Hungry 4 The Vibe
Hey everyone!
Good to be back, hope you all had a beautiful weekend :)
Alright, now speaking about weekends I actually did something pretty cool over my one.
I was invited by Newscafe to try out their NEW menu!
At first, let me tell you, I had my hesitations and declining the invite crossed my mind because one: I've always seen Newscafe as a rowdy, turn-up on a Friday or Saturday night kind of place.
Two: whenever I've visited Newscafe it's been for sundowner's and something to snack on and share with others, like nachos or chicken strips.
Three: I've never thought of Newscafe as my go-to lunch spot.
So when Newscafe said, "Hey come through at 14.30 on Saturday for lunch..." In my mind I was like, "This is new, Newscafe for an entire lunch date and not just chilled vibes with some sundowners? Hmmm".
Anyway, I accepted the invite and decided that maybe through this experience my perception of Newscafe would change.
I decided to take Mommy with me as my special "plus one" - I knew if she enjoyed herself and the food, Newscafe is definitely not just for the younger, rowdy crowd.
Mom and I were greeted by the very friendly staff of Newscafe Boksburg where we met the owner, Mike van Vuuren. The managers, Albert and John Jay and of course our lovely waiter, Brian.
First things first, DRINKS!
I ordered a mojito but luckily for me I had options at Newscafe. I could choose between an original mojito, passionfruit, strawberry or a blueberry one. I chose a passionfruit mojito. Yum!
While Mom chose her usual one, a cosmopolitan.
Now I can't speak for my mom but my moijtio was so refreshing. Ice cold with crushed ice and the balance of the rum, passion puree, mint syrup, fresh mint leaves and soda was a perfect combination.
I usually don't order an original mojito because the mint taste is too overpowering for me (and I generally don't like the taste of alcohol) but a passionfruit one? YES PLEASE!
Passion fruit moijito and a cosmopolitan.
And now, let's move onto the grub... THE FOOD!
Mom and I actually struggled to order at first because we wanted everything from nachos to wraps, ribs and wings, crispy pork and even bacon and cheese fries!
Poor Brian kept coming to ask us if we were finally ready to order and we kept sending him back.
Eventually I asked Brian what he would suggest, the first dish he recommended was the All American burger - smashed beef patty topped with a fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, onion rings, tomato relish, lettuce and tomato with a side portion of either chips, coleslaw, stir fried veggies or mac and cheese. So that's exactly what I ordered - the All American burger!
I decided to go all American with my "All American" burger and chose mac and cheese as my side dish. An odd decision because mac and cheese is a stand alone dish in my head, but let's try?
I also ordered something real meaty which was the beef short rib accompanied with a side portion of wedges and piquet pepper sauce.
Mom went for some peri-peri chicken livers served with the most crispy on the outside, soft on the inside Portuguese roll I've ever had.
She also had her eye on the roasted lamb which has been grilled on the bone rubbed with herbs, with some toasted flatbread with a cucumber and mint yoghurt as well as a side portion of chips.
All four dishes, from left to right:
Beef short ribs, roasted lamb, peri-peri chicken livers, All-American burger.
The All American burger with my side portion of mac and cheese.
Beef short rib with wedges and piquet pepper sauce.
Peri-peri chicken livers with toasted Portuguese roll.
Roasted lamb with toasted flatbread and chips.
Mommy preparing herself for the feast in front of her.
The ginormous All-American burger.
Mom and I sat there for three and a half hours enjoying (and trying to finish) the divine food but after three and a half hours we finally threw in the towel and got our leftovers put in takeaway boxes.
We went home with 4 boxes. The portions are pretty big.
So if I was forced to pick my fave meal out of all of them I'd have to pick the All American burger.
I think it's just preference, as I'm a greasy burger kinda foodie.
But listen, this burger was all kinds of yum. The smashed beef patty was juicy and full of flavour, the egg (I asked for it to be hard, as I really don't like runny yolks) mixed with the crispy golden brown onion rings, tangy tomato relish and sizzling bacon - all sandwiched between a fresh roll was perfection.
Warning - it is messy!
Everytime I bit into it the juices would just drip from everywhere. But who doesn't want one juicy wholesome burger?
I also really enjoyed the peri-peri chicken livers but only for the sauce.
I'm not a big liver-eater so I was all about that creamy sauce with a hint of chili. I found myself dipping my chips into the sauce because who needs tomato sauce when you have a bomb peri-peri sauce right in front of you!
Mommy in her element.
Mom and I then finished off our lovely lunch date with one last drink.
I got the mango and pine fruit freezer / smoothie while Mom got the "desperate housewife" - by the way their cocktail names are hilarious. I came across a "faithful b*tch", "material girl" and "pornstar martini" too.
Now with my mango and pine fruit freezer this is a drink I cannot wait to go back for. I can see myself craving it this festive season on a hot summer's day. It's hard to find a fruit feezer (which is obviously made with a lot of crushed ice) that is tasty, juicy and tangy because more often than not, freezers always taste watered down. This one however, is one of the best one's I've ever had. Next time I visit Newscafe I'll definetly be trying the mixed berry freezer.
Mango and pine fruit freezer smoothie.
When I accepted the invite I promised myself that when I eventually blog about this experience, I would be completely honest with my readers. If the food was missing salt or I found a hair in my food I would lay it all out there and not sugar coat anything. My experience at Newscafe was a delight and they've left with nothing to complain about! We even saw families and their toddlers sit down for some lunch, which completely destroyed my perception that Newscafe is only for party-goers and the rowdy crowd.
The whole time my Mom would keep saying to me, "Chanley, hierdie kos is so lekker! En ek vertel jou die waarheid!" In English Mom was saying that the food is really good and that she wasn't just saying it for the sake of saying it - she's telling the truth.
My mom is quite a food critic even when I cook at home - she'll let me know if it's good or not. So this was a big deal coming from her.
Food aside, the service and friendliness of every person I came in contact with at the Boksburg branch was warm, hospitable and amiable. A huge shout out to Albert who even sat down at our table and chatted to us throughout our visit and of course Brian, our lovely waiter for the great food suggestions and the perfect service. My experience is obviously only one of the Newscafe's service and staff encounters but I hope that all the branches have the same level of impeccable standards. Last but not least thank you to Mike, the owner, for hosting us.
With a few of the staff member of Newscafe Boksburg.
I couldn't have asked for a better experience!
I hope that everyone goes out there and gives Newscafe's new menu a try. If you have half the amazing experience I had, you'll go home with a smile not only on your face but your tummy too.
I highly suggest Newscafe and their new menu for you, your friends and family especially with the festive season right around the corner.
Once again, thank you Newscafe Boksburg for hosting us.
We'll see you VERY soon. Keep a mixed berry freezer nice and cold for my next visit ;)
Mommy and I - after our lovely meal.
Thank you everybody for reading this week!
Hope you all enjoyed my foodie post. Please let me know of any other content you'd like me to do. If you have any comments or suggestions pop me a line down below and please please subscribe.
P.S. I'll be in Cape Town this week, so follow me on social media to see what I get up to.
If you're in Cape Town, what fun things are there for me to get up to? Let me know...
Until next week everyone, thanks for reading once again!
Enjoy your week and be safe.
Chanley
Xoxo
Photography: All picture by me.