Cape Town Food

GREEK – Mowbray

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:35:00 +0000

Opposite Fat Cactus in Mowbray is a little dilapidated (moderately) gem of Greek. I love the food there – it never fails to hit exactly the right Mediterranean nerve for me.

I went their last week with the GF, and two great friends who are firmly on a diet drive for the new year – hoping that the menu would not be too much for them, and that they’d find something acceptable.

Since they needed the contact details and location (78 Durban Road, Mowbray, Cape Town. Telephone: +27 (0)21 686-4314), I went online to get them for them… and as I meandered around the food review sites I saw a lot of people dissing Greek, saying it was student chow, and not great, shabby etc.

This really made me feel sad – because for me Greek is a great example of a laid back Greek restaurant, where the menu isn’t intimidating (having good descriptions of each of the menu items), the food is always fresh, and the eating area and kitchen (which you can see into) is always clean and rustic.

Greek is Fat Cactus’ sister restaurant (along with the excellent Joe Fish in Pinelands I believe, but more about that some other time) – and is great value for money.

Our friends had the calamari salad, which I have had before there for lunch – and it is excellent – they seem fairly pleased. The GF and I had the usual as it were, the 5 mezze with pitas – for R129 – an absolute feast for 2 – we had dolmades (stuffed fig leaves), hummus, roasted feta with sweet chilli source, grilled houloumi and melitzanes (fried aubergine in batter). What can I say? DELICIOUS!

We stayed much longer, having cappuccinos (their coffee is excellent – I love it when restaurants invest in a good espresso machine, and Greek has done so – nothing smarts more than having a good meal ruined by crap coffee – Greek’s is excellent!) – and sharing some baklava, which has changed from when I last had it there – no longer the traditional square baklava, the chef has changed it into a slightly denser cigar shaped baklava, laid on yoghurt and drizzled with honey – this is the same one they serve at Joe Fish – slightly less rich and decadent than other baklavas around the city (such as Magnifico in Canal Walk – the only reason to risk the mall) – but also leaves you feeling less of a complete glutton for having dessert.

The service has always been friendly and attentive in my opinion, I doubt I’ve ever been served by the same waiter twice though, since its in a student area their is obviously a bit of staff turn over but everyone is always friendly, quick to serve and well timed as when to check – there doesn’t seem to be any overarching Maitre D’ or similar ensuring this happens – so its a testament to the staff that they get it right so often.

Clearly, if you read this far you know I LOVE Greek. Why? The food is excellent, fresh, different, good value for money and authentic. The staff and service is top draw. The kitchen and restaurant is CLEAN, and authentically flaky in the positive sense (in the Greek fishing village way – worn but well cared for).

To have a feast, with several rounds of coffee and desert, with tip for 4 people for R440 it is a recession proof dining experience. I love it, I love it!

9/10 [Reviewed on 7th Jan 2010]

78 Durban Road,
Mowbray,
Cape Town.

Telephone: +27 (0)21 686-4314

p.s. I promise to take pictures next time.

VitaminWater – a new (bad) addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:13:00 +0000

In case you haven’t tried it, the Coca-Cola company has developed – through their sub-brand Glaceau – something called VitaminWater.

Whilst I remain in love with Coke Zero and Sprite Zero, and thought Coke may have figure out a way to keep me off the sugary drinks, the evil geniuses have come up with an absolutely fantastic drink.

I thought it was a gimick to be honest – vitamin enriched water, give me a break – but the stuff is excellent, and thankfully due to the reach of the company we can all enjoy the delicious 120 calorie beverage in all its glory!

I love it, I recommend it – a fantastic pick me up, just fight the urge to drink one every day!

Mango Ginger

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Went out looking for a great little coffee place to wile away a wet Worker's Day this last friday, and after a little search on dining-out.co.za (since its been so long since I've been in the cafe culture of Cape Town - hiding as I have for the past year paying off horrible debts) I found the perfect place in Obs.

Well to be honest the perfect place I wanted to go was the Queen of Tarts, but being bad with a map, I couldn't find it - I found it after breakfast - but it'll have to wait for another rainy slow morning.

Mango Ginger, on Lower Main near the bottle store in Obs, just up the road from Cafe Ganesh, etc, is a really great little coffee shop. With a name such as this, I was expecting exploitative hippy establishment, a-la the host of commune stores that seem to proliferate around Plett and the rest of the Garden route. I was gladly surprised by an amazing bakery and coffee shop.

I had the scrambled eggs, with rosa tomatoes, and mushrooms. My breakfast partner tried the french toast made with croiscants, served with banana and honey. I tried some of that too... heaven. The coffee is great, more french than dutch - very light and breakfasty... not over roasted and bitter - a perfect early morning pick me up.

The restaurant is welcoming, the staff is friendly (too friendly perhaps? we were being served by 3 waitresses simultaneous at one point, and the place was full - I can't fault it thought, its nice to be so well looked after and it certainly wasn't intrusive, but when we were helped at the right times there was a whole squad to help us with our order and deliver the food - a novel approach to be sure).

They take debit and credit card, which is great (perhaps I'm a snob but I don't like walking around Obs with a big bank roll) - check your bill, I had to remind them of two coffees they hadn't included - its an informal affair with items being written down and then rung up - they deserve every cent due to them, its an awesome little spot and I could happily spend a morning or afternoon hidden there chatting with friends over great coffee and wonderful fresh and tasty food.

Mango Ginger Bakery and Coffee Shop

105 Lower Main Road
Observatory
Cape Town
Tel: 021 448 2500

Brief one on eating out Chinese Buffet style in Mowbray

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:14:00 +0000

I've been very bad, and not said much on this blog for a while. I'm going to do my very best to rectify the situation, and get blogging in a much bigger way about food.

I've still got lots of great photos and stories to upload about the box of goodies from Eat-In, as well as some of the adventures I've been having around the WC checking out great places for food and foodies.

But I just wanted to quickly recommend a really cheap, quick and enjoyable restaurant that I've noticed is struggling, when it really shouldn't be, and I thought I'd just encourage anyone reading the blog, or ultimately searching on the net for a great Chinese buffet in Cape Town.

I generally don't like buffets. I find them strangely intimidating, whilst at the same time disappointing because often the food is not at its best, not really hot and fresh, and often a general let down.

Not so at Chopsticks in Durban Road in Little Mowbray in Cape Town. This road is blessed with a cornucopia of great restaurants, and you can see why the spoilt-for-choice residents of this little corner of the city would struggle to decide what to each.

In the general area are such greats (and not-so-greats) as Sakura, Greek, Fat Cactus, Chai Yo, Curry Quest, Bruegels, etc. A very competitive little street to do business in.

Chopsticks has an excellent Chinese buffet, offering spring rolls, two choices of soup, prawn chips for starters. You just help yourself. The starters are freshly prepared, and constantly replenished through the night; not much gets to stand around and the kitchen staff keep a careful eye on what's there to be eaten so that things are always ready for table.

The mains offer a lot of options for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. All the classics of sweet and sour chicken and pork, as well as various chop suey, vegetable and tofu options about. The sticky ribs are awesome as well. Several types of rice and noodles are available as well.

Bowties are on offer for dessert, which last night we enjoyed over a large pot of green tea (only R10 for four cups, a classic way to end a meal).

The waiters are friendly, a lot seem to be students, and the drinks are very reasonably priced, and they have a fairly decent budget wine list. I'd say that you can also bring a bottle of your own along, they do charge R20 corkage though.

Which is fair considering the entire buffet costs R58, a real steal for a three course meal. You can also order off the menu, and apparently they have a buffet over the weekends which costs more which includes sushi on offer (sushi is of course available through the week as well).

The R58 buffet is available Monday to Friday. The restaurant can feel a bit empty, which is one of the reasons I want to promote this restaurant because based on the friendliness of the staff and owners, the wonderful food and the good service, I'd expect this place to be packed, especially in such trying financial times as many people are experiencing.

As Sian pointed out to me, Chinese food goes through fashions, and at the moment its in a dip. Probably true considering the myriad of Chinese restaurants offering sushi. This is unfortunate, since traditional Chinese food, well prepared such as at Chopsticks is a wonderful taste sensation. The food is fresh, not fatty and really filling.

They have a bar and smoking area if you so require.

Full details available at dining-out.co.za

Chopsticks

97 Durban Road
Mowbray
7700

Tel: 021 685 0876

Wine Magazine should get over themselves

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:59:00 +0000

I'm so glad that Henré Rossouw said what I've been thinking for a long time: that South African wine critics have simply no class.

I'm a long time reader of Wine Magazine, and over the years the arrogance has gotten to me on varying levels. Reading Rob Morris' article, where he unjustifiably slams a farm that is making good efforts to improve itself and its brand, is classless and baseless. Perhaps he should remember his years a varsity drop out before mommy from publisher's Ramsey, Son and Parker got him the job at Wine Magazine.

Morris, and Christian Eedes (with whom he's been known to waste a Friday lunch hour drinking free wine at Greek in Mowbray), exemplify a real weak point in South African wine journalism: namely the idea that great wine journalism is snobbish and slams all who try.

I am certainly no fan of the 'everyone deserves a certificate' attitude of many in our post-modern world: but I think people who spend their lives writing copy for a magazine like Wine Magazine in a suburb as plat as Pinelands should watch what they say (I know, I lived there once, as I did in Stellenbosch: At least people who live in the winelands have some class!)

Food to review and maybe Nominate! Eat-In awards are coming

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:50:00 +0000

On Monday this week I got a mail from Eat-In magazine, asking if I'd like to help in the nomination process for small producers of food! Would I ever! A goodie box to use and enjoy, coming up with a decision on what would be worthy to be nominated came through to the office today, and I intend to get cracking tonight on trying out the various products; some established boutique brands (like Nomu) as well as some other relative unknowns makes it look like its going to be an interesting week of experimenting and tasting what's on offer.

To find out more about the Eat In RMB Private Bank South African Produce Awards check out the Eat In website: www.eat-in.co.za

To whet everyone's appetite, here is the whole unboxing process from this morning in the Cape Town Food office (I loved the green bow! too precious):

Count those damn calories!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:47:00 +0000

As a food lover you sometimes have to face down the scary fact that there are only so many calories you can safely consume in a day, without gaining weight.

Perpetually on diet (or at least thinking of one), I know that I need to track what I'm eating to maximise the taste per calorie, and rather than wasting vital calories on stupid everyday things like milk, I'd rather turn to great flavours like grapeseed oil or my chili reduction.

To help with that I discovered a really helpful site, run by The New York Times company no less, called Calorie Count plus, with a database of foods, recipes, etc and their requisite calories. You can track your activity (i.e. exercise or lack thereof) as well as weight; an excellent dieting cookbook. I'd suggest taking the data of your calorie intake into excel and draw a trend line, because sometimes it can seem like your calorie intake is going up, but in fact your general trend is downward.

It also analyses what you eat, makes healthier suggestions if necessary, and also rates the healthy-ness of what you are eating.

All of this coupled with thousands of pre-calorized recipes makes it the perfect stop for a loving foodie on a bit of a detox or diet period.

Check the site out at: http://caloriecount.about.com/

Boule of bread on a Saturday Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:36:00 +0000

I've been breading up a storm a lot recently.

On Saturday I baked a bread, which we ended up having with fondue that evening, along with a great wine, Ingwe 2004.

Considering how much bread, and other food stuffs cost, due to the global food crisis, a really important issue in its own right, I've been trying to prepare as much as I can from scratch. Its a lot cheaper (and I hope a lot healthier) knowing where all your food comes from.

This loaf, which you can get a sense of the size from a standard Defy roasting dish, cost me around R5 to make, and weighed around 850g.

There is a lot of the word 'around' when it comes to bread making, because SO many factors come into play, such as the moisture content in the flour, the heat of the water added.

Essentially I made this bread with:

* Approx. 500g of Nutty Wheat
* Approx. 150g of White Flour for kneading and sorting
* Half a packet of Instant yeast
* Approx. 500ml warm water
* 2 Tbsp sugar
* 1 Tbsp salt

The trick I'd say to bread is playing around, watching food channels and seeing how they make bread. Also DONT have your water be too cool or too warm. Too warm, the yeast dies. Too cold, the yeast never activates.

Generally I use about 150mls from a boiled rested kettle, and the further 350 from a cold tap. The water should be LUKE warm. What this actually means is one of those horrible kitchen tricks; luke warm to my mind is BODY temperature; that is pretty hot actually.

You NEED sugar so that the instant yeast has something to feed on, otherwise you'll have a bit of an issue. The sugars in the flour will take a long time to rise.

I also added a couple of table spoons of linseed. This added a really healthy seed taste.

Considering how cheap it is to make your own bread, I encourage everyone to make there own, and save a couple of rands a month in the process.

Cape Times V&A Wine Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Sat, 10 May 2008 08:34:00 +0000

Myself and Sian, Ez and Alan went to the Cape Times Wine Affair at the V&A last night.

This event has now officially become my favourite on the wine calendar of the Western Cape. Why? Simple... the quality of it all.

The Wine Affair moved from the Market Square to the new Parking Lot opposite the Victoria Wharf mall. Very clever and practical, and easy access to the rest of the waterfront, and a nice high view into the amazing African Renaissance stadium being thrown up a few hundred meters away.

The venue was a LITTLE warm; i.e. it was boiling hot at first; I've noticed this now at most festivals, with the exception of the Stellenbosch Wine Route Festival. I suppose warm is better than cold; but it is a bit poor. As the evening went on the temperature seemed to adjust (or at least I stopped caring) and it wasn't as noticeable.

What makes the Wine Affair so great is its exhibitors; so many great farms, the big labels and the boutiques, from all over the province made a showing. There are always a couple of farms you'd like to see, but the event offers a real treat for those looking to explore new wines from old favourite labels, as well as being surprised by wines from undiscovered wine makers.

For me the find of the show wasn't a wine, but rather a region; the wines from Rawsonville near Worcester are really getting quite excellent; every interesting and different from what you are used to; I've resolved to driving out there soon and getting more of a taste for the region - a lot of the wines coming out of their seem to be EXCELLENT everyday table wines; maybe not as "dignified" as some of the Paarl and Stellenbosch estates, but certainly up and coming.

I was particularly impressed by the balanced ranges coming from the region. I'm sure they've been making great wines for years; but for someone whose only really followed wine for 5 years it was great to find something new at a show you've been to before.

Balance is what makes the Wine Affair so great. The balance between food and wine, cheaper and more expensive, famous and new is perfectly struck. The entire event has a mildly curated feel which I think is at times lacking in events in SA, and it makes so much difference.
Had some amazing oysters at the Wild Peacock stand. I took their card :)

There was a lot of food at the show, a lot more than at most wine shows, with sushi, meat, fish, cheese, etc. Its fantastic to have both palate cleansers and great fresh food with wine; its the way wine is supposed to be enjoyed; and really gives you an opportunity to let wines open up in context.

Even Fisherman's Choice, the old Waterfront favourite, had a stand, and was serving some of the best calamari I've tasted from them in years.

Val de Vie's shiraz was perfectly paired by golden cardamom chocolates they had at their stand. They also have a wine called Polo which is a fantastic red blend for the table.

There were so many great wines at the show. De Klerk from Rawsonville. (Family name prejudice there I fear :) ), McGregor, De Grendel, Boekenhoutskloof, the list goes on...
Ooo, and I didn't have any, but Krone was there, from Twee Jong Gezellen; when I drank it at Winex it convinced me to buy a case of it at this last new years.

Raka and Asara's wines are also tasting a lot better on my palate than they have in the past; must have something to do with my new prelidiction for shiraz; thank you Sian!

How can I sum up this show? Unmissable!

I recommend it to anyone for next year; it really is the best way to spend a cold May evening, with great friends, great wine and food, and a wonderful festival of the good life.

SA Cheese Festival : The Unofficial Report

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:08:00 +0000

Yesterday Sian and myself spent the day at the Cheese and Wine Festival at Bien Donne. It was my first time at the festival, and I had a great time, with little nostalgic touches from Agri-Expo (i.e. live animals) which took me back from childhood days of running around the Goodwood show.

First things first, having not checked the map, and arriving early, Sian and I took the wrong turn at the T-junction from the Helshoogte road. Thinking that there would be signage... mistake. It seems you had to know where to go (at least at 10:30), but then after retracking our steps we found the site, by following the TONNES of cars.

The parking was fairly well organised, if a little undemocratic, but tractors were taking people from the outlying areas, where we parked. But Sian and I took a walk, thinking it was worthwhile considering all the cheese that would surely be on offer.

Arriving and getting in was really easy, especially since we had bought tickets on Computicket. One gripe though, not including the tasting glass, and not having the programme pre-bagged is a little lazy. Not a huge hassle, but events like Stellenbosch Wine Festival and Winex have made this the norm. Paying an extra R6 for a glass is pretty incidental, but it sets the wrong tone straight off; rather charge more on the ticket price. Also the chaos ensuing the procurement of glasses as people entered the festival was indicative of poor planning, for this the final day of the festival.

But with glasses in hand, we went around the first of the many areas of the showgrounds.

When we first entered the show, it seemed like the festival was a little too packed; queuing to get a taste isn't my idea of fun.

But with time, the crowds dispersed, and moved on, through the festival area.

There were too many great products on offer, too many amazing cheeses, wines, olives, etc. to mention.

A couple of things stood out though. Goat's milk soft serve, was really awesome; and ended a day spent in the sun rather well. Hill Billy chilli was truly potent. The cheeses from Franschoek's Truckles were varied and wonderful.

Speaking to a lot of the shop owners, a lot of the cheese manufacturers don't have proper supply chains to outlets, and that is a really unfortunate thing. I hope to do something about this in the near future.

O'Grape's grape seed oil, especially the one infused in garlic, is a fantastic dipping oil. I suggest you try and get your hands on a bottle.

I tried out some very interesting dried olives as well; something I'd really like to pick up again.

There was TONNES of food to be had, and Sian and I enjoyed a lovely cheese platter and some wine for lunch, sitting in the sun. The festival has AMPLE sitting places, for chilling out, chatting with friends, and having a bite to eat. This is really great, and made spending the day that much easier; which is a good thing because the sheer scale and variety really does stretch the limits of what can be seen in a day's festival going.

Overall, Sian and I have an amazing time. Sian bought several cheeses, and I look forward to reviewing these with her in the coming days, and posted more specifics.

Well done to all the exhibitors and AgriExpo; it was a fantastically well run event, and a wonderful day out meeting many of the luminaries of the South African cheese industry.

The Milestone - Swellendam

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:58:00 +0000

On the way back from Plett, I recently stopped with Sian and Kerry, and had a pretty good lunch in Swellendam at a little bistro called The Milestone.

Having previously tried to find something to chow on, in the middle of a trip between Cape Town and the Garden Route, it was great to find somewhere dedicated to a nice meal, and not attached to a B&B or expensive lodge.

The garden was lovely and cool, the service was excellent and the food was good. Prices were Cape Town-esque (i.e. a bit pricey), but considering what's normally on offer on the road (Wimpy's, etc.) it was really great to have access to good bistro style food.

A final special touch was getting the bill in a wind up ballerina music box, a small indication of the attention to detail and pleasant surprises you'll find at The Milestone in Swellendam.

The restaurant can be found on the main street (Voortrekker street) in Swellendam, opposite The Handy Shop.

Alcohol + Lent = Free Booze

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:20:00 +0000

I'm a Catholic, and for a myriad of reasons Catholics give up 'something for lent'. Why we do this delves into Jesus, his 40 days before he began his ministry and a whole lot of other dogmatic and traditional aspects of my life which aren't really part of this blog, and aren't really interesting unless you are, A) Catholic or B) Interested in developing a distorted opinion of what being a Catholic is all about.

But the premise is you give something up for 40 days and 40 nights (queue the comedy), and use that denial of something you'd otherwise have to focus your mind and develop yourself spiritually. So I went from spiritually to spirits, and gave up booze for lent. Not feeling quite masochistic enough, I gave up meat as well. Right, no meat, no booze. How is a man supposed to live?

So what does "The Universe" do when you lay down such a karmic challenge? It tempts you, or rather you realise the temptation which was never there. When we say God tempts us, the truth is we have drawn a line in the sand which we have decided not to cross despite our corporal desire to do so. And that is the temptation I have felt these last 22 days, and will no doubt feel again in the next 18.

Why has it been so bad? Well in the shortest of orders the opportunity for free booze and free meat has been INSANE. From Microsoft Launch parties, to comp'd business lunches, to wine weekends and festivals, to house bring and braais, to trading conferences to Newbie Bowls with booze and boerewors rolls, the last couple of weeks have been a real test to avoid the booze and meat.

What can I say? Well I'm sure that the free booze and free meat train will pull into the station on Holy Thursday, and I'll have to pay for the meat and booze I'm no doubt going to want to drink so desperately when I finally can.

The truth is you realise your physical desires a lot more. Someone could open a bottle of wine 10 metres from me and now I'll smell it. Same re: meat, I finally understand what the OT is talking about when they talk of the smell of the the offering was pleasing to God; my word a braai is a nice smell, especially when the ruddy Israelites (or in my case, the house mates) have been hesitant to braai as of late.

I'm making my mouth water just as I write this. I should stop.

But the interesting thing to think about is the power of denial; how denying yourself something can make your realise how much you really need it. In our lives we give up things like chocolate, or our favourite TV show, but we often forget that the things we really should appreciate we aren't denied until there is nothing we can do about it: like our family, our friends, and finally our lives.

So what I've taken from this lent, spiritual growth aside, is the simple fact that everything in our lives, no matter how trivial, when taken away is something to regret. And the things which really matter even more so, which for good reason we should reach out and share and enjoy the time and things of our lives with the people we love.

The Cheese Festival comes... prepare yourselves!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:30:00 +0000

Vital Cheese Lovers Information:

April 26, 2008
2008 SA Cheese Festival
Let the best of SA cheese seduce you

Allow the earthy scents of cheese to lure you to the country?s major cheese event ? the SA Cheese Festival which will be held from 25 to 28 April 2008 on the historic Bien Donn? farm nestled in the countryside between Paarl and Franschhoek. Young and old will be sure to enjoy this farm-to-table cheese experience.

Enjoy a magnitude of legendary champion cheeses and discover daring new varieties paired with delicacies such as wine, olives and freshly baked bread in a country market atmosphere. Visitors will be afforded the exhilarating opportunity to compare our local cheeses to their French counterparts, imported especially for the festival. South Africa?s most celebrated food personalities and cheese-makers will be there to let you in on the most scrumptious cheese secrets, while demonstrating new trends of the cheese world. All of this included in the entrance fee of R75.

Tickets for this delectable event will be available from 1 February 2008 at Computicket outlets countrywide and online. Senior citizens will be able to enter for a mere R45 and children 12 years and under enter free. Numbers are limited so do not hesitate to put the 2008 Cheese Festival in first place on your to do list.

The gates will be open from 10:00 to 18:00 from Friday to Sunday and from 10:00 to 16:00 on Monday 28 April. For more details, contact the organiser, Agri-Expo, at tel 021 975 4440, e-mail cheese@agriexpo.co.za or visit www.cheesefestival.co.za.

The best in London : Home Baked

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:17:00 +0000

Not really available in Cape Town (Tragedy!) but well worth the plane ticket to London ~ or better yet, if you are in London, worth the phone call: My friend Lori makes quite simply the best cup cakes and confectionary in the world!

I have searched the world for the optimum cup cake, gone to Charley's in Roeland Street in Cape Town down from my office, been to Denise's Delights in Sea Point which my family used to supply, and made a complete nuisance of myself with Polish and Swiss confectioners in Toronto and I have still not come across a cake or other sweet baked thing that even remotely holds a candle to Home Baked's goods...

This is seriously the best kept secret in sweet things in the UK, and this from someone with no sweet tooth to speak of really.

Check out the tantalizing website at: http://www.home-baked.com/

Or join the Facebook group

Otherwise call Lori for orders big and/or small:

mobile: 07726782688
e mail: lori@home-baked.com

Buena Vista Social Club at the Tyger Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:55:00 +0000

BVSC is a great place to meet friends for a drink (or perhaps a cigar in the dedicated smoking room), and share some tapas or a straight forward meal.

I've gone for a couple of lounge sessions, sharing a few beers, over the last year or so, but only in the last month have I enjoyed the food that BVSC has on offer.

I can heartily recommend the Tapas platter for R74.50, which could easily feed 4, and is a great base to add to other tapas for the more adventurous. It includes tonnes (seriously TONNES : this place's portion sizes are actually too large in my opinion) of feta, olives, humus, tomato bruschetta(???), diablos (dates wrapped in bacon : yum!), chicken wings, ciabatta, teramasalata(??? - we swapped out for more humus) as well as some deep fried brinjal discs. I normally grab some of their chili poppers too.

The decor and vibe is great - sort of like a VERY upmarket version of cubana; similar to how Rafikis makes Cool Runnings' vibe a little more palpable to the slightly older crowd (i.e. not students). The drinks are well priced, and the cocktails are made with a 'heavy' (or honest) hand, so when you are paying R28 for a cocktail you aren't paying for the orange juice.

My biggest criticism would be that the waitering staff have an URGENCY to get your plates off the table. This is strange, because they don't bother you otherwise, and there is no pressure to leave [I wonder if they have a crockery shortage? Or their dishwashing crew is a bit lacklustre], but with two different waitrons (horrible term), our plates have been cleared before the last bite has been chewed. This is really off putting and can make it a bit uncomfortable. I don't understand it.

Overall this place (near Mamu) is a wonderful place to spend a fun evening with friends. Having been there a couple of times with mates during the week I can say it is always pumping without being too crowded. I recommend booking in advance.

Paulaner on Sunday Afternoons

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:31:00 +0000

There are many great places to eat and drink that stare you in the face day after day, and unless you are a little adventurous you'll never get to enjoy.

One such place is the fantastic Munich Brauhaus at the V&A Waterfront, Paulaner. But be warned, the service is consistently bad to be completely honest. Every time I go to Paulaner I discover a new way to be surprised at how bad service can be (the latest one: a waiter grabbing the bill and my credit card out of the hand of a waitress who was ringing up our bill so he could "use the FNB Speedpoint", i.e. get the tip. This is consistent of the crap service you must just come to expect at Paulaner).

That said, the beer and the food is amazing, and makes up for the crap service.

The beer garden is a perfect quite spot to enjoy a Lager or a Weiss (recommended) beer to enjoy, and a bretzel (YUM!).

Go there when you are next at the Waterfront, if you like beer its a wonderful slice of Germany, despite the service which one would never expect to find in Munich.

You can order a keg (various sizes), from Paulaner. I've had them at several parties, and I can recommend them thoroughly, just order a little in advance, don't leave it till Thursday if you need it on Saturday, because otherwise the barreled beer can be a little low on alcohol, and a bit high in sugar; otherwise its a fantastic way to bring the Paulaner product into your home!

John Dory's All you can eat(/drink) sushi!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:50:00 +0000

If you like sushi, you'll know its an expensive addiction; sometimes when I'm sitting at a sushi bar I feel more like a drug addict in an opium den than a paying customer at a restaurant. The very fact people want to be close to the preparation of the food (i.e. to minimise the time from creation to mouth) says something of the addictive nature of this food.

So when an offer for a sushi buffet or all you can eat offer is discovered, its not hard to get a group of sushi lovers to come over and enjoy it with you.

John Dory's in Canal Walk has a great sushi bar, which is reasonably priced, does take-aways and numerous specials. One of these specials is on Wednesday nights where for R129 you can get all the sushi you could want, and as much Graca as you might like.

Perfect you say! And it is, its reasonable, but you'll quickly find that you won't be able to have that much sushi, not because its not good (its excellent, more in the Californian style [read: mayo] than some of the more traditional sushi restaurants such as Qing, which has been previously commented on), but because you physically can't have that much sushi (damn RICE!)

That said, the sushi is excellent. The platters that come through include four fashion sandwiches, two pieces of fish maki, four california rolls, two salmon roses, and two rainbow rolls. They don't skimp on what they normally prepare; this is the real deal, no different from any other night.

The service is excellent, the Graca flows (which at R16 a the bottle store isn't unbelievable that they serve it up like water), and a great evening is easily had by all.

SO to summarise, just remember to not eat before coming through, otherwise one plate will fill you up, and then its probably cheaper buying off the menu. Other than that, the best advice is to take it really slow with your friends, and you'll have an amazing time at the John Dory's all you can eat sushi special.

Note: JD's also does half price sushi on weekday lunch times, and Sunday evenings. The staff is very friendly, and you'll no doubt find yourself, family and friends becoming regulars!

There non-sushi food is great too b.t.w.

MAMU Coffee : Hidden cathedral to coffee...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Cape Town is a food community split along the cultural lines that run through the rest of the city; this is very unfortunate, because with that attitude one will end up missing some of the best tastes and places for a dedicated foodie to enjoy.

One such place is MAMU coffee. While you might be part of the Kloof Street Vida set who simply look down on all coffee unless its served to you by a rugby team of screaming, caffeine induced baristas, its always worth looking for great coffee elsewhere.

And it can be found at MAMU. But you will have to travel north of the Boerewors curtain (if you live in the central or southern suburbs) to enjoy the great coffee that MAMU has to offer. MAMU is at the Tygerberg waterfront, near Zibaldone's, Rhapsody's and Buena Vista Social Club.

Many a lazy afternoon and evening has been spent there with friends, and I can recommend it wholeheartedly. The coffee maitre-d, if she can be called as such, remembers your face, your drink and where you like to sit. It's a place where you can quickly become a regular, no matter how far you drive to get there.

The menu is about coffee, and the baristas products are fantastic, with all the little flourishes you'd expect from a great coffee preparation team; they aren't serving up Starbucks people - this is coffee taken seriously. Besides the multitude of coffee combinations at Mamu there is little else on the menu (don't bring friends who don't like coffee) : there are a few sweet things to see you through, as well as a great breakfast muesli, but if you are looking for something to accompany that great MAMU coffee the best option is to go for one of their signature chocolate bar inspired tarts and cakes. Well worth 19 rand a slice. [Note: Tonight (22 Jan) went to Mamu, the coffee was great as always... but a slice of cake was a bit dry, and WAY too much icing, left some on the plate... hrm! still the coffee was great!]

The ambiance is very chilled out, with a lounge vibe, and the furniture to match. Once you've been there enough times, and are spending a couple of hours in MAMU-ization, ask for them to change the CD and they will : all part of the excellent and considerate service that this coffee experience has to offer.

So if you are looking for somewhere more upmarket at a similar price (if not less) price then the regular mall coffee chains (inc. Vida, Seattle, etc.) then make a little bit of a pilgrimage to MAMU. If you love your coffee you won't be disappointed.

Word of caution! My friends and I are often prone to having Mamu late at night, as its stays open past 10. Be VERY careful.... Mamu will make you feel sleepy as you relax into the delicious caffeine experience that is there coffee roasts; but later on in the night you may very well struggle to fall asleep. The caffeine content of their non-decaffeinated coffees is not for the faint hearted.

Qing Sushi (Canal Walk)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:23:00 +0000

Generally I don't like restaurants in malls. There is something unsatisfying about them, that said there are some really good resaturants outside of the big chain restaurants that dominate the malls.

One such place is Qing Sushi, next to the Primi Lounge at Canal Walk's La Piazza Italiano-Style food court (Can you say... VEGAS!). It's simple, small, VERY clean, the waiters are friendly (although last night we had one who seemed terrified of speaking to myself, Sian and PK) , the food is decently priced and the menu is vast.

For such a small restaurant, the variety of food is breath taking. There is the usual sort of sushi menu, and then a collection of Chef specials that last several pages; these range from innovative fish sushi, to a variety of vegetarian specials (good for Sian: recommended is Sushi on the Green).

The chef is very creative, with things like pancake handrolls, sushi rice balls, and literally pages of stuff you'd never see anywhere else, Qing sushi has an insane variety. They also have Thai curries, chinese food, japanese traditional food (udon noodles), tepanyaki and a range of other food. Their dessert menu is also pretty creative (deep fried frozen coconut milk?)

I had the assorted sushi platter, as well as some Inari Tofu Nigiri (if you've never had sweet Inari, I really recommend it to anyone; it is AMAZING sushi, when you can find it), Sian had some veg sushi rice balls (massive, very good value for money if you are feeling hungry) as well as Sushi on the Green. PK had the seafood soup, some scallop sushi rice balls, some veg spring rolls and some calamari california rolls (his came to less than R100 to give you a sense of value).

We enjoyed a bottle of Simonsvlei Chardonnay 2007, which was lightly wooded, quite enjoyable really.

To finish off we shared some of a R20 dessert, namely the previously mentioned deep fried frozen coconut milk balls, which really have to be tasted to be believed. It was served with a cream soda ice-cream (yes it exists), and a strawberry bubble gum ice cream.

All in all Qing Sushi is very good, the tastes are amazing, the variety stunning, and you are sure to experience some dishes you simply won't find anywhere else; if you are stuck in Canal Walk and you are looking for somewhere quick and enjoyable to eat, pop in and see what is on offer. I'm sure you won't be dissapointed.

One thing... Qing Sushi's sushi is more "classic" than "californian". What do I mean by this? Well for one thing the sashimi, the best test of the quality of the ingredients, melts like butter in the mouth and is EXCELLENT quality. But unlike many discount sushi restaurants, Qing don't use a lot of mayonaise to cover up the rest of ingredients. If you are new to sushi, this is a GOOD thing b.t.w., but may be different from some of the sushi bars you might have become accustomed to at the chain fish restaurants (CTFM, John Dory's, etc.). See if you can taste the difference.

Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew la Grange) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:51:00 +0000

Welcome to Cape Town Food (a sub-blog? of AndrewLaGrange.com)!

It's an opportunity for me to write about one of my great loves, namely the food, restaurants and stores of Cape Town, South Africa.

As a child sitting at my mother's feet as she baked pies for the tuisbedryfe of the Peninsula (the first word out of my flour dusted head was 'pie'), I learnt to be an unashamed foodie, and this blog is going to explore some of the fantastic places and personalities that have made up the Cape Town catering and restaurant scene.

The web is full of great recipe sites, I'll be linking to the ones I and my friends use, and I'll probably also be occasionally throwing in a recipe or two of mine (I apologise in advance).

Food for me is a great creative and social outlet, and I hope this site is as fun for you to read as it will be for me to write.