Brunch at Damhuis and mid-week Mexican Redemption burgers

Last week went by in a blur as I’ve been a bit under the weather and Husband was on night shift again. Luckily we’re both on leave for a bit next week, to recharge our batteries a little.

See a selection of my favourite moment since my last blog update below, I lived up to my promise of posting quite a few ‘family pics’ of Husband with his brother…

Friday, 19 May 2017: Fish Hoek funeral and evening fires

Aunty Sybil’s funeral flowers were beautiful – fitting as she was on the flower decorating committee at the church where her memorial service was held.

Post-Home Affairs visit and funeral we stopped off at Muizenberg beach with Spec, who would be staying with us for the weekend. We weren’t really dressed for a dip in the sea but still soaked up some sunshine.

T’was chilly that evening so Husband lit a fire. Bassie and I spent hours warming ourselves in front of it.

Saturday, 20 May 2017: Melkbos morning with mum-in-law

As Husband worked the previous weekend, we didn’t get to see my mum-in-law for Mother’s Day. We therefore had a belated Mother’s Day breakfast at Damhuis in Melkbos on Saturday. This was my coffee shake.

Family in breakfast/brunch mode. Was delicious!

Look at the lovely decor and some of the food on offer.

We went on a long walk along the coastline to work off some of that food. See the full Andrews family trotting barefoot here.

Later that afternoon we took Spec to see the Hillside Quarry in Durbanville.

See? Proof we were there.

We stopped in at Saint’s, Eden on the Bay for dins a little later.

This is what we ended up with – two draught beers top left, a single latte bottom right, my ‘Irish nacho’ potato skins and the boys’ fancy burgers.

Sunday, 21 May 2017: Peanut-butter hot chocolate at News Cafe

Drinks at News Cafe were our Sunday afternoon highlight. See my peanut butter hot chocolate, Husband’s Long Island Ice Tea and another shot of the three of us together.

Mum made individual bobotie pots for dins. Delicious!

For dessert, milk tart. 10/10!

Wednesday, 24 May 2017: Work lunch at Redemption Burgers

Wednesday was the day of our next department lunch at work – we try have them every two months or so. This time we took a quick walk down the road to Redemption Burgers at the Old Biscuit Mill.

The Mexican burger, topped with cheddar, guacamole and salsa. Also, tin mug of chips and my wavy-looking cappuccino mug.

That’s all, folks! Stay well and be sure to check in again next week!

Stellenbosch conference views & Mother’s Day 2017

Greetings, loyal blog reader! 🙂

Husband worked last weekend so we weren’t out and about quite as much as normal but we still had a few delicious moments, as you’ll see below…

Wednesday, 10 May 2017: Good Food & Wine Show 2017 media launch

Loved this selection of pics the Good Food & Wine Show posted on Twitter (those are my pics of the non-Black Insomnia coffee at the start of the first row and the cake slices end of second row, eee). Really a lovely media experience, and you can read my event feedback here for more of what to expect from the show.

A handful of the prettiest moments I snapped at the Table Bay Hotel event, all linked to that amazing rainbow cake and world’s strongest Black Insomnia coffee.

Saturday, 13 May 2017: Reload latte and Saint’s burgers

On Saturday Husband left for work then I joined dad for a coffee at the nearest Reload as we were treating mum to a pre-Mother’s Day mani and pedi just down the road. Just look at his lovely mustard-y hot dog and the clever Table Mountain design in my choc-mint latte.

We set off for Saint’s in Eden on the Bay once Husband got home that eve. That’s my Pink Dragon cocktail and Husband’s TNT boozy shake (whisky and salted caramel, so good); as well as his ‘Free Bird’ chicken burger with onion rings and ‘green salad’; my ‘Smoke on the Water’ chorizo-and-pork burger with sweet potato fries and the beginning of the sunset. I still had a bit of work to do that evening so this was a welcome break.

That doesn’t mean we set off straight for home, though. Bellies full and smiles on faces as it was a gorgeous sunny afternoon.

Sunday, 14 May 2017: Mother’s Day breakfast at News Cafe, doggy TLC and beach walks

We had Mother’s Day breakfast bright and early on Sunday to beat the crowds at News Cafe (though Husband had already left for work, so it was just the three of us). Then later in the day we took pizzas along for lupper as moms shouldn’t cook on Mother’s Day.

Food and coffee down gullets we went for a quick ride along the beachfront before heading home. Love how peaceful it was!

Bertie was displaying his couch back-sitting skills on Sunday but also spent some quality time with his current bear, Tiger.

Bassie preferred to spend quality time with me as it was Mother’s Day. Aww, bless.

We went for a quick walk along the beach in Kleinbaai once Husband was done with work for the day.

Monday, 15 May 2017: Office cake and post-work half-price curry

Mmm. We had cake in the office this week as two birthdays were celebrated. This creamy choc cake with strawberry on top sure chased away the Monday blues!

While it doesn’t feel like it’s officially Winter yet in the Cape, winter specials have started popping up on all the menus again. This here is a forkful of the Monday half-price chicken curry special at Eden on the Bay’s Inside – I went for the butter chicken. We’ve been enjoying this special for years (click here for a reminder).

Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 May 2017: Samra conference at Protea Hotel, Stellenbosch

I was lucky enough to attend the annual two-day Samra (South African Marketing Research Association) conference in Stellenbosch earlier this week. Such a pretty town.

View directly out the window of the Protea Hotel’s conference room – little wonder they drew the curtains during sessions!

Conference food is always a treat. Note some of the fresh morning pastries top left, Thursday creme brulee dessert top right, Wednesday brownies dessert bottom left and pretty table settings bottom right.

My Thursday morning pre-conference cuppa was delightful, especially as I got to gaze at this view.

That’s all, folks. We attended the funeral of Husband’s aunt Sybil earlier today and have his brother Spec staying with us this weekend, so expect a few family-themed pics in the next update. Cheerio!

Working windmills and Constantia Glen’s winter soups

This has been a very long week for both of us as Husband was called on to do night shift again (after being Marvin just last week) as a colleague had taken ill and I had a number of late-night award shows to track and work on.

But we still made time to enjoy ourselves, as you’ll see below…

Thursday, 4 May and Friday, 5 May 2017: Dress-up days

Yes, I’m cheesy like that – if it’s a certain themed day and I have a relevant item of clothing, I’ll wear it. So last Thursday, Husband and I both wore Star Wars gear (#Maythefourthbewithyou) and on Friday I donned a Cinco de Mayo top. If only I could find an SA store that makes sugar cookies like this, my snacks would match…

I love this pic of Bertie through the peep hole in our door. Just being a dog. ❤

Saturday, 6 May: Reviewing Constantia Glen’s soups

We took our Saturday morning breakfast at the Sunningdale Village Place Cafe. Note my pretty cappuccino with spoonful of heart biscuits, Husband’s eggs benedict with bacon and my banana-granola-yoghurt-berry breakfast pot. All recommended if you’re ever in the area.

We had a bit of time on our hands thereafter so Husband surprised me by stopping in at the windmill – you know the one, just to the left of the prettiest leafy main road in Cape Town, De Waal Drive AKA the M3? Well, it turns out it’s called Mostert’s Mill and is the only working windmill in the country (s’True.) You can buy a family ticket that grants you access for a year. You can then have a guided tour inside, see flour being milled by the wind power and even taste a bite of bread made with that milled flour. Stop in if you’ve not yet been, for sure.

Our destination for the afternoon – Constantia Glen. I’ll let the pictures talk for themselves, but you can click here for my full review if you want more words. (Yes, those are tiny lambs frollicking in the field in the middle pic!)

The simple-yet-pleasing menu at Constantia Glen.

Doesn’t this pic just scream ‘perfect Winter meal’? We couldn’t decide on an individual flavour of soup so opted for the trio sampler instead, and were so glad we did. In case you can’t tell, that’s the beefy traditional Austrian goulash on the left, then a dark-brown French onion soup topped with slice of gruyere croute, and one of the best butternut soups ever.

As you can see, we were also treated to the cheese and charcuterie platter. Teehee, I love how Husband ‘drank in the meal’ not just with his eyes and mouth but also with his nose.

Snaps of some of my favourite flavours from our lunch – the creamy honey-roasted butternut-sage soup topped with coconut-milk swirl top left, a fresh caper berry top right, forkful of baguette topped with soft white cheese and Constantia Glen’s own delicate rosé grape jelly and the truly delicious cappuccino I chose to end the meal with. t’Was so good we told our waiter to compliment the barista.

I mentioned the ‘selfie-worthy’ bathrooms in my review, so of course I took a few snaps. Just look at that pretty honeycomb-mosaicked floor and the beautiful birdied wallpaper.

Later that evening we had the first official Andrews family braai at our house (here’s a reminder of the first version at Husband’s parents’ new house) – though I kept dashing back to the laptop for work. We still had a fun evening, as you can see, mainly from the glee on the brothers’ faces.

Sunday, 7 May 2017: Europa breakfast and Sunningdale sunset

We stopped off at Europa in Canal Walk – on the Pick n Pay end – for a breakfast bite on Sunday. Note my flat white, Husband’s eggs ben-on-bagel and my strawberry-topped tiramisu French Toast. Delicious but a tad expensive.

Streaky clouds like this guarantee a stunning sunset. Especially on a Sunday evening.

That’s all, folks! Things may be a little chilly right now but I believe we’re in for a mini-heatwave after the weekend, so hold onto your hats! 🙂

*Disclaimer: Obviously our meals at Constantia Glen were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.

Freaky hot chocolate and in-laws’ 38th anniversary at Cape Point

Woohoo, we’re so close to the weekend! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me, even if there’s a chance I’ll be working for a fair bit of it. The important thing is that Husband is not working (he’s been Marvin this week) – so we can finally spend some quality time together…

Friday, 28 April 2017: In-laws’ 38th anniversary at Cape Point

Much of the country took leave on Friday as it was the day between a Thursday public holiday and a Monday-public holiday long weekend. Alas I didn’t as my colleagues had sneakily applied for their leave on the day last year already, so I couldn’t join Husband with his brother and parents for a day out at Cape Point to celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary. Of course the pics they sent me throughout the day really rubbed in what I was missing!

The family having breakfast together at Two Oceans restaurant in Cape Point. Lucky I chose not to use the pic Husband took a few seconds before this of his dad blowing his nose, teehee.

Bellies filled they went up the funicular and walked all around to see the lighthouse and other Cape Point highlights.

Team photo! Note their walking gear of choice and that Husband is the only one without a hat.

Much later that day, they stopped in at Venus Pools for a quick dip. Note the colours and wonder of nature in the middle pic.

It was also time for Bassie’s next check-up that evening. Neither her nor her dad are showing us their happy faces here, but all is fine.

Saturday, 29 April 2017: Breakfast at La Rocca, Canal Walk

We were in the area on Saturday morning so stopped in at La Rocca in Canal Walk for breakfast. Husband had a wonderful Mexican-style eggs benedict topped with dollops of prego sauce, and that’s my cappuccino top left.

This is what a forkful of the rocky road waffle looks like. Yummy!

The weather was still quite sunny that day so we made the most of it with a beach visit. See various gulls on rocks top left, Husband clambering across and a snap to prove we were both there.

Post-walkies was the ideal time to sample the boozy shakes at Saints Burger Joint in Eden on the Bay. I had the Insomniac, filled with chocolate-y things like Amarula, Kahlua and espresso, while Husband had the Kiss and Say Goodbye: Scotch whiskey, Kahlua and Oreo cookie.

If it’s Saturday afternoon it’s probably braai time with Husband’s parents and brother. See some of the spread here, as well as the Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game the boys played. Also, sunset from their house.

A braai at her grandparents’ house means lots of sitting on special cushions and laps for Bassie.

Bertie was thrilled at the chance to sit on my lap when his sister vacated it to sit on her cushion instead. Such a sweet, happy dog.

Sunday, 30 April 2017: News Cafe breakfast and another Sunningdale sunset

Sunday’s weather was chilly and grey so we dressed appropriately. See how my News Cafe cappuccino’s foam art matched my clothing and also see scenes of our early bird breakfast plates.

T’was just the chilly weather for doggy cuddles for much of Sunday.

Streaky sunset over my parents’ house this time.

Monday, 1 May 2017: Mayday movies and freaky hot chocolate

Husband felt for breakfast at Cafe Lacomia on Monday morning – t’was Worker’s Day and by chance we were both off work on the day, so we took advantage by spending some time together as he’d be on night shift the rest of the week. See my cappuccino and French toast as well as his eggs ben.

We stopped in at Mugg & Bean Bayside between chores for an early afternoon treat. Husband tried the espresso affogato, I had the so-called ‘freaky’ hot chocolate served freak-shake style in a glass mug, complete with trio of profiteroles.

When we saw there was a special pre-release screening of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 at GrandWest on Monday, we jumped at the chance. Here is Husband with his 3D glasses and popcorn tub.

Bertie’s latest TV-viewing companion was nothing but a rag so it was time to reveal a new friend. This is Tiger, as you can see.

That’s all, folks! It seems winter is finally starting to lick its cold tongue at us here in the Cape – stay warm and well. 🙂