A new reasonably priced stylish eatery opens in the heart of Suburban Rosebank

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

Upmarket places like malls that are dotted around Johannesburg have their place on the market, serving the interests of those who love shopping under a roof of a mammoth building like malls. At these malls one can also find fairly great eateries serving a rich food menu that ranges from a steak to those serving only vegetarian dishes. These places are also convenient to have a drink with friends and your loved ones.

However there is a glaring problem associated with upmarket mall dining, and one of these problems is the prices of food and drinks. And without exception, most eateries and drinking places are quite expensive when it comes to beverages and food, with a mere beer costing as much as between R35 and R45. And in most cases it is as If the people running these establishments collude when it comes to pricing their beverages and food menu. And yes, of course rentals at malls are quite expensive with some retail spaces charging as much as R6000 per square metre and indirectly forcing restaurants to pass on the cost to the consumer.

However against this background, I discovered a new place in Rosebank, not far from the mall where one can chill and have great food and drinks at a relatively good price in this generally expensive area.

The newest place to chill, drink and eat at a reasonable  price (it currently does not sell alcohol is Patio@10Tyrwhitt, a stone’s throw from Rosebank Mall and the Zone, a walking distance from Gautrain. The place is directly opposite St. Theresa School and a few metres from the Rosebank Police Station. You can access the eatery either from the Rosebank Mall or from the Jan Smuts Avenue  side.

This place has an easy chill atmosphere giving diners an opportunity to sit inside the restaurant or outside in the garden.  The food menu is reasonably priced, compared to what one will have to fork out in the neighbouring restaurants in the malls. This is definitely a welcome development for especially those hard pressed in the pocket during these financially difficult days. The environment at  this establishment, which is attached to the newly opened Jackrose Hotel (formerly called The Don Apartment Hotel, is inviting and is not intimidating at all.

“We try to make sure that our food is capped at not more than R100. We have an mix clientele, ranging from young professionals, students and adults.Our clientele is made up of mainly people who work here, those who live in and around Rosebank as well as hotel guests, restaurant manager Ali Gordon told CITYLIFE/ARTS.

The hotel and the restaurant run their businesses embedding the principle of good corporate citizenship.

For example, recently the hotel hosted an exhibition of beautiful art works produced by children from the Johannesburg Children’s home as well as from a shelter for mentally challenged people. All the proceeds from the sale of the art works went into the coffers of the Johannesburg Children’s home.

The restaurant manager the energetic Ali Gordon who took over the management of the restaurant a month ago, has big plans for the place.

“My dream is also to train young people who are unemployed to gain skills in different  aspects such as waiters after which they will be in a position to be employed gainfully. The reason many such young people are in the streets, unemployed is because they lack experience and not because they are unemployable. They just need that opportunity. I will introduce such a straining programme once I have sorted out the skills of the people that we are employing here.

“Also we want this place to play the role of exposing artists to the talent scouts by giving them an opportunity to perform here. We Are also planning to have a poetry session, a Monday Blues poetry session here. My idea is to turn this place into a culturally vibrant spot in Rosebank, just like Hillbrow of the earlier years used to be. And one thing about Rosebank is that there is everything here. This is a place where a suburban part live side by side with a Johannesburg buzz. For example one can talk a short walk on its tree lined streets, and the next moment you feel like you are in Johannesburg CBD. How amazing could it be,” Gordon remarked.

One of the popular event at the establishment is the Friday Braai, which is between 11am and 2pm, and customers can see their meat being braaied on open fire in the garden of the restaurant. My team of two enjoyed dishes of tasty chicken and Boerevors served with rice and salad as a side dish. What a delicious meal that is reasonably priced right in the heart of suburbia.

Patio@10 Tyrwhitt is open Monday to Saturday for breakfast and lunch from 11am to 2pm..