Ghazal - Indian Restaurant

Spicing things up

With winter creeping up quicker than we would like, we need to prepare ourselves with some good food to keep us warm. What better way to spice things up than a great Indian restaurant on Peter Place Road in Joburg, called Ghazal. We have no idea what Ghazal means but it sounds authentic enough and it was judging by the following of local Indian patrons.

When entering Ghazal, the staff seem a little disorientated- this is not the place for the first-class service but go for the food. We ordered a Vegetable Jal Frezi (a mixed vegetable curry in a thick, yummy sauce) with garlic topped Naan bread to start. Dimitri ordered the Tandoori chicken while Sasha had the Malai chicken fillet and Dimi (Sasha’s brother visiting from the UK) had the Tandoori giant prawns. Both chicken dishes were delicious and wholesome, however Dimi’s well prepared prawns were something special and the clear winner. We found Ghazal to be really good value for money and a great week-day dinner out. Take a look at the dishes on our website: www.YourTasteBuds.com


This week we would like to know where is your best Indian hideaway. Email us at: best@YourTasteBuds.com

Until we eat again,

DimitrION

Osteri de Noni - Craighall Park, JHB

Reignite an old flame.

This week we remembered an old favourite, Osteria Tre Nonni in Craighall Park, Joburg (next to Giles).

Looking at their extensive, pricy wine list we eventually went for a lighter Italian red wine called Barbera, which was good value for money compared to local choices. We ordered an amazing Boursin cheese salad to start; it had walnuts, pear and the scrumptious French cheese, which is bizarre in an Italian restaurant with a Portuguese owner. Dimitri put his menu down and called over the owner, who “sold” us the Porcini Risotto for Dimitri and the Seafood Pasta for Sasha.

The risotto looked bland but was full of flavour and well prepared, with rosemary adding a unique touch. Sasha’s seafood pasta was the winning dish; it looked enticing and just the sauce of this outstanding meal is worth going back for.

We ended off with the home speciality, Dolce Dela Nonna, an Amaretto biscuit, pecan nut and chocolate combo.

They’re renovating for a month or two, but we won’t forget about them (again).

Take a look at our photos on our website: http://www.yourtastebuds.com/

This week tell us about your (revived) old fave, and email us at: Best@yourtastebuds.com

Until we eat again,

DimitrION

Sushi City

The Ion in DimitrION recently headed across to Vancouver, Canada to explore the culinary delights that this side of the world has to offer. The food scene here is as exciting as the city itself – young, vibrant, diverse, colourful and growing. One thing that really stands out here is the number of Sushi spots. Probably exceeded only by the number of Starbucks coffee shops!
To date the best sushi sampled in Vancouver was at Yuji’s Japanese Tapas bar, where traditional tastes are merged with fresh ideas and ingredients that provide a taste sensation. The best was their tuna sashimi/carpacio, the tempura prawns and to end off, the Green Tea Crème Brulee…

The best thing is that most of the Vancouver sushi restaurants are authentic, family run, make great sushi using the freshest ingredients and in most cases, are very reasonably priced. And there’s always an endless supply of Sake on tap!

It’s one thing we found is missing in SA – most of our sushi restaurants are fancy, overpriced spots, as opposed your local, casual dining, sushi joint. When it comes to flavour and quality though, three sushi spots in SA really stand out for us – the Fishmonger in Illovo is (Dimitri’s wife) Sasha’s favourite for their fresh, traditional sushi dishes, Benkei (also in Illovo) is always a good option for a Japanese dining experience and Tank in Cape Town has managed to achieve the best mix between trendy, gourmet dining and traditional Japanese tastes, in one of the coolest suburbs in the country.

Whichever way you look at it, the sushi scene in Vancouver is one that we’re definitely not complaining about, unlike the weather in this North American city...

Tell us where your favourite sushi restaurant is at best@yourtastebuds.com

Until we eat again,

Your Taste Buds,

DimitrION

Bella - Rivonia Road, Sandton

Bella

Our constant search for good food is one of our joys in life and this week it led us to another hidden gem and the name says it all, Bella. We were “tipped” off about this place from our Lebanese friend, Gerrard. After a strenuous Saturday session with our super gifted Yoga instructor, Nadia, we needed some good food and we found it ;-)

This little gem is on Rivonia Road (close to Sandton City) and stands out from the usually overcrowded and pretentious breakfast and lunch places we’ve seen.

We started off with freshly squeezed orange juice; this was the real deal- there’s probably someone in the kitchen with big forearms squeezing each orange. Dimitri ordered his favourite breakfast option, a stack of Crumpets with maple syrup, banana slices and crispy bacon – the best! The bacon slices were really crispy and made the meal, take a look at our photos: www.YourTasteBuds.com . Sasha had the German breakfast, muffins topped with scrambled eggs and salmon. Does not sound too appetising but it was a yummy combination.

We ended off with a well prepared cappuccino. This week we would like to find out where the best Crumpets are. Email us: Best@yourtastebuds.com

Until we eat again,

DimitrION