I’ve had Glenda’s on my ‘must visit’ list for so long it’s actually ridiculous! The first time this little restaurant in Hyde Park (not Hyde Park Corner, it is just across the road in Hyde Park Square – don’t get lost!) grabbed my attention was when I was listening to a feature on radio, discussing where to find the best Hot Cross Buns in Johannesburg – and of course Glenda’s came out tops! Immediately this peaked my interest – this means delicious baked goodies doesn’t it?? Oh yes!
Very excited to join a group of my foodie friends for dinner, I was so ready to try it out! Firstly, the decor is simply beautiful! The attention to detail – from the furnishings, to the lightbulbs, to the art pieces and wall murals. Simply beautiful! (I will use the word ‘beautiful’ quite a lot – because that is exactly what it is).
As you walk into Glenda’s the first thing you see is the deli counter ‘Dotty Choux’ with the most delicate petit fours, merveilleux and other baked goodies! This is definitely a speciality! Glenda’s focus on seasonal and fresh ingredients and flavours – and everything you see at the ‘Dotty Choux’ counter is available as takeaways (so the ideal place to get some treats for your afternoon tea) and the seasonal cakes are available to order as well. I know I am getting ahead of myself (as usual) – but one of my fellow foodies ordered the Salted Caramel cake as dessert. Oh_my_goodness!!! I should have taken a photo – it looked totally decadent and delicious! You must go and check it out!
Glenda’s is also a very popular breakfast and lunch spot – and very few people actually know that they are open for afterwork drinks and dinner. And that is exactly why we were there – to check out the dinner vibe 😉
So what better way to start than with bubbly! *happy face, huge grin*
While we were waiting for the rest of our party to arrive, we sat at the bar counter (marvelous marble!) and sipped on some delicious Lourensford bubbly. This is actually such a lovely place for afterwork drinks, I will keep this in mind! I spotted some interesting cocktails (and an impressive gin collection!) that I’m very keen to try out! As ‘bar snacks’ we had the most delicious little cheese puffs. Cheese and bubbly – what more can a girl want??
Okay, I guess I can’t sit at the bar sipping bubbles and eating cheese puffs all evening (well, actually I can – but that wasn’t the aim of this exercise!). I was actually very excited to try the seasonal dinner menu! Internationally trained Chef Glenda Lederle prides herself on only using the freshest, high quality seasonal ingredients – and it is clear in the presentation and taste of the food served here.
The starter options looked simply delicious, but it took me only a minute to decide on what I want – the Nunu Artichoke Pie! It just sounded so delicious – and how often do you get artichoke dishes on the menu? I asked the waiter what ‘nunu’ means – just want to make sure that I don’t get a miniature starter 😉 And it definitely wasn’t miniature – delicious cheesy gratin-style dish served with melba toast and rocket. It had so much flavour – and was just the perfect winter warmer dish to start with!
And now I was really excited about the rest of the menu! Hmmm, what next? I settled on the Pork Belly – always looking for the ultimate crispy crackling! You will be surprised how few restaurants actually get it right?
And Glenda’s sure does! Served with coleslaw and seasonal veggies, this was absolutely perfect! And once again, the beautiful plating and presentation is such a huge bonus point.
Of course I had to try one of the petit fours for dessert – decided on a caramel one. And it was delectable! Perfect with my cup of red cappucino – a great ending to a wonderful night out! Some of my follow foodie friends tried the malva pudding, chocolate dessert and chai-infused jelly, and all these desserts came highly recommended as well!
Thank you so much for hosting us! I’m definitely bringing my Hubby for a date night! He MUST try that pork belly!
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