The Oak Leaf Restaurant

I was recently asked to visit and review the new Oak Leaf Restaurant in Sandton.

So I arranged my party there on Saturday and we had such a lovely time.

“The Oak Leaf Country Restaurant offers a tranquil family dining experience in the heart of Sandton. A supervised outdoor children’s playing area with a diverse range of activities to keep the kids occupied and allows parents the space to relax and enjoy a delicious meal.”

This pretty much sums up the restaurant. It is about 2 minutes from Sandton but it feels so far away from the hustle and bustle that is Sandton. The outside area is set under huge oak trees and the many oak leaves that float down onto the tables make it clear why they chose to name it The Oak Leaf.

There was some tension when we arrived, mainly because my friends like to drink and the restaurant doesn’t have it’s liquor licence yet BUT they do allow you to bring your own and do not ask corkage so we dispatched David and his mate to the bottle store. So problem solved.

Probably the best part about the venue for me was the kids play ground equipped with 2 baby sitters and prams. One minute Jack was cruising around the table and the next he was busy playing in the play area – SCORE! The play area is situated in such a way that you can see it from wherever you sit outside.

I was a little nervous about what Cameron would do as there was not a video game in sight but within no time he had partnered up with Josh and together they ran wild and had so much fun. Cameron told me about 5 times what a nice place it was. It is rather challenging to find a place that all 3 kids can enjoy because of the age difference and they are all so different. But each of them had a great time.

For mom’s who are nursing or have babies their is private changing and feeding room AND there is a fathers room where dad’s can change baby or take their daughter’s to the loo – I thought this was very cool.

The menu is nice and varied and very reasonable especially for it’s location. The kids meals ranged between R25-R29 and were nice portion sizes. The main meals averaged around R70. I had the stir fry and it was delicious. Everyone commented on how yum their food was. So the food was definitely another score!

A big decider for me on how good a restaurant is is the toilet. Kiara and I first went to the toilets they have outside and these aren’t officially ready but apart from the trees and leaves they were clean and well looked after. The inside toilets were also clean and tidy.

If I had to find fault it would be the fact that 2 meals did not arrive on time BUT unlike the experience we had here, the fact that these 2 meals arrived a little later didn’t ruin the whole experience. The waiter apologized, Gary apologized and it did appear that everyone was doing the best they could to sort it out. Having worked in a few kitchens I  know these things sometimes do just happen. The fact the food was awesome also made the wait worth it. AND Nicci and Barend each received a cupcake after their meal.

Our waiter was attentive and helpful but I do think he could have done with a little help. He did appear a little stressed at times which led to little things being forgotten.

Despite those two little hiccups the afternoon was a roaring success. I had loads of fun and my guests were happy.

We will definitely be back and it will definitely be a regular venue for our Ladies on Lunch get togethers.

The Oak Leaf is situated at 61 Rivonia Drive, Sandton, Gauteng, close by Sandton City shopping centre. Bookings can be made via (27) 11 884 5837