The Shortmarket Club Is Serving A Bold Fusion Experience at The Greenhouse in Sandton

Welcome To The Shortmarket Club X The Greenhouse Collaboration – A Lush Botanical Lounge with Urban Energy

Set on the pulmonary artery in the heart of Sandton, is a vibrant nightspot bursting with flavour and energy as high as the city skyline. The Shortmarket Club has a new home at The Greenhouse. Located at 24 Central, 6 Gwen Lane &, Fredman Dr, Sandown, 2031, the duo is serving a fusion of Mediterranean and French cuisine with Asian influences and a healthy serving of fine dining right in the centre of an energetic scene.

Stepping into the lush space draped in greenery and vivid ceiling murals, you are immediately transported to a luxurious botanical lounge. Complete with rattan-style chairs and marble table tops, the space blends comfort with organic textures that are perfect for social settings and command a perfectly made cocktail – I highly recommend their Henny Pot, a signature drink that even none-lovers of Hennessy (like myself) can enjoy.

When dining, the ambience gets moody, too moody in fact. So moody that I wish there were an aesthetically pleasing table lamp that went with the decor just to brighten the place a bit, literally. This would be leaps and bounds better than the small Patrón bottles that are used as vases. All they do is take away from the high-end aesthetics of the place with their tacky nature that’s out of place in this beautifully curated space.

The Powder Room Diaries: Clean, Chic, and Curated

A true testament to any place, for me, is its bathrooms. Like Pablo Escobar, I have an appreciation for a pristine, well-maintained restroom. The Stalls at The Shortmarket Club x The Greenhouse did not disappoint with their dark, dramatic colour palette and artwork that lights up the room. Exploring each stall during my visits, I couldn’t help but notice a touch of TLC. Nothing drastic—just a bit of fixing, tightening, and the occasional replacement of accessories or tiles to maintain their charm.

They also have bathroom attendees that I absolutely appreciated. Ever so helpful and delightful, they added another level of hospitality with their warm personalities and helpfulness.

Dining on the fine cuisine by The Shortmarket Club at The Greenhouse, I found the character of the restaurant a bit confusing. The dark, romantic ambience didn’t quite align with the tightly packed tables, which made movement tricky and occasionally awkward. The music matched the high frequency of the evening and went well with the dining experience adding to the excitement in the air was palpable. It was jarring how the music kept on getting louder as the evening progressed. What started as a conversation at the dinner table, ended up with us barely being able to hear one another. To be fair, it was the time of the evening that had officially transitioned into groove.

The Service: A Sparkling Team Spread Too Thin

The service at The Shortmarket Club is good, but it could be great, if not amazing. Our waitress was pleasant to interact with and was as attentive as she could be. Unfortunately, she had way too many tables to attend to and she could only afford us a fraction of her sparkle. Even the waiter who wasn’t ours helped us where he could but, again, he too couldn’t do much. They were (hope they still aren’t) simply understaffed, concerningly so. Because of this, service was extremely slow.

Wethu, there was a point we were ordering drinks stadium style because it would easily take over 30 minutes for them to come – food included. I have no doubt that the drinks were made on time as the bar was brimming with bartenders and the chefs and cooks were churning out the delicious delights in a timely manner as plates waited to be picked up on the counter. All good and dandy but it becomes null if the said food and drinks sit there for too long a time because of the sheer lack of servers available. Mind you, this was the official soft launch of The Shortmarket Club as we celebrated their new residency at The Greenhouse.

Armed with some big, black bouncers, they are gentle giants. Kind enough to let me through when I had to step out and didn’t give me problems when reentering. The only issue I had was when I went there for a 2nd time. To be fair, two of the three were kind to me while doing their job with only the one being unnecessarily rude.

The Food at The Shortmarket Club: A Fusion Feast

Now for the best part: the food. The Shortmarket Club at The Greenhouse offers a curated menu from Chef Siya Mlaba, the menu reflects contemporary fusion cuisine with strong influences from Mediterranean, modern European, and Asian culinary traditions. 

I had to order the pan-seared duck with green beans. Both cooked to perfection, the tender duck breast was juicy and the skin crispy. The portion was terribly small and lacked the seasoning and flavour that this delicacy is loved for. The creamy chicken pasta was hearty, warm and a hug in a bowl. My favourite dish of the evening was the seared tuna with ponzu sauce. Tender, melt in your mouth with a slightly sweet taste, and brightened up beautifully by the acidity of the ponzu sauce. An absolute delight, I could eat two servings every day for the rest of my life.

Hospitality Titans Behind The Magic

The brainchild of hospitality entrepreneurs Heinz Rynners, Luke Dakers and Ben Stanger who over the past five years have earned a reputation for pushing boundaries and creating high-end dining experiences that are anything but ordinary, the trio are also set to open Ocaso, a new Mexican concept developed in partnership with Corona, set to launch soon in the former Shortmarket Club location. Exciting times ahead, and just as I looked forward to experiencing The Shortmarket Club x The Greenhouse, I cannot wait to get a taste, and a sip of Ocaso.

The Shortmarket Club x The Greenhouse collaboration is a bold addition to the Joburg nightlife. Chef Siya Mlaba offers perfectly cooked and presented food and I would like to go back for more and include the seared tuna with ponzu sauce, which I’m convinced is the first note of my love language. But I’m not sure of this would be enough to make me go back. Maybe a takeaway will have to do? The overall experience was damped by the patchy service, crowded seating and split personality of the place.

Still, if you’re in search of an unforgettable meal in a stylish setting and looking for a vibe, it’s a spot worth visiting. Just set your expectations for service, reserve your table early and embrace the transition that is bound to occur.

P.s to management: May you please reply to any one of your Meta (literally Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp) inboxes and update your website menu.