The Village Garden Brings Us Feel-good Food

From the belle who brought us Bonsai Bistro and Bread n Butter comes the vibrant

The Village Garden.

Introducing the sparkling new spot amidst the foodie hub that is The Village on Liliencron Street in Windhoek, restaurateur Elzaan Nel presides over an eclectic eatery where the eats are as delicious as the aesthetics.

Heavy on the bowl trend in which a balance of contrasting and enhancing flavours are layered in the dish, The Village Garden serves a selection of sesame, soy and ginger, Cajun chicken or whipped feta bowls as an assorted treat for the tastebuds.

While health is a focus and evident in the eatery’s green smoothies and freshly squeezed juices, The Village Garden also serves a mean chimichurri steak, a variety of toasties and a number of filled croissants as its freshly baked cakes and cinnamon buns fly off the displays.

“I think our whole thing is wholesome and feel-good food,” says Nel. “My business partner Dean has aquaponics and hydroponics on site so literally all of our lettuce is from here.” Sourcing as much as it can locally including cheese from their neighbour Italian Style, The Village Garden also aspires to be a space where “nature meets the city”.

“We definitely want to turn this into a social and cultural hub,” says Nel. “We really want to build a community of people whether its singers, dancers or artists and promote local Namibian talent.”

With The Village already home to StArt Art Gallery at the Opera House, which also hosts a game of Dungeons & Dragons every week, The Village Garden draws a diverse crowd ordering everything from waffle platters, overnight oats, dirty chais and matcha lattes to the eatery’s more sophisticated post-work drinks and platters.

All this can be enjoyed in a space with a Code Cave, community notice board and a hot desk with free Wi-Fi for the digital nomads perched comfortably in a sanctuary of solo seats. The Village Garden also boasts a shaded deck over a tranquil koi pond, an elevated cushioned patio and, of course, the stunning interior which gives a little greenhouse meets vintage bohemian parlour.

“The inside of the space really represents the personalities involved,” says Nel. “Dean being the plant lover, myself with the boho aspect and our other business partner with the old-school taste,” she says.

“So we tried to combine a little bit of everyone and then had a really amazing interior designer, Women Unleashed, bring everything together.”

A gorgeous new space with offbeat and super fresh eats owned by a restaurateur with a flair for the finer details, The Village Garden is buzzing on Liliencron Street with aesthetic nooks for the Instagrammer, a new stage for the artist and delicious bites for the foodie.

The Village Garden is open every day and from 07h00 on weekdays.

Follow The Village Garden on Instagram for more information.

– martha@namibian.com.na ; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram;

marthamukaiwa.com

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