SOUTH EATERY AND SOCIAL HOUSE- A HANGOUT

From Left-Right, Ayo, Celebrant (Tijesu), Olamide, Tomisin, Bolaji, Omololu. Captured by Enioluwa who is missing in the photo.

It was the morning of my birthday (January 6), a day I really looked forward to for a very long time. With little or no plans for it, I had my brother tell me that very morning that something has been cooking. Afterwards, I received a call from Ayo to buttress that. That moment was when I was reminded that indeed I was surrounded by amazing people.

Fast forward to how I hurriedly dressed and transported myself to our meeting point, in which we subsequently transported ourselves to the location.

On getting there, someone who was sitting outside the restaurant reaches to collect the cake.

ME: Sorry, where are you taking it to (thoughts in my mind- hope he’s not going to run away with the cake?)

SOMEONE: I’m a staff here, I’m taking it inside so they’ll bring it out with candles while chanting birthday songs when you’re in the middle of your menu.

FT- OMOLOLU, AYO & TOMISIN......

TIJESU: Just like I’ve seen in pictures!! Just like I’ve imagined it!!! It was majestic!!!! With the welcoming swings that took me on a mind travel igniting childhood memories, to the creative bottle detailing. I was digging just about every detailing and I was really ready to explore. Everything made sense to me as they all seemed to be carved out of creativity.

OMOLOLU: My first impression was “OMG, this place is really beautiful”. I remember staring at the bottle-themed Christmas tree for a long while and Olamide calling me back to order. Seeing the awesome layout of the furniture, the paintings on the wall and the awesome photo backdrops gave me the best first impression about the restaurant.

AYO: I was a little scared when one random guy popped out to collect the cake, until he told us he was a staff. The gate caught my eyes at first look, I liked the wooden twist, and entering the gate was a different ball game, the swings were simply a ‘yes-yes’ for me. It took me back to childhood. Judging from the outside, I just knew the aesthetics inside were going to be lit.

TOMISIN: So I got there later than others, on getting there however, I didn’t see any gate man or anybody to receive me and show me to the restaurant and I was like ‘na wa oh’. Well I have heard a lot of things about the restaurant and I was pretty much excited to see for myself what people have been saying. On getting there, it didn’t look much like a restaurant, it looked more like a house, but for the logo one wouldn’t know it is a restaurant. It is located in a very serene environment and I was very attracted to the swings on entering the compound.

TIJESU: In a bid to try something new, I stared at the menu for a long while deciding on what to have not minding the staring waiters earnestly waiting for a call. I wasn’t uncomfortable by their meaning stares as I really took my time, I bet you can dig that i wanted to have something like never before. If the amount of time I took selecting my menu was to a good cause I’ll have been glad. I have seen the Mac and Cheese online from a food hashtag I follow on instagram (#eatingfor theinsta) and I’ve had a friend refer me to have the Jambalaya so I was glad to see it on the menu. I decided to have the Jambalaya with Olamide and the Mac & cheese alone.

OMOLOLU: The items on the menu were quite strange. The names used for each menu left us guessing what to expect as I was not too sure about what to expect. I was actually stuck between having ‘Jambalaya’ & ‘Mac and cheese’. I had to go with the latter because I thought it was a better option. I‘ve always heard about Mac and cheese since I was a little boy. I remember always hearing ‘Mac and cheese’ in ‘Codename Kids Next Door’, a popular animated series on Cartoon Network. So I had to take the popular ‘Macaroni & Cheese’ which is a decision I regretted. Basically the fear of the unknown made me not go with the former.

AYO: I wasn’t so sure as to what to have, cause TJ said we should all try something new. Plus, the two ladies that came to give us the menu list decided not to leave, I kinda felt uncomfortable and I remember telling everyone to place their orders quickly. But then, thank God Enioluwa convinced me to have the boneless wings with him, which actually turned out great and probably the best meal that was ordered sef.

TOMISIN: As I got there much later, everyone was already having their menu and I was basically trying to catch up with all I missed. I don’t remember seeing the menu as Ola hurriedly picked something for me.

MEAL ARRIVES.....

TIJESU: If you thought the Mac & cheese was lovely then you were totally wrong!!!! Staring at the Mac & Cheese, I already knew I missed it. Apart from it’s far worse outlook, the horrible taste was not a toast to a birthday. I remember literally swallowing the Mac & Cheese with my drink with a rather ‘not so comfy’ face like one taking a medicine. I should have known this, I really should have!!! The cheese inclusion didn’t give me a cue earlier when I was selecting a menu, now I’ve put myself in a mess like I thought cheese would taste any better. In all honesty, I had imagined the macaroni to be dripping with sauce like a pasta, cheese served separately in a bowl which I planned to totally ignore. Well, hell no, it was only an imagination as they were together in a bowl with cheese, cheese and extra cheese giving it a messy outlook. The Jambalaya however was a life saver not that it was great either as it was filled with all sorts of sea food which I don’t subscribe to, it was way better compared to the Mac & Cheese.

OMOLOLU: The Mac & Cheese was world class. It was perfectly made. However, I did not like it. I only had a little as it was quite tiring and way too creamy. It should have been served with something peppery or crispy as sides (like the boneless wings which majority of them had). Taking Mac and cheese alone is really not just it.

AYO: It was a great meal!!! Although, the chicken wasn’t spicy enough for me and the sauce that came with the chicken was nothing to write home about, it tasted like spoilt vanilla yoghurt, not like I’ve tasted that before lol, but then, it didn’t just come out well for me. But the props I’ll give to my meal is that Enioluwa and I could eat something good unlike Lolu and TJ who didn’t enjoy their meal.

TOMISIN: I was pretty much impressed with how fast my menu was delivered. It was the boneless wings that Ayo & Eni had. The waiter who brought the food was actually nice and all smiley. The chicken was really tasty and soft and it’s definitely worth the price except that I don’t really think the sauce complements the chicken, I didn’t touch it again after the first taste. I remember Eni & Ayo not touching it to. I also remember Lolu’s face being very funny while eating the Mac and cheese as it looked very disgusting.

TIJESU: At some point, I had to let them know I wasn’t enjoying the Mac & cheese and requested if they had something to spice it up. They came up with a ‘Chili sauce’ which only added up to the already boring meal. I remember Bolaji who arrived shortly while the rest of us were having our meal tasting my Mac & Cheese, the utter disgust in his face made him update his snapchat in resentment to the menu.

OMOLOLU: There was a great sense of concern displayed by the chef when the ‘Mac & Cheese’ was criticized by TJ.

AYO: I remember making fun of Lolu & TJ’s menu saying it looked like ‘sperm’.

TIJESU: Yeah, that was really creepy Ayo.

TOMISIN: TJ also made fun of a refund for his meal as it wasn’t worth it in his opinion, they were only laughing and slowly made their way apart from us.

CAKE ARRIVES…..

TIJESU: It felt surreal, I could barely process the whole thingy. There was this lush excitement all over me when I sighted them coming. I felt jittery, nervous, elated all at the same time – It was a blend of different emotions. As we were all standing doing the most I rushed to sit down before the cake as I really wanted every detail documented. I had no words as I muttered just about anything that came to mind in appreciation of the kind gestures.

OMOLOLU: Although, it wasn’t a free cake it was a really beautiful moment!!! At least for once I wished I was the celebrant (Tijesu). Although it was a little subtle, the cake celebration by the staff is similar to what is obtainable at ‘Spurs’ and ‘KFC'.

AYO: This moment was so real for the birthday boy, I could literally feel his ‘aww’ moment, he didn’t hold back at all. I liked the fact that a ‘happy birthday’ song was being played for that moment with majority of the staffs hailing from downstairs. It was very thoughtful! Plus, I dig the fact that they arranged candles on the cake, it made it special. In summary, it was amazing!!!!

TOMISIN: Dang!!! I missed this moment!!!! I had not arrived yet and I could only see clips of it. It made me wish I came earlier. I could tell everyone was really happy.

VERDICT:

TIJESU: The Mac & Cheese is a 4 for me, it’s like a waste of money cause I barely had half of it. There’s a high possibility that if you’re African you’ll detest it (as there is this inner craving for pepper and spice). The Jambalaya however is a 6 as it had some interesting sides to it.

OMOLOLU: I’ll rate my meal (Mac & Cheese) a 5, not because it was not prepared properly but because I just didn’t like it. Also, they had an almost perfect customer service, I really don’t think there’s much to be worked on.

AYO: On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate my meal (Boneless wings) a 6. The service was okay and I love their care for customers as I requested to charge my phone and they were super nice, even if I was going to remove the phone every single time. However, I feel they should work on their cuisines, it’ll be wonderful if they can add ‘African cuisines’ to their menu list.

TOMISIN: I’ll rate my meal (Boneless wings) a 7. I was super impressed by their speedy food preparation process. However, I think they need to work on welcoming customers to their restaurant and work on some of their menu.

MEAL PRICES:

Jambalaya- 6,500

Boneless wings- 15,000 (5 orders)

Mac & cheese- 7,000 (2 orders)

Bourbon berry lemonade- 3,000

Other drinks- 4,000

TOTAL- 35,500

REMARKS:

TIJESU: If ever I visit again, it would definitely be because of the swings.

OMOLOLU: I’ll be visiting again but not anytime soon as I have a vast number of other restaurants I’ll love to visit. It’s a really cool place to hangout with friends by the way!

AYO: South eatery and social house is wonderful. I had a nice time and I’ll definitely visit again.

TOMISIN: I think it’s actually a nice place to eat and hang out with friends. I would love to go there for the second and third time if they can work on their loop holes.