiter recommended the Tres Leches, a vanilla sponge cake soaked in condensed and evaporated milk, dark rum, and cream, topped with chantily cream (R45). It came topped with strawberries and surrounded by condensed milk and was the perfect end to a wonderful meal.

By this stage it had gotten dark and the stars were out, and I was feeling altogether on top of the world. Rabbit in the Moon really gives the whole experience - great food, great service, great ambiance. Thanks so much to Simon and the rest of the team for inviting us to experience it first hand, Rabbit in the Moon will go down as one of my all time favourite Jozi restaurants. I highly recommend it!

You can find Rabbit in the Moon at 198 Oxford Road, Illovo Mews (right next to the Thrupps centre), or call and book a table on 011 447 6720. Oh, and please be sure to tell them I sent you!

Sky Dining: Sundowners in the SKY!

Do you love sundowners with a view? Me too! I'm an absolute sucker for watching the sun set with a drink in my hand and one (or two or three) of my favourite people by my side. Which is why, when I heard about Sky Dining, I had a mini heart attack of excitement. Food and drinks IN THE SKY?! I had to try it.

If you've never heard of Sky Events, you're probably wondering what on earth I'm going on about. Let me fill you in: imagine a table with 22 seats attached to a very large crane. You take your seat (and get well and truly strapped in), and then the crane lifts the table off the earth and into the sky! Once you're over the initial OhMyGodWe'reInTheSky feeling, you're served food and drinks while you take in the view! Doesn't it sound amazing?

The Sky Dining team agreed to take us on a Snacks In The Sky lift, which happens at 5pm, just in time for sundowners! The lift is 30 minutes long (which doesn't sound like a lot, but time seems to slow down when you're in the air, drinking in every moment). They also offer a breakfast lift (45 mins), a lunch lift (60 mins) and a three course dinner lift (90 mins). At the moment, Sky Dining is situated at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, but it moves all over the country (you can check its current location here).

We arrived a little early and were greeted with a complimentary welcome drink at the Indaba bar, overlooking a lake with an abundance of colourful bird life. We filled in our indemnity forms and admired the Dinner In the Sky coffee table book, with photos of all the incredible places Sky Dining has happened all over the world. With more than 40 countries participating, you can dine in the air overlooking the Eiffel Tower, the London Bridge, and thousands of other amazing views and events (Shakira concert, anyone?)!

Once we'd finished our drinks, we were escorted to the red carpet by our super friendly host (who kept saying "who's ready to get high?!"), from where we were allocated seats and began the very thorough process of being strapped in. The straps are super secure, so that you're all but immobile except for your arms and legs. I felt quite safe (and immensely glad that my drink was within reach of my arms). Being a bit of a daredevil, I was super chuffed to find that the seats rotate, so that once you're strapped in, you're free to turn 90 degrees in each direction, letting your feet dangle (and possibly yelling "weeeeeeeeeeeee!" to the utter horror of the terrified old man next to you. Oops).

Our hosts and barmen were quite lovely and happy to take photos of us while pouring us drinks from the bar. Another highlight (did you see what I did there?) is that the table has a pretty awesome sound system that plays music throughout the lift. With my body strapped securely to the chair, I had little leeway for dancing, so I spent 30 mins kicking my feet in time to the music and singing along to the chorus (again, to the horror of the man sitting next to me. Sorry dude).

Once the novelty of yelling "WEEEEEEEE" and spinning on my chair wore off, I turned to the food. The snacks lift includes a basket of German sausages, crumbed chicken strips and samoosas, served with sweet chilli sauce and mustard (the website mentions mini caprese skewers with basil pesto, but sadly we didn't get any of those). The middle of the table is stocked with two cash bars, so that you can order drinks while you fly. Be warned though, drinks are more expensive in the sky. Makes sense (Inflation. Or something).

The view from the top was absolutely gorgeous, and it felt like we could see FOREVER. Unfortunately the sun went behind the clouds, so we didn't quite get to see it set, but it was still a magnificent time of the day to be in the air! Halfway through the lift, the guys on the ground (wearing super cute hot-pink tees) rotate the table by 180 degrees so that you get to see the view from both sides - awesome if, like me, you have FOMO and are convinced that the view in the other direction is better (it's not, but I still like to know that).

If you love a great view, you have to try this, at least once! The food is ridiculously average and the experience isn't cheap, but let's be honest: it's a table.in.the.sky. Dining just doesn't get cooler than this. You can get more info on the Sky Events page, or details of the different lifts on the Indaba Hotel Sky Dining Page. Thanks bunches to Hillary from Sky Events for this brilliant experience!

La Vie en Rose: Great Food, In Pink

I love those beautiful garden restaurants out in the country. You know the ones? Where the owners pour their whole heart and soul into the food and the decor and the guests. And where you feel like the mere fact that you're there has made their day. It's such a lovely, personal experience. But, and here's the big but: you know what I love even more? Living in the city. Fifteen minutes to work. Three malls within ten kilometers. Energy, vibrance, vigor in every direction. Also, less bugs.

Which is why I was so impressed with La Vie en Rose. It's in the heart of Illovo, four seconds from Sandton, two and a half from Hyde Park. Yet once you walk through the gates, you may as well be in the Magaliesburg. The restaurant is, quite literally, in the garden - beneath the trees and among the flowers. It's tranquil, but, more than that, it's welcoming.

This probably had to do with our host (and part-owner), Yanky, and his team of pink-clad waitrons and manager, Miles (who introduced himself as "your lovely manager, Miles"). Yanky welcomes every customer personally - it's wonderful to watch! He calls groups of ladies "the girls" and liberally dishes out hugs and warm hellos to regulars and new customers. Despite the fact that the garden is quite big, Yanky always seems within reach of menu advice, questions, or to recommend his favourite dishes.

He explained that La Vie en Rose literally means life in pink - hence the pink theme throughout the restaurant - and figuratively means to look at life through rose-tinted glasses. Or: wonderful everything! I loved it!

And then there's the food. Oh the food. Before you've ordered, a large platter of assorted breads, dips and olives arrives on your table - "for nibbles" as our waitress put it. This is much appreciated as the menu is quite elaborate and it is likely to take you some time to decide which delicious sounding dish to order. Each item on the menu is named after a rose (it even tells you which family it's from in brackets).

There really is something for everyone, with breakfasts, starters, sandwiches, wraps, salads, light meals, burgers, and pastas. And ohmygosh! The iced teas are to die for. There are a range of exotic flavours and they come cold and sweet and utterly delish (And you must know that if I'm using a word like "delish", it means I've run out of sufficient real English adjectives. Just try the iced teas. Trust me on this).

We decided to start with the Inner Wheel: Camembert dipped in rose syrup and sesame seeds and gently pan-fried (R49). Sounds delicious right? Well check out what it looks like:

Just looking at it made my mouth water. And the little touches - like the bed of rocket and slivers of strawberries - really gave it that little bit extra. Despite how amazing it looked, it tasted even better. Dear gods of the tastebuds, it was delicious!

Deciding on our main course felt like having to choose just one puppy to take home when they're all sooo adorable, but we finally decided on light, lunch-ish things with the promise to return for dinner to try the rest. I went for the Wild at Heart Wrap - cumin and coriander spiced chicken fillets with avocado and creamy Danish feta on watercress and rocket balanced with a healthy serving of lemon zest (R73) - while JD chose the Little Rambler Sandwich - chicken breast strips tossed in Greek yoghurt with pecan nuts and Camembert topped with cranberry jam (R79).

Both came with a side of deliciously thinly sliced fries (or a salad, if you're into that kind of thing). Mine was super refreshing, and JD absolutely raved about his. We were so full from the bread and the starter though that we had to take some of our mains home with us (JD raved some more the next day when he ate the rest of his).

I took a stroll to the cake table to see what was on offer in front of the pink statement wall - doesn't it look fabulous?

We insisted to the waitress that we had absolutely no space for dessert, so I ordered a chai latte, which, somewhat predictably by now, was also delicious. She looked a little skeptical and returned a few minutes later with my latte and a Careless Love: Toblerone chocolate wrapped in phyllo pastry and flash-fried, served on berry mint coulis. And a little tin of the most divine homemade strawberry ice-cream I've ever tasted.

It looked so delicious that despite our initial hesitancy to eat even a bite more food without popping, JD and I polished off the entire thing. Even the berry mint coulis. In other news, the rumoured Dessert Stomach does, in fact, exist (there is simply no other explanation for where we fitted all this magical food).

Feeling utterly satisfied, we rolled/hobbled out of the magic garden, back to the city life, where we crashed into our bed and slept blissfully for the rest of the afternoon. That was over a week ago, and I think I've finally created enough room in my tummy to return for dinner to try out the rest of the menu.

All in all, this was one of my absolute favourite restaurant experiences (ever). The combination of warm welcomes, tranquil gardens, pink blankets (did I forget to mention the pink blankets?), and some of the best food I've ever tasted left me feeling that life really is quite rosy.

Thank you so much to the team at La Vie en Rose for inviting us! You can find La Vie en Rose (and preview their menu!) on their website, or follow them on Facebook. (Disclaimer: unintended drooling all over your keyboard may occur). And if you're still not 100% convinced, check out their rave reviews on Zomato!

Zoo Lake: Row all the Boats!

I am ashamed to say that I have lived in Joburg all my life, and I have never rowed a boat on Zoo Lake. Now that I have, I cannot understand why it took me so long (okay, it may have been my crippling fear of water. Or ducks. Or - heaven forbid - ducks in water. But I'm bigger and braver now so it's okay). You guys, it was SO. MUCH. FUN!

First off, I have to point out how ridiculously cost-effective this activity is for an afternoon out - broke guys who want to woo the pants off a lady (wait...I may have phrased that wrong. Or not.) this is for you. For a mere R10 per person per hour, you get a boat, two oars, and decades worth of romance (not to mention the chance to show off those biceps as you row her around). Hey, if it worked for that guy in that movie, it will definitely work for you! (Probably.) But I digress.

See? Romantic! Told you.

I know that the boats at Zoo Lake have been around longer than I have, so I was half expecting a barely-floating piece of decaying wood with some oars thrown in for good measure, but I was pleasantly surprised. While the boats are by no means magnificent works of modern design, they were well maintained, fully functional, and, most importantly, spotlessly clean.

The latter was particularly important to me as I had decided it would be wickedly romantic to have a picnic lunch on the lake. Being the domestic goddess that I am, I whipped up a bunch of delightful picnic treats (and by whipped up, I mean Went To Woolworths). We had strawberries for starters, mains of low gi sandwiches with stripped chicken & avocado and egg mayonnaise & rocket, followed by a malt chocolate teddy bear. All this was accompanied by Still Lemonade Infused with Ginger (Oh my god. Go and buy yourself this, right now. It's heavenly) because, why not! It's summer.

Meet the chocolate malt bear. Almost too cute to eat. Almost.

An hour was just the right amount of time to row around the lake a few times, get up close and personal with the ducks (and their gorgeous, fluffy, yellow baby ducklings), admire the wide array of birdlife on the island (did you know that there are two blue cranes that live there?! They're magnificent!), and investigate the inscriptions on the big fountain in the centre.

Blue cranes! Actual, wild, blue cranes!

If you're looking for a fun, different, cost-effective afternoon out, I highly recommend this. Pack a picnic and a camera and plenty of sunblock, and lounge on the lake while soaking up the summer sun. And then, as always, tell me all about it!

Oh - one last thing. I have a challenge for you. We managed to get close enough to the fountain that i could touch it with my foot. True story. When you go, give it a bash (just make sure your cellphone is in your bag). And THEN tell me all about it!

Braamies Newest Coffee Joint: Father Coffee

This weekend, I FINALLY (after at least three foiled attempts due to weather, bad planning, etc) got to try out The Red Bus! I took my good friend Nicole (she's the pretty one in the hat below) and we jumped off at almost every stop, rearing to see the city! We decided to stop for lunch in Braamies, but due to our excitedness to see absolutely everything along the way, we only arrived after 2pm. On a Sunday. 

Much to our dismay, all the usual food spots were closed. Kitcheners was open, but (ironically), their kitchen was closed, and we were utterly starving. We wandered into the street, ready to settle for McDonald's when we saw it: a small store with the door open and the most wonderful smell of coffee wafting out of it. Just like that, we had found Father Coffee.

Inside was a wooden haven. Absolutely gorgeous, all coated in the smell of freshly brewed coffee. We asked if they were open, and they explained that, no, they weren't officially open, but they would happily make us a cup of coffee on the house! We couldn't believe our luck!

Now I may be a little biased here (exhaustion + starvation + warm homely coffee smelling place + super nice owners = tini-tiny bit of bias), but it was honestly the best cappuccino I have ever tasted. Ever. To make the whole experience even more magical, Barry (one of the owners) offered us some treats from the fridge. While we were snacking and sipping and reveling in the enchantedness of it all, Barry explained why the coffee was so damn good: Father Coffee only use the best of everything. All the ingredients are top class (yup, that means milk from Woolies).

Barry making cappuccinos

Yum! And look at our delicious coconut brownies!

The entire day was thrilling and delightful, but the deliciousness of Father Coffee and the kindness of Chad and Barry stands out as my favourite part of the day. I highly recommend a visit to try it out for yourself! Find them at 73 Juta St, Braamfontein.

Stellenbosch: The Magnificent New House of JC Le Roux

Remember that time I lied about not blogging about our road trip to the Cape? I'm about to do it again. The House of JC Le Roux has reopened after a much-anticipated four month makeover. I've been following the progress on their Facebook page, so when we were staying in Stellies, I just had to check it out!

I've never been to the House before, and the road from Stellies was quiet with breathtaking views. Driving into the wine farm is just as spectacular, but far from quiet! There were families, tourists, groups of friends, and buses filled with people in the parking lot, and for a moment I wondered if this was a good idea.

My hesitation lasted only until we walked through the majestic glass doors and were greeted by a maitre d', an exquisite entrance hall, and (most importantly) lovely refreshing aircon. The decor was absolutely magnificent! Large open spaces, awe-inspiring lighting, fresh flowers and bright colours - I could write about it all day and still not do it justice (you'll just have to see it for yourself!).

Our welcome included an introduction to the House and our options for tasting: regular sparkling wine tasting, nougat and sparkling wine pairing, or marshmallow, meringue and sparkling wine pairing. 

We picked the marshmallow and meringue option, took ourselves on a (really interesting!) walking tour, and then settled in to the lower deck to await our tasting. Of course, I was soon distracted by the shiny pink La Flueurette Room (can you blame me? It was shiny! And pink!).

Our waitress (who was absolutely lovely and extremely knowledgeable) came to find us and directed us to the main tasting room, where our table awaited us, boasting some gorgeous looking sweet treats and glasses of bubbly!

She walked us through each of the pairings, explaining the flavours and the characteristics of the bubbly as she went. The sparkling wine was delicious, and the pairing with marshmallow meringues completely set it apart from any other wine tasting I've ever done.

We left the house awed, inspired, and, yes, a little tipsy. If you're in the Cape, I highly recommend making a trip to the House of JC Le Roux! You won't be disappointed!

Check out the JC Le Roux website, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.