The Perfect Dinner - The Attic (Parkhurst, Johannesburg)

On January 21st of this year, I had the perfect dinner. It was my good friend Martin’s last night in Johannesburg, as he was preparing to go back home to Berlin. We decided to celebrate at one of my favorite restaurants in the city in a posh area called Parkhurst. It was becoming late as we waited for other people to arrive, and my stomach was growling at me. So I decided to be rude and ordered my food.

It was a proper three-course meal. For my starter, I ordered the Salad of Summer Beans, which was an extraordinary combination of tomato confit, fromage frais, and frissee, as shown above. It was an excellent choice, but I remember being vacillating between this and the Grilled Goat’s Cheese Salad. However, I think I made the right decision. Other starters (not pictured) that were ordered by the table included the Crab and Prawn Tian, which consisted of avocado puree, lemon oil, soft boiled quails egg and asparagus, as well as the Peking Duck, Ginger, and Hoison Spring Rolls. We were all just astonished at how each appetizer was just so delicious. But we hadn’t even gotten to the best part.

For my main course, I ordered the Fettucine, which was flavored with char-grilled artichokes, asparagus, semi-dried tomato, basil, and goat’s cheese. This dish is depicted in the above picture (behind), while my friend Munib ordered the Crab Fettuccine (above picture, in front), which included coriander, chili, and lime. I felt like I was in heaven. The fettuccine just melted on my tongue, as the different flavors swirled around creating a gastronomic ecstasy my mouth had never experienced. Still not done.

As we looked over the dessert menu, Munib mentioned that he had never in his life eaten crème brulée. He’s from Australia, so I don’t really blame him. So I decided that I would take his crème brulée virginity, and oh, is he hooked. We decided to share the Crème Brulée (shown above), which came in three different flavors: naartjie (orange), cranberry, and chamomile. This topped off the perfect dinner.

The Attic is found on 24 4th Avenue in Parkhurst, Johannesburg. Pricing at The Attic (and in Parkhurst, in general) is a bit higher than other parts of town. At R7.3 to the US dollar, the average 3-course meal ranges from R145-R220 ($20 - $30) per person, not including wine or drinks.