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one tequila, two tequila, three
tequila, four ...
Picassos is the hood’s newest eatery and we popped in for a visit. A MEXICAN restaurant, an ITALIAN name, inspired by a cafe in GREECE, belonging to a GREEK gentleman and his CANADIAN wife, opened by a SOUTH AFRICAN couple, located in the BAGHDAD Centre in the middle of WHITE RIVER. Now that’s a melting pot of cultures! John and Lyn Davis introduced the new dining spot to our hood late last year and it’s loosely based on their favourite restaurant in NAXOS, GREECE. The Italian name was the restaurant’s previous calling card and due to the prolonged time it takes to change signs in GREECE, the name stuck and a MEXICAN diner with an ITALIAN name was born and that’s the end of that story.
More importantly, Picassos offers soon-to-be legendary lime margaritas and sparkling wine sangria – dangerous stuff but seriously delicious. And a lunch can easily become a supper in this casual and very comfortable space. You have been warned. We munched on tacos with homemade chorizo, quesadillas with chicken filling and Chimichangas with chili con carne. Sides of refried beans, sour cream, salsa and guacamole rounded it off. On the drinking side, there is a host of craft beers from the SABIE Brewery available, Naked MEXICAN Beer (say no more), ITA, which is a beer made in tequila vats and of course the prerequisite buckets of iced Corona. An inherited pizza oven means that these are on offer too – try the Gorgonzola, onion marmalade and rocket! The décor is MEDITERRANEAN meets MEXICAN meets WHITE RIVER. The space is open and airy and dotted with cactus trees and geckos. Chairs from Amatuli Artefacts in JOBURG, palette sofas from Timba Garden Products in the LOWVELD and handmade baskets from MOZAMBIQUE complete the look and the international vibe. There is also a kids’ area, which is set to expand.
Bottle sparkling wine
Can Sprite
2 cinnamon sticks Chopped apples and strawberries 1 1⁄2 tot gin
1 1⁄2 tot vodka
1 1⁄2 tot triple sec
Pulp of fresh granadilla
EAT
pizza perfect
LemonTreez, younger cousin and neighbour of the popular GumTreez pub, offers a variety of unique and lip-smacking pizza topping combinations. Have you tried Greg’s Meaty Chili Concoction? Think pepperoni, peppered salami, bacon, ham, chopped chili, fresh tomato, garlic, onion, green pepper, cheddar and mozzarella on a thin, hand rolled crispy base and a homemade tomato base sauce. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, what about the Pepper Fillet pizza with a creamy homemade pepper sauce and the seriously packed Vegetarian? We suggest pushing back the New Year resolutions to the end of February and tucking into a signature pizza. All LemonTreez’ pizzas are made in wood fired ovens, they offer deliveries and can even be ordered at GumTreez. (013) 751 3166.
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