2011 eating, leisure hotspots in retrospect

 Is this the way we will walk into the New Year? Oh dear – sometimes it is hard to keep cheerful and positive. But the rain helps – enormous drenching downpours soaking the soil, bringing hope and confidence of a harvest and food to eat in the coming season.
So here is small subjective and entirely personal review of eating out (and in) for 2011.
Best hang out, and, until I got connected at home, the friendliest place to hook up to an internet hot spot – was the Book Café. A haven for musicians, poets, and artists across the board, the relaxed friendly vibe and definitely the best coffee in town, has made it a home away from home for many.
Sadly they need to leave their current Fife Avenue venue and New Year’s Day will see the Book Café and Manenberg shutting their doors and leaving Fife Avenue, like so many other centres purely dedicated to grocery retail. Surely there is more to life than shopping!  Friends of the arts look forward to the new Book Café venue and to the continuance of this unique cultural spa-ce.
The Shop Café gets my prize for the prettiest food and if I didn’t have to keep checking out new places for this column it would be a regular haunt – for its consistently fresh and delicious food and fine attention to detail including complimentary le-monade, homema-de bread and blue bottles of water on the tables.
Consistency is key in the restaurant trade and not all restaurants manage to keep to a standard. Da Eros, which a couple of weeks ago would have had my vote for consistent good food, let us down with very disappointing seafood on a recent visit. Paula’s Place on the other hand,in spite of its unwelcoming white-tiled exterior (described by one friend as looking like a public lavatory), has continued to provide excellent food freshly prepared and friendly, efficient service.
I still struggle to find somewhere for a special night out. In spite of the plethora of restaurants mushrooming in the suburbs, mediocrity mostly rules.
My first visit to Mekka in Borrowdale impressed me with the clean stylish décor, smart service, fresh sushi and delicious lobster ta-ils. But I was not anonymous on that occasion.
Returning unheralded a few weeks later I had a totally different experience. The sushi was still good but service was stretched and management sorely invisible. I witnessed an unhappy client attempting for maybe fifteen minutes to attract attention from management.
Clubbing and cocktails now seem to be the order of the day and food something of a sideline.
Dollar a plate prize goes to the Tin Roof Takeaway on Harare Street – who also manage a mean T-bone braai for large outside parties – turning up with everything – braai stands, wood, meat, salads and sadza. On this occasion, food was ready in good time and the caterers joined in with good cheer the spirit of an end of year get together.
My best breakfast of the year was at home – golden guinea fowl eggs scrambled by my husband on a summer Sunday.
The worst was at Rainbow Towers. An early morning workshop saw food already laid out on arrival but we didn’t eat for another two hou-rs – by which time eggs were congealed, toast dry and everything very jaded.
I look forward to 2012 and the continuing search for deliciousness. Please write in with ideas.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com