The Mess

The Mess is a pop-up restaurant in Juta St, Braamfontein – good food with a twist of attitude, served on a corner in downtown Joburg, basically.

It’s open every Thursday or Friday, or something like that. Kinda informal. I booked there last Thursday, and it’s a pretty unique experience.

Everyone, friends and strangers alike, share one long table seating about 20, and the chef sets up with some gas bottles and a hob, and whips up some great food. On the night I was there, we had a Spanish rabbit stew, some veal limone, a very tasty goat’s cheese and cabbage salad, and a delicious trout dish, all served on big platters that you pass around. And there were probably a lot more courses, but in an environment where it’s freezing cold, and you bring your own wine, things tend to get a little hazy.

The food is an attraction, but even more enticing is the fact that you’re sitting on a street corner in a relatively deserted city, an oasis of good cheer and quirky service. Mess is a collaboration between a friendly Kathryn White, who joins you at the table to eat (or at least did so on the night I was there), and chef-for-a-night Jonathan Cane. Eating there is an experience I’d heartily recommend, with one caveat – don’t go if you have a fear of lung cancer.

What is it with Joburgers and their cigarettes? I knew it was going to be a trying evening when the chef detailed the menu while holding a cigarette. By the second course, I couldn’t breath, and my tastebuds were severely compromised. If you’re the sort of fuckwit who goes to cool restaurants so that you can pose with a cigarette, can’t you stick to Hooters?

So while I urge you to book at The Mess, for an evening that’ll live in your memory for a long time, I’d also suggest that you try and specify an non-smoking event, so that you actually have a long time to remember it.

(Reservations: Kate 083 778 5303 & welovemess@gmail.com. R200 a head. The Mess.

1. 

   stuart Robertson says:

   July 20, 2010 at 2:49 pm

   you guys need a proper smoking ban like we have in the UK, one of the few good things the government ever did.
2. 

   Chris says:

   July 20, 2010 at 2:53 pm

   We do have a proper smoking ban, and we did it years before the UK. But this is a private party, so it’s basically do whatever the host says. So when you pay, it’s R200 in a hat, and it’s a donation.
3. 

   stuart Robertson says:

   July 20, 2010 at 3:11 pm

   Great concept and pretty cheap too.So sad about the smoking bit though. I now base my annual holidays on where there is a smoking ban, so maybe i’ll have to put SA on the list.
4. 

   Nick says:

   July 29, 2010 at 9:08 am

   Chris, it sounds different, but I’d rather not eat off a plate being passed around. Anti-smoking Nazis piss me off at the best of times, but I don’t know if I’d be cool with a room full of smoke while I sample spanish rabbits.
5. 

   Chris says:

   August 1, 2010 at 6:35 pm

   nah, it sucks. pointless.