A chilly, rainy Saturday in Jozi…
…turned into a chill out and chow down afternoon date with SuperDad. Moyo Zoo Lake kindly invited us over for a taste of their Winter Menu and as always, they ensured that we left there having had a truly wonderful experience!
On this particular Saturday it was rainy, cold and downright miserable in our Jozi. Either way, I can’t remember the last time SuperDad and I had some alone time to look forward to on a weekend so we were not going to miss out on this date. Arriving at the entrance to Moyo Zoo Lake, you are greeted with so many beautiful, bright colours, you can’t help but to feel cheered up. You will have to excuse me, I didn’t stop outside in the rain to take photos, you will just have to go and see it for yourself!
Warm, welcoming faces
Walking up the stairs, the big glass doors opened and we were greeted by the warmest smiles from the staff. Throughout the afternoon that is definitely one thing that stood out to me, each person there was friendly and the service was exceptional. Our waiter, Henry, was such an attentive host. From washing our hands to prepare for the meal to appearing out of nowhere when we needed anything.
The Winter Menu
Actually, before I even go into the Winter Menu let me tell you this. I didn’t even realise just how extensive the Moyo menu is! Each time I have been we have had some kind of set menu. I have actually discovered that Moyo Zoo Lake serves breakfast! Of course even the breakfast is inspired by the tastes of Africa and it’s certainly something to go back for.
We settled on the two course meal, SuperDad going with a starter and main while I chose a main and dessert. Sharing the dessert was a wise choice as it was enormous (as well as enormously sweet) but we’ll get to that later.
It is a tough choice! Everything on the menu looks delicious and when you the winter’s day has climbed in under your skin all you want is something warm and spicy to heat you from the inside out. Trust me, this is exactly what you will get!
A highlight for me is the flatbread and humus they serve before the meal. I could have taken an extra serving home for a midnight snack! The starter was Tunisian Wings – Harissa grilled chicken wings with a pomegranate dipping sauce.
The main event
The mains were absolutely the main event, so to speak. I ordered the Seafood Samp Paella Potjie only because the picture looked delicious and I was gobsmacked when it arrived! It was almost, but not quite, overflowing with prawns, mussels, calamari and samp in an aromatic wine and garlic sauce. Just talking about it makes me hungry…
Looking deceptively small, it was more than enough for me, leaving SuperDad with his own share of my very tasty potjie. His main was the Imbazo – Sirloin steak on the bone with roasted tomatoes and onions, grilled mielies and sweet potato rounds and a spiced garlic pesto. Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to this meal as I was too busy enjoying my seafood! I heard it was lovely…
The restaurant’s co-hosts, two black and white cats, were lazily strolling around on the deck all afternoon. Peering up at patrons to see if they might just consider dropping a little morsel off the table, generally just making themselves comfortable in a sunny
patch while listening to the lunchtime hum.
With the Winter Menu option you also get two carafes of wine. For a moment I thought back to sitting out on the deck in summer, looking out on the lovely, green surroundings in the sunshine. On second thought, I was quite happy drinking my red wine in the cozy ambience, having some rare down time with my hubby.
Sweet stuff
Last time I went to Moyo Zoo Lake with my friends, I somehow managed to go wandering around and completely missed the Moyo Mess! This is the Moyo version of an Eton Mess, with pavlova, caramel, cream and gooseberries. Everyone was raving about it and I had made up my mind before we even arrived that this was what I was going to have.
It was a huge portion! Which is never a bad thing when it comes to dessert, mind you. Although I found it to be super, super sweet and I was glad I had a partner to help me finish it. It could possibly have done with a little ice cream, but that’s just personal taste I suppose. Still, it was a real sweet treat and I would gladly share it with my special someone again!
For R189 each for a two course meal, the Winter Set Menu is money well spent! Whether you go for a family meal, date night or a good “kuier” with friends in gorgeous surroundings AND with fantastic service, you can’t go wrong with Moyo Zoo Lake.
