Licorish Bistro, situated in the bustling Nicolway Bryanston Shopping Centre, is a five-year-old restaurant run by Aki Hadjipetros. After nineteen years of running chain restaurants, Aki now runs four of his own which are situated all over Gauteng. Each restaurant offers diners a unique flavour, style and twist on the way in which they eat. This everyday eatery offers customers the chance to experience a well thought out plate full of flavour and colour. Head Chef Karel Jacobs is always adding and enhancing the menu enabling the restaurant to evolve and keep up with the latest trends.

Words and photography: Jess Otter of @blogmefood and @instaeatsjozi

Whatever your fancy, Licorish Bistro has it all. Lunch time offers a classic casual environment perfect for business meetings or the ever-popular ladies lunch. Dinner brings with it a flare of romance with dim lighting and candles, perfect for a date night with that special someone.

Keeping up with the trends, this bistro offers flawless vegan dishes that entertain the palate to give any and every customer a mouthful of satisfaction. Check out how delicious these vegan options look.

Spicy chickpeas served with cinnamon and almond dukkah, beetroot hummus and oven roasted vine tomatoes

Spinach, feta and coriander samoosas served with garlic mayo, apple chutney, zaatar spice and candied peanuts

For those of you who absolutely love seafood, Licorish Bistro offers something right up your alley featuring traditional seafood with that unique South African twist. A personal favourite of mine is the chilli salt squid served with cardamom mayo, tomato atchar and sesame bean sprouts.

If you are more of a meat lover, Licorish caters for you too with a wide range of dishes including everything from oxtail to sirloin.

Oxtail samoosas braised in cinnamon and milk stout, served with a red wine jus, spinach and mango atchar

Make sure you leave room for their dessert options that certainly aren’t for the faint-hearted. I suggest you try the milk tart panna cotta served on a stroopwafel with crumbled honeycomb.

THE DETAILS

When: Monday–Thursday, 12 pm–10:30 pm; Friday and Saturday, 9 am–10:30 pm; Sunday 9 am – 8:30 pm
Where: Nicolway Shopping Centre, Johannesburg
Reservations: 011 706 0991
Website: licorishbistro.co.za

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The Lusito Land Festival started as a project to aid differently abled individuals in the Portuguese community in the Johannesburg area. This year it marks its 36th annual event with the celebration having grown to include the various diverse cultures mixed with the Portuguese heritage found in the surrounding areas of Gauteng. With a new venue and the classic Portuguese entertainment, this is sure to be one for the books.

By Jana du Plessis

Visitors will be spoilt for choice with traditional Portuguese cuisine being served by top restaurants. Loaves of freshly baked bread, juicy meat and salty sardines will entice the palate. Servings of prawns, caldo verde (a kale soup) will further fill your tummy. And then there’s the Portugese sausage chorizo that every festivalgoer has to try, litres of beer and delicious farturas (a Portugese-style koeksister) to end the day on a sweet note.

Proceeds from the Lusito Land Festival will go towards the Lusito Association which strives to assist the Lusito school in helping disabled children receive the education they deserve and in turn build a strong community.

THE DETAILS

Where: Cayman Road, Alewynspoort, Johannesburg
When: 26 April–1 May 2017
Price: R120, adults and teens; R50, children 6-12 years and senior Citizens
Tickets: Tickets available from Computicket.

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