To start my recent Jo’burg tour, I needed to get to The Zone @ Rosebank. I quickly brought it up on Google Maps and saw it was just one stop on the excellent Gautrain from Sandton, where I was staying.
I had about 10 minutes until my tour kicked off, and spotted my niece’s favourite shop, Krispy Kreme!
What I hadn’t realised was that this was a shopping centre to rival Sandton City.
When I got back from touring, I stopped into Woolworths (sadly gone from the UK now!) and found it a bit like a Whole Foods. Well, kinda. It had lots of fresh veggies and cut fruit, sandwiches and salad pots, which I hadn’t seen elsewhere in Jo’burg.
There were a lot of outdoor cafes, so I stopped into the one that looked the nicest, the News Cafe. It had some funky music going on and a pretty extensive menu. Service (from Delight, who was a real delight) was at a relaxed but interested pace, which works for me. The menu had a LOT of options – from breakfast items, through sharing platters and burgers. I went for a chicken burger with a side of stir fry veggies (relatively common as a side order in RSA).
It was just delicious – the bun had been properly toasted and was still warm from the grill.
All in all – a real winner! 10 out of 10 for the News Cafe!
I noticed that there was a Courtyard Hotel right by the mall and Gautrain – I’d seriously consider staying there if I wanted to be in Rosebank, or at the Michelangelo Hotel at Sandton City if I was feeling a little more flush!
