ONE OF MY FAVOURITES CLOSING DOWN

[SandyB]

Got  the news in this week that one of my favourite eateries ,,,  Greek in little Mowbray  is shutting down on the 23rd .. They opened up in  2002 .. I still remember so well John came home one day and  said he saw a new  restaurant open ,, we  went there  and  it became a firm favourite ,,  simple  unpretentious decor ,,, melamine topped tables ,, simple metal chairs ,, a plain sealed  concrete floor ,, lots of blue and white  in the  vein of  Greece ... an open  airy feeling , with windows facing onto the   street  ..  our favourite spot . at night  taking on a simple  cosy  feeling with  candles flickering  ,  on  balmy summer days  a perfect  place  for those lazy  hazy sunday brunches  with lots of chilled white  wine ,, in the winter  never feeling clausterphobic  as one felt as though one was  on an enclosed balcony ,,, 
The food  simple good  greek style  with some fusion  as well  ,,,
A place  of many good  memories  with good  company  over the years ...
I decided to last night bid my farewell  , Paul and I went there  ,  had one of our favourites  the  lamb cutlets grilled to perfection with  roast veg and salad ,,,  rounded the evening off with  a couple of rounds of Ouzo   raising our  glasses   in  honour of  this  " friend " of many years ...
We  chatted  to  our one waiter of many years  asking  what would be happening and why the place was closing ,,, turns out the owner  has two other  restaurants as well  ( one recently opened )  decided  he was  overextending  his  interests and losing focus hence   concentrating on the most profitable , sadly Greek was the casualty ,,
The good news is that  the  reopening a new  place in about a months time  has retained all the staff  ...  we were  shown a sneak at the new  menu .. a bit of a mix  but with a couple of  the old   included .. so  we wait and see ,, we asked for a menu as memento   ...  I attach pics ...

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

It is quite a sad feeling when something like that happens.  Funny how one can get attached to a place for different reasons  -  good company, good food, good moments ...  and it truly feels like you're losing a 'friend' in some way when such a place closes.  Many years ago in Windhoek there was also this little restaurant that served such good food and also made real 'boerekos' take away lunches.  When they closed their doors I though I was going to die of hunger, because eating there always reminded me of my mothers food.

Just glad that the staff will not be layed off.