If you know one thing about me it’s that I love food. If you don’t know me, let me be the first to tell you that I love food. I love everything about food, from the preparation to the consumption, and everything after. (Okay, maybe I don’t love doing the dishes, but other than that I really do love everything).
Once I had gotten myself adequately prepared to come on this program (booked the flights, downloaded the Adobe programs etc.), I started to look forward to the culinary adventures, among other things, that awaited me.
Although I’m vegan, I’ve found absolutely no issue eating anywhere we have traveled to here. In fact some of these meals compete for some top spots on my “best meals ever list,” which exists exclusively in my brain. So in honor of the delicious discoveries that I’ve made thus far, I’m excited to highlight my top five favorite eats since arriving here in Johannesburg.
- Mama Samba
We headed to the Rosebank market last Sunday for a chill day of exploration and shopping on a warm, sunny Sunday. However, as our wallets started to get empty, our empty stomachs wanted to get full. So we set off to find a place to eat. Asia, Antonia, Georgie and myself were feeling some Asian food so we decided to treat ourselves to just that. Let me just say it was one of the greatest decisions we’ve made. While we ordered some delicious dips and chips to start, the star of the lunch arrived when my Acevichado Veg Roll was placed in front of me. This roll has to be one of my favorite rolls I have ever eaten and sushi is one of my favorite foods. The freshness of the avocado coupled with the soft and rich butternut squash and crisp cucumber slices inside was a harmonious flavor and textural combination. On top of the roll, red pepper and avocado added another layer of smokiness and creaminess to the roll. The acevichado sauce drizzled generously over added a lovely sweet sauciness to bring it all together. It was truly heaven in a bite each time I ate a piece of that roll.
- Gourmet Gimba’s
Yesterday some of us decided to pay the Fourways Farmers market a visit and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere was spectacular. Stalls of food and beverage vendors, a few craft vendors and wonderful live music. The place was filled with families, couples and friends enjoying the beautiful day with some amazing food in hand. I made sure to mosey past all of the vendors before making my choice. I had to weigh all of my options. I ended up going with Gourmet Gimba’s, a bao bun vendor. I got one cauliflower Gobi Manchurian bao bun (right) and one oyster mushroom bao bun (left) to start. The cauliflower buns were bursting with flavor from the phenomenal spice blend that was used to coat the cauliflower. The slaw bedding served as a refreshing crunch and juxtaposed the soft bao bun super nicely. The spicy mayo drizzled over top brought another great addition of spice and flavor. The oyster mushroom bun, which was even better than the amazing cauliflower bun, had perfectly crispy fried oyster mushrooms, cabbage slaw, pickled ginger, sesame seeds and a drizzle of spicy mayo and hoisin sauce. Each bite of the bun was magical. The crispy mushrooms vs. the pillowy bun and the sweet vs spicy sauces all complemented each other so nicely and worked so well together to create the ultimate flavor burst. The mushroom bun was so good that I went back to the stall and got another!
- Casa Bella
Sitting in the heart of the magical place that is Montecasino lies a charming Italian restaurant Casa Bella. A place we first visited on our third day became a fan favorite, so much so that we went back to it for a girls night dinner before seeing Inside Out 2. The place does a phenomenal job of not just accommodating any dietary need, but executing it well. Me and my fellow vegans on the trip agreed that this was one of the best vegan pizzas we had ever had. It’s hard to make vegan pizza well because vegan cheese is a tricky ingredient to get right as it tends to be very thick and sticks to the roof of your mouth when you eat it. I’m not sure what Casa Bella does differently, but the cheese on their pizza doesn’t cause this issue and tastes great too! I was able to dress up my pizza with some exciting toppings such as a vegan bolognese, peppers and caramelized onion (on the menu it was called the Messicana pizza). The bolognese was really well done. Not too meaty that it would be off putting, but reminiscent of a meaty texture. It also brought a little sweeter note to the pizza. Then the pepper and onions complemented it well by adding some soft, glassy textures to the top. The sweet caramelization of the onions was delectable against the heat of the peppers. The whole pizza worked super well together. And of course I can’t forget to mention that the dough was also great. The pizza was on the thinner side, but still had some thick crust. Overall, just an addictingly tasty pizza.
Side Note: Beware the fried pizza dough puffs that they give you to start your meal are addictive. They just melt in your mouth.
- Soweto Stew
In the middle of our busy day touring Soweto we stopped at this cute traveler’s B&B, which sits in a peaceful field off a quiet road, for lunch. A traditional South African lunch of pap (a maize mash) and stews were prepared for us. Two side salads were also prepared, a carrot salad and sautéed spinach. I tried everything! The vegetable stew, pap, carrot salad and spinach. Although the portions were on the smaller side, they packed a large flavor punch. The spices in the veggie stew were amazing and went really well with the neutrally profiled pap. The carrot salad was crispy, crunchy and refreshing providing a nice balance for the hearty stew. The spinach was also cooked to perfection and added a nice green touch to the plate. The food tasted as if it had been made with love and care. It was a really comforting plate of food and highlighted that simple food concepts such as stews and pap can taste quite complex when seasoned properly. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to make a scrumptious meal.
5. food, i love you
The restaurant we ate at on Constitution hill was aptly named food, i love you. Nestled inside of a historic brick building that once served as a part of a prison, this restaurant revamped and repurposed the space into an inviting space of togetherness and fantastic eats. The colorful walls, large windows and boho decor created such a bright and relaxing atmosphere. Before even eating the food, I loved the place for its embodiment of so many South African ideals of transformation and reclamation, which our tour guide that day, the impressive Lwando Xaso spoke about. Even better was the fact that the chef and owner of the restaurant were all there to welcome us into the space and answer any questions we had. While the salads seemed simple, they were extraordinary. The corn salad (right) was so refreshing and light. It had corn, cucumber, tomato, parsley, olive oil and lemon. All of the ingredients really worked harmoniously to make the ultimate “it” salad. I could literally drink that salad. Every. Single. Day. The mushroom salad (left) was composed of some type of grain, sautéed mushrooms, and baby kale. (In hindsight I should have asked the chef what the grain was). The salad had an amazing umami flavor profile and the hearty mushrooms provided a beautiful bite to eat with the grain base. These two salads provided a great range of flavors from light and lemony to light and umami. The salads were masterfully designed and more than satisfied my hungry taste buds.
In just over two weeks of being here I have experienced phenomenal gastronomy. Exploring the food scene here in Joburg has been one of the best experiences and I truly can’t wait to see what else crosses my plate.
Great commentary. The food is so colorful and sounds truly delicious. Keep it coming.