Lots of gnocchi, meet my fox dog and see the Waterfront sunrise

The irony – in my last post I mentioned Husband was done being Marvin, but he went on to work all weekend and late most of this week – it’s now been 17 days straight! At least we’ve finally reached the weekend, and both have an extra few days off thereafter. Here are a few of our favourite moments from this very busy week…

Friday, 21 July 2017: Celebratory dinner at Moyo

We ventured out to Moyo at Eden on the Bay to celebrate the change in Husband’s work shifts. It was too cold to sit outside so we headed indoors, where I had a Madagascan cold coffee drink (served with tot of Amarula). We were also served complimentary sherry and Moroccan breads with spicy dip, very nice!

The purple lighting bouncing off the metal tables was pretty.

Our meals: The chicken and date tagine for me, the lamb shank for Husband.

Saturday, 22 July 2017: Early morning doggie moments

Bassie was happy to spend a few hours sleeping in with me on Saturday morning as it was rainy and we were having a new front door installed.

We headed out for a quick breakfast before Husband had to be in the office so ended up at Cubana. That’s me pouring hot milk into my coffee and Husband sipping a flute of orange juice as these come free with certain orders, like their spicy ‘eggs benedict’ – not on English muffin but polenta cakes. It’s a huge portion, we really could have shared! All this for R100, including tip.

Bassie trotted all around her other grandparents’ property that evening when we had the weekly braai.

Sunday, 23 July 2017: Lacomia breakfast and hidden-centre cupcakes

When you need to make some Builder’s Warehouse purchases first thing on a Sunday as Husband needs to get back to the office ASAP, you pop in at Cafe Lacomia for your breakfast. That’s Husband’s Cola, my cappuccino and sunnies.

We were in for a real treat when we go to Mum’s that evening and bit into these freshly made cupcakes with chocolate-y surprise!

Tuesday, 25 July 2017: Meet my fox dog

Teehee. Couldn’t resist having a photo taken as proof of just how much my boy doggie resembles the clever fox on my jerkin.

Wednesday, 26 July 2017: Cannes Lions Cape Town and Stepbrothers’ team lunch

Wednesday was the day of the Cape Town version of our Cannes Lions feedback session. It was held at Ster-Kinekor at the Waterfront first thing – note the pretty sunrise and art on the walls outside the movies theatre.

We manned the registration desk, grabbed a tub of popcorn and sat back to watch the presentations by our roving reporter and SA’s Cape Town-based judges. Click here to read my overview.

It was also the day of our next team lunch. We headed out to Stepbrothers near Cape Quarter and had the most amazing Italian meal. That’s my cappuccino and pan of very round gnocchi with pizza strips to mop up that sauce. Trust me, I did!

Thursday, 27 July 2017: Impressive office birthday cakes

In addition to being my brother-in-law’s birthday, Thursday was also the birthday of one of the lovely ladies in the office, so she spoiled us with cake. Look at these amazingly delicious ones.

I had to wolf down that cake fast as next on the agenda was the media launch of the Say Cheese fair, coming to the Italian Club later this year.

Top left – the cheese samples we started with, bottom left – Arancini di mozzarella in a spicy tomato sauce, top right – a blue-cheese-broccoli soup and bottom right – one of the largest bowls of gnocchi in cheese sauce I’ve seen in my life. Yes I had gnocchi twice in two days.

We ate and we ate, that’s only the half of it. Just look at all that cheesy deliciousness! Seen here: mozarella boccini top left, feta-beetroot-rocket pizza top right, baked Brie topped with bacon and thyme bottom left and haloumi-chickpea-pomegranate avo bottom right. Full description on Biz soon.

That’s all, folks! Time to unplug, unwind and destress.

Christmas in July, the Quarterdeck buffet and Yo Yoga’s 21-day challenge

It was another working weekend for Husband but the good news is, we’re about to see the last of them (and his stint as Marvin) as he’s back on normal shifts! Celebrate with us! But first, scroll through our latest favourite moments of the week below…

Friday, 14 July 2017: Christmas in July and the Quarterdeck buffet

Our Entertainment committee rustled up a very festive ‘Christmas in July’ table to enjoy after our monthly staff meeting on Friday. Look at all the food and drink, you’d swear it was snowing outside with jingle bells a-ringing.

We even dressed to theme!

How very ‘Western Christmassy’ – a mug of hot chocolate and choc-chip cookie.

Remember I attended the IMC a few weeks ago? Well, I won a dinner for two at the Quarterdeck Restaurant in GrandWest Casino for my tweeting during the event (yay). That’s where we dined last Friday evening. It’s just like a buffet on a sea-going ship, so go prepared with an empty belly! The doors only open at 7pm but we were early eager beavers, clearly.

Behold the colourful mini salad bowls. You could also create your own, but I went with one of these as a pre-starter.

Many plates later, it was time for dessert! The choices take up a whole side of the ‘ship’ restaurant (that’s the one inside GrandWest Casino, not the pirate ship in the parking lot) – boy, was it hard to choose what to add to our plates. See the waffle station, the mini desserts, the ice cream counter with all sorts of toppings and Husband’s caramelly ice cream bowl.

My first dessert plate – a red velvet waffle topped with toffee and chocolate sauce, mini Astros and tiny marshmallows; a fudgey chocolate cake slice; a profiterole; a soft pink coconut marshmallow; and mini tiramisu.

Saturday, 15 July 2017: Italian Club gnocchi

T’was a cold day. I spent much of it reading and sorting our taxes while Husband was at work. Note to self: A creamy coffee and salted caramel nuts make such a good snack while reading!

As it was such a cold Saturday, the moment Husband was done with work we headed off to the Italian Club for bowls of gnocchi bolognese. Perfect winter comfort food, especially with a coffee shake or glass or red, depending on your preferences.

Sunday, 16 July 2017: More local Italian treats

I went for a quick treat with Mum and Dad at the newly opened Trescatelli on Blouberg beach front Sunday morning. It was packed! And no wonder, with the cannoli so fresh and crisp, the coffees strong and the cafe crema, a lovely coffee ice cream blend. Yum!

Mum had also whipped up a batch of these chocolate-rose water delights when we went over for lupper. They had a lovely Turkish Delight taste.

The doggies snuggled up under a blanket on the couch for most of the evening.

Tuesday, 18 July 2017: Mandela Day posing

Tuesday was Mandela Day, so a few of us dressed in Madiba-themed clothes at work and posed for a ‘Madiba shuffle’ Boomerang and pic. We also encouraged donations to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

Thursday, 20 July 2017: Yo Yoga Cape Town’s 21-day yoga challenge

My colleague Ilse joined me for Yo Yoga’s 21-day yoga challenge on Thursday morning, where I bumped into another conference friend, Jenna – read all about the challenge here. We survived 40 minutes of bikram yoga in 45’C heat!

A few pics of our time in the studio. That’s me tweeting away before we got down to business.

Post-yoga treats – Vita Coco coconut water and all sorts of Superfood snacks – even dark chocolate! Mmm.

Weather on the way back to the office after the yoga session – cloudy and cold!

That’s all, folks! Stay well and warm. 🙂

What to do in Franschhoek: Stay at Angala

I can’t believe I managed to cut down the endless stream of pics we took this past week into the following, hundreds were left on the ‘cutting room floor’. It’s not usually this big of a task, especially when the bulk of the pics are not from the weekend itself. But this week was special as we had a few days to celebrate an ‘early anniversary’ at Angala Boutique Hotel and Guest House in Franschhoek, and it was possibly one of the nicest breaks we’ve had. Ever. See for yourself…

Saturday, 8 July 2017: Very belated post-Father’s Day breakfast at I ❤ Melkies

We’d not seen my in-laws for a while so decided to meet up for breakfast at I ❤ Melkies. All went for cappuccinos to start and various savoury meals, apart from me…

My own breakfast was a little sweeter – a regular cappuccino like the rest, as well as a single bacon marscapone waffle with strawberries and drizzle of syrup. Just what the doctor ordered.

News Cafe on Marine Circle was calling our names on Saturday afternoon. We heeded the call, opting for the happy hour strawberry daquiri and long island ice tea (just R39 each) as well as the ‘fired up’ beef and haloumi avo chicken burgers.

We snapped a few pics across the road at sunset once our bellies were purring. Lol at the variety of expressions Husband pulled – love that face!

Sunday, 9 July 2017: Soup for lupper

Sunday morning saw us starting off the day at the Netcafe at the Netcare Blouberg Hospital, simply because it’s just up the street and we’d heard the food is good. And so it was – see Husband’s brekkie top left and bottom right, along with my caramel latte and pepper toastie with sweet potato fries. Really yummy.

It was a fully rainy day, so we had authentic German pea-and-ham soup with cheesy breadsticks for starters at Mum’s that eve – note the fingerless glove/mittens, a sure sign that things had turned Wintery for the weekend.

Monday, 10 July 2017: Night away at Angala Boutique Hotel and Guest House, Franschhoek

We started off our ‘holiday’ with breakfast at All in the Kitchen – a special treat as it’s not open over weekends and closed by the time we get home in the evenings, so rare for us to sit and take in the goodness. And it sure is good – see some of the breakfast menu bottom right along with our flat whites, as well as the Omega Me Crazy salmon-y breakfast Husband opted for, and my delicious chicken mayo on brown – such a hefty portion that I took half home with me as ‘padkos’.

Yes, ‘padkos’ means road tripping! The weather played along and treated us to one of those rare Cape winter Goldilocks days – not too cold, not too hot, not too cloudy, not too windy – it was just right.

Out destination for the night – the five-star Angala Boutique Hotel and Guest House. It was pure bliss. Here’s why…

Once you’ve stopped exclaiming over the gorgeous vistas and natural beauty, you notice there are little ‘fairy’ touches dotting the grounds, hidden under bushes and tucked into unexpected corners – hearts, cherubs and angels all adding to the sense of love and the feeling that ‘you can relax here’.

And relax we did. A sign of its focus on complete wellness and that overwhelming sense of tranquility, one of Angala’s most unusual features is the eco pool. Echoing Mother Nature herself, all natural filtering takes place, and without any harmful chemicals, it’s just brimming with life – you can expect to hear frogs croaking and birds singing songs of joy as they swoop in for a sip. This is also the spot to sit and take in the view. See below.

The most inviting recliners at the eco pool. As they’re swathed in terrycloth dressing, taking in the view from there is like nestling in your comforting bathrobe.

Water is one of the main elements of healing and it features strongly at Angala, so us Aquarian water babies were quite literally in our element. Here you can see the cold pool in front of the infrared sauna below the main deck, with the hot pool hidden in this shot – it’s just in front of the garden umbrellas.

Cold pool on the left, hot pool on the right. I dipped a toe in the cold pool and decided the hot pool would be my home for the next few hours. We stayed in until the stars came out and it was time to get ready for dinner, so we trotted back to our suite, pronto.

Just a selection of the tasteful bedrooms we saw at Angala. All plush, fresh linens and soothing tones, each with its own distinctive personality. Ours was the bottom right, but I think the bed in the next pic was my favourite…

This photo just screams comfort, luxury and ‘room with a view’. Absolutely gorgeous.

A few examples of how your every comfort is taken care of at Angala – not just a handful of coffee sachets but the full complement of Nespresso pods, as well as sherry in every room, a well-stocked mini bar – make that ‘bar cabinet’ – that’s also completely complimentary including local wines, beers, soft drinks and milk for all that coffee.

Coffee cup filled with aromatic java and a view of the sun setting over the mountains is my idea of magic.

Dinner was so good I had to stitch together quite a few pics. Note my beetroot tart tatin starter, the wine Husband sampled and enjoyed so much he is looking out for a bottle to buy, his trout starter, his linefish mains (kingklip) and my lamb mains. Full descriptions on my review on Biz soon!

More dinner snaps – the standard ‘bread and menu’ shot, and dessert. That’s my lavender panna cotta topped with syrupy figs and tart berries, as well as Husband’s impressive cheese and nut board. Impressive as he enjoyed every single cheese on the board, including an unexpectedly soft, sweet slice we couldn’t get enough of. Plus a cappuccino of course, just visible in the shot of me with my candle-lit purple hair, bottom right.

We returned to our room to find something better than the customary ‘chocolate turndown’ – instead, a mini bottle of Amarula cream and glass on our bedside tables. We promptly hopped into our gowns and slippers and enjoyed it while sitting on the couch in front of the fire, that had also been lit before our return. Truly delightful!

Yip, you guessed it. Another of of my favourite winter creature comforts is fire. There are fireplaces everywhere at Angala, each with piles of wood stacked nearby and adding a natural warmth and happy glow to your stay.

Tuesday, 11, July 2017: Outdoor showers and breakfast at Angala

More focus on water with the simply stunning baths and outdoor showers. Husband was brave enough to give the outdoor shower a brisk go, but we didn’t run a bath as water’s so scarce in the Cape at the moment. Just imagine a soak with those gorgeous views though…

Breakfast is included in the overnight rates at Angala, so we took full advantage, ordering the Angala Rarebit off the hot menu and also plating up from the continental buffet offering. Lip-smackingly good.

Before we knew it, the time had come to check out and make our way back home, much more relaxed and peaceful than when we’d set out. So much so that I was told I looked ‘so serene’ when I returned to the office on Wednesday. We’ll definitely visit Angala again!

*Disclaimer: Obviously our meals and accommodation at Angala were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally. Click here for my official review on Biz!

Winter’s best comfort food: Italian Club gnocchi, News Cafe’s cherry hot chocolate

Fiddlesticks and phew, here we are at the start of a weekend where both of us are going to switch off, not think too deeply and have many happy moments together.

But first a few of our favourite happy moments from the past week…

Friday, 30 June 2017: Day off breakfast and winter gnocchi

We both had Friday off work so once we woke (without an alarm, yay), we headed out to Canal Walk. Breakfast took place at La Rocca. That’s my cappuccino and caramel banana pancakes with Husband’s deboned rib eggs benedict topped with prego sauce.

The day was cold so after naps and chores we decided on the Italian Club for dins. Just look at these perfect plates of gnocchi bolognese, drowning in grated parmesan and chilli. Plus Husband’s Stella Artois and my cappuccino.

Happy doglets in front of the fire a little later that evening.

Saturday, 1 July 2017: Durban July at the in-laws

Our table at Primi for Saturday morning breakfast. Close-ups in next snap…

We each started with a cappuccino, then I had the French toast with peanut butter and caramelised banana (mmm), and Husband had the Eggs Florentine with haloumi and many mini tomatoes adding a ruby glow.

Sunset at Husband’s parents house that evening where we were having a braai to celebrate the Durban July.

Bassie took a liking to her grampa’s SA beanie and spent most of the afternoon on, in and under it.

Bertie was also at his sweetest – this is the face he made when asked if he’s allowed to sit on granny’s new couch.

Coffee and my Durban July draw ‘second place prize’ Strawberry Lindt (I shared with everyone, promise).

Sunday, 2 July 2017: Rainy Baconville brekkie and News Cafe afternoon

My sleepy boys. Best faces. ❤

Sunday morning was rainy and cold and we had a craving for bacon so breakfasted at Baconville in Willowbridge. See my chocolate latte, bacon flapjacks, Husband’s Breakfast Club with an extra egg and his ‘hmm’ face at the ‘I dare you sauce’ – child’s play, he said.

Sunday afternoon felt like an ‘afternoon treat at News Cafe’ time of the week – I tried the cherry hot chocolate while Husband had a dom pedro. Not on the menu but one of the best he’s had, and he’s had a few.

In addition to sweet-tart cherry flavoured syrup in the hot chocolate, you get a sweet cherry on top.

More delicious wintery food ensued at Mum’s for lupper that eve – minestrone soup with cheesy breadsticks, spag bol topped with parmesan, malva pudding with custard and stormy skies.

Midweek lonely evenings with dogs

Husband was Marvin this week so these are the faces I was rushing home to from work – sometimes with pretty pink streaky clouds when I got there, sometimes with night already setting in.

Thursday, 6 July 2017: Digital influence launch at Grand Daddy Hotel, after-work drinks at Tap Room

Such pretty elephant graffiti just outside the Grand Mac Daddy Hotel on Long Street – my early morning stop before work to cover Popimedia’s digital influence in SA study launch. Coverage on Biz next week.

Not joking when I say I got there before the sun was up. The lovely view down Long Street, as well as coffee and cold breakfast bits to snack on kept everyone happy.

One of the amazing student artworks in the main hotel area. Such soulful eyes.

My colleague from Joburg was visiting for a few days this week so a few of us went for a chat over liquid refreshments at the Tap Room at Devil’s Peak Brewery after work on Thursday as it’s close to the office. Of course we took photos as proof we were there. These people keep me sane during office hours!

I went for the double choc milkshake – it’s a small as it’s listed under the kiddies’ drinks. The others enjoyed the ginger cider, if you’re in the area.

That’s all, folks! It’s set to be a cold wet weekend in Cape Town – stay warm and dry.