The Laughing Chefs

Tucked away at 217 Soutpansberg Rd in Rietondale, Pretoria, is a little paradise created by a mother and daughter, Maggie and Esrida, who have a passion for people, food and life.

We heard about this amazing place from several friends and acquaintances and with our curiosity peeked we headed off to find "this lovely restaurant" somewhere in Rietondale.

After having failed to find it the first time (Thinking that the name "Laughing Chefs" was a training academy) we were pleasantly rewarded when our persistence paid off. ;-)

The eclectic and romantic environment, created with the help of lush foliage and an integrated art gallery, compliments the food perfectly.
Having a choice of tapas or a full meal, we decided to go the tapas rout.

The snails (done in a blue cheese sauce) were incredible and have dethroned Huckelberry's as my new favorite.

The rest of the tapas were of top quality, lovingly crafted by our chef, Patrice, who even came out to say hi and do a little "modest" bragging about how he personally created these dishes.

Laughing Chefs also hosts numerous live celebrity music performances and has a diary packed with great entertainment. To find more about these we were told to either give them our email address or head on over to their Facebook page and press that persistent little "like" button.
(www.facebook.com/Laughingchefs)

A VERY romantic getaway as well as a splendid place to sit back relax and enjoy good food, good music and (I have a feeling if you visit there often enough) new good friends.

Detractors? The background music they played didn't quite fit the ambiance and the smoking section is right at the front door, so patrons have to walk past that to get inside (although smokers are generally very pleasant people so maybe that's not such a bad thing)

Other than that a DEFINITE thumbs up.

Find them here: http://www.laughingchefs.co.za/
For bookings call: (012) 329 6950

Mayfly - Dullstroom

Dullstroom.... The land of Fly Fishing.
Everything about the area screams.... FLY FISHING AREA.... and if you love fly fishing, then this is the town to come to.

That said, I don't fly fish. Tried once in Atlanta USA with a good friend of the family and .... well.... I didn't catch anything. (If you know what I mean) but the boat... now that was something else.... I digress.
Never having fly fished seriously, I had no idea what a Mayfly was but was quite sure it had something to do with fly fishing seeing that we were in Dullstroom and all.

While perusing the menu in pursuit of the perfect spot to satiate our ravenous hunger, built up from an exhausting day of sign making, the owner walked up to us and guaranteed - in a very humble manner I might add - that this restaurant was the best in town. Well, after going and having a look at the other menus nearby we found ourselves once again at the Mayfly's door.

Owned by Garath, the Mayfly, we were told, was run from out of town for about 4yrs, surviving on basically weekend trade, before moving into town and has now been in existence for more than 9 years.
Well, I could quite see that over those years Gareth and his staff have not lost the passion for the hospitality trade they have forged a life for themselves from. The service was exceptional (and I don't say that lightly). - I accidentally let my knife fall to the floor and before I could say "Trout Fishing" I had a new set placed before me with a flourish.

The Menu had everything from Burgers, Pastas to Oxtail (The specialty of the night)
The Oxtail, recommended to me by Gareth, was done to mouth watering perfection and complimented with sauteed potatoes and typical mashed veggies. (Spinach and Pumpkin)

Dirk, who had the Pesto Pasta (A fetochini, bacon, chili and rosa tomato mix) said that it was EXACTLY as he imagined it should have been. (Which is a very high compliment to any chef)

Well done to the staff and Gareth for a very pleasant night out.

Not really a child friendly place. But please if you have a gap and you're n the area, if you miss out on anything do not let it be the Mayfly.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mayfly-Restaurant/200686999989216

Women's day breakfast at Food Lovers Market

The bear went over the mountain and what he found was the Zambezi Food Lovers Market.
And there he came across the Market Café where he decided to try out their R55 breakfast buffet.

Very nice food on the whole, but being a Food Lover's Market, it was disappointing that their tomato sauce was not All Gold. ;-)

Other than that, a really pleasant morning out.
And if the mood grabs you, the market itself is chock-a-block full of really good food and some awesome deals.


You can find them just off Zambizi drive. (1121 Breed St, Pretoria, Gauteng)