The Dissapointing Return to YOLO

I'm not in the habit of posting negative reviews. , I prefer to write about food I like and enjoy. That's the great thing about not getting paid for my writing - I can write what I want. 

Today however I feel I have to moan about something. Not because the eating experience was bad in itself, but because a few days ago I was going on about how great it was, so my credibility is at stake here ;)

Those of you who follow my blog will remember that I visited YOLO Pizzeria recently and couldn't stop singing the praises of their mouthwatering pizzas.  On Friday night we went back to YOLO with friends from Germany who were staying at our AirtBnB cottage, expecting the same great taste experience.

Like the first time we went there the service was so-so. We'd booked a table, and when we arrived and wanted to sit down a half drunk woman was sitting at our table, clearly not having anything from the restaurant. Our table was outside and we had to do the "eviction” ourselves.  I must say that in Yolo's defense they would probably have done it if we asked, but it was an unsavoury start to our evening. 

I ordered the same pizza as before - the Pizza a l'OriTolana Port'Alba  on a sun dried tomato and rosemary crust. Disappointingly It didn't taste the same. The crust tasted like the standard crust. I asked the waitress to change it, but the cook was adamant he'd used the sun dried tomato and rosemary crust. So I ate the pizza very unenthusiastically and disappointed. 

It was still a good Pizza but not the best in town. I missed the flavour dimension that the sun dried tomato and rosemary crust added on my previous visit to YOLO.

Later on I saw the owner, Percy arriving and called him over. He replaced the pizza, and this time it was the real thing! 

I get the impression that Percy is the heart and soul of YOLO pizzeria and if he is not there the quality and service deteriorates and loses its edge.

Will I go again? The answer is definitely yes, the fist experience was so great that I will  give YOLO one more time to impress me. Mistakes happen, but watch out!

You only live once - Percy's back!

Remember Percy, chef and owner of Lapa Fo Pizzeria in Emmarentia? Like many foodie Jo'burgers we used to be regulars at Lapa Fo - this legendary pizza joint served what was simply the most scrumptious and tasty pizzas in town. And then, quite suddenly, Lapa Fo vanished - closed down!

Recently my hairdresser Stevan told me about this "fabulous new pizza place called YOLO, across from that expensive bottle store in Melville". (The things you hear at the hair salon...but that's another story!)
The other night we decided to give it a try and I'm happy to report that YOLO is the new king of connoisseur pizzas in Jo'burg.

We were merrily munching away on our meals, glad to have discovered a first class pizza place so close to our home, when a familiar face walked in... it was Percy from Lapa Fo! Well well, talk about a piece of the pizza puzzle falling into place. Yup, Percy owns YOLO, and believe me, the pizzas are as good as ever, maybe even better.

I spent a few minutes chatting to Percy, which was a real treat. I wish I had a video of our conversation. He buzzes with positive energy, and a smile never leaves his expressive face!

Percy telling me about his year of introspection

"I took a year off from the buzz of life," Percy said. "No cell phone!  Washed cars for a living and tried to just enjoy life without the daily time wasters and energy eating niggles such as news of Zuma's Nkandla fire pool and nasty Joburg taxis." He realised in this year that you only live once; he want to enjoy life and savour his "capuccino". After this year of introspection he opened YOLO - You Only Live Once - a place that, once again, serves his deIicious trade mark pizzas.

You can order your  Pizza delivery

What makes the pizzas special is the six varieties of crusts you can choose from. It ranges from black olive and whole wheat to sour dough, and if that is not enough variety for you, you can also choose the base - from a standard napoletana to mushroom pesto, hot chilli tomato and peppadew.

The cooks at YOLO

We were spoiled for choice with 21 pizza varieties to choose from, but in the end we settled for Pizza a l'OriTolana Port'Alba and Pizza Puttanesca Di Don Salvatore, both on a sun-dried tomato and rosemary crust.

Pizza Puttanesca Di Don Salvatore

The Oritolana was wonderfully fresh - something that makes Percy's pizzas so special - with an abundance of avocado on top of red and green peppers, olives, onions, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, brinjals, baby marrow and mushroom.

The Puttanesca was packed with flavour and if you love anchovies on your pizza, go for this one. There was just enough anchovies, too many of those and the pizza's too salty. The crust was crispy, light and yummy.
Apart from pizzas YOLO also offer a small variety salads and paninis.
The price for a medium pizza that is a more than a decent helping for one person, vary from R51 - R83, and the specialized crust and base (sauce)  is R5 - R8 extra. They also have a variety of vegetarian pizza options included in the list.
YOLO is awaiting it's liquor licence.

The service is so-so, but the wonderful pizza fare make up for that, and when Percy's in the room, his infectious energy lights up the room.

Make sure you you get a Yolo pizza soon - you only live once!

Hours: daily 10h00 - 22h00
27th street Melville
Tel 0114827016
www.yolopizza.co.za

See my latest post on YOLO

We Discover a New Taste

A while ago we had two guests from Germany, Claudia and Jo staying with us in our AirBnB cottage. From the moment they arrived we clicked and in a short time we became friends, hanging out in our kitchen till late at night. 

They introduced us to a taste we’d never thought would work. Ever heard of a gherkin and peanut butter sandwich?

They probably saw my hesitation despite their enthusiasm, so the next day they arrived in our kitchen with the ingredients. I remained sceptical and tried to delay the moment of truth by offering them some tea. But they were determined not to get sidetracked and decided to make the sandwich themselves.

So I had no choice but to try this odd concoction. The different textures of the gherkin and the peanut butter was an unexpected surprise  and was quite palatable. Interestingly enough the gherkin become sweet on the peanut butter, tasting more like the well-known marmalade and peanut butter combination.

Claudia & Jo

Try it next time when you want to taste something a little different on your bread or rice cake!

Whenever we make a gherkin and peanut butter sandwich again, we’ll be thinking of our dear friends in faraway Germany...