lamb tagine (slow cooked lamb braised in a tomato, coriander, cumin, turmeric and parsley sauce)
I’ve been in Johannesburg a week and this trip has been ridiculously, magnanimously wayyyyyy more enjoyable than the last trip. One, because I’m not working 14 hour days this time and two, I’m not working 14 hour days this time! I’ve had the chance to go out and enjoy a little bit of J’burg 🙂
On Thursday night, a lurvely co-worker of mine took me to Moyo, a restaurant which had been recommended to me by Saffers in London way before I came. I was excited to have something African like springbok, but sadly they were all out that night 🙁 Instead I had a tagine, which by the way, I’ve come to love and then to hate and then to love again.
Luckily, right now I love and their lamb tagine was divine, with the slow cooked lamb so tender it fell off the bone and melted in my mouth.
chicken tagine (marinated chicken braised in a cumin, served with preserved lemons and green olives)
And we had dessert! Toasted almond ice cream, luscious and creamy, complemented by the crunch of whole and sliced almonds. SO GOOD. But we also had a berry crumble which tasted scarily like breakfast cereal.
Moyo
Zoo Lake Park, 1 Prince of Wales Drive,
Parkview, Johannesburg
+27 (0)11 646 0058
website
On Friday night, we erm, we went to The Attic again.
Oops.
Well, we weren’t at The Attic, technically. This time we went to The Attic Bar, which is right next door to The Attic, and is a super groovy, cosy, premium-spirits kinda hang. Make that premium spirits and premium foodage.
We started the evening with tequila shots and then I had The Best Cocktail I Have Ever Had. Ever. White chocolate and strawberry martini, omg seriously. And I wholly blame this cocktail for my photos gradually becoming blurrier (hello, drunkenness) and then eventually like, at the final course, sharpening up again (welcome back, sobriety!).
The Attic Bar serves food tapas style but if you’re feeling hungry, you can also order from the main restaurant menu. But really, the only thing you want from the main menu is erm, the dessert menu, so that you can have a piece of heaven on earth, their hot chocolate pudding.
Everything on the tapas menu was delicious, especially the seared Irish scallops with hazelnut butter (!!!) and the black tiger prawn tempura, so sweet and juicy I sucked on all the heads. Is that a dining faux pas outside of a Chinese restaurant??
smoked salmon, lemon, crème fraiche & blini
Spanish chorizo, lemon & extra virgin olive oil
mozzarella, vine ripened tomatoes, basil & aged balsamic
seared Irish scallops with hazelnut butter
sauteed chestnut mushrooms, roast peppers and goat’s cheese
DUDE, blurry! What the heck!
peking duck spring rolls, ginger & hoisin
black tiger prawn tempura with dipping sauce
After trying almost one of everything on the tapas menu, we were still hungry and ordered chill salt squid off the main menu, and also the black prawn ravioli which I loved from last time.
chilli salt squid
black prawn ravioli, prawn mousseline & champagne-chervil cream
I didn’t have the hot chocolate pudding this time. I #fail. #megafail. but I was so full! I will have to go back just to have that again.
It’s been so nice to have been able to spend some “social” time with my co-workers. I even had a fabulous meal with my boss lady at La Campagnola (penne with fillet steak YES) and a little too much rosé but hey 😉 livin’ on the edge!
Seven sleeps til Sydney!
The Attic Bar
24 4th Avenue,
Parkhurst, Johannesburg 2196
+27 (0)11 880 6102
Great that you got time to explore J’burg! It’s always hard when you visit somewhere for work and you know that the fun and excitement is so close but so far! And no it’s not a faux pas I think to suck the heads but then again I pick up bones and nibble on them 😛
Wow such nice dishes! The mushroom dish sounds amazing… I looove goat cheese!
Oh my goodness that chicken tagine looks amazing! Oh that makes me hungry. 😀
14 hour days?! That’s one epic work day! I like the look to the almond ice cream, never had that before. If it’s as good as almond jelly, them I’m down!
Lorraine: I know, sometimes I dont see anything outside of the office and hotel room! Haha sucking on bones is just as bad 🙂
Maria: It was delicious – it was ALL delicious!
Jen: Yeah tagines are something I crave then I eat too much of it and hate it for a while lol. But lucky I hadn’t had it in a while so I was loving it 🙂
Adrian: It’s actually nothing like almond jelly, it was made with REAL almonds (as opposed to almond flavouring) and had nuts all through it.. divine!
Am dutifully writing all of these down- am thinking we might swing home to Sydney via South Africa at the end of the year (it was your photos of the baby lions that clinched it).
Oh it’s so good! I have to say I had never thought much about safaris or the African bush until I did that first trip in June and now I’m in LOVE! I can’t wait to bring my bf back here to do it. Just make sure you do some research though as there as public game reserves and private ones.. private ones are obviously more expensive but so much better.. just look into it! Yay!
Ahhh the prawns look yummy. I haven’t been to Johannesburg before but it looks like there is some great food there. At least you are having more fun this time!
Man, all your dishes make me so hungry!!
everything looks so delicious