Jabula

So disappointed in the age of food purchased in this shop. It seems that everything is either close to or past best by dates. My husband insists on surprising me with «treats» but I feel increasingly frustrated with the amount of stuff that goes straight in the bin. Surely it’s possible to stock manage better to improve the quality of your produce?!

It’s not hard to say hello to customers coming into a shop, but the lovely young woman at Jabula said it in a way I don’t often hear — one that made me feel welcome. And since she had to buzz me in, it isn’t as if I could have been ignored!
The shop itself is a well staged if crowded affair, and the staffer appologised out of hand for the disoriented jumble «We’ve just got stock in today,» she smiled and winced. I didn’t say it, but I’ve been in shops much messier who thing toeing a bag of rice out of the way counts for cleaning up. Not to worry young lady, I didn’t mind at all.
Of course, your shop would be crowded too if you were carrying all the favourite foods of South Africans hungry in Dublin! There’s traditional art, team shirts and creative crafts on sale here, but the real connection comes when browsing the food shelves. Back there is a haven of sweets and instant mixes, snacks, jars and cereals plus case after case of sweet pop and juice. Down on the floor a galvanised tin tub held an array of mix-​n-​match snacks that, had I not been holding firm to my NYR I would have jumped right into.

This store makes me happy. Oh-​so-​very-​happy. Having spend a few months in SA a few years back, I still find myself missing the food and, more importantly, the wine. These guys are a serious godsend. They stock two of my favourite things from SA — kudu biltong and Four Cousins Rose. If you hear biltong, don’t jump straight to the ‘jerky’ thing, because this stuff’s the real deal. And kudu is possibly the nicest meat you’ll ever taste (though my friend contests that that honour may, in fact, lie with impala… but it’s all antelope anyway so that’s just getting pedantic). Gold star there.
But even better is the fact that they stock Four Cousins, which is nigh on impossible to get outside of SA. And it’s not ridiculously expensive. A litre of that and you’re sorted! Happy days!