#ChickenWingChallenge: KFC Zinger Wings

We are currently on the hunt for Joburg’s best chicken wings. Follow our #chickenwingchallenge posts to find what’s worth the finger licking and the wings worth avoiding.

Got a favourite we haven’t tried yet? Let us know in the comments.

Meet the hungry people:

Jess
The Fussy Eater
Eats chicken wings like a lady, dabbing the corners of her mouth as she goes, prefers flavour over fire and mistrusts menu descriptions.
Tyron
Chicken Wing Expert
Has an appetite for chicken wings that would put Molly Schuyler to shame. Likes them hot and spicy like his woman. Must be served with beer.

The Verdict:

Where: KFC

What: 8 Hot Zinger Wings

Cost: R28.90

Cooking Method: Deep Fried

Jess says: The KFC wings had quite a lot of meat on them, they were spicy, and the heat was more pronounced after you were finished eating them. The coating was crispy and a bit greasy at the same time. The wings are very well priced when compared to other establishments.

Tyron says: Nice and spicy, the outside was crunchy and the inside was still moist. These wings are great value for money, but if you eat too many you get a sore stomach.

Worth it?: Yes, meaty and affordable and a favourite with many. A tad bit too greasy, but thats to be expected from the deep frying.

July in a Nutshell

Restaurants I tried

I love trying out new restaurants, so when one pops up in my neighbourhood, I will keep mentioning it to the boyfriend until we go. Mo-zo’s Fast Food has recently opened in Randpark Ridge. They offer a great take-away selection from their parent company Mo-zam-bik (read my review here) which is located at the same centre. We ordered the chicken for girls (a half chicken that has been deboned, which makes it so much easier to eat), the trinchado (tasty beef pieces in an amazing wine and garlic sauce), and a large chips (their large chips are LARGE, way too many for 2 people). If you feel like some Mozambiqian food to eat at home, pop over to Trinity Village on Knoppiesdoring Street.

If you would prefer a little Italian in your life (who wouldn’t), Casalotti’s has just opened their 5^th branch in Northcliff at L’Corro Shopping Centre (On the corner of Bagley Terrace & Weltevreden Road). They make wood fired, thin crust pizzas (and offer bacon as a topping – hallelujah). Opt for the sourdough crust (It’s amazing, the dough is left to prove overnight to give it a more yeasty flavour) and pick up some of The Counter’s mouth-watering brownies and fudge for dessert. A large pizza costs about R80, and they also have mini pizzas for the not so hungry.

If take-out seems too pleb for you, book a table at Central One restaurant at the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel. Their fine dining dinner selection will leave your taste buds dancing, and your date will certainly be impressed. Try the Carpaccio for starters and make sure you leave room for dessert. I had the opportunity to sample a menu they created for a competition – you can read all about it here.

Products I love

How absolutely adorable are these Animal Parade Spice Shakers? Continue reading →

7 reasons to visit the Coffee and Chocolate Expo this year

The Coffee and Chocolate Expo has returned this year, and after its dismal début last year, I visited with very low expectations. The organisers must have listened to the numerous complaints, because they have returned with a bigger and better show this year. With 4 giant tents housing a number of different exhibitors, here are my 7 reasons why you should give the Chocolate and Coffee Expo at Monte Casino a visit.

7. The Coffee

As a non-coffee drinker, I’m probably not qualified to comment on this, but there were a fair number of coffee stands selling everything from beans to grounds, to a fresh cuppa joe. Fairtrade coffee beans seem to be the new hipster social cause, and for the people who want to relive a Jack Nicholson moment from the Bucket List, there is even a stand selling Kopi Luwak coffee (coffee made from the beans that a civet cat has eaten and, uhm, well defecated for your enjoyment?!) If you are in the market for a new coffee machine, there are plenty of different types on display, and if you tweet @MONTECASINOZA and @Coffeechocexpo with a selfie of you at the Expo (using the hashtag #coffeechocselfie) you stand the chance to win one.

6. The Chocolate

Artisan, handmade, homemade, sugar free, dairy free, big, small, shaped like shoes, moulded into bars, steaming in a cup – the types of chocolate on display will even have the non sweet tooth looking for their next fix. I bought 3 giant slabs from Chocola J – a dark chocolate flavoured with lemon and pepper, a milk chocolate dotted with hazelnuts and a white chocolate covered in pistachios. There are also numerous baked goods featuring chocolate of some kind (think cupcakes, pancakes, croissants and macaroons)

5. The Shopping

It’s lucky that this expo is being hosted at Monte Casino, as you won’t find it difficult to find an ATM. Although some vendors do accept credit cards, there are a large number who only take cash. Besides for all the chocolate and coffee goodies on display, you can also buy things like fudge, toffees, ice cream and sweets. The Body Shop also has a stand, selling all their chocolate scented products (and all the prices are marked down – chocolate lip balm for R30, ok if you insist)

Image shamelessly stolen from the Coffee and Chocolate Expo Facebook Page #sorrynotsorry

4. The Beer

They have beer on tap, including a Chocolate and Espresso Flavoured Ale.

3. The Cellphone Charging Station

Solar powered with connections for all phones, a very popular hangout towards the end of the day, when you are sitting at 2% battery power with a selfie that NEEDS to be tweeted.

2. An Almost Free Burrito

If you are looking for some lunch or dinner, head on over to the 5 Star Chef food truck. They are selling Burritos with either a chicken mole (a rich chocolate, nut and chili sauce), beef brisket or bean filling. If you want an almost free burrito, sign up with the Snap Scan app, and use the promo code written next to the Snap Scan sign on the truck. You will get R50 credit and since the burritos cost R60 – it’s practically free. If Mexican ain’t your thing, there is also a stand selling burgers and another one with pizza (including a chocolate and marshmallow one)

1. The Chocolate Kebab

The number one reason to visit the Coffee and Chocolate Expo this year is the Chocolate Kebab stand. A pancake filled with melted nutella, fresh cream, nuts and fruit and shavings from a giant chocolate kebab. It’s a ridiculous novelty, but it made me so happy. Apparently they also have a store at Clearwater under the escalators. Watch the video below to see the amazingness.

Tickets to the expo cost R95 (R60 for the lighties, free for the toddlers) and you can visit from 18 to 20 July. You can buy tickets from Computicket and at the door.

Disclaimer: I attended the expo as a guest of Monte Casino. All views expressed are my own.

Central One Restaurant at Radisson Blu Gautrain {Review}

In the middle of Sandton, amongst the giant skyscrapers that have suddenly spurted up from the rubble, you can find the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel. Being a convenient 55 steps from the Sandton Gautrain station, this hotel is slap bang in the middle of one of the busiest cities in South Africa. From the camera wielding tourists to the business people with their eyes glued to their smartphones, as well as the groups of friends looking for somewhere nice to have a meal, the Central One restaurant at Radisson Blu is conveniently located and offers a small range of delicious meals. They have daily specials for the lunch time crowd, as well as drink specials on a Friday.

The team at Central One was invited to participate in this years Inter Cape Chef Challenge Competition. 21 hotels from Gauteng, KZN and the Western Cape were given the brief to create a 3 course meal featuring pork paired with wines from various wine farms. Each region competed internally, and then the top hotel from each region was invited to compete in Cape Town. Chef Zwelithini Tshuma from Central One at the Radisson Blu Gautrain, was the finalist from Gauteng, beating chefs from Level 4 at 54 on bath, the Michelangelo, Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton and Southern Sun Hyde Park.

I, along with some other Johannesburg Food Bloggers got to sample the meal that was created for the Inter Cape Chef Challenge paired with wines from Plaisir de Merle. The meal was amazing, and I have a strong feeling that Chef Zwelithini has a good chance of winning the competition. The finals will be held on the 25^th of July at the Mount Nelson In Cape Town. Continue reading →

Level 4 at 54 on Bath {Restaurant Review}

Fancy hotel restaurants always seem out of reach to me. In my mind, they are places where the rich and famous dine, out of the scrutiny of the public eye. I’m slowly learning, through a number of exciting opportunities that I have received as a result of this blog, that the general public is warmly welcomed into a multitude of these upper class establishments.

Level 4, the restaurant at the gorgeous boutique hotel 54 on Bath, is one of those places that I have wanted to try, but didn’t really know if I could. I was fortunate to be invited to a Zomato Foodie evening, hosted by Level 4, and I will definitely be returning with some friends in tow for a fancy dinner in the middle of Rosebank.

Zomato is a restaurant review site that I have used on a weekly basis since they launched in Johannesburg about a year ago. I mainly make use of their app, as it can use your phone’s GPS to locate restaurants close by. You can view information about restaurants like opening hours, average cost for 2 and contact numbers, as well as view the menu and read other diners experiences at each restaurant. It’s pretty awesome, and they have a presence in a number of cities throughout South Africa, as well as the rest of the world.

After parking in the basement at 54 on Bath, I got hopelessly lost trying to find the restaurant. The door I went through led to an empty reception area, and the lift didn’t go to level 4. I was the awkward dork, wandering around this seemingly deserted hotel. Then, being the genius that I am, I finally saw a golden sign, lettered with the words “RECEPTION” and an arrow that would lead me back to population.

Eureka! I silently followed a couple (like a creepy third wheel stalker), who I heard enquire about the restaurant at reception. Climbing into the elevator like I meant business, I anxiously waited for it to reach the 4^th floor. I am probably the most awkward person in the history of blogger events. Social skills are not my forte (my nursery school teacher will attest to that) and my small talk ability probably resemble that of an angered possum, screeching out one word answers when someone asks me a question. Sorry other people. Continue reading →

World Baking Day: Simple Chocolate Cookies

World Baking Day – how fantastic is it, that the whole world gets to participate in an event that can bring so much joy to everyone? I love baking, I always have and always will. Imagine my excitement, when the folks over at Stork contacted me, and asked me to be a part of their World Baking Day campaign by signing my very own #pledgeToBake over on www.pledgetobake.co.za. I signed up, pledging to bake for my friend Brad.

Continue reading →

#ChickenWingChallenge: Nando’s

We are currently on the hunt for Joburg’s best chicken wings. Follow our #chickenwingchallenge posts to find what’s worth the finger licking and the wings worth avoiding.

Got a favourite we haven’t tried yet? Let us know in the comments.

Meet the hungry people:

Jess
The Fussy Eater
Eats chicken wings like a lady, dabbing the corners of her mouth as she goes, prefers flavour over fire and mistrusts menu descriptions.
Tyron
Chicken Wing Expert
Has an appetite for chicken wings that would put Molly Schuyler to shame. Likes them hot and spicy like his woman. Must be served with beer.

Nandos chicken wings

The Verdict:

Where: Nando’s

What: 5 Full Wings with Chips (Lemon and Herb)

Cost: R58.90

Cooking Method: Flame grilled, then coated with extra sauce

Service: Quick and Friendly

She says: I’ve been eating at Nando’s since they opened their first restaurant in Rosettenville. I have, however, never ordered the chicken wings off their menu, opting either for a ¼ chicken or full chicken to share, or a burger or wrap instead. Going forward, I won’t be ordering chicken wings ever again. I was disappointed, the meat of the wings was dry and the skin was still flobby. Although we had ordered lemon and herb, I’m sure they coated them in mild sauce, which is fine with me, but may present some problems with people who can’t handle any heat. Also for 60 bucks, you are better off ordering a half chicken and chips, which would be much better value for your money.

He says: These wings were nothing to write home about. If I had to rate them, I would give them a 4.5 out of 10. The Woolies’ wings we tried were infinitely better, I wouldn’t order these again.

Worth it: Nope. Stick to your trusted favourites at Nando’s. They should consider removing the wings from the menu.

Homemade Chocolate Malt Balls: A short film

Watch out Steven Spielberg, there is a new film maker on the block. She is armed with an iPhone, and unsteady hand and the iMovie app and she is ready to make 15 second instagram videos, like nobodies business.

This video is just to demonstrate how ridiculously easy it is to make homemade chuckles (Maltesers/Whoppers) at home.

15 seconds of pure cinematographic magic:

Recipe can be found here. Go forth and make malt magic.

Samsung NX30 Smart Camera

Graffiti I recently had a fantastic opportunity to explore Johannesburg, thanks to the folks over at Samsung. They wanted to give a couple of people a hands on experience with the new Samsung NX30 Smart Camera, so they piled us on one of those awesome red sight seeing buses and took us to 3 different locations around the city of Johannesburg.

The idea was, that we would make use of some of the amazing features on the camera, to capture a couple of pictures, which hopefully, were beautiful enough to share. I’m used to taking pictures of food in very specific settings, where I (sort of) know what settings on my DSLR work best to get the pictures that I want. Food doesn’t move unless you want it to, which makes it a lovely subject to work with. Continue reading →

Homemade Chuckles (Maltesers/Whoppers)

Hi, I’m Jessica, and I have a chocolate coated malted milk ball addiction. In South Africa, these addictive morsels of happiness are known as Chuckles (If you are buying them from Woolworths) or Whispers (if you are buying the Cadbury brand). Elsewhere they are known as Maltesers or Whoppers. You could call them Steves for all I care, as long as that milk chocolate coating gives way to a crunchy malty centre, then I’m good. In fact, I’m more than good, I’m in heaven.

So taking my slight addiction to Chuckles into consideration, I figured I would attempt to recreate them at home. Continue reading →

JessKa's Kitchen

A blog about food.

#ChickenWingChallenge: KFC Zinger Wings

Meet the hungry people:

Jess

The Fussy Eater

Tyron

Chicken Wing Expert

The Verdict:

July in a Nutshell

Restaurants I tried

Products I love

7 reasons to visit the Coffee and Chocolate Expo this year

7. The Coffee

6. The Chocolate

5. The Shopping

4. The Beer

3. The Cellphone Charging Station

2. An Almost Free Burrito

1. The Chocolate Kebab

Central One Restaurant at Radisson Blu Gautrain {Review}

Level 4 at 54 on Bath {Restaurant Review}

World Baking Day: Simple Chocolate Cookies

#ChickenWingChallenge: Nando’s

Meet the hungry people:

Jess

The Fussy Eater

Tyron

Chicken Wing Expert

Homemade Chocolate Malt Balls: A short film

Recipe can be found here. Go forth and make malt magic.

Samsung NX30 Smart Camera

Homemade Chuckles (Maltesers/Whoppers)