Seven Days in Africa

Jozi is not generally known as a food capital, and definitely there's a lot more crappy Western fast food here than elsewhere in Africa. It's easy to fall in the Johannesburg trap of shopping malls, but you can also avoid that. Here are some of my experiences. ' Yeoville, the neighbourhood where I've been staying, is full of migrants from elsewhere in Africa, and arriving here from Zimbabwe, it's great to have that mix of vibes. I've eaten in a couple of Cameroonian, Nigerian and Ethiopian joints, but the Yeoville eating highlight for me is African Corner Restaurant, run by two women from Ghana via Ivory Coast. I love West African food, and here I found a variety of fish, meat and bean dishes. So far the fish is my favourite, but after a few visits I've now started ordering my own mixed plate - the plantains and beans are amazing. This place is as cheap as it gets in Joburg. My special order with everything ends up costing US$4, but if you stick with the menu it can cost much less. Other cool places include the restaurant at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in the city centre (pan-African food) and the fantastic Oriental Plaza in Fordsburg where you can find any kind of food as long as its Indian. And why are the African samosas so much better than the ones in Australia? There's lots of bad coffee around, but I've been quite happy at the Europa cafe in Norwood (on of the city's most pleasant neighbourhoods). Good espresso, overwhelming variety (deli food, rolls, etc) and interesting characters to watch. At the other end of the spectrum, there are "Modern African" places with innovative, expensive cuisine such as Moyo, of which there are 3 branches around town (South Africans love a chain!). True, it's hard not to focus on the branding, which always makes me feel a little like a victim. But dishes like skewered tuna with quail egg and olive, or duck and fig samosas are creative without being pretentious. And there is also live music. Speaking of live music, the most amazing food experience I've had in Joburg so far was the Melville Grill. Melville is quite a good area for food, and the atmosphere is a kind of South African Melbourne. There are bookshops, wine bars and international food, mainly Italian, Thai and Ethiopian. My friend was taking me to, I think, a Thai place, but as we were about to walk through the door, we heard live music coming from across the streets. Both she and I had the same reaction - to automatically turn from the restaurant where we had planed to go, and walked straight across the street. It was the Melville Grill, and an informal jam. The bass player was the legendary Herbie Tsoaeli; the others were young players I didn't recognize. The Melville Grill, as the name implies is a meat place. My friend recommended the ostrich, which tasted incredible. Honestly, I know I'm not using the most sophisticated language to describe this gastronomic experience, but it really was one of those very basic experiences, where the combination of good food, wine and music at the same time was so overwhelming that for a moment I thought I was going to pass out. I didn't though.