This pandemic is illustrating the ability of our local restaurants and bars to innovate and find new business avenues as they shift their entire sales models overnight. From restaurants deconstructing their favourite dishes and packaging the ingredients with instructions, to bars delivering pre-mixed cocktails direct to your door, these are our top five innovations for this month.
Pre-bottled cocktails from Sin+Tax
There are many hidden bars in Joburg, did you know? Or are they just so well hidden you had no clue? Adjoining Coalition on Bolton Road, Sin+Tax is one of the most low-key hidden cocktail bars that’s easy to miss unless you know it’s there. But it doesn’t rely on its gimmick as a hidden bar to pull in punters. The cocktails here are excellent, and now you can enjoy them readymade with minimal fuss and kit needed thanks to renowned mixologist Julian Short’s pre-bottled cocktails. Priced at R250 per 500ml bottle, choose from an Afrogroni, Dry Martini and Cape Old Fashioned. We recommend the latter: The plush bottle serves a classic old fashioned with smooth, well integrated flavours and a touch of wild blossom honey. Simply pour into a lowball glass and garnish with a twist of citrus rind.
Place your order: Phone 083 279 0980 or 071 881 6299
Parkwood Corner, corner of Bolton Road & Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood
Facebook: @sinandtax
Instagram: @sin_tax_bar
Curbside collection from L’atelier Bakery
Fan of all things sweet and sticky? Not to indulge your sweet tooth during lockdown would be a crime. L’atelier Bakery is a high-end newcomer patisserie in Keyes Art Mile art precinct offering everything from glorious gateaux and charming chocolates, to beautiful baguettes and other tempting treats. This place really does feel like, well … a utopia. With its new curbside collection option, you can have your order delivered to you while you wait in the safety of your car. From the simple butter croissants to the tortillon chocolat et crème patissiere twisted puff pastry filled with chocolate buttons and pastry cream, everything here is simple yet insanely moreish. The chocolate truffles are also mini masterpieces to behold. And the best thing? Prices aren’t prohibitive.
Place your order: Phone 010 110 7467
Keyes Art Mile, 21 Keyes Avenue, Rosebank
Facebook: @latelierrosebank
Instagram: @latelierrosebank
Meal kits from Momo
There’s something definitely cool and kinda glamorous about fusion dining at home. And no, we’re not talking about eating Andiccio 24 and Chinese food in bed at the same time. Momo, one of Joburg’s coolest and most delicious Asian fusion restaurant chains, is offering meals kits at the following branches: Momo Baohaus (Greenside), Momo Soko (Illovo) and Momo &O (Norwood). There are loads of kits to choose from; our favourites being the baozi pan-fried dumpling (beef and pickled shiitake baozi dumplings) and beef gyoza potstickers (frozen beef and pickled shiitake gyoza) meal kits. Each kit comes frozen and includes key ingredients to complete the signature dishes, such as dipping sauce, toasted sesame seasoning mix and spring onion.
Place your order: Via UberEats
139 Greenway, Greenside
198 Oxford Road, Illovo
Corner of Ivy Road & Grant Avenue, Norwood
Facebook: @momobaohaus
Instagram: @momo_baohaus
Pizza kits from Pomodoro Ristorante
If you’ve hesitated to make pizza from scratch during quarantine, or you’re looking to up your game, try the DIY pizza kits from Pomodoro Ristorante in Morningside. Including the perfect amount of ingredients to cut down on leftover and pro-tips from owner Stefano Mas, it’s worth your dough! There’s a large variety of vegetarian, meat and fish options to choose from. The Alla Fab with pear and gorgonzola, the Quattro Stagioni with tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes, olives and ham as well as the Salmone Affumicato with tomato, mozzarella, smoked salmon, capers and mascarpone are our top picks. For parents and kids – or a group of housemates – looking for a new and different dinner option, these interactive pizzas offer a break from the usual takeout.
Place your order: Phone 011 883 1854 or WhatsApp 067 396 6306
Morningside Shopping Centre, corner of Rivonia & Outspan Roads, Morningside
Facebook: @pomodorojhb
Instagram: @pomodoro_jhb
Craft gin and G&T kits from Tonic
This wicked little gin bar in Linden (yep, very hip) specialises in the spirit and elevates a gin and tonic to something wonderful. It stocks a gullet-warming range of craft gins that are now for sale, from the likes of Beefeater Crown Jewel and Crafter’s London Dry Gin, as well as Bathtub Gin, Sharish Blue Magic Gin and collagen-infused Collagin. Tonic is also offering gin and tonic kits at R200 per set, which pack a punch and add a splash of inventiveness – think four shots of marshmallow ‘Mother Fluffer’, cinnamon spice or blue pea gin with four tonic waters and garnish for you to pour, sip and enjoy in the comfort of your own home. Side note: The owners of Tonic have just opened Bao Bun, a bao delivery service making Korean fried chicken baos, black bean burgers and more.
Place your order: WhatsApp 063 989 0029
32 7th Street, Linden
Facebook: @tonic.joburg
Instagram: @tonic.joburg
Caffeine & Cashmere 