Salaams Guys!!!

Hope you are all doing well!  Finally tried RocoMama's! Home of the original smashburgers!  ... 

Going to Melrose Arch has never really been high on our agenda. So visiting it twice on one weekend has to say something! 

We rocked up on Saturday at Melrose Arch to eat at RocoMama's... Ridiculously hungry after all the errands... We saw the long queue,  and left to eat elsewhere.... But we promised to visit again some other time. We just didn't think it would be the very next day.  Our family wanted to try Rocos too. So we joined them.

We got there around lunch time.. after 1pm... The atmosphere electric! Most of the customers were Muslim (ofcourse) ,  and the whole place was a buzz! 

The queue was there again.. But there was a guy with a clipboard in hand, taking names of those in wait, so he could secure their tables, and then call out for them when it was ready. We were told an hour long wait, so we put our names on the list, met with our family and went shopping for just under an hour. 

When we got back,  the guy was yelling Abdool Khader! Shot my hand up,  and we were seated outside at a cozy corner picnic bench and table... Just after the manager and clipboard guy (teehee), told us that we were lucky we got back in time as we would have lost our seats and had to wait again.

Next we were handed our drinks menu in the form of a wooden placemat.. Then several pads with preprinted menus and checkboxes with pens. It felt like being handed a pop quiz. "Oh RocoMama's Why can't you just take my order like a normal restaurant or cafe?" At that point I spotted a slogan on the waiters t shirt... We are not normal!... Yes,  I suppose,  that answered my question.. Lol.. In any case I loved the uniqueness, was fun going through the menu. 

I ordered a 150g beef Macon,  cheese and guacamole smashburger. I love avos..I'm going to say this out loud and clear... That was the best burger I ever had! With it I ordered a death by chocolate freak shake... was absolutely delicious.. I am notorious for not finishing my burgers,  but I wolfed this one down..I'd just make one suggestion to Rocos.. Please swop the mini chomp chocolate in your death by chocolate shake with a flake or a Lindt for freak shake! 

Family members ordered wings and burgers too. I definitely suggest you guys call in advance and book a table if possible before you rock up..You have to try RocoMama's if you are a fan of burgers, wings,  ribs and chips.. Their chillie cheese fries are awesome! See below.. 

Wherever you go... Life's always better with the right company! Salaams.. 

Xoxo

Stylexplora 

Following me on Instagram?...then you know I have wanted to visit the "Industry Bakery " for a while now...

I wasn't given much to go on..except the excitement and hype that Muslim Joburgers get when they discover a new Halaal eatery (which trust me can be quite overwhelming...lol). So my family and I decided to check it out...

Travelling from Fourways to the Industry Bakery (at 143 Barry Hertzog Ave, Emmarentia, Johannesburg) in the heat...I cranked up the aircon and read out the reviews online via zomato to my hubby...we wern't too impressed with some of the comments. So why did we go anyway?

The Industry Bakery's reply to these comments were reassuring, offering refunds to dissatisfied customers and they handled poor criticism with care. The other comments were in fact glowing reviews and definitely more in line with my own experience.

Every startup will have a few creases that need ironing out and the Industry Bakery from the reviews was no exception. What sets them apart is their willingness to right wrongs, improve on weaknesses and most importantly to action them.

Imagine this scene...you park across the narrow road from the Industry Bakery (If you are lucky enough..avoid peek times), kids in tow and greeted by their chalkboard notice on the sidewalk with their specials in bold writing, you proceed to enter.

The bakery lights are switched off, but there is sufficient daylight streaming through the large entrance and ceiling to floor windows. You are warmly greeted and ushered to your seating by a smiling waitress (brownie points! more on brownies a little later).

The decor screams urban with pallet style tables reminiscent of picnics with stools and benches to accompany them. The walls are unpainted, with an adjacent chalkboard painted wall and cement floors. A shelf filled with books that even I would love to read, and all sorts of niknaks rests against the unplastered wall and a string holding up interesting pictures of people places and experiences...The mood is clearly relaxed, casual and a place for interesting conversations...

Waitress was really sweet and handed my kids chalk to draw on the wall... there's even a place to leave notes...

Fresh pastries and bakes

      Industry Bakery staff and Management.

Let's get to the important stuff, shall we?

The Food!

I ordered a nachos burger, the Hubs ordered a steak burger with chips and the kiddos got a beef burger. We were somewhat fussy, no veges in hubs burger, 1 burger split in 2 for the kids, the same for the milkshake (they waste everytime! So 1 did it for them)

The size of the burger for me was more than sufficient....and hubby is out on that one. The price is high for a burger that size but it more than made up in taste for me.

The patty wasn't your overly processed, have no clue what else they stuffed in there kind of patty...it was real and wholesome!
Hubs thought so too..he loved the milkshake...and recommends the bubblegum and marshmallow because "it actually tastes like bubblegum and marshmallow"....lol.. I swear I felt I was sitting next to his 5yr old version at that moment...Love you hun!

I skipped the chips, and milkshake, I was doing enough damage having a burger so I stole a sip and few chips from Zak. The chips were also delicious...I have to say..I'm a Mochachos chip fan..and these chips were on a level of its own too! No greasy limp fries here!

Zak suggested dessert, but as usual I was stuffed from the main meal and we had too much cake at home as well..so we ordered just a few to go. I was curious about the banting brownie, it was as great as a banting brownie could be I guess. The cakes and pastries all looked lovely and my son devoured his pistachio macaroon in 10 secs flat!  So definitely worth another visit just to taste the bakes ( who goes to a bakery and doesn't order the cakes..seriously! no regrets like the stuff you didn't buy..lol)

Altogether a great experience, definitely worth a try!

Let me know what you thought;)

xoxo

STYLEXPLORA