In the winter months Cape Town restaurateurs have become creative at getting customers in the doors with innovative marketing and pricing.
The Grand in Granger’s Bay has been running its succesful “Grand Around the World” gastronomic tours of far flung places. Food, music and entertainment has matched the mood.
I was there recently for the French evening, [...]
The Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles is normally the winning ground for the big guns from Van Ryn’s, Klipdrift and Distell.
This year LadiSmith 8 year Vintage Potstill Brandy surprised the veterans at this years competition by winning gold.
In sporting terms, that would be like a South African winning Wimbledon.
That’s not to take away from this fine result, [...]
This is one of my favourite “meat free Monday” specials because it’s so tasty and easy to make.
It only takes 20 minutes to prepare and just over an hour to cook. It’s also a one pot wonder, and that’s good!
You’ll need;
1 tin tomatoes.
2 tins of chickpeas.
1 aubergine, cut into large chunks.
2 courgettes.
2 tablespoons of dark [...]
It’s mostly kitchen junk.
Old bottles, weighing scales, baking trays, buckets, plates and lots more items have become a treasure trove of materials for Katie Thompson, who refashions them into objets d’art that are not only functional but highly desirable.
With Cape Town on the short list as World Design Capital 2014 the judges could do no better [...]
Posted in Restaurants 
Tags: biscuit mill, cape town, katie thompson, recreate, world design capital 2014 
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I remember seeing dried versions of these fish for sale in junk shops. They usually had an electrical cord up their bums and a lightbulb inside.
They always fell into the category of ”A present for someone you don’t really like”. You know the kind of person I mean.
Then I discovered that they were a species [...]
YOUR EVERYDAY bit-o’-spice to sip at your leisure with anything (or nothing) from pizza to salami and red pepper pesto pasta to sirloin and roast veg. It’s what passes for winter in these parts and you need something red, spicy, plummy and with body that will warm the cockles of your heart.
Shirley Griffiths has done [...]
This is a great winterwarming dish, and with the added Thai twist it’s going to keep everyone happy.
You’ll need:
A 750g butternut (for 4 people).
Olive oil.
75g creamed coconut.
1 onion.
1 stalk lemongrass.
1 Bird’s eye chilli.
A thumb of galangal root, grated. If you can’t find galangal, use ginger and add a squeeze of lime.
Cut the butternut into cubes and remove [...]
If there is a Holy Trinity it was represented yesterday in The Test Kitchen by Eben Sadie and his wines, Adi Badenhorst and his, and finally Luke Dale-Roberts who linked all three into a food and wine experience that has to be one of the best available, anywhere.
At R850 for 8 courses of food and wine [...]
Made from grapes grown at 600m.
Therese de Beer, the winemaker, believes in so little intervention in the “grapes to bottle” process that she almost guiltily describes herself as a lazy winemaker.
I’ll tell you what she does have though; the woman’s touch. There’s a softness and elegance to this Cabernet that you’d swear a whoosh of Merlot [...]
Where were you born?
Melbourne, Australia.
How long have you been in your present job?
About eight weeks. I came from a small luxury boutique hotel an hour or so outside Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia so there are many elements that are similar from the kitchen side of things.
What is your favourite dish to cook?
I think anything that [...]
I first truly realised how South African’s have a bad relationship with salt when I witnessed the following.
A woman at Cafe Roux, in Noordhoek, got two pieces of toast, (high salt content bread), buttered them(fat), laid on three slices of bacon (Salt and fat), put on lashings of tomato ketchup (Salt and sugar) and then laid [...]
I spent a few days with Richard and Linda Napier out at Happy Hog near Ashton recently to learn more about the free range piggies that I use in my charcuterie.
While I was there, Linda made a delicious Pork Bredie and was generous enough to allow me to share it with you.
Ingredients
½ kg pork mince
350g [...]
Roxanne Floquet has a rare talent. I am letting her tell you about it in her own words.
I love the start to finish process of making a cake, of pouring in so much love and perfecting every stage. There is an immense sense of satisfaction that I draw from people’s delight as they experience the first [...]
I tasted this seductive blend last Friday at the launch of Reuben Riffel’s winter menu at the One and Only.
Maybe it was the food (earthy, elemental, flavoursome), or the weather (wet, cold, mean, miserable, damp) but this wine paired deliciously with the lamb shank, the gnocchi, the curry. In fact, it just paired with everything.
Giorgio [...]
This is some of the nicest food I’ve tasted at Reuben’s at the One and Only.
The creamy earthy wild mushroom soup was outstanding. The lightly creamed chicken and prawn curry had a little spice kick at the end.
Slow baked lamb shank was served with a port sauce and came with pomme puree. It was a [...]
This is a recipe I tried this week, and it’s so easy you could do it with your eyes closed. And, it’s perfect for these chilly autumn evenings.
You’ll need;
3 Garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped.
A mixed handful of chopped fresh chives, parsley and tarragon.
A small handful of fresh thyme leaves.
300g of cream cheese.
8 chicken breast [...]
I really like Weylandts sense of interior design and general approach to all things for your house.
They claim to operate by a “Good Living” philosophy which says that they are motivated by a “simple appreciation to all things good in life”.
So if they were to open a restaurant you’d really expect something special.
And you’d be [...]
Great roaring fireplace, attentive service, lousy food.
Review finished, great. Move on.
Well, not really, as I believe you need to hear more, and for me to pose the question;
It’s easy to get it right in the kitchen, especially at these prices, so why is Bella Lucia taking the proverbial?
Let’s begin.
A freezing dark, rainy, windy winter’s evening [...]
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