Pappas on the Square...A highly recommended evening of culinary delight

Salamu

My Niggas!

It’s not often that I write about restaurants as up until now I have never really been to one that has been stand out enough in every department to warrant free publicity. However, this weekend Pappas on the Square really hit the mark in every department.

The restaurant is situated in Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton and if one was to procure a table by the window you would be able to sit out and overlook the hustle and bustle of what has become one of Johannesburg’s best meeting places and culinary locales.

It was here that I decided to take my girlfriend for a belated Valentine’s Day dinner.

A well prepared Lamb Shank should fall off the bone

Pappas offers Greek cuisine of the finest quality. I have a real soft spot for Greek cuisine as it is strikingly similar to cuisine from my people… the Lebanese.  

A good evening has to start with a good waiter. This is non-negotiable as nothing is more annoying than terrible service. A good waiter needs to greet you with a smile, a good knowledge of his menu and common sense enough to not be over bearing. He needs to take your order and crack suitable jokes throughout the evening at appropriate times. We were served by a gentleman named Blackie who was perfect in every sense of the word.

The next important aspect is the food. There has to be a wide selection of food to choose from which is of the finest quality and prepared to perfection. Greek cuisine is known for its rich flavors which engulfs your senses and encourages your anticipation with every bite. A highly recommended meal at Papas is the kleftiko. I am known to be a fan of the lamb, and a well prepared lamb shank is a sure way to put you in my good books. The portion looked like it came from a sheep rather than a lamb but the taste was far from it. The meat was falling off the bone and was dripping with the flavorsome goodness that only the Greeks can capture. My girlfriend had a trout which was also fresh and well prepared.

Adding beauty to a classy joint

What rounds off the evening well at Papas is that the décor inside the restaurant is minimalistic in that it doesn’t distract you. The managers are attentive to your every need and one of the biggest features of the restaurant is that the music is soft and ambient rather than loud and abrasive. Let’s be honest…you would prefer to talk to your date in a dulcet tone rather than scream at her. Yes the music does get turned up when the belly dancers come on and the Greeks lose their shit enough to break plates. But I never said I was a prude and didn’t appreciate a good plate throwing session.

Pappas on the Square comes highly recommended in my books. It is a good evening out with freshly prepared food, good service and an awesome atmosphere, a place truly worthy of this post. If you are at a loose end of where to go this weekend… go to the square… A little bit of Greece is waiting to enchant you.

Till next time my Niggas!

Mei jua daima kuwa kabla yenu, na vivuli nyuma yako!