Local is lekker

Another local eatery - this one is an Italian coffee roaster, deli and restaurant with the (somewhat unfortunate) name of eatalian.

 

the scene between breakfast and lunch. it was packed for dinner.

Open for about a month, eatalian is located on our favorite little strip in Parkmore right next to JHB Eatery. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offer a pretty extensive and inventive Italian menu. Colazione, Insalate, Paninis and Ciabattas, Antipasti, Pizza, Focaccia, La Pasta, and Dolci. They even serve gluten free pizza bases and pasta if you prefer.

Their Secondi and Main entrees include Costolette di Vitello and Oxtail alla Romana. Vince and I agreed it was the first time we have seen veal on a menu in South Africa. I heartily recommend the Pollo al Gorgonzola. So tender and delicious!

brick oven pizza

the pizzas are good! thin crust with excellent sauce and fresh mozarella.

they roast their own coffee

they have a nice little Italian deli!

pasta, meats, cheeses and dry goods

They are waiting on their liquor license so in the meantime, BYOB and Buon Appetito!

(PS I am only half kidding about the name. I forgave Mario Batali for eataly!)

A worthy cause

with Ros and Priscilla (all photos by Sue Huck)

It all started with my friend Ros. Ros is "very good with numbers." And as the scorer and statistician for international cricket, Ros travels all over the world during the cricket season. She works freelance so her comings and goings are hard to pin down. (For instance she just got back from India where she worked for 47 days and she is now on her way to the USA for some cricket matches across the country including Citi Field in New York.)

Ros expressed to me her desire to volunteer somewhere tutoring Maths when she is home in Joburg but she has found volunteering hard to do because of her hectic schedule. And since I majored in Mathematics and Computer Science myself as an undergraduate, I was of course 100% in favor of her wish.

Avril is standing in the far right of the picture

I suggested that Ros talk to Avril Donnelly, my friend who directs the volunteers for Edu Fun, a Public Benefit Organization that delivers support services to the Diepsloot Combined School (DCS). Services provided by Edu Fun volunteers include English lessons, health screenings, school uniform mending and career guidance. In addition, the Edu Fun Further Education Project (FEP) provides moral and financial support to around 30 undergraduates - all former matrics from DCS.

Avril and I share membership in a social and charitable group in Joburg called WOW (Women of Worth). The women of WOW are both expats and permanent residents and we are united by our love of South Africa and a deep desire to make a difference in our adopted country.

WOW has recently cooperated with EduFun on the establishment of an endowment fund with the University of Pretoria to provide a varsity bursary for a qualified girl from DCS who wants to study Maths or Science at the university.

I was hoping Ros might be able to help tutor the students during the critical early years in high school. In grade 10, students must make a choice and decide whether they want to continue studying higher level Mathematics for the remainder of high school. Their choice in grade 10 will directly impact their options and acceptability later on for further study at university in fields that require Mathematics.

I agreed to accompany Ros to the DCS so that she could meet Avril and Priscilla Maluleke, the head of grade 9. During our visit, Ros and I were also given the opportunity to volunteer with grade 4 and help with their regular study of grammar and reading.

First an Edu Fun volunteer explained what our duties and objectives were. We would help the children identify the rhyming words in a poem and emphasize the sounds the vowels make. Another exercise involved understanding present and past tenses of verbs. 

I see where the Fun comes from in Edu Fun! I really enjoyed my interaction with the 4th graders I met. (And thanks to Miss Helen for being such a great table leader!)

I am happy to report that Ros has agreed to offer an ad hoc workshop during the coming school break for DCS grade 8 and 9 students who have an interest in improving their Mathematics skills. In addition, starting in January she will volunteer as a teacher's aid in the 9th grade Maths class to help the students with their comprehension and homework. Hopefully if Ros can help spark a better understanding of Maths, it may inspire some of the students to continue studying higher level Mathematics beyond grade 10.

And this weekend is the sold-out WOW benefit WOWTOWN, an evening of Motown, Music, and Motors, where 100% of the proceeds from the entrance ticket as well as the silent and live auction winning bids will go towards endowing the WOW scholarship fund. Wish us luck in raising lots of money for a worthy cause. Ain't no mountain high enough!

The best of Asia ... right in our own backyard

I started the evening with a Mango Mai Tai

Can you believe we have finally eaten in the best Asian restaurant in Joburg a mere three weeks away from our departure? Yep. And besides it's being a stone's throw away from Valley Lodge, I have been literally passing by it at least four times a day on the days Vince is in Joburg and I drive him to and fro his office. 

It's our fault really. We have totally taken for granted the low-hanging fruit right in our own backyard and instead have been lured by the more tough to get to restaurants in far-flung locations. But now that time is running out, we are starting to think and act more locally. Case in point, Gwefey Asian Cuisine located in the World Trade Center in Morningside, Sandton. 

Displayed in its windows on the West Road side are the many awards it has received - as one of the Best of Joburg Reader’s Choice Awards - since it opened a scant three years ago. Best Eastern Restaurant. Best Business Lunch Restaurant. Best Romantic Restaurant. And it was named one of the 2014 Eat Out 500​, the power list of the best restaurants across South Africa.


An unlikely place for a fine dining experience, Gwefey Asian Cuisine is located in an elevated atrium at the base of the World Trade Centre on the edge of the Sandton CBD. But its location is probably responsible for its Best Business Lunch Award. It is within sight of several major corporate headquarters such as Investec, Old Mutual and IBM.

I made a dinner reservation to celebrate the end of the EcoMobility World Festival and told Vince to walk on over after work. (It is only about three blocks from his office and about half way home to Valley Lodge.)




Their menu is Pan-Asian with an extensive assortment of dishes from all over the region - Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, etc. and several provinces and cities in China including Sichuan, Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Everything we sampled was really really good! And the Vegetable Spring Rolls were crispy and crunchy just the way I like them. That definitely explains the Best Eastern Restaurant Award.

Shanghai soup dumplings!

Gwefey had all our faves, albeit many with different names. Shanghai Soup Dumplings are called Xiao Long Bao, Singapore Mei Fun are Char Kway Teow, and Sesame Noodles are called Dan Dan. And they have a nice selection of Sichuan specialties to satisfy our collective "spicy tooth" such as the Spicy Shredded Pork, Hot and Sour Soup, and garlicky Sizzling Eggplant we sampled. They have a Tea House downstairs and they do take out and delivery!





The name Gwefey comes from a legend about the controversial love affair between the reigning Chinese Tang Emperor and his son’s ex-wife. Their obsession with each other blinds them to the corruption unfolding around them, and finally the legend culminates in her tragic death and the fall of an Empire. That legend and the gorgeous views may explain the Best Romantic Restaurant accolade. All I know is I'm certainly in love with Gwefey.

And even though we are leaving soon and came rather late to the game with Gwefey, I have to console myself with the fact that we are soon moving to the Best Asian Restaurant in the World. Asia itself!

There are two other locations for Gwefey in the area. There is a Gwefey Tea House with a little gift shop attached in Sandton City and the Gwefey Meeting Spaces are in the Sinosteel Plaza.

Now it's your turn to fall in love with Gwefey ...

Dia de los Muertos @ Salsa

It seemed like there were dozens of Dia de los Muertos parties going on all over Joburg this year. See what happens when Mexican food catches on in South Africa? It becomes a fiesta!

Home altar dedicated to Africa's poached rhinos, ellies and lions

There were parties planned at the Stanley Beer Garden in Braamfontein, Mexicho in Melville and a whole Dia de los Muertos Street Festival at Carfax Newtown in the CBD.

Stanley Beer Garden

It seems everyone wants to go drinking with Saints!

Salsa Mexican Grill in Fourways

We chose to celebrate the dia at Salsa Mexican Grill in Fourways. The Day of the Dead, one of the most important Mexican holidays, is more a celebration of life than a sad and solemn memorial. And since we are in Africa, I used it to celebrate the lives of our rhinos, elephants and lions.

Social media madam Irene & Salsa restaurateur George

Salsa has great food, ...

... great margaritas and cervezas, ...

... and if you didn't paint your face before you came, there were artists on hand to do it for you!

We chose to paint some masks instead (photo courtesy of Irene & Salsa Mexican Grill)

Lou & Serge wore their skeleton costumes for a second night in a row!

Viva Yvonne!

nice ink!

nice wings!

number juan in your hearts!

she painted her face herself and won a prize for it!

viva el chef!

salsa dancing

Photo courtesy of Irene & Salsa Mexican Grill

And we won a prize for best costume!



















It was totally Lou & Serge's doing. They were a hit.

celebration shots!

Thanks Lou & Serge and Salsa!

tabletop altar for the poached animals of Africa

We got an E for Effort for mounting our tabletop altar. (I did transport the Oculto beer with me to SA from Texas for the occasion too. That was a bit of an effort.) 

Save the Rhinos! Save the Elephants! Save the Lions!

my sugar skull purse from Retrospective (Cape Town)

¡Feliz Día de los Muertos!