There are very few places in Johannesburg that will get my repeated attention let alone support as much as Embarc has since its opening. If not for their modern and unpretentious dining, attentive service or their wine list that champions local producers then for a commendable ethic of care that has been taken to offer food at a stellar price point, with a great deal of variety and quality of produce to match. Popped in again, this time for Restaurant Week and besides the canapes which were strangely nestled on a "bed" of popcorn kernels (couldn't figure out why), everything else namely: Tuna Tataki, Mushroom Tortellino (a strong contender with their Parmagianno Reggiano Risotto), Ostrich Fillet, Plum Sorbet, Sandy's Choice Meringue was a song.

Embarc is a beautiful, intimate restaurant on the bustling 4th Avenue in Parkhust. Although there were tables available in the front of the restaurant overlooking the street, my friend and I were directed to the back of the restaurant and placed in the corner next to the bar, where waiters travelled in and out. The menu's were unceremoniously places in front of us without explanation or introduction by the waiter. I had hoped for wine suggestions, since we were having the tasting menu, but were left to our own devices. We chose a delicious chenin blanc instead and settled in for our experience.

The 1st course was a triplet of tasters. In general they were fine, with the mushroom paste taco being our favorite, and the sweet potato chip being our least. The onion wasn't caramelized properly and threw the balance of the taster out, we understood the intention, but the execution failed.

2nd course Tuna Teriyaki. Delicious. A very summery, light dish that we thoroughly enjoyed, pairing the tuna with watermelon and pomegranate was wonderful, almost wished there was less red onion and more pomegranate, but that's personal preference.

3rd course Mushroom Tortellino. Wonderful! I am all for mushroom dishes and this was delicious, the pasta was perfectly al dente and the parsnip crisps and almonds with the beurre noisette delightfully sweetened the dish. I wish I had another tortellino is was so good.

4th course Ostrich Fillet. If I had to say what's the most South African dish I can come up with it would be this. Hearty South African flavors in a beautifully presented dish, ostrich cooked to perfection. Out of everything I felt this dish would please international visitors the most. Where the mushroom tortellino was my favorite, I had the most appreciation for the creativity applied to this one.

5th course Palate cleanser. It should have come after the 3rd course to cleanse the palate of a creamy dish in my opinion. No complaints of the taste.

6th course chocolate meringue. Devine. I hate overly sweet deserts and this was perfectly chocolaty, the balance with the fresh orange was wonderful.

7th course triplet of sweets; caramelized popcorn, honeycomb and nougat. Well. My friend asked if the nougat was home-made, the waiter said it was store bought, almost burst out laughing. The honeycomb was burnt; as in it tasted like charcoal. Popcorn was cool.... probably store bought as well. As a seventh course I found it a failure, would have much more preferred an expresso with amarula or something like that to finish the tasting menu off.

Overall my friend and I had fun, I would have liked the option of having a wine pairing with the meal, but as this is my first time eating at Embarc, I'm not sure if they have a sommelier that could have provided one. The menu itself was very Summery, I would have loved it during the hot summer months, now with us experiencing cooler evenings it would have been nice to have an autumn menu on offer.

I will definitely go again, but hope that the staff can be better trained and informative. They are the face of the restaurant and just as much detail and thought should be placed on training them as there is placed in creating the menu.