Greenside

For the past 3 weekends I have actually gone out - and by this I mean dress up appropriately and stay out till at least 2am. I haven't done this in ages (which has partly resulted in this blog becoming a ghost which I hope to revive) and I have to say, it was a lot of fun. Each time, I did the same thing: The Office onto Tokyo Star, both of which are in Greenside and not more than 200m a part (great when one has had a few too many).

So, lets discuss.

The Office is definitely a 'place of the moment'. Its packed on both Fridays and Saturdays (yes, I have tried out both nights albeit not on the same weekend) with pretty much the same people -which are:

1. Foreign (although this is likely to change with the World Cup being a thing of the Past). The last time I was there, both Mexicans and Russians generously bought us drinks.

2. Single (or at least pretending to be)

3. Professionals (Strict age limits - 23 for girls, 25 for guys (I think). Much to my delight, I was asked for my ID - amazing how happy this can make me.

4. Drunk

It's great. Pretty much has one playlist which is played each night but its good stuff to listen to and/or move to if space permits. Which is the only problem - there is no space. And people are allowed to smoke inside. Is this even legal? I can't remember whether its expensive or not. I suspect its not cheap, but at least no entrance fee.

Tokyo Star basically is the place to be after midnight / The Office or GIN. When one is drunk enough to not mind the smoke or being pushed against strangers' bodies. Or not minding standing in a toilet queue for hours (which is really a serious problem. Both sexes queue up for 3 stalls -THREE! It's absolutely ridiculous). In my opinion Tokyo is not as nice as The Office, but it does serve its purpose. Just remember that there is an entrance fee (between R30 - R50 bucks) and the crowd is slightly different (and by this I mean, drunker and younger).

Worth giving both a shot.

I might see you there.

It's bloody March already

Oh my shattered nerves, I am useless at this. So many reviews to be written to enlighten you all - Cnr Cafe, Koi, a recap of the SS and much more. But how does one fit this in when one is forced to do a review of the Rwandan macro-economy instead? It is a conundrum.

Goodness. I wish I were back in Ponta Malongane:

This week. Or this weekend. You shall hear from me.

Family dinner at Tsunami

Janine's family was in town this last weekend and as I am such an important part of her life, she asked me to join them for dinner on Saturday eve at Tsunami at the Rosebank Mall. I was honoured.

Tsunami was chosen for a number of reasons:

• It has an extensive seafood menu
  
• It's relatively quiet (in terms of noise)
• It's close

Unsurprisingly, we all ordered seafood dishes and settled in for the evening. And while the service was satisfactory and the food was great at reasonable prices (you can get a massive seafood potjie for 80 bucks), there was just one problem: whilst cracking open your crab and enjoying that glass of chenin blanc, you are subjected to the unmistakable crooning of Celine Dion and/or 'saxophone-like' noise, as Janine's dad so eloquently put it. Our ears bled. Thank the heavens we had enough wine around the table to make the screeching more bearable.

But while you have been warned, this one flaw should not put you off the restaurant altogether. The food really was good and apparently the sushi is excellent, which I still need to try, Celine Dion or not.

Where all the cool kids hang out: Southern Sun Hyde Park

It seems that the new Southern Sun in Hyde Park has become one of the latest 'in' spots in Jozi. Go there on a Friday afternoon and you'll be faced with beautiful people, massive sunglasses and if you're lucky, a fantastic sunset. In fact, if you have few too many, you could almost believe that you are in Cape Town. It's that awesome.

Yesterday afternoon, I went there with two amazing individuals, Tim and Janine, for a much deserved after work G&T. We came just after 5 and and it was already bustling. So much so that it was a bit of a fight to get a drink (despite the good service) and we couldn't get a spot outside on the pool deck (see above) to show off our sunglasses. Tragic. Nonetheless, we had an excellent time amongst the shakers and movers.

There are a couple of things you need to know, however, in order to optimise your time spent at the SS:

1. It's expensive. A glass of house white can cost you up to R45. Don't even think about cocktails - they cost as much as a small meal at ~R70. But all is not lost. Beers and ciders are still fairly reasonable and G&T will cost you around 30 bucks, which although still expensive, will enable you to still keep your arm and leg. And they use Tanqueray. Just be smart about what you order, unless you are filthy rich of course. Or stupid.

2. You cannot book. So if you plan to come with a big group, its likely that one of you will have to come early and camp out in order to keep a reasonable number of seats for your party.

3. Although there is not dress code, if you are slightly insecure, I would recommend you coming dressed up as opposed to dressed down. An investment in a good pair of sunglasses will do wonders for your street cred.

4. Free snacks are available. Wasabi nuts and biltong. Just ask for them. It will make you feel better about the amount you are spending on your cocktail.

Enjoy.

While on the topic of Mozambique... let's talk about Xai Xai Lounge

About a week ago, a friend had a casual birthday celebration at Xai Xai Lounge in Melville, Jozi. None of us had been there before but decided to give it a go since it came highly recommended. And we weren't disappointed.

Although the service is not mind blowing, and perhaps its a little bit grungy, it really didn't matter. Its cheap, the food is really good (try the prawncakes and the potato focaccio) and by the end of the evening you might even think you are in Mozambique.

Give it a try.

Ponta Malongane

Dude. Can I just express that if you have not yet gone to Mozambique (and you have the means to) you are an idiot (no offense). The place is frikken awesome. Especially when only ~650 km from Jozi.

Over the weekend I headed up to Ponta Malongane for a quick diving trip. We stayed in the most outrageous accommodation - Magni House in Kangela:

• Sleeps 12
  
• 5 ensuite bedrooms
• Fully staffed
• Day beds
• Satellite
• Pool
• Right on the beach
• Need I say more

The best part about it is if you get a big group together, its fairly reasonable at R4k a night. And its right next to the dive camp (which offers a great range of dives). I even got to dive with Zambezis (yes... they are the most aggressive sharks around, but hey).

Other pros of going to Mozam revolve largely around the great food and cheap local booze. If you haven't tried Tipo Tinto yet, then you are in a for a treat.

Seriously, you should go. And remember to take your 4x4. You don't want to get stuck in the sand.