For the most part, takeaways are a guilty affair. But a recent influx in luxurious food delivery services has shaken up Joburg’s perceptions. From Aurum Restaurant’s famous exotic mushroom risotto to a Hello Joburg-approved pistachio, honey and berry mille-feuille, these are the top names that are combating the grease with their fine-tuned cuisine. Hungry yet?
Bellagio
We might be biased, but eating a piece of spanking fresh fish with a glass of chilled white wine at a restaurant might be one of the greatest joys in life. One of Illovo’s best restaurants, Bellagio, has translated its elegant seafood-focused menu into a high-end takeaway option.
The result is a lockdown menu featuring fresher-than-fresh prawns, calamari, hake, salmon, kingklip and sea bass straight from the ocean to your table. With meal options including beer-battered hake, flame-grilled prawns, salmon and tarragon fish cakes, Sicilian-style sea bass baked in foil and Thai style salmon or kingklip with coconut cream, coriander, chilli and honey, you won’t go hungry. There’s also the option of soups, salads, pies, chicken dishes, pastas and meat dishes, plus a chance to dip into Bellagio’s famous desserts.
Our top recommendation is the outstanding seared salmon marinated in chilli, ginger, honey, soya and orange: The salmon is lovely and flavourful, with a golden crust and barely cooked centre that makes this dish worthy of a fine dining restaurant. The succulent salmon gets a touch of sweet and spicy Asian flair, and the sugar in the honey caramelises to create a glaze that tastes amazing. Try it with a side of crispy zucchini fritti. Another top choice is the fillet of beef served with chips with the add-on of a gorgonzola sauce. The tender, melt-in-your-mouth fillet is perfectly cooked with a crusty sear, and pairs beautifully with the creamy, savoury gorgonzola sauce. The crab capellini – one of the thinnest types of pastas that’s excellent set against sweet, opulent crab – is a winter’s culinary celebration.
For dessert, there’s everything from baked cheesecake with berries to a chocolate truffle praline cake served with berries and ice cream – certainly not your standard night at home! We recommend the phyllo-based mille-feuille – a spin on the classic mille-feuille made with puff pastry – that combines honey, fresh berries, phyllo layers and a silky pastry cream that holds everything together. When else will you ever have a dessert like this in your tracksuit? Thanks to hands-on owner Louise Castle, Bellagio delivers quality all round.
Bellagio is delivering seven days a week. Plus, if you spend over R500 they’ll throw in a loaf of their heavenly homemade bread for free!
Place your order: Phone 011 268 1978 or 011 268 0869, or SMS 084 250 0817
Unit 1, Oxford Manor, 196 Oxford Road, Illovo
Facebook: Bellagio Illovo
Instagram: @bellagioillovo
Aurum Restaurant
Located on the seventh floor of The Leonardo, venturing to Aurum Restaurant is an adventure in itself. And the ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ menus are the prize. Now, there’s no need to leave your house to taste the famed exotic mushroom risotto, with the option to get it delivered straight to your door.
Paulo Santo might be the chef behind this top Joburg restaurant, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like a couch meal, either. Aurum Restaurant’s home menu has something for everyone: There’s the fancier, restaurant-style three-course meals, or the classic thin-base pizzas, flatbreads and naan breads (with a twist, of course) from Octo Bar, the adjoining pool terrace bar. It’s indulgence for those who will only buy the best, even with their pizza. From the sous vide chicken roulade to a roasted apricot glazed duck that serves four, there’s enough to keep you full for a very long time.
There are fewer delights to be had in winter than ordering a three-course meal, which is definitely the most luxurious option of them all. The exciting Aurum Home menu offers a variety of exciting starters, mains and desserts, with smoked and flaked salmon tortellini, braised beef short rib and baked apple among the highlights. The classic combination of burrata, sundried tomato, artichoke pesto, cucumber, heirloom tomato and basil is hard to pass up for starters. The burrata is served at room temperature to get the most from its lush milkiness. For mains, the shellfish risotto overflowing with white clams, Saldanha Bay mussels, smoked paprika and sofrito elevates the super-comforting Italian classic. The dish is replete with butter, perfumed of Parmesan and has a voluptuously creamy texture. We also recommend the slow-roasted pork belly with beautiful, soft flesh and crisp crackling, served with mashed sweet potato, apple and charred onion to bring out the best of the cut.
The desserts are also doing their bit to bring joy into homes. Our top pick is the white chocolate cheesecake, which has a tangy flavour and velvety smooth texture that you’d expect from cheesecake, but it’s infused with sweet white chocolate. The berry compote is the perfect complement to the white chocolate flavour. Another dessert that travels well is the deliciously moist almond and orange cake, served with decadent whipped mascarpone and yoghurt that makes for a pillowy dessert topper. For special occasions, Aurum Restaurant has got it sorted.
The Aurum Home offering is available from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11h00 to 19h00.
Place your order: Phone 087 536 0100, WhatsApp 076 471 1489 or email paulo@santoandsanto.co.za
L7, The Leonardo, 75 Maude Street, Sandton
Facebook: @aurumrestaurant
Twitter: @aurumsandton
Instagram: @aurumrestaurantza
Glenda’s
Looking pretty in fantasy-garden-themed décor, this cute seasonal restaurant and takeaway patisserie from patisserie queen and cake designer extraordinaire Glenda Lederle is an absolute wow – whether you’re sitting down for cake and a cuppa or purchasing some of her elaborate confections to go.
Despite her focus on seasonal dishes, Glenda also works wonders on the indulgent brunch front. Alongside homemade muesli and smashed avocado toast with chilli flakes and lemon on the new Glenda’s To-Go menu, which changes weekly, you might find a frittata packed with seasonal veggies or a warm Roquefort and Parma ham sandwich served on whole wheat toast. If you accidentally pig out, balance the books with a freshly pressed green juice. If this spot doesn’t have you feeling sunny, we don’t know what will.
The killer main menu spans everything from a hot smoked salmon, avo and egg salad, to a whole roast beef fillet with a buttery béarnaise sauce. Our favourite dish is the salmon fish cake: This mouthwatering morsel made with spinach, capers and rocket mayo is so wonderfully flaky and coated in a deliciously light crumb. Make sure you sample the chicken paillard too – served with an earthy fried cumin butter, you’ll be fascinated at how soft and tender the meat is. Something sweet to brighten up your day can also be found on the to-go menu. Order Glenda’s light, tall and fluffy cream scones, or fall in love with her crisp, chewy sea salt and walnut chocolate chip cookies. Otherwise how about a working-from-home box of six Dotty Choux or petit fours?
Glenda’s is also selling whole huge cakes and luscious slices of these beauties – because how else would you get through staying at home for so long? The salted caramel popcorn cake is truly spectacular and will hit your taste buds in all the right spots. Soft, moist sponge, an overabundance of salted caramel and a small mountain of caramel popcorn … it’s a combination sent from heaven! Also try the carrot cake, which has outstanding spice flavour, super-moist crumb and smooth cream cheese frosting.
The Glenda’s To-Go is available for delivery or collection and is subject to availability. For some dishes, 24 hours’ notice is required.
Place your order: Phone 011 268 6369 or email admin@dottyglenda.co.za
Hyde Square Shopping Centre, 285 Jan Smuts Avenue, Hyde Park
Facebook: @glendasrestaurant
Instagram: @glendas_restaurant
Step up your quarantine feast
Celebrated chef Luke Dale Roberts is back with a new concept delivering a week’s worth of gourmet goodies to cook with to your door. Joburgers can embark on a culinary adventure from the comfort of their own home with one of the five Luke Dale Roberts Gourmet Hampers, curated by exceptional chefs and delivered of the highest standard. They’re each loaded with both sweet and savoury crowd-pleasing favourites, such as a slow-smoked Norwegian salmon fillet, duck and pork belly country pâté, navarin of lamb shank, Beef Wellingtons, crayfish and yuzu salad plus tiramisu.
For more info, go to www.lukedaleroberts.com
Your local shop might’ve sold out of the dried stuff, but fear not – there are other ways of getting your farfalle fix. The owners of Café del Sol have launched Deli Via, specialising in wholesome cooking by Café del Sol and la famiglia. Their nonna used to sell her homemade pasta to the tiny town they grew up in, so they’re travelling back in time to bring you her recipes. They’re delivering bundles of pasta and sauce – think Nonna’s secret ragu and basil pesto with fresh homemade tagliatelle – along with wood-fired artisanal pizzas, frozen soups and broths as well as cakes and baked goods.
For more info, go to www.deli-via.com
Aurum Restaurant is delivering beautifully arranged gourmet picnic feasts to doorsteps all over Joburg – so you can lay down a blanket in your own back garden (or lounge room blanket fort) and tuck into a feast fit to transport you back to a less complicated time. The Aurum Picnic menu makes cobbling together your perfect picnic basket dangerously easy. Choose from a selection of fresh breads and crackers, pâtés, crudités, dips and pestos, cheeses, charcuterie, preserved items, sweet condiments, sweet treats, and ice cream, place your order 24 hours in advance and they’ll deliver to your door.
For more info, go to www.aurumrestaurant.co.za
Caffeine & Cashmere 