An English teacher by qualification and cheese fiend by nature, Eat Out’s copy editor, Linda Scarborough, claims to have the best job in the world. She wields her proverbial red pen, legitimately tweets about her lunch and gets paid to visit restaurants.

Eat Out’s resident nose – she can identify a herb at five paces and a guava at fifty – attributes her culinary knowledge to training she received in her mother’s kitchen (roly poly pudding, beef stroganoff and lasagne) and those of family and friends (Japie’s Delight, tamatie bredie and pumpkin fritters). She loves a sushi carousel, white hot chocolate and avos; and she’s not afraid to admit her passion for some less-than-gourmet South African classics. We asked Linda to tell us about her favourite restaurants.

My favourite place for…

Pizza

Burrata’s flavoursome crusts are the perfect balance between chewy and crisp, with the requisite blackened bottoms from their fire-engine red pizza oven. My choice would be the classic margherita, with a tomato base, fior di latte mozzarella, parmagiano and fresh basil leaves. (If you’re lucky, deep-fried risotto balls, or arancini, will be on the specials menu for starters.)

Burgers

Hudson’s on Kloof Street. I always order the Poppa Trunks burger, which comes with a chilli popper as a topper inside the bun. Yes. Delicious skinny fries and beer-battered onion rings disappear in a matter of minutes, washed down with a draft of Jack Black pale ale. They also serve milkshakes in giant goblets in flavours like peanut butter and Oreo.

Sushi and mid-week dinner

1890 House in Obs, which I discovered in my student days. I usually order the prawn tempura California rolls and the sweet sticky tuna strips, but if I can get a spot at the carousel then it’s difficult to dislodge me. Stacking up colour-coded dishes of rainbow rolls, seared tuna salad and edamame beans off the belt provides instant gratification. The sushi chefs look up from their deft slicing and rolling to greet regulars as they come and go. It’s one of my favourite ‘locals’.

A lazy Saturday morning brunch

The Green House at Babylonstoren offers the freshest salads picked from their garden, smoothies (in red, green and orange), boerie rolls and freshly baked tea treats. Dressings and cordials laced with herbs and fruit extracts will keep you snacking – and ordering more – all morning. After your extended brekkie, go for a stroll in the veggie patches, cool your feet in the waterways and stop by the shop on your way out for honey, crockery and cordial in beautiful Babylonstoren pitchers.

Sunday lunch with friends

My house. I’ll probably serve you wraps, pitas or nachos with my famous spicy beans, basil pesto (only Pesto Princess will do), humus, homemade tzatziki, avos (when in season) and bowls of pickles, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and sweet peppers, and loads of grated cheddar and parmesan. (See more ideas for the lazy dinner host.) I often serve this kind of meal because it’s my preferred way of eating – I like to have control of what’s on my plate, thank you very much. (No celery, patty pans or bitter frilly lettuce.) For starters, I might make chilli poppers from pickled jalapeno halves filled with cream cheese and topped with mature cheddar before grilling in the oven. You’ll have to make your own tea though.

A romantic dinner

Pretty much anywhere as long as my husband’s there, but in the past I have enjoyed romantic dinners at Kitima (for cosy atmosphere and amazing selection of Asian food), La Mouette (for beautiful fine dining in a more elegant atmosphere) and The Foodbarn in Noordhoek (for a bit of a road trip and accessible yet truly delicious food).

An end-of-the-month weekday dinner

At month-end I am most likely to be in the kitchen, flexing my creative muscles with my weekly stash from Harvest of Hope. The organic vegetables are grown in urban gardens, so the box is always filled with the season’s best. Roots, Shoots & Leaves by Bern Le Roux, one of my favourite cookbooks, often comes in handy.

Take-aways

I’m addicted to Butler’s pizza. I know, I know. But for some reason I can’t get enough of the perfectly doughy crust (available in a wheat-free version) topped with melted cheese, basil pesto, feta and sweet piquant peppers, mushrooms or chillies – plus generous splashes of Tabasco sauce on my half. Okay, whole. (You may have picked up that I don’t really share.)

A blow-the-budget celebratory dinner

It has to be The Pot Luck Club for pineapple-vanilla cosmos in beautiful gold-filigree glasses, tangy calamari, peanut sauce-covered prawns, gorgeous fish tacos, beef fillet with coffee-chocolate sauce (you will scrape up every last morsel with your cutlery, and then fingers) and those potato wedges with garlic aioli! The view of the mountain on one side and the docks on the other is outstanding, the vibe is über cool and you get to ride in a glass elevator. It can’t be beat.

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Also read the personal recommendations of our Joburg correspondent, Kristia van Heerden, chef Chris Erasmus of Pierneef à La Motte and MasterChef SA judge Pete Goffe-Wood.