It has been 6 months since Lifestyle Centre completed the first phase of their redevelopment with The Market and Eat Street bringing unique artisanal traders, fine restaurants and good vibes to Ballito in beautifully designed spaces. The construction and redevelopment has not stopped since then, however, with plenty going on behind the scenes. The gorgeous street scene environment,

known as Eat Street, will soon be home to a number of exciting, new eateries, while Ballito can also look forward to the opening of top end home furniture and décor store, Weylandts, in the coming months.

Peron Peron, an Argentinian Grill, owned and operated by Hugo Palacio of Eat Local fame, will open its doors next to Salsa at the end of July, sparking the roll out of the final stage of redevelopment for Lifestyle Centre. Patrons can look forward to excellent meat dishes, cooked on open fires, accompanied by fine red wines, all in an authentic, Beunos Aires-inspired setting.

Thereafter, 45 on Eat Street, a fine, family-&-friends-oriented, share-food restaurant will open in mid-October across the open courtyard from LUPA, opposite Alchemy Bar and Blackstrap Craft Distillery. Conceptualised by Bruce Rencken and Murray Loder, this will be a place where friends and family can meet and connect in a welcoming, yet interesting and eclectic space. “We are wanting this to be more than just a restaurant where you go to eat”, said Lifestyle Centre Co-Owner, Bruce Rencken. “The setting and the feel will be comfy and easy, but with extraordinary attention to detail in the design and different seating areas. The whole family will feel at home, with a unique organic leisure area for discerning kids being one of the points of interest.”

Doyenne of KZN restaurants, Robbie Mitchell, will then be launching a new travel-inspired restaurant, aptly named Katmandu, in the big corner site at the top end of the Eat Street strip, opposite LOAF Café + Gin Bar, in November. The architecture and the utilisation of the outdoor space has been a focal point of the design, which includes plenty of natural timber, glazing and floating ceilings, the aim being to bring the outdoors inside and take the indoors out. The cuisine will be an interpretation of international food experiences, brought home to Ballito.

The final stage of redevelopment is not entirely about dining, however, as South Africa’s leading furniture and homeware store, Weylandts, is set to open at Lifestyle Centre in early September. Centre Co-owner, Rencken, is particularly excited about this due to the synergy between the brands. “Weylandts is known as ‘the home of bold design with soul’ which is a perfect fit for Lifestyle

Centre,” he said. “We have redeveloped and reinvented our offering in the last 18 months, as we identified a need to differentiate ourselves in the market. Chris Weylandt has successfully developed the Weylandts brand into one that’s synonymous with bold, confident aesthetics and timeless taste, and I believe that Lifestyle Centre is the perfect home for the 13th store in Chris’ stable.” Weylandts will occupy the 1 100 m2 space running from Katmandu to Scarla May, near Dis-Chem, and will be easily accessible from the undercover parking.

According to Rencken, the focus of Lifestyle Centre has changed along with the reinvention of its offering. “It is all about experiential shopping now,” he said. “Our focus is on food, family and style, and, to this end, we have embraced smaller, more unique offerings and have aimed at creating beautiful settings in which to shop and enjoy the exceptional food on offer. We want the personal service, live music, and surprises around every corner to all add to a great shopping experience.”

Take a look at what to expect here: