Being a Capetonian and never experiencing the abundance of integration that has happened in Johannesburg, a whole new South Africa unfolded for me when I moved to the city and Westdene. And with Auckland Park and the University of Johannesburg as an anchor for this creative hub, it’s filled with journalists, stage and production staff, set builders photographers and, when joined by the vibrant student contingent, it’s a joy to walk down any street!

With the community’s constant support and willingness to get involved in the suburb’s restoration, we knew we had made the right decision.

It was during our winter Christmas fundraiser to buy our first cleaning boat for the dam when Dr Elvis Munatswa from Rotary Johannesburg Northcliff Central walked in and asked how they can help. It still brings tears to my eyes.

With additional funding to move forward we can now really see the changes from the daily cleaning, extra security staff, a dedicated boat master to curate the dam, as well as the development of a long-term vision and plan for this beautiful public space.

From pounded harissa butter and hand-crafted bread to gentle butternut and sweet potato gnocchi, the variety is vast. The cool part is it’s really just like home. Coming out into the restaurant after a full evening of cooking Portuguese prawns and our new Fillet with Cranberries and a bone marrow reduction and seeing a full house with not a cell phone in sight was probably one of our most rewarding moments for all of us.

That the community were loving us not only for the beautiful interiors and food but also for a space where they could just gather and all be as one, is everything to us. 

And the cherry on top was being voted Best Beat the Budget Restaurant, Best Neighbourhood Restaurant and overall Best New Restaurant in Jozi for 2022 – our hearts could not be prouder of our community and of the work that this little motley crew has achieved.