the il ritrovo lounge and bar - the michelangelo hotel

in the midst of sandton's booming and buzzing, il ritrovoloungeoffers a serene, calm, and relaxing environment. the ambience is amazing, live piano, and what i consider to be one of the best cigar/smokersloungein johannesburg.

my favorite meal by far at this place is the chicken curry.. their presentation is amazing, especially with the créme brulé.. and the staff is very helpful. an added bonus is that you are allowed to order from the piccolo mondo which offers a completely different gourmet meals menu.

an afternoon of tea and baking at the ritrovolounge, by far the most tastiest carrot cake ever !!! , well priced good service and an amazing experience.

very pretty and posh, great place for a meeting and a coffee, didn't try any of the cakes but they all look delish! definitely a greatloungeto visit

this is the regal tuscan inspired lobbyloungeand bar of the iconic michelangelo hotel in sandton. expect to find a decent selection of bar tapas and other international contemporary meals on the menu.

the ambience is quiet and sophisticated, with suitably efficient and somewhat reserved service, as is the case at many upmarket hotels.

theloungeis open till late - i suggest coming here for a night cap or if you need somewhere quiet in sandton city for a meeting this is a good spot.

michelangelo hotel - 5 stars? no way.

i heard about their milkshakes and when i looked at the milkshake menu, it sounded delicious! i met my husband in theloungearea today and we both ordered cappuccino's. gosh, the presentation was great! each one got a little sugar stick and a biscotti. really good!

i decided to order the gingerbread milkshake served with a ginger snap. i got the milkshake, without any kind of ginger snap (which is just a ginger cookie) at all. i showed the waiter the menu and asked - where's the ginger snap? the waiter couldn't even pronounce the words 'ginger snap'. he went somewhere and came back with 2 meringue cookies on a plate. this is it, he said. i said 'no, it definitely is not. take my milkshake away.'

i asked to speak to the manager. this guy didn't know what i was talking about; at all! he then showed me the bottle of ginger cordial and said 'this is the ginger snap'. no my dear manager, it most certainly is not!

then he wanted to give me a free piece of cake - why? just fix the problem!

if your menu says 'gingerbread milkshake served with a ginger snap' - that's what i want! nothing less!!!!!

great atmosphere, spaced out tables and chairs, soothing music playing in the background, and a view overlooking nelson mandela square!!!

although the place was full, the noise level was not overbearing, and once could still have a decent conversation without having to scream.

the menu wasn't extensive, it is aloungeafter all. i ordered grilled fillet, served with potato fries and jus and my husband had their grilled lamb chops served with shoestring fries and for the little one we ordered linguine bolognese.

the bolognese has a hint of fennel that was pleasantly surprising however i found it to be a bit too dry, there'd wasn't much sauce.

my husband loved his lamb chops. the grilled fillet was a hit! each component of my grilled fillet complemented each other and together it tasted heavenly.

for desert we had creme brûlee that came as a spectacle! it was served over a bowl of smoking dry-ice melting in water. though served hot, the dry-ice slowly chills it, as well as the blueberry couli it is served with!!!

the il ritrovoloungeis a great place for after dinner drinks.

the service is excellent and expect an attentive waiter to ensure you find for as long as you are there.

their creme brûlee is a must try if for no other reason but its presentation. the desert is brought to the table with a cloud of smoke and under glass dome.

the milkshake of the same flavor is also worth a try.

there is also a cigarloungeand if you want to experience high tea, there's one served every afternoon.

they also have a full menu so you can make a meal out of it.