Portuguese Steak w/Fried Egg
Johannesburg, known also as Jo’burg, is the largest city in South Africa, and since 1994 it again includes Soweto, the settlements that the apartheid regime had separated from the city. Along with Capetown, Jo’burg is also one of the ten cities that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be held in during June.
Johannesburg is not the typical tourist destination in South Africa compared to Capetown but it has its attractions like the impressive zoo. The Johannesburg Zoo and the surrounding Zoo Lake park area are one of few public areas never segregated during Apartheid in South Africa. Besides being a place where people from all backgrounds can openly be together, it is home to a rare pub food find, the Zoo Lake Bowling Club.
Surrounded by more expensive choices, and the sounds of elephants, lions and giraffes, Zoo Lake Bowling Club is my favorite kind of place. It’s very laid back and looks as if the owners spend all their money on the food rather than the decor. However what you get is great value and savory dishes like bangers and mash.
Given the history of difficult cultures in the area, the Portuguese steak (a sirloin with a fried egg on top) is supposed to be worth a try and it’s served with hot and crispy chips (french fries). We love finding inexpensive real home cooking when we travel, sort of like eating macaroni salad and two scoops of rice in Hawaii.
There are lots of outdoor tables bordering the bowling greens so you can enjoy the sunshine and the lawn matches as you eat. You probably can also hear the animals roaring from the zoo nearby. The pub is attached to the bowling club’s bar which keeps the atmosphere much more casual than the fancier restaurants found in hotels like The Westcliff Hotel across the pond, the duck pond that is.
Princes of Wales Drive
Zoo Lake, Parkview
Johannesburg, South Africa
Tel: + 011 646-8734
Lunch & dinner daily
Photo courtesy of Eat Out