Good vibes, great restaurants Greenside, Johannesburg

Situated between Zoo Lake, the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens and Emmarentia Dam, the leafy Johannesburg suburb of Greenside, with its many purple jacaranda trees blooming brilliantly in spring, is known for its wide variety of excellent restaurants varying from traditional Indian and Italian to pavement coffee shops and a colourful, vibrant shebeen.

Greenside doesn't boast the stately homes of its neighbour, Parktown North. Nor the revamped trendy cottages of adjacent Parkhurst. But it does have some of the best restaurants to be found in any Johannesburg suburb.

Once an Afrikaans farm, surprisingly its name is Scottish in origin and many of its leafy streets are named after Scottish golfers and golf courses, such as Gleneagles, Braeside, Mowbray and Greenway.

Greenside is also adjacent to the Parkview Golf Club, established in 1916 by a Scotsman called L.B. Waters, who won the inaugural South African Open in 1903 and went on to win it 3 more times.

The club enjoys the reputation of being one of the friendliest golf clubs in town and the course is known for its superb fairways and greens. The internationally famous golfer Bobby Locke became a member of Parkview Golf Club after winning both the SA Amateur and the SA Open here in 1935.

Greenside is also home to Pirates Rugby Club, Johannesburg's oldest rugby club with a rich history and dedicated members who focus on both the professional and social aspect of the sport. Many overseas players earned their stripes here.

Greenside's hub is Green Square where interior design shops rub shoulders with art colleges, pavement cafés and Paco, arguably the best carpet shop in the city.

Just down the hill from Greenside is Emmarentia Dam, one of Johannesburg's most loved stretches of water. Together with the neighbouring Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, it stretches over 81ha.

Walk along beside the dam in the early morning or evening and watch canoeists, kayakers and anglers, as well as small yachts, skidding across the surface. There are always people on the banks indulging in South Africa's favourite outdoor pastime – the great South African braai.