A New Space
In a nutshell, owners Fabio and Ryan decided to open up space from the veranda leading in by moving the bar backwards. This has allowed Love Me So to turn the bar from a rally point for waiters into a place where patrons can sit at free standing tables or pull a seat up to the bar.
Food For Thought
The biggest change at Love Me So comes to the food menu. Fabio's approach was to physically shuffle the menu around and give diners the freedom to pick and choose and eventually build their own dishes that are perfect for sharing. This is the restaurant embracing its
izakaya foundation, leaning in Japanese and Korean pub food served tapas style. The char-grilled bok choy painted with chilli flakes and oil is an exciting example of what's in store for the new Love Me So menu. The flavour is so simple, pleasing and, dare we sound trite, umami.
The buck does not stop there, and not by a long shot. Adding a twist on tradition, the crew has added Korean style BBQ ribs served with lotus root crisps. The crisps themselves are quite intriguing. The taste and texture can be described with three words: light, fluffy and crispy. These can be ordered on the side, too. We recommend that you give them a try if you haven't had lotus root before - they make for awesome Instagram photos too!
Vegans will be pleased with the menu changes at Love Me So, with 22 vegan items spread across the board. The biggest change came in the form of a sides & sauces section being added. This acts as the glue between pairing dishes. Now diners can order items such as kimchi, pickled daikon (which makes for the perfect palate cleanser) and bibimbab (Korean rice with veggies), to name a few. Other new items include vegan corn kakiage tempura served with an in-house made sweet chilli dipping sauce and the inari sushi with a choice of salmon or crab.
Cocktail Time
One thing's for sure, Love Me So has always been the go-to for good cocktails. Zone in on the Signature section of Love Me So's booze menu. Just like the food menu, there are no wrong choices here. Smoked cocktails have become quite trendy in Joburg lately and we're loving it to bits, so give the Bain's smoked Old Fashioned or smoked Margarita a go. The Leopard & Lime takes a punt at whisky sours with added vanilla, which mellows out a quite tart drink.
As a side note, keep an eye on Love Me So's
Facebook page for their monthly
Wine Club events.
