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!