Skyline of Johnnesburg at sunset from the Carlton Tower
HERMANN NIEBUHR
38, artist
A brisk walk through the Wilds, one of our oldest parks, would be followed by quiche, cappuccino and the Mail & Guardian at the Service Station café, tel: (27-11) 726 1701, in Melville. After perusing the galleries on Jan Smuts Avenue, I'd head to my studio in Fordsburg for some painting and eat lunch at Shayona, tel: (27-11) 837 2407 — the best vegetarian Indian food in town. I'd work for a few more hours, then call up some friends and go for calamari and prawns at the Troyeville Hotel, tel: (27-11) 402 7709, my scruffy, friendly local, specializing in Mozambican cuisine (there are always takers for this outing). Last, I'd take the M2 highway — the scenic route — circling the city with its lit-up skyscrapers and mine dumps back home to my apartment in Killarney.
PHAKAMA MBONAMBI
36, publisher and editor of Wordsetc, South Africa's leading literary magazine
I'd start off with breakfast in the lush garden of the Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton, tel: (27-11) 322 5000. Somehow the hotel has managed to retain its old charm amid the corporate skyscrapers. To soak up culture, I'd head for Rosebank and the Circa Gallery, tel: (27-11) 788 4805, an architecturally striking venue and part of the Everard Read Gallery, which showcases contemporary South African art. The next stop would be Museum Africa, tel: (27-11) 833 5624, at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown. For reading matter, I'd cross the square to Xarra Books, tel: (27-11) 832 3069, the only bookstore in the city that specializes in African books. For lunch, there's Canteen at Arts on Main, tel: (27) 83 3999 940, a newly established cultural oasis.
Sundowners are best on the terrace of the Westcliff Hotel, tel: (27-11) 481 6000, which overlooks the magnificent Johannesburg Zoo. Dinner would be at Sakhumzi Restaurant, tel: (27-11) 536 1379, on Vilakazi Street in Orlando West, Soweto. This popular eatery serves African cuisine on the only street in the world where two Nobel Prize laureates, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, once lived.
MNIKELO MANGCIPHU
49, co-founder, Soweto Wine Festival
When I'm not working, I prefer to spend my time enjoying Joburg's wide range of restaurants. I choose my favorite eateries based on the complete package: ambience, friendly staff, good food and a great bottle of wine.
I'd start the day at the Doppio Zero in Rosebank, tel: (27-11) 447 9538, where I'd order their spicy chicken livers, served with bacon and salad. For lunch, I'd drive to the Design Quarter in Fourways, which boasts a range of design shops and my favorite Greek restaurant, Mythos, tel: (27-11) 465 3468.
Dinner would be in Pretoria, about a 55-km drive away. The Adega Restaurant in Brooklyn, tel: (27-11) 460 7117, is part of a national chain. It serves Portuguese cuisine and is the perfect environment to enjoy a rib-eye steak and wine with friends and family.