Eggy Galliova meals, not-so-wild horses and slushy pink drinks

We’re in the final stretch to year end and you can feel it. Summer is here, the heat is on and this week really seemed to fly by! Here are our a few of our favourite things since my last update…

Friday, 21 October 2016: Galliova Food Eggcellence Awards at Youngblood Africa

I fell in love with the decor at the Galliova Awards held at Youngblood Africa in the CBD last Friday. Click here for my overview article on Biz.

Another exceptionally (Make that ‘eggceptionally’) well-decorated corner.

I sat myself at the green table (there was also a red and a yellow option). See the sweet little coloured pencil set at each place?

The cappuccino was delicious, and we got to test our artistic skills by colouring in (all egg-themed, of course, as Galliova means ‘chicken and ‘egg’).

The food was equally delicious. This was the Nicoise salad starter (I avoided the tuna but loved the creamy sauce in the phyllo shell).

The main course was a feast for the eyes and tastebuds. You’re looking at ‘trussed black pepper-crusted fillet’ on potato dauphinoise, along with scorched asparagus, perfectly poached egg and salsa verde. The finishing touch was the smoked truffle salt appealingly served in a cracked eggshell, and that bright Nasturtium making you smile.

The delectable egg custard dessert, accompanied by tart grapefruit segments and tangy sticks of rhubarb. My mouth is watering just remembering it!

Saturday, 22 October 2016: Primi breakfast, horse-y visits and Jamaica Me Crazy lunch

It had been a drizzly start to the morning, so we wanted breakfast with a view on Saturday. Husband went for the ‘crispy bacon and chunky salsa’ breakfast tortillas at Primi on Marine Circle.

I went for a plain croissant (they’re baked fresh on the premises at Primi so you don’t really need any fillings or toppings), and also finally tried the Mocha Forte – it’s an espresso drink with dark chocolate, micro-textured milk and coconut oil, very yummy.

Bellies full, we set off for Sea Point side. See the sky clearing behind Husband.

The birdies were also out and about, admiring the view.

Look at those beautiful colours! The waves were crashing wildly over the rocks so we didn’t venture in.

Instead, we visited the police horses’ corral close to the stadium in Sea Point. You can just see the stadium looming large back left here.

Husband greeted the horsies.

He encouraged me to do so, too. This white horsie looked like a unicorn missing his horn, or a pegasus without wings. And note the shy twin horsie behind – looks like his nose is touching mine.

Next on the agenda was lunch at Jamaica Me Crazy. Here is Husband with his Jack Black draught.

This is not a strawberry daquiri, it’s a ‘volcano’, which is half-daquiri half-pina colada. Unfortunately the slush machine wasn’t ready for me and I was too impatient to wait so instead of the swirled drink I was imagining, (click here for a reminder), it all melted into one. Still tasted amazing, though.

Proof of just how strawberry daquiri-like it looked. Yes, I did wear the drink umbrella in my hair later.

To eat, I went for the nachos with beef.

Husband went for the chicken burger with ‘Ziggy’ sauce – refried beans, peppers and a chilli popper. That’s his hand sneaking a Tempura-style onion ring before I had finished snapping away.

This ‘cat’ always catches me off guard when going up the stairs to sit on the outside deck at Jamaica Me Crazy.

Sunday, 23 October 2016: Ons Huisie breakfast and paddle in the sea

On Sunday we didn’t just want breakfast with a view, we wanted to eat outdoors. Eventually we decided on Ons Huisie, and were lucky to get a table as all the locals woke with the same idea.

Husband made his way through the Farmer’s Choice breakfast, complete with wors and rump steak.

I was happy with the waffle, served with maple syrup and ice cream.

Husband couldn’t resist a brief paddle in the shallow waves.

Much later that afternoon, we had Mum’s peach fridge tart – note the peach-scented candle appropriately setting the scene in the background, which Husband bought for the parents on his solo trip to Joburg in August.

That’s all, folks! Here’s to another happy, sunny weekend for all. 😉

New job seafood, mid-week beach walks and cheesecake in a jar

It’s been another busy week but an exciting one as Husband started a new job (yay!) and I ticked off quite a bit of admin that had been piling up. Here are some of the more photo-worthy moments…

Saturday, 15 October 2016: Shared breakfasts at Cubana, new job celebrations at Panama Jacks

We wanted to start the weekend with a shared breakfast as we wanted a special lunch to celebrate Husband’s new job, so we headed to our local Cubana just off the beachfront. That’s me going up/coming down the stairs.

My cappuccino and all the sugar I could possibly want. Funny as I only used one sachet.

The eggs benedict. We each devoured a mound. It has a creamy-spicy twist on the original and comes atop a bed of baked polenta. Yum.

Next stop: Waterfront. I decided to pause and hang out with this guy for a while.

Quite the eye-catching restaurant display.

And then, on to Panama Jacks in the harbour for Husband’s celebratory meal. Here he is just outside the doorway…

Husband went for the ‘avo seafood’ starter.

For mains he had even more seafood in the fettuccini marinara.

I had the lamb-and-bean soup as starter/main…

I finished off with the hazelnut-chocolate mousse dessert. It’s served on a brownie-type base and delightfully fudgey.

Sunday, 16  October 2016: Greens’ breakfasts and Driftwood’s milkshakes

One of my favourite chilly Sunday breakfast places is Greens in Plattekloof. See my hot chocolate top left, waffle with sliced banana and caramel sauce, and Husband’s full plate of cooked brekkie.

We made our way to the Driftwood Cafe for an early afternoon treat. I had the custard milkshake, Husband went with a vanilla (swirled with Bell’s).

I think that expression means Husband enjoyed his, too.

People got lucky snapping amazing pics of Cape Town’s sunsets this week. My two attempts weren’t great – see a pink-tinged cloud on the left and our prettily lit up back yard at night.

Monday, 17 October 2016: Adams & Adams advertising law event

On Monday afternoon I bussed from work to the Inner City Ideas Cartel for a work event. The clouds started rolling in over the mountains as I made my way.

I got there with a few minutes to spare, only to find out that four of the five speakers for the session were stuck in a lift. Wasn’t a problem as there was coffee flowing freely and easily accessible Wi-Fi to keep up with email.

Frantic note-taking over (watch for my coverage on Bizcommunity next week), attendees all trooped upstairs to the rooftop for snacks and drinks. I watched folks amble over the pedestrian bridge and gulped down this Cola with lemon before dashing home to find out about Husband’s first day at the office. All went well.

Wednesday, 19 October 2016: Team lunch at The Taproom, Devil’s Peak Brewery

My colleague Jess who now lives in Joburg was in town for a few days this week so of course we took the opportunity to hold our next team lunch at an old favourite of ours, The Taproom at Devil’s Peak Brewery. Here’s our ever-growing content/support team.

This time I sampled the raspberry smoothie. Thick and yoghurty, it’s a win.

To eat, you can’t go wrong with their cheeseburger and chips served with tomato sauce and a garlicky mayonnaise. Also see one of the Devil’s Wings, with a sesame-seed crust.

For dessert, I went for the ‘orange-chocolate cheesecake’ – that’s what you see in this jar. It has a biscuity base and the cheesecakey filling is piped in and sprinkled with choc chips. Certainly different.

Thursday, 20 October 2016: Post-work curries and beach walks

We dined at Punjab Express in Parklands as an ‘almost done with the work week’ treat on Thursday eve. Love their door sign top left (Keep naan and curry on), and see Husband and me ready to tuck in. We ate every mouthful.

That’s one portion of chicken tikka masala and one portion of Bombay potatoes. They go very well together!

Then it was time for an evening beach walk with the doggies. We scampered across the rough shell-type sand at Kreeftebaai.

Husband and Bertie made a beeline for the waves, as they do.

Bassie and me stayed on dry ground, as we do.

Husband and the doggies trotted far ahead. All had a fun time.

Bassie’s standard ‘happy sandy face ignoring the camera’ post-walkies.

That’s all, folks! Stay tuned for my next update…

Conferencing in Camps Bay & breakfast with birdies at Melkbos Farmstall

Last weekend the weather turned all gloomy and grey on us so we went into hibernation mode for much of it, as you’ll see below…

Saturday, 8 October 2016: Breakfast at The Daily, gnocchi at The Italian Club

It was The Daily’s turn to host us for breakfast, so Husband went for their breakfast wrap, while I tried their Nutella-banana pancakes. Perfect with the Terbodore cappuccino and homemade shortbread star biscuit.

It was good ‘stay indoors’ weather, so stay indoors we did. We alternated between reading, napping and watching series.

The Italian Club in Milnerton is pumping all weekend long, so we were lucky to get a table last Saturday evening when we pitched up without first making a booking. The cold, rainy weather had me craving my favourite comfort food – gnocchi. See it topped with meaty bolognese sauce and lots of parmesan cheese top left, all the party balloons (from different parties) behind Husband, and my choc-dusted cappuccino.

Sunday, 9 October 2016: Breakfast at the Melkbos Farmstall

We felt like a brief road trip first thing on Sunday so ventured all the way to Melkbos 🙂 Here is the Farmstall from outside.

The windmill is somewhat dilapidated.

Farmstall from the front, complete with large pumpkins on the roof.

Husband happily making his way through the ‘healthy starter’ served with most breakfasts at the Farmstall – a tiny juice and a piping hot bran muffin. Yummy.

Husband opted for ‘The Rooster’ breakfast.

I had the French toast breakfast.

This little birdie got lucky when the family at this table got up to go meet the bunnies mid-meal.

Of course we walked around looking at all the bunnies and birdies, too. I think this is the first time I realised ducklings are yellow from tip to toe. So cute!

Cloudy with a few blue patches – weather conditions on the way home. We spent the day much like Saturday, only venturing out again for lupper at Mum’s that evening.

The doggies trotted all around their granny’s garden after they’d digested their Sunday lupper.

Bassie had a ‘Spring sniff’ all around her granny’s garden, stopping to admire all the blooms.

Monday, 10 October 2016: Solo doggy beach walk

Husband took the doggies for a beach walk on Monday. Love how their personalities are captured in this shot, with Bertie eagerly standing up to look out the window in the back seat, while Bassie sits and stares more calmly out of the front passenger side. 🙂

The beach was deserted and there was minimal wind – Bassie’s best conditions, see how happy she is here.

This is Bertie mid-shake post dip in the sea.

Both merrily scrambling and exploring the rocks and tiring themselves out.

Thursday, 13 October 2016: Beyond Retail conference at The Rotunda at The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay

I’ve seen this ‘heart’ lit up at night all over Instagram when people dine across the road from it at Cafe Caprice and the like, but it’s just as pretty in the daytime. It’s the first thing I snapped before the Beyond Retail conference began at The Rotunda in The Bay Hotel across the road.

Top left is the awe-inspiring light fitting and tent-like ceiling of The Rotunda, below was my breakfast table set-up and to the right was our tea table. You can read the first of my articles from Beyond Retail by clicking here.

An inviting corner just outside The Tides restaurant in The Bay Hotel, where we lunched and networked.

View of Camps Bay far below as I took the long bus trip home later that afternoon.

That’s all, folks! Here’s to another relaxing weekend all round…

Cloudy Malmsbury scenery, OJ for breakfast and new spectacles

Another admin-filled week as we’ve had to present affidavits to replace most of my bank cards, my prescription glasses and even spent the bulk of a day at home affairs applying for a new ID. That said, there were still highlights, as you’ll see below…

Friday, 30 September 2016: #AspirationsReport event and home braai

I spent most of the day at the Sport Science Institute in Newlands, right by the sweet smelling South African Breweries, taking in the findings of the UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing’s #AspirationsReport 2016 – click here to find out more.

The weather was delightful that evening, so Husband braaied some cheese wors for our dins.

Saturday, 1 October 2016: Malmsbury scenery

Our first stop on Saturday was home affairs in town… only to find they’d already taken their 100 ID applications for the day. We decided to also try the department in Malmsbury, +-120km away as it was also a bucket list location for us to tick off. You can just see the mountains and roads in this photo dominated by clouds.

Lots of pretty lavender, rosemary and other assorted plants add a splash of colour to the countryside.

This window frames the natural beauty of this scenery perfectly. This was on our way back home on finding the Malmsbury office just as crowded. We ticked off Malmsbury and decided to try again in town during the week.

By then quite tired and hungry, we stopped in at the Village Place Cafe and noticed they had a new menu with intriguing items like enchiladas. Husband tried them, with a filling side salad.

For me… well I couldn’t pass up the S’mores Belgian waffle, could I? Delicious. Look at all that ice cream and gooey marshmallow. Yum.

After even more admin of replacing loyalty cards and buying a new handbag we treated ourselves to large milkshakes at the Wimpy in Canal Walk. Husband had the banana, I had the coffee.

Much later that evening, I noticed a pair of eyes watching me munch some crisps.

Sunday, 2 October 2016: Beachy mornings and cocktail afternoons

For breakfast on Sunday we found ourselves at Bread & Butter again. This flapjack stack with bacon, cinnamon-fried banana and syrup was truly delicious. Note my cheapie non-prescription sunnies.

Husband, being healthy, opted for an orange juice instead of his usual breakfast Cola. Lol at his face after 🙂 That’s my cappuccino you can see, Husband had the same Banting breakfast as last week (click here for a reminder).

It was beach weather, so we went to the beach. That’s Husband running ahead of me, desperate to dip his feet in the water.

I was happy to soak up some sun, doze off and read a bit while Husband splashed about.

Here is Husband exploring the rocks after his dip.

We stopped in at Eden Cafe in Big Bay a little later in the day. I finally got to have the pina colada I’d been waiting for all week.

Husband went for his standard Long Island Ice Tea.

Such a pretty floral centre piece at mum’s that evening.

Wednesday, 5 October 2016: Burger King ad premier

On Wednesday evening, Husband and I were invited to the premier of Burger King’s first ad, fittingly at the newly opened Burger King at Canal Walk (where Joe’s Easy Diner used to be). We were treated to a Whopper meal each. I’ll be writing about the ad for Bizcommunity next week!

We had a bit of time to spare between eating and watching the ad (as well as the new Masterminds movie), so wandered around the mall and its perimeter.

Thursday, 6 October 2016: Home Affairs morning, Doodles evening

We had  a very early start to queue at Home Affairs again, and despite a few system crashes – I had to have my photo digitally taken three separate times – all was sorted and we had confirmation that the new IDs will be ready in a few weeks. To celebrate we decided to eat at On the Corner in Paarden Island. Here’s my peri peri sauce-drenched double-toasted chicken mayo and handcut chips, with cappuccino is handle-less glass cup.

Husband went for the ‘Full on’ breakfast – all this and the cappuccino in the above photo for R45!

Following a nap and collection of my last few replacement cards we went to Doodles for a late-afternoon treat. Look at my Bar-One milkshake, almost bigger than Husband! Lol.

We shared the nachos. Just right for both of us and one of the most popular orders.

Friday, 7 October 2016: Fat Cactus family and new spectacles

Husband met my parents at the Fat Cactus just up the road from work so he could save me some travel time home. Mum is holding up a rib, dad a margarita, Husband a beer.

We stopped off at Specsavers in Bayside on the way home to collect my new glasses. Prescription sunnies, too. Silly poser, me 😉

That’s all, folks! Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, hope you are, too.