; – We’ve tried and tested them and these spots are All4Women approved
Mezepoli:
If you enjoy sharing Greek food, meze style then Mezepoli is the place for you. I love going there on a Sunday afternoon. Mezepoli has always been a fan favourite. It’s a culmination of the crisp white linen, lemon zest, and fresh flavours that make me feel like I’m right back in Mykonos circa 2012. We usually pop into the Nicolway branch as it’s close to where we live. But there is another branch in Melrose Arch too, which is just as magnificent.
I love that it has a vibe, but isn’t too loud. It’s definitely a family-friendly restaurant. It was so hot the afternoon we went, so we started off with Coca-Cola zero’s with lots of ice and a slice of lemon. Look at starting off your mother’s day lunch with a few Pita Grissini – crispy fried pita wedges with a chilli feta dip (R39) and a taramasalata dip (R36). When I went there, the pita was crispy and flavoursome and the dips were fresh and delicious.
For mains, I highly recommend you get a few dishes to share and enjoy them meze style. We opted for the mussels, which were sautéed in the shell, with a tomato and feta base sauce (R89), Creamy chicken livers with a slight peri peri bite (R59) and falafel balls (R49) – the flavours were outstanding, and all of the ingredients were fresh. The service was quick and absolutely professional. I’ll definitely be back! Your mom doesn’t have to be greek, to enjoy this lunch spot.
Mad nomad:
This Turkish restaurant is based at the mall of Africa. It’s beautiful, yet unpretentious and hosts both authentic and modern Turkish cuisine.
The mango margarita was absolutely sensational. I had two of them, please order this for your mum, it’s not strong and she will absolutely love it! If your mum wants to share a starter then I can recommend what I tried – a meze platter for two. It was a generous portion of chicken wings, falafel balls, chicken livers, a donna kebab, fresh raw onion and two dips. For mains, I had the lamb shank which was cooked to perfection. It was so soft, it fell off the bone and was moist and well-seasoned.
If your mama is then in the mood for something sweet, look at treating her to a rose-infused, Turkish delight, crème Brulee. It’s fragrant, sweet and absolutely moreish.
If you’re more of a chocoholic, then the chocolate brownie, with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce is an absolute winning combo. You have to take a pic of their stunning nomad mural while you’re there. This restaurant would be great for either a Mother’s day lunch or dinner.
Adega:
We specifically went to Adega Rivonia/Sunninghill. This is a great family lunch spot as there’s a sectioned off kiddies play area for the littlies. So if you have kiddies, you can bring them with too for a great Sunday out, while you celebrate your mom. This restaurant is great for big groups too, as they can accommodate up to 300 guests at a time. The cocktails and milkshakes are great and the seafood is superior to most restaurants in the area.
I had the seafood pasta and I loved every bit of it. While I had planned to get their famous prawns too, I ran out of space and moved on to dessert instead. I highly recommend the frozen nougat (what a wow)! Please don’t sleep on this local franchise, the owner is very involved, super hands-on and ensures every meal is served perfectly.
I’m actually going back on Tuesday for their prawn special. I’ve only been here for lunch, but I’m definitely going to give their dinner service a try too.
Kream:
This is a spot saved for really special occasions, like anniversaries and Mother’s day of course. Look at celebrating with a dinner at Kream, Mall of Africa. We were feeling adventurous when we visited them, which you’ll see by our menu choices. But if your moms up to try something different, she may enjoy these recommendations. First of all, I love the décor at Kream, like it’s African enough to want to take international guests there, and it’s upmarket enough where you feel really spoilt and like you’re there to celebrate a special occasion.
Drinks: Guys, you HAVE to taste this cocktail, it’s a MUST! I ordered the cape gooseberry peach. It was so refreshing and delicious. I could’ve easily had a few more. Please trust me with this one. It was delicious!!!! You’ll thank me later for this recommendation.
Starters: I tried the scallops which were cooked in a sweet corn cream, with bacon and peanut caramel brittle, fresh dill and dill oil. The scallops were light and delicious. My partner opted for the crocodile tail which is crumbed and deep-fried, along with crocodile tail carpaccio, pickled celery and tamarind dressing. For me, the deep-fried crocodile tasted like chicken strips and the carpaccio tasted like white fish sashimi. It was delicious. Of the two starters, the crocodile was the winner for me, it was packed with so much flavour and something I would order again.
We then had a complimentary sorbet palette cleanser shot, which was non-alcoholic and a fun addition. This must be a new or a limited offer as we didn’t have this in January when we were last there. For mains, we both ordered what we always order when we come to Kream. I had the lamb shank and my partner had the pork belly. The lamb shank was cooked to perfection and was the outright winner of the dishes for me. The lamb falls off the bone and the flavor is so incredible, you’ll find yourself caving this dish again for days after. The portion sizes are massive so I never finish the lamb shank and let me tell you, it tastes even better the next day. My partner really enjoyed the pork belly but said it tasted more like cooked gammon than pork belly this time.
For dessert: we shared the candy crush dessert. The cheesecake was divine! I just love the colours and the salty and sweetness of the dishes. It’s such an instagrammable dessert. However I saw other people enjoying a red velvet dessert too, so now I have to go back again to try that.
Goddess café:
If you’re closer to Pretoria side then you’ll definitely want to pop in for a breakie or afternoon coffee and cake at this café. They’re based in Waterkloof, as well as Southdowns and they’re perfect for the girly mama who loves pink. I can highly recommend their pink Ferrero Roche Spanish lattes – they’re oh so instagrammable and they’re actually really delicious too.
For breakfast please do yourself a favour and try the American pancake stack (with Ferrero Roche chocolate sauce, thick cream, muscovado sugar, berries, pomegranate, syrup and toasted coconut) or the classic French toast (served with syrup and cinnamon). They’re sweet and beautiful to look at. If you want something more savoury then the pink/purple pancakes (filled with creamy chicken, mushroom, leeks and feta) are a winner. Or the famous lamb sandwich, with pink hummus, are the showstoppers of the restaurant. The lamb sandwich is big enough to share.
When it comes to their cake selection you won’t be able to decide between their vanilla lindt cake (topped with marshmallows and condensed milk) or the granadilla condensed milk cake (topped with fresh granadilla) – both are superb. Your mamma will love it here!
Let us know if you tried any of our suggestions and which one was your best.
