I have always liked the idea of living in a lifestyle complex. Wembley Square is definitely one of the better ones. I don’t know anyone who lives there so I can’t ask them what it’s like to live there. But the idea appeals to me. Having a coffee shop (Vida) and a bakery (Knead) right there so you can grab a coffee and in the morning and some fresh bread when you get home. The gym (Virgin) is right there, so you can easily go in the morning and you don’t have to shower in the scary change rooms with all the weirdos. You can just go back upstairs and shower in your own apartment. Then there are restaurants (Salushi, Sinns, Crush) so you can pop downstairs for a meal if you don’t want to cook. Alternatively you can pop down to the deli (Sinns) for ingredients if you do feel like cooking. The cherry on top is the bar (Sinns) so you can go have a few drinks and don’t have to worry about how you’re going to get your car home. Sounds like a nice lifestyle to me. There must be some negatives (apart from the price, I think it’s pricey) so hopefully someone who lives there will comment about the negatives.
The other night I went to Sinns for dinner. They were running quite a good winter special, which has now changed to a not that good Spring special. That’s not the reason I went though, I was asked by a friend to meet her there. Sinns has pretty much taken over the one side of Wembley Square, with the restaurant, bar as well as the new deli. The deli is not bad, a fair selection of groceries as well as precooked meals. I bought some chorizo sausage.
We had a drink at the bar first. It’s always been remarkably smokey inside and it hasn’t changed. Even though there were only a few people there, and I was standing on the outer edge, it was smokey. I quite like the feel of the Wembley Square atrium, a closed but open space, unusual. The decor in both the bar and restaurant is quite funky with interesting furniture and unusual lights. The decor is not so unusual that you feel uncomfortable or distracted, but it is noticeable.
At the restaurant I decided to have the Spring special which is a choice of two dishes with a glass of the house red wine for R85. The choice was between chicken tikka curry or a pasta with mussels. I had the curry and it was actually very tasty with tender chicken (unlike the chicken tikka I had at Eastern Food Bazaar). The wine was Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon which was fine. My partner had the mushroom ravioli which was very good. She couldn’t finish it so I had a few mouthfuls and it was good. She washed it down with a glass of Buitenverwachting Buiten Blanc (R26).
I ended with a coffee and we left. A quick dinner, and nothing to complain about.
Sinns
Wembley Square, Gardens
Tel: 021 465 0967