It’s Starting to Feel a Lot Like Summer @GourmetGrocerSA #TheGourmetGrocerSA

Hi Friends, 

The weather is warmer, Covid-19 cases are on the decline, and we are now at adjusted level 1 – able to see our friends and family. By all accounts, things are feeling a little lighter and brighter.

Buoyed by these positive milestones, The Gourmet Grocer will now be open until 19h30 from Thursday to Saturday evenings and we will be introducing a festive cocktail promo as we head into summer and the festive season.

“It’s been a hard few months for everyone. Being outdoors with family and friends is really what people need and want right now” says owner Larry Hodes. “Our new cocktails and dinners are designed to bring people together over good food, drinks and some much-needed laughs”

And while you and your friends are sipping on an ice-cold 1ltr carafe of Peach Prosecco Punch or Sangria, nibble on fresh and delicious items from the deli. We highly recommend everything, but don’t miss out on the grilled artichokes, pickles, dips and array of different styled olives.

Picture by RobynDaviePhotography

Need something a little more substantial as you move onto the Aperol Spritz? We have a delicious selection of small plates too. Try the spicy chicken livers with toasted pita, nutty baked spicy chicken wings with a honey & chilli soy dipping sauce or crispy halloumi fingers with a spicy cranberry sauce. Both our cheese and charcuterie boards also pair beautifully with our eclectic and rare collection of wines.

If you are too tired to cook after a long day at work, or you and the family are looking for an early al fresco style meal in one of Birdhaven’s most popular outdoor spots, then book a table with us. We have a wide menu. From our famous Reuben Pastrami, tacos, summer salads, burgers and even a 28-day dry-aged sirloin, we mean it when we say there really is something for everyone

Picture by RobynDaviePhotography

Come and join us for Cocktails and Dinner and don't miss the promo! We have a wide range of cocktails, and all of them, beers, and wine too by the glass will be 2 for 1 from 3pm to 19h30 until 15 November 2021.

Cheers!!!

Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

What's Holier Than A Burger? A BAGEL BURGER! @DarkKitchenJHB #BagelBurger

Hi Friends, 

Salt and pepper. Fish and chips. Bacon and eggs. There are some things that just taste better together – and a bagel burger takes the cake!

Bagel Burger is a recent restaurant innovation from Larry Hodes, who has created a gastro-neighbourhood from a corner in Birdhaven. This tiny suburb in Rosebank and its surrounding areas are spoilt for choice, with the quaint courtyard setting of Arbour Café; the Gourmet Grocer, a reinvented space coming out of the heart of lockdown; The Dark Kitchen, the only 9th slice pizza in the world takeout offering; The Lucky Peach, House of Ramen as well as Bagel Burger offering a deliciously crafted menu featuring two firm favourites – a burger, complete with a bagel for the bun.

Breakfast

Operating on a delivery and curbside collection basis, Bagel Burger’s meat patties are made from 180g free-range Wagyu infused beef chuck patty, topped with lettuce, tomato and onion, and served on a griddled bagel with your choice of aside. The bagel is a New York-esque masterpiece, perfectly crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, resulting from hours of hand rolling, boiling, then finally baking.

Ranch

The toppings maketh the bagel burger – from the Classic Burger’s homemade pickles, roasted garlic mayo, caramelised onion, to the Mexican Burger’s mozzarella, cheddar, jalapeño mayo and bacon, there’s a flavour for every craving. Vegetarians are not left out of the burger bagel craze, with both a vegetarian option consisting of a beetroot chickpea patty and a Beyond Burger patty for vegans. Chicken burger fans have their pick of a Ranch Burger consisting of a 200g chicken breast, caramelised onion, homemade pickles and jalapeño mayo, or a Southern Burger, a delicious concoction of pulled roasted chipotle chicken, homemade BBQ sauce and tangy slaw.

Swiss

The side selection includes salted skinny fries, truffle parmesan fries or Slaw and dessert and milkshakes are a decadence of gourmet treats. Deliveries are conveniently available from both Mr D and Uber Eats, or directly from the restaurant within a 5km radius at preferential pricing. Alternatively, there is the safe and secure curbside collection, while picking up a bottle of wine or a culinary creation from the Gourmet Grocer.

For curbside collection or deliveries within 5km, call 010 900 3703, or for deliveries order via the Mr D or Uber Eats app. Follow the ‘Holier than a Burger’ Facebook page on @BagelBurgerSA and find out more on www.bagelburger.co.za.

Cheers!!!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your brand, services and products. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts and subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel too. Namaste! 

Support me if you like reading this blog post which was done free of charge to the local restaurant - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay

The Gourmet Grocer – A Local Store with An Artisanal Range @GourmetGrocerSA

Hi Friends, 

The Gourmet Grocer is a pandemic success story – the transformation almost overnight of the popular Voodoo Lily restaurant in Birdhaven, Johannesburg, into a retail outlet selling an exciting and ever-growing range of artisanal, locally produced grocery products.

Restaurateur Larry Hodes, who revamped and relaunched Voodoo Lily in July last year, recognised the need and opportunity for a quick pivot into a new sector of the food business when certain lockdown restrictions were lifted, moving into level 4.

“It was May, and Mother’s Day was around the corner. My wife Annie and I decided to invite small local producers to sell their stock from our premises. We put out a request for interest on WhatsApp and Facebook, and the response was remarkable – many were suppliers to restaurants and markets who were battling the loss of sales, and they leapt at the chance to be able to produce and sell again. Within 24 hours we had a grocer.”

Hodes adds, “Setting up and getting the Gourmet Grocer operating successfully has been the result of an excellent collaborative effort with local small suppliers. Since the start, over 90% of the Gourmet Grocer’s suppliers have been small businesses, and supporting SMEs will continue to be key in our evolving business model.”

The Gourmet Grocer has fast become a hub in Birdhaven’s village-feel community and is steadily adjusting its range of products and suppliers according to growing demand.

Hodes has created what he describes as “a place of theatre” in the store, while the Voodoo Lily restaurant continues as before at outside tables. “We have regular customers who come back again and again, to buy their favourite food items or to see what’s new.” On entry into the store on a weekend, customers come face-to-face with ice cream being freshly made, then on to the deli where a French rotisserie prepares chipotle-butter-basted free-range chickens. The winery offers a collection of “great” wines, beers, gins and whiskies; the bakery, a tempting selection of fresh baked goods; and the “pantry”, a wide range of non-perishable goods.

The next aromatic treat is the brand new Coffefe Coffee Roastery, a collaboration between Hodes and coffee aficionado and supplier, Marco da Silva, which offers a range of “unpretentious and unapologetic” options in sustainably and ethically sourced coffee products, and has on hand, a roaster and barista who ensure a delicious and down-to-earth coffee experience served with more than a hint of humour.

Hodes says the evolution of the Gourmet Grocer and its different offerings is proving to be a win-win situation for the suppliers and the store and has set the way forward for his business.

He knows and understands the local community, having owned and operated restaurants in the area for some years – first Arbour Café and more recently Voodoo Lily – and is deeply appreciative of the loyalty that the community shows to local small businesses. “Our customers are delighted with the new range of quality and often-unusual products in their area, so even as lockdown levels end, we will continue with a hybrid of the Gourmet Grocer and the restaurant.”

Also launched by Hodes in March was The Dark Kitchen – the first in Johannesburg. The dark kitchen concept, also known as ghost or cloud kitchens, are delivery-only restaurants that provide at-home diners with restaurant-quality food prepared in an industrial kitchen.

Hodes believes that “in times of crisis, the worst thing you can do is nothing. Even if you’re not sure what success you will have, it’s worth going for it – with a positive mindset – no matter how tough it is to keep going. Things will get better. We were not sure about joining the retailing sector, but we have done it and we’re overwhelmed at the success of it.”

For more information on the Gourmet Grocer, visit www.facebook.com/voodoolilycafe and all the photos are credited to Ms Nicola Subben from www.peanutgallery247.com for the images.

Cheers!!!

Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

Coffefe… Inspired by a TRUE & UNAPOLOGETIC Typo @coffefesa #CoffefeRoastery

Hi Friends, 

And birthed in a time of momentous change and transformation

Mutual collaboration in a time of change, transformed a previous client and supplier relationship into a partnership. Founders Larry Hodes and Marco Da Silva, birthed Coffefe Roastery, through their combined love and appreciation for coffee without the usual side order of pretention.

This roastery offers a refreshing, playful and down to earth take on specialty coffee. It’s not hipster. It’s not toffee-nosed. But it is unapologetic. Unapologetic about celebrating the unique, no bulls*%&t nature of all coffee beans. 

Coffefe Roastery, situated within the Gourmet Grocer, invites all to come learn, taste, develop, feedback and purchase a selection of freshly roasted coffee offers. The local community’s involvement in developing a bespoke Birdhaven blend, lends testament to their engaging and interactive approach.

So if you are in the hood and wish to experience coffee that can be easily understood, pop into the roastery or follow them on @coffefesa #CoffefeRoastery. I definitely intend to go there with my wife this month though I was not part of the launch event but called for a special breakfast or lunch date. I will share more pictures from the roastery on my social media platforms then! 

About Coffefe:

Coffee beans are currently available to buy at the Gourmet Grocer in Birdhaven at the Coffefe Roastery. The range will expand in the next few weeks and will be available at our online store soon at www.coffefe.co.za

Cheers!!!

Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

Lights Switched On In The Dark Kitchen! @DarkKitchenJhb #TheDarkKitchenJHB

Hi Friends,

If you are hangry or even just hungry, humble your grumble with a delicious ‘build your own pizza’ from The Dark Kitchen.

The concept of dark kitchens is taking the restaurant world by storm overseas. Still, in its infancy in South Africa, veteran restaurateur Larry Hodes, owner of Calexico at 44 Stanley, Arbour Café and Voodoo Lily will be opening The Dark Kitchen in Johannesburg.

The concept is known around the world as a virtual kitchen, cloud kitchen, and delivery-only restaurant. Jozi’s The Dark Kitchen is set to provide at-home diners with an innovative new offering.

The quirky ghost restaurant, hidden somewhere in the northern suburbs, will only be accessible online or by phone – so don’t expect to be seated and served!

The process starts with a simple craving for a really good pizza. Choose your preferred base – normal, gluten-free or cauliflower and vegan cheese for banters and vegans – and your favorite toppings. Your gourmet pizza will be crafted in the mystery location and finally, nine mouth-watering slices of pizza will be delivered to your door. Yes, nine slices of pizza! The ninth slice presents in its very own single-slice pizza box – perfect for a snack at your desk, to satisfy a morning-after craving, or on the road between meetings.

THE ONLY 9TH SLICE PIZZA IN THE WORLD

Why the 9th slice? Pizzas have eight slices for you and your friends to enjoy, but sometimes you have that one uninvited guest or that one friend who loves pizza a little more than you do.

The 9th slice is perfect for the snack box for work in the morning, the walk of shame snack, the slice for the uninvited uncle no one speaks about. You deserve that 9th slice to guarantee you humble your grumble. No one wants to be left hangry.

In keeping with the mystery theme – pizza is just the first concept on the menu at The Dark Kitchen, with two more launches coming to light soon under The Dark Kitchen brand. 

Hodes explains why the ingenious concept has been so successful globally, “The value of a dark kitchen model is in the elimination of customer seating and waiting areas – which are often underused or even simply vacant. It cuts rental, decor costs, and the need for serving staff. This reduces overheads, while at the same time catering to the increased consumer need for gourmet home delivery options.

“The model also allows the flexibility to change menus quickly and easily. Many traditional restaurants pop up in response to changing tastes and trends, leaving them vulnerable when new food fads roll into town. The concept of cloud kitchens is rising as the food delivery market continues to expand. We’re at the dawn of a new restaurant era – an era where a ‘dark kitchen’ will become a common term.”

Pizzas can be ordered via Uber Eats, Mr D or by calling The Dark Kitchen from Monday to Sunday until 21h00. Deliveries, within a 7 km radius of Wanderers, also include a limited bar menu, including beers, wine, and champagne.

Hodes adds, “It’s safe to say that this fresh, creative and out-of-the-box concept will not disappoint – watch this dark space!”

Find The Dark Kitchen at thedarkkitchen.co.za

To order call 010 900 3703

Facebook @TheDarkKitchenJhb

Twitter @DarkKitchenJhb

Instagram @TheDarkKitchenJhb

Cheers!!!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to discuss your products, launch events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay #NoFreePosts. TheLife'sWay charges a blogging fee for the time and efforts to join a new campaign or an existing one based on your requirements. Namaste!

Calexico - New Americana #Restaurant at #44Stanley #Johannesburg #SouthAfrica @CalexicoJHB

Hi Friends,

The much-anticipated re-opening and revamp of Stanley Beer Yard is now open.

The brand-new doors opened on Friday to reveal an entirely new look and the new name. Co-owners Larry Hodes and Michael Vacy-Lyle are excited to show Joburg what they have in store: “The new restaurant is an eclectic mix of Americana style food, décor, and music – staying true to the nature of Stanley beer Yard, but with a shinier and edgier feel”.

Calexico is a border city in California: a portmanteau of the words California and Mexico and a perfect intermingling of music genres, food, and dance. The band of the same name is an Americana, Indie, country, folk and Latin rock band from Arizona. The music style, like the city it gets its name from, is a blend of southern Californian and Mexican inspired sounds.

“Their feel-good harmonies, alongside legends like Band of Horses, the Eagles, The Band, Otis Redding, John Coltrane, Bob Marley and The Beastie Boys have inspired our very own Calexico: an Americana style restaurant and bar.

Calexico has its roots in great music and being first and foremost a vinyl lounge, we have decided to include a vinyl wall full of records from legendary musicians. We have included a classic record player, where patrons are welcome to play their own choice of vinyl during the day” says Larry Hodes.

The new menu was designed by chef and food stylist Robyn Timson-Moss, who believes the food is a vibrant take of classic Californian-style dishes. Think artichoke, nachos and hot brisket and racks and racks of ribs.

Calexico prides itself on diversity and originality – inspiration hit when trawling through the names of great rock legends and flavourful food styles and genres – a perfect combo of music, eating and drinking.

Real music never gets old.

 

Cheers!!!

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