It’s officially the last month of Winter 2018! I don’t know about you guys, but I feel as if it’s gone by way too quickly. I’m not sure if I’m ready to stop hiding under huge, snuggly coats and jackets… nor do I feel ready to quit the hearty comfort food which, let’s face it, is pretty much the best thing about Winter. There are three and a half weeks before we have to say goodbye to our favourite chilly season, which means there’s still time for you to try out the Winter Set Menu Feast at Moyo Zoo Lake!

We recently made a booking for a Friday evening. The short walk from the car to the restaurant left us frozen. Thankfully the table that had been reserved for us was next to a heater, so we warmed up quickly. Sipping on red Brampton wine while waiting for our food helped too. I’m not exactly a wine connoisseur and I don’t know how to properly describe it, but this one had a strong almost-sherry-like taste, and you could feel it warming your throat and chest as you drank it.

The Traditional Touch

A few minutes after we’d arrived, we were introduced to the lovely Faith who gave us some fabulous face art.

Shortly before the food arrived, our host Nhlanhla came around with warm water for traditional African hand-washing.

It’s all these little touches that make the Moyo experience a special one.

Baby, this is what you came for

Did you sing that subheading in your best Rihanna voice?

On to what we’re all here for – the food! The feasting began when we tucked into the Moroccan and Tunisian flatbreads and chickpea dip. Like Oprah, I too LOVE bread, and those flatbreads were so good. I wouldn’t mind some before dinner every night.

Shawn and I went for the two course Winter Set Menu Feast, so that we could share a starter and dessert (if we both order a full starter and dessert, we’d need to crawl or be carried out of the restaurant). Here’s what we chose:

Starter: Tunisian Wings
Shawn’s Main: Imbazo
My Main: Seafood Samp Paella Potjie
Dessert: Madagascan Ice Cream Sandwich

Zee ordered the Mini South Coast fish cakes from the kids menu. There’s nothing “mini” about those fish cakes, or the chips they’re served with – the portions are really big, and we ain’t mad at it! ? Her choice was a great one; those fish cakes were so yummy… What?? I taste test everything that my child eats, you know, to make sure that it’s safe! She hadn’t been feeling well, so that was her first proper meal for the day, and she loved it. She also let us know that she’d be ordering it again, next time we’re there. Oh, and also, that needs to happen soon.

There’s no photo of the Harissa grilled chicken wings because we smashed that starter so quickly, there was nothing to photograph. That’s testament right there, to how great of a starter it was. ?

My potjie looked so cool when it arrived, and it tasted as amazing as it looked. The seafood was cooked perfectly, and I love that it’s served with samp. The beautiful, big prawn at the top was so good, it definitely deserved that elevated position!

The Imbazo is a delicious 400 gram sirloin with vegetables, topped with a garlic and cumin pesto. Shawn was seriously happy with what he’d ordered. I was happy too, seeing as he had me taste test his dish as well. ?

We loved dessert! The description on the menu of the Madagascan Ice Cream Sandwich is enough to tell you just how YUM it is. Pumpkin bread French toast ice cream sandwich with caramel sauce. Pumpkin bread French toast. Ice Cream. Caramel. And it’s huge. You guys! So good!

Winter Set Menu Feast

The gorgeous setting, and brilliant service make Moyo Zoo Lake a winner at any time of the year. If you’re able to get there before the end of August though, the amazing comfort food on the Winter Set Menu Feast is totally worth a try!

We had a wonderful evening. The service was impeccable – a warm welcome and goodbye at reception (thank you Sibonokuhle); a very helpful and friendly host (Nhlanhla); a manager who checked in a few times (Brian). And the food was excellent! We’ll definitely be back again soon, as per Zee’s request. ?

Disclaimer: We were invited by Moyo Zoo Lake, but all thoughts and opinions shared in this post are my own.