This past weekend we ate winter-warming food and tried to fit in a spot of relaxing, as you’ll see from the pics below…
Saturday, 13 July 2019: Ou Meul Bakkery brekkie and Balducci lupper
We started our weekend with breakfast at Ou Meul Bakkery in Willowbridge last Saturday. See my red-velvet latte.See our breakfast bowls and happy faces.Bright bunches of wild flowers on display in the eating area of the Willowbridge market.Our sun-dappled garden that afternoon. Not seen: Bertie running around like a wild thing trying to bite the sprinklers and becoming sopping wet in the process!We were invited to review the new winter lunch specials at Balducci’s in the V&A Waterfront that afternoon. See my Amarula Colada shake and Husband’s salt-and-pepper squid starter.For mains, we went for the gnocchi carbonara and lamb shank respectively. Click here for my full, wordy review on Bizcommunity.We were full to the gills by then, but couldn’t pass on dessert. See my ‘white Lindt chocolate’ cheesecake slice, and Husband’s ‘white Nile chocolate martini’.As seen during our post-meal walkies around the Waterfront. Note Husband’s one-leg-up ‘pirate pose’ as we stood near the pirate ship.Palm trees at Woodbridge Island at sunset, as seen on our way home that evening, always make for a pretty photo.Table Mountain standing guard in the background.Low-flying birdies over the water at sunset, just past Dolphin Beach.
Sunday, 14 July 2019: Breakfast at Kauai, Eden on the Bay
We met Husband’s parents for breakfast at Kauai in Eden on the Bay on Sunday morning. Chilly air meant long sleeves and scarves all round…
Tuesday, 16 July 2019: R59 pizzas at Panarotti’s
When I got home from work on Tuesday, Mum quickly whipped up a batch of crumpets and served them piping hot, with syrup and coffee. Yum!On Tuesday night we ventured out to Panarotti’s at Table Bay Mall for their R59 pizza special. See our four different pizzas here as well as a Belgian waffle to end the meal.Dad and me, enjoying our Amarula hot chocolate and Nutella mikshake accordingly.
Wednesday, 17 July 2019: Briyani and doggy jerseys
Wednesday was another cold one, as you can see here, with Bassie wearing her jersey. It was a briyani dins night, with flavoured milk to ease some of the burn.
Thursday, 18 July 2019: Bizcommunity’s 67 minutes for Mandela Day CSI outreach at Manenberg Primary School
A bit of rain didn’t stop the team’s 67 Minutes for Mandela Day activities. We delivered sweet treats and bookmarks to all the kiddies of Manenberg Primary School, and read to 70 learners from the grade 1 and 2 classes. Also see the pretty birdie painted on one of the exterior classroom walls, and our quick team pizza lunch at Ashley’s Family Restaurant post-event. Team pics snapped by Gail and Bardo.
That’s all, folks! Click here to recap my Balducci review on Bizcommunity. We hope you have a warm, restful weekend ahead.
*Disclaimer: Our meal at Balducci was part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
Last week, we spent some quality time with the doggies as the weather was chilly and grey, which you’ll see from the pics below…
Friday, 17 May 2019: Work-from-home fruit salad and doggie company
Mum let me know she had some fruit salad ready mid-morning last Friday when I was working from home, so I trotted across to her house.Bertie having a sunny nap while keeping me company on my work-from-home day.Sweet Bassie having cuddles with her Grampa later that afternoon.
Saturday, 18 May 2019: Roast lamb on the Weber
For our Saturday breakfast, we popped into Bread & Butter. See our flat whites as well as Husband’s salmon-chorizo-cream cheese omelette, and my half portion of bacon eggs benedict.Things had turned quite chilly by Saturday afternoon so we decided on a quick lamb roast on the Weber. Here’s the end result.Saturday afternoon feasting at the braai. No doggies pictured but there were right there, I promise.The end result – roast lamb fresh off the braai, with roast potatoes, green peas and a homemade minty sauce. Yum!Ha! Bassie looks very cross here. Think she was trying to leap from chair to table to meat and we stopped her in her tracks.
Sunday, 19 May 2019: Rocomama’s afternoon treats
A lone hadeda cawing in the back garden. It wasn’t there long before Bertie chased it away.T’was a Carlucci’s kind of Sunday morning – I had my go-to breakfast of cinnamon croissant with dirty chai latte, while Husband went for a flat white and the chorizo baked-egg pan.Odd clouds started rolling in later that day, with heavy rain following on Sunday night. That’s a cloud covering the base of Table Mountain, as seen from Sunset Beach.We headed to our local Rocomama’s for our Sunday afternoon treat of chilli-cheese fries, a draught for him and a butterscotch-toffee shake for her. Yum!
Monday, 20 May 2019: Homemade chocolate muffins
When I got home from work on Monday, Mum had baked a batch of delicious chocolatey muffins. Mmm…
Wednesday, 22 May 2019: Ethical reporting on children workshop
I spent my Wednesday attending Media Monitoring Africa and UCT Children’s Institute’s media workshop on ethical reporting on children, at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel. Watch for coverage on Bizcommunity soon!
That’s all, folks! I’m on leave for a few days so expect lots of pics in my next update. 🙂
This has been our most family-filled Christmas in a long time, as we got to celebrate with both sets of parents as well as extended family on both sides. We were also lucky enough to start our December holiday with a stay at La Petite Ferme in Franschhoek, what a magical place!
Our souls are happy and bellies full – you’ll see why from all the snaps below…
Friday, 22 December 2018: Holiday waffles and Blowfish dins
Mum and Dad treated me to a waffle at Milky Lane in Table Bay Mall to mark my first day of holiday last Friday. See my Crunchie waffle, Dad’s lemon meringue version and Mum’s churro ice cream cup that looked just like Stitch from Lilo and Stitch.By then, Husband was done with his morning of work so he joined us for a strong flat white at Limnos Bakery in the mall. Let the holidays begin!The colours at the beachfront were just gorgeous that afternoon. If you look closely, you’ll spot Husband waving from the waves.We started the weekend with an early lupper at the Blowfish restaurant in Dolphin Beach that afternoon. See Husband’s seafood pasta and my butternut-feta gnocchi.
Saturday, 22 December 2019: A stay at La Petite Ferme, Franschhoek
Bread & Butter in Sunningdale has extended its trading hours over the festive season, so that’s where we had our early Saturday morning breakfast. See our flat whites and single eggs benedicts – Mexican for Husband. bacon for me. Bellies full, we were ready for a road trip…We were excited to see a different side of Franschhoek that weekend, as we were reviewing a night at La Petite Ferme, set on the foot of the Oliphant’s Pass. See fields of lavender and the lush green maze of Terbidor’s Big Dog Cafe on our way into town.Views of the valley, vineyards and vino at La Petite Ferme – ‘the little farm’. It’s different from the typical ‘Main Road Franschhoek’ accommodation as you’re situated up above the town with a view of the mountain on the one side and on the other, twinkly lights of the valley below. Highly recommended!We were lucky to stay in the Provencale Vineyard Suite as the accommodation is pure luxury, complete with a view of the blue mountains and vineyards right from the bathtub, and delicious cookies at the in-suite coffee station.Some of the scenery around our private cottage suite – inviting shady tree-lined walkways, a welcome bowl of fruit, and of course our private pool.View of our private pool from the main living area of the suite. It was heavenly!Husband spent most of his afternoon in the pool. The dark green tiles made it feel like we had slipped into the background and were part of nature.I’ll drink to that! Husband enjoying a taste of La Petite Ferme’s oak-barreled Chardonnay.Guests are welcome to a private wine tasting and tour of the vines on the property. See the five wines we sampled, each paired with a specific savoury bite from the kitchen. Watch for my full wordy review on Bizcommunity in the new year!Mr and Mrs Andrews making their way from their suite to the restaurant – we couldn’t stop gazing at that beautiful view!Sunset signals supper time at La Petite Ferme. See the magical glow over the mountains and valley below – you can just spot me in the picture on the top-left.The food tasted as good as it looked. See our breadboard, including charcoal rolls with harissa paste, two views of our shared zucchini roll starter and our mains – the deboned whole trout for Husband, and the pulled lamb for me. Both were all so delicious we left our plates clean. Not pictured – the caramel milkshake I slurped to the last drop.A feast for the eyes before we’d even had a taste. See another view of our mains – lamb top-left and trout top-right, as well as our desserts – chocolate torte bottom-left and pumpkin doughnuts with peanut-butter ice-cream bottom-right.The ‘gownie shot’, once back in our suite that evening – this was the best option of about 20 takes, I promise.
Breakfast at La Petite Ferme is a treat, with so many delicious choices from the buffet table – see the pastries; fresh fruit and fish; my ‘first breakfast’ bowl of granola with berries, cranberry juice and cappuccino; and Husband’s beautiful plate of eggs Onassis – spinach, salmon and Hollandaise sauce.More of the buffet spread; along with my prettily plated hot breakfast order of French toast topped with bacon and cooked apple slivers; and my ‘third breakfast’ nutty pastry plait with cappuccino; as well as Husband enjoying his plate of eggs.I’d heard about the beautiful peacocks at La Petite Ferme and we spotted a few during our stay – they often leapt into the trees to sing their odd ‘mewling’ cry. But more impressive that this…Look! A little chick on the peahen’s back! Two eggs had just hatched during our stay.After checking out we made our way back home, then stopped in at Pakalolo’s on the beachfront with Spec for Christmas cocktails that afternoon. See Husband’s bloody mary, Spec’s mojito and my ‘champagne mojito’, complete with sparkly MCC.The celebrations kept coming! We had Peche Royale sparkling peach, as well as salad and toasted sandwiches to literally ‘toast’ the start of the holidays with Spec at Mum’s house that afternoon. Also see our coconut ice cream with caramel sauce and Bertie’s Christmas present from his granny-grampa – a soft blue monkey, his newest best friend.
Monday, 24 December 2018: Blaauwberg Beach Hotel breakfast and Christmas Eve family dins
The Blaauwberg Beach Hotel has finally opened its doors, so we had breakfast at their Waves restaurant on Monday morning. See my peanut-butter waffle, Husband’s eggs royale and Spec’s breakfast taco. Portions are generous, so go hungry!Of course we explored the rest of the hotel, too – just look at the views from one of three pools! We’ll definitely be back once their cocktail bar opens in the new year.Sweet little Bassie on Christmas Eve. She turned into a shy girl with so many family members saying hi at her grandparents’ house. The food was lovely, too – pre-ordered individual portions of chicken, gammon and ham with rice, roast potatoes, creamy cauliflower, carrots and butternut. Yum!Merry Christmas Eve! The full family enjoying our festive feast.
Tuesday, 25 December 2018: Christmas lunch in Big Bay
Woolworths Cafe was one of few places open for breakfast on Christmas Day, so that’s where we topped up our tummies again, this time on vanilla-cinnamon cappuccinos, flat whites, Labneh apple-toast and chorizo hash bowls. My parents also popped in for generous portions of scrambled eggs, bacon and avo on toast.Merry Christmas! We spent much of the rest of the day at the beautiful new Big Bay house of relations on Mum’s side. See the slide-cover pool and view across the ocean to Table Mountain.See some of the Christmas day laughs captured here.Full family (apart from Eleanor, taking the photo) at Christmas lunch at the Conradies’ newly built house. Also, Gillian presenting the beautiful Christmas tree starter Mum created.Did we eat and eat! See the cheese, fruit and crackers; roast potatoes; Christmas pies – steak, chicken and venison; pigs in ‘scarves’ (their bacon ‘blankets’ shrunk in the cook); and the beautiful cheesecake made by my cousin, Erin. There was also homemade malva pudding with custard and Uncle Al’s bread-and-butter pudding.No wonder some of us were very sleepy that evening, dreaming Christmassy dreams.
Wednesday, 26 December 2018: Day of Reconciliation (AKA: Christmas leftovers)
We filled our bellies (again) with the early bird English breakfast special at News Cafe on Marine Circle.Day of Reconciliation means lots of Christmas leftovers. We found ourselves back at Husband’s parents’ house with his extended relations for a final taste of Christmas. It was yummy but we are so done with cooked ham for a while!
That’s all, folks! We hope you had an equally delicious Christmas week. Excuse us while we try walk off some of those calories. 🙂
*Disclaimer: Our meals and accommodation at La Petite Ferme were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
Last week was full of sunshine, good food and sweet doggie moments, as you’ll see from the pics below…
Saturday, 17 November 2018: Afternoon naps and braais
We had mall admin to sort out at Table Bay Mall first thing, so it was a Mugg & Bean breakfast for us. See our samples of blood-orange gingerade (very nice), the bottomless coffee station, table decor and our food, which Husband called ‘un-characteristically underwhelming’.We shared a savoury waffle for Saturday lunch at the Big Bay Waffle Company in Eden on the Bay. Also see my frozen white chocolate latte (frappe) and Husband’s white chocolate shake.Sweet doglets trying to wake their dad from his Saturday afternoon nap.The beautiful, bubbling sea – it looks lovely from a distance but was actually quite murky and foamy up close. So much so that Husband skipped his weekly sea dip!We attended a later-than-usual braai at Husband’s parents that eve, to coincide with the SA vs Scotland rugby match aired on TV after 7pm. See some of the food we ate, and the dessert Bassie wanted to eat.More scenes from the braai – Bassie smelling the flowers and eyeing the braai meat, Bertie licking his dad’s nose and sunset setting in.Bertie loved sitting wedged between his mom and grampa while watching the rugby after the braai.
Sunday, 18 November 2018: Melkbos morning
Our ‘I Love Melkies’ breakfast on Sunday morning was a win. See our coffees and the setting, as well as my bacon-marscapone-strawberry waffle.Husband’s second flat white and ‘hash and pork’ bowl, so good he declared it delicious.A beautiful lilac double-Adirondack I spotted while we were walking in Melkbos. I must have!We stopped in at Catch 22 on Marine Drive for Sunday afternoon treats. See Husband’s jumbo oysters and Bloody Mary, as well as my Ferrero Rocher shake. Yum!Table Mountain, as seen from the powdery sands of Dolphin Beach. The sea was still too choppy for a dip, alas.Mum made a chocolate peanut-butter cake that had us all asking for more.
Tuesday, 20 November 2018: R59 Tuesday pizza special at Panarotti’s
Husband had to work late on Tuesday evening, when my parents usually come over with dins, so instead we met them at Panarotti’s in Table Bay Mall for the R59 pizza special. All thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, from the pizza to the cherry cola and salted caramel shakes as sampled by me and dad. See Husband pretending to pour his glass of red into mum’s Sprite Zero.
Wednesday, 21 November 2018: Corinium’s Women in Digital and Data conference at The Forum, Embassy Hill
More scenes from in and around the venue.I’d never been to The Forum at Embassy Hill in Constantia, what a beautiful conference setting! The insights were also fantastic and will be featured on Bizcommunity over the coming weeks.
Thursday, 22 November 2018: HeavyChef’s ‘entrepreneurial grit’ masterclass at Workshop 17
One of the best cups of filter coffee I’ve ever had. Delicious and fresh, especially after dipping an arm elbow-deep into an ice bucket for almost 2 minutes for important lessons on mindset. Watch for my coverage of the masterclass on Bizcommunity, if you’re not sure what I mean by that!Some of the sights from inside Workshop 17. What a wonderful co-working space! Easy to see why so many work events are held at Workshop 17.
This past week has been busy as always work-wise, so we did what we could to relax after hours…
Friday, 9 November 2018: Moyo sea-dip evening
Certain cocktails are R39 at Moyo on a Friday before 6pm, like the creamy pina colada.Given the above picture, you can see that we started that weekend feeling earlier than usual by popping out for a quick beach visit once we were done with work. See Husband’s draught (R25 before 6pm on a Friday!), as well as my Pina Colada and our shared pulled-pork linguine at Moyo in Eden on the Bay. Also see Husband’s splash in the sea.The sky was beautiful when we got home that evening.
Saturday, 10 November 2018: CTFM paella and shakes
We had some mall admin to tick off our weekend to-do list so we started the morning with cappuccinos and breakfast at Bayside’s Mugg & Bean. See Husband’s bean and bacon hash benedict, and my rainbow slaw-sweetcorn-avo toast.Lots of birds on the rocks next to Husband’s usual sea-swimming spot.It was so hot that I passed on hot drinks and instead tried the iced coffee slushy at Expresso in Table Bay Mall (delicious). Seen with a chocolate-cinnamon twist and Husband’s tiny con panna.We wanted ‘dinner with a view’ so headed out to CTFM in Seaside Village. See Husband’s seafood paella and my burger with chips and onion rings.See me with my Cookies and Cream shake jar, Husband’s delight at his pan of paella, and how he loved it so much that he licked the pan clean.I spent some quality time with my precious boy dog on the couch that evening.
Sunday, 11 November 2018: Baconville breakfast, Pakalolo cocktails and Dolphin Beach visit
You feel like you’re right in the countryside, travelling from Table View to the Durbanville and Tyger Valley side.We forgot to snap a shot of the attendees, but Baconville was the venue for our Sunday morning breakfast with Husband’s parents. See the heart in my chocolate latte and our various bacon-topped breakfast plates.Nothing says ‘sunny Sunday’ like a beach walk! See our brief visit to Dolphin Beach.View of Table Mountain across the snowy sands of Dolphin Beach.By then, the weather was shouting that it was time for a cocktail. Here is Husband with his Bloody Mary at Pakalolo’s.I went for the colourful Smoky something (seems Pakalolo’s online menus are out of date or else I would tell you the exact name). T’was delicious.Mum set out all the fixings for chicken fajitas for Sunday lupper, and later whipped up a batch of peanut-butter cookies, fresh and delicious with coffee.Bassie thought my cream-topped coffee smelled just as good as the cookies.
Wednesday, 13 to Thursday, 15 November 2018: AfricaCom at the CTICC
I covered sessions of AfricaCom from Tuesday to Thursday, with so much going on at the same time – 9 different conference tracks – that it was held across both the CTICC and new CTICC 2 venue, so you get to cross the ‘skybridge’ multiple times.View from the top floor of the CTICC 2. So much business conferencing going on!More scenes from AfricaCom. The Speculaas ice-cream in the Expo centre was yum, and it was fun to watch the live graffiti installation.Pretty colours in our dining room when Mum created a quick pasta bake for our Tuesday visit.On Wednesday, I quickly dashed out between AfricaCom sessions to catch a ‘bring your own lunch’ lunchtime lecture at Red & Yellow School, before dashing back to the CTICC.I’d brought the popcorn snack with me from the AfricaCom expo – also popped in a few chocolatey treats to munch on while taking notes!It was a beautiful evening and we both got home later than usual on Wednesday so decided on Jerry’s for dinner, as a mid-week treat. See Husband with his glass of red, me with my Pina Colada shake, our burgers and the sunset.
December may have only just kicked off but I’ve already had my first full Christmas lunch of the year!
Friday, 1 December 2017: Adele Searll 100 Club Christmas lunch at the Table Bay Hotel
A nut-crackingly good welcome to the Table Bay Hotel.The decorations in and around the Table Bay Hotel got me into Christmas mode, fast. See the bright purply baubles everywhere.Pink bubbly in the sunshine? Don’t mind if I do!Beautiful tables in the Table Bay Hotel ballroom.I was invited as Pam Westaway’s guest and enjoyed the Cathy Specific entertainment – that’s ‘her’ top left. Yes, I’m standing in the picture. On my tippy toes.Proper Christmas lunch – we shared platters of endive salad with walnuts, then each had a plate of turkey with pumpkin and cranberries and carrots, and ended with slices of pumpkin pie with maple-pecan ice cream and mince pies with coffee. Simply scrumptious!
Saturday, 2 December 2017: Ons Huisie breakfast, Wimpy shakes and home braai
We decided on breakfast at Ons Huisie on Saturday morning. See Husband’s curried mince on toast topped with eggs and my berries-and-cream French toast.Breakfast at our table at Ons Huisie.We decided on a Wimpy shake as our Saturday afternoon treat. See my peanut butter-toffee chocolate version up close with Husband’s plain banana shake in the background.Next stop, Saturday afternoon braai at our house, with Spec sleeping over as we had plans for the following morning.Coals cooking away before we added the meat to the braai.Bassie is always photogenic. See a few snaps of her on backs of couches and begging for crisps during the braai. Such a sweetie.Some of the tasty treats we ate at the braai. Yes, that is a chocolate pizza dessert bottom right.
Sunday, 3 December 2017: Mugg & Bean brekkie and Justice League at Bayside, beach visit
We were up early on Sunday for breakfast and to watch Justice League at Bayside. Our Mugg & Bean brekkie included banoffee-chocolate French toast for me and the standard eggs-toast-bacon option for the brothers, with cappuccino all round.Close up of my meal once I’d separated out the layers. Banana slices with caramel sauce on the left, banana slices with chocolate sauce and thick cream blobs on the right.Spec and I are such true geeks who wear our superhero outfits and pose like the characters outside movie posters. Yes, even if other people are around.We did some Christmas shopping at the Table Bay Mall on Sunday afternoon. The decorations are lovely and bright!We stopped at Dolphin Beach later that afternoon for a stroll and jump along the icing-sugar sand and Husband had a quick dunk in the sea.
Tuesday, 5 December 2017: Carrot cake and milk tart in the office
We had cake in the office on Tuesday to celebrate Cari’s birthday over the weekend. Slices were thin so we could sample both, carrot cake and milk tart. They were amazing.
That’s all, folks! I hinted at my latest DIY home project in my last blog post, big reveal below…
Here it is in all its glory. I’d been gifted with wooden numbers to mosaic and add to the front of our house once we moved in three years ago. We waited until the wall was up and freshly painted, then waited for me to decide on a colour scheme I liked, then estimated how much grouting and mosaic and trim I’d need and finally completed the job over my recent staycation. Sparkly!
August is almost everyone else in my family’s birthday – dad, mum, mum-in-law – so expect celebrate-y pics on the blog over the coming weeks. First up was dad this last Thursday, with a public holiday the day before so we got to spend some time with him.
But first…
Wednesday, 2 and Thursday, 3 August 2017: Social media leadership workshop at Red & Yellow School
I was back in the thick of things after our mid-week break at Old Mac Daddy, covering the two-day social media Executive Education workshop at Red & Yellow School in Salt River. Click here for the four articles I wrote as a result.Mike Stopforth presented the workshop and boy did I learn a lot! ‘Brave curious minds’ indeed.
Friday, 4 August 2017: New office reveal and Italian Experience media launch at 95 at Parks
A few snaps of what our new office space looks like. Just one floor up from where we were before, that’s our bright, colourful new entrance; clown-themed kitchen space; my desk complete with disinterested antelope mug; and a pink Mmmallow to show how it tied in the rest of the purple in the room that day.And the view from my desk? Well if you factor in my love of Lion’s Head and pink sunrise skies, you’ll know this is about as good as it gets.Friday afternoon saw the media launch of Giorgio Nava’s new Italian Experience at 95 at Parks in Constantia. Some snaps of the setting…The first lot of food we sampled included calamari and veggie tempura with Prosecco, deconstructed Caprese salad and orecchiette with veal.Even more food. This is the ravioli, gnocchi, osso bucco and gelati. Full descriptions in my official review here! Yes, I ate everything you see here.
Saturday, 5 August 2017: Wimpy waffles, relaxed doggies and family braai
I was in the mood for a waffle for Saturday morning breakfast so we stopped off at Wimpy, Canal Walk first thing. See my Wimpy coffee, sweet treat waffle, and Husband Tabasco-saucing his mince-and-egg bowl.Sweet Saturday afternoon doggies, eating grass and relaxing on the couch accordingly.It was once again time for us to host the Andrews’ family braai. Note assorted snacks, Bassie sitting with mommy, Bertie sitting with his dad and uncle (all bedecked in brown), and the end-result.
Sunday, 6 August 2017: News Cafe breakfast, Eden on the Bay milkshake treats
News Cafe was the place to be for Sunday morning breakfast. It was buzzing so we had quite a wait but enjoyed my early-bird special (half-price English breakfast) and Husband’s City Slicker (eggs benedict complete with avo and chorizo).It was time for Bertie to get a new TV-viewing companion, so we introduced him to his new bear, Elephant. Look at that happy little face. ❤We wanted fancy shakes for our Sunday afternoon treats. See my real strawberry shake and Husband’s hot-fudge-and-bourbon version at Primi in Eden on the Bay.
Wednesday, 9 August 2017: Women’s Day Snickers cookie, Driftwood Cafe mussel pot and Glowing Rooms’ 3D putt-putt
We started our Women’s Day with breakfast at the Black Forest Cafe. Just the place to get your coffee fix, clearly, and each lady ordering a coffee got a free cookie. I went for my favourite Snickers cookie, topped and filled with bits of choc. Yum!We stopped off at the Driftwood Cafe while the car was being washed. That’s my latte, Husband’s Black Label draught and my tiramisu in a martini glass.Husband went for the mussel pot mains – served in a creamy tomato broth, he mopped up all the last bits.We wanted to treat my dad to a different experience for his birthday, so headed off to the Galaxy Adventure 3D putt-putt Glowing Rooms in Milnerton. What a treat it was!Some of the otherworldly scenery. Couple this with the black lights, 3D glasses and unexpected hills and vales on the course and you feel like you’re drunk or drugged!This is the type of photo you end up taking there. Very otherworldly!Some of the holes were very tricky indeed but Mum and Dad each managed a hole-in-one, with dad the overall victor. No, we didn’t just let him win.
Thursday, 10 August 2017: DJ Yoda and Dad’s birthday dins at Blowfish
I had a meeting in Salt River on Thursday afternoon, and couldn’t resist snapping a photo of this lovely ‘DJ Yoda’ graffiti in their chill room.We met my parents at Blowfish restaurant in Dolphin Beach after work on Thursday for Dad’s birthday dins. That’s my Turkish Delight shake, the others all had wine.We were seated at what I call ‘the best table in the house’ – at the back with a view across the bay to Table Mountain, bedecked with twinkly lights.All four of us had the Kite Boarders’ salad of chicken, bacon, avo, egg – yummy. Then see the calamari-prawn combo the others had for mains, and the caramel cheesecake I had for mains/dessert. DELICIOUS!
That’s all, folks! See you next week…
*Disclaimer: Obviously the meal at 95 at Parks was part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.Click here for my full review of the Italian Experience at 95 at Parks.
This blog post may seem slightly longer than usual as we’ve had two public holidays in the past two weeks (hello voting day and Women’s Day), but I’ve condensed the 200-odd pics I’d taken since my last update so as not to bombard you too much, as you’ll see below…
Saturday, 31 July 2016: Doggies’ pajama party at their grandparents
Aww! Remember we were away from home reviewing Leeu House in Franschhoek at the end of July, which I covered in my last update? Mum sent me a few pics of the ‘pajama party’ the doggies had at their house in our absence. Look at Bassie asleep IN a blankie, having a ‘tall hug’ with her Grampa, and soaking up some sunshine with her brother. They were fast asleep in the last pic, heart-meltingly cute!
Wednesday, 3 August 2016: Voting day Village breakfasts, doggy beach walks and Asian dins
We breakfasted at our local Village Place Cafe. I had the French Village toastie, Husband had the salmon eggs ben. Not our usual weekday breakfasts by a long shot!My two boys, busy with ‘walkies’ just before sunset at Kreeftebaai.A slightly sandy Bassie staring at her nemesis (the car’s windscreen wipers) on our way home from walkies.That’s one very happy doggy post-walkies. Just look at his tongue!The view from Eden on the Bay later that evening.Husband wanted sushi and I was happy with the sweet-and-sour chicken at The Orient in Eden on the Bay. Both washed down with Fanta Orange, as you do. If you peer closely, you can see the voting mark ink on my thumb. 😉
Thursday, 4 August 2016: Winter menu review at Blowfish, Dolphin Beach
Can you believe in our almost-four years in Table View we’d not yet et at the Blowfish restaurant in Dolphin Beach, just up the street? Now we know what we’ve been missing! All I can say is, go on a Thursday so the prawn lovers among you can try the R99 prawn platter served with garlic butter (top left), and the others can sample the many dishes on offer on the Winter special menu, also available for the rest of the month. It’s R149 for 2 courses, R199 for 3. See my beef espetada bottom left and the brownie I wolfed down for dessert… Mmm. Click here for my rather descriptive official review 🙂
Saturday, 6 August 2016: Women’s Day Being Boss brunch, Mexican burgers at Mexican on Long and SANCCOB’s penguins
Look at the lovely pastries on offer at last weekend’s Being Boss brunch for ladies, held at the Fire & Ice Hotel. Made it worth getting up a little earlier than usual on a Saturday…Networking! That’s the back of me in purple, with some of the ‘lady bosses’ – click here for my event feedback if you missed it earlier in the week.Post-conference, Husband and I made our way to Mexican on Long, where they have amazing milkshake flavours (that’s the R30 tiramisu in my hand), as well as ‘Mexican burgers’ for R25.See? It’s Mexican as the patty is served in a tortilla instead of a bun. Lovely spicy BBQ sauce and was only R10 extra for the portion of chips with mug of tomato sauce. Win win.We stopped in at SANCCOB, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, on our way home to greet the penguins. But first, I snapped Husband gazing at the boats in Flamingo Vlei. The weather was amazingly non-Wintery.Look at the cuties just standing around. We watched one pick up a rock and trot around the pool with it firmly grasped in his jaw, only to safely deposit it back where he’d started after a full circuit, proudly telling the others to get out of the way of his important mission. It’s free entry from 10am to 4pm tomorrow as it’s Science Week…
Sunday, 7 August 2016: Parents’ pre-birthday lunch at Blues
I was a little under the weather when we woke so we decided to get some coffee down my throat, stat. The cafe latte from Lacomia in our nearest Builder’s Warehouse did the trick, as did the chocolate cheesecake pictured top-left. Husband enjoyed his eggs benedict bottom left, topped with ‘sweet potato shavings’.As my parents both celebrate their birthdays this week and had booked a few days away on the KZN coast, Sunday lunch was the ideal time for a pre-birthday celebration. We chose Blues as they’re running a ‘buy 2 main meals and only pay for 1’ offer throughout Winter. That’s me in front of Blues in Camps Bay – yes, the weather had turned chilly again…Mum grinning and browsing through the menu (see how she’s appropriately dressed in blue).Me grinning and perusing the menu. Note I’m also appropriately dressed.There is Husband with his seafood linguine. He did’t get the memo about dressing in blue to match the restaurant’s name. alas. Also pictured is the gourmet burger topped with cheese and bacon, the blackened salmon, and my wonderful strawberry shake.So much of a wonderful shake that I took a number of photos of it from different angles. On second thoughts, I should have tried the chocolate shake, too. 😦 YOLO or FOMO or whatever the kids are saying these days. I’ll be back!Teehee. Cheers?All my favourites outside Blues. Dad got the ‘wear blue’ memo and Husband’s holding my box of leftover burger and chips.What a cutie! Husband took this shot after our local neighbourhood walkies much later on Sunday afternoon. Bassie was thrilled.
Tuesday, 9 August 2016: Women’s Day breakfast at Black Forest Cafe, Portalia pizzas
Tuesday was national Women’s Day and the day dawned bright and sunny. Following a brief lie-in we went out to satisfy our rumbling tums, and ended up at the Black Forest Cafe. It’s only open during the week as is on the grounds of St Matthew’s church on Janssens Road. What a wonderful breakfast. Look at my cappuccino with homemade biscuit on the side, my warm almond cruffin (croissant-muffin) up right (for just R17!) and Husband’s grand breakfast bottom right. We had all this while listening to birdies chirp and feeling the sun warm our backs. T’was blissful.When I saw all the homemade cookies on offer at Black Forest Cafe, I just couldn’t resist. This Snickers cookie was R12 and had bits of choc baked into the top and inside. See before and after bite. So good! Go there, if you’re plan-free in Table View during the week!A pre-birthday pizza party! Proof we were all there at Portalia in Parklands, right around the corner from our old house, the day before dad’s birthday, and just look at the lovely pizzas. All were crispy-based and delicious.The ‘pizza side’ of Portalia’s menu (all the other food is listed on the back of it) and my lovely strong hot chocolate. We had an early night as were delivering the parents to the airport before sunrise the next morning.
That’s all, folks! Have a relaxing weekend, you deserve it. 🙂
*Disclaimer: Obviously our meals at Blowfish were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
Hello, hi, hooray! I’ve taken a few days off next week – call it a mid-winter break, if you will. Mother-in-law is flying down for a visit this week and we have all sorts of fun things planned. So today is a good place to be. 🙂
Highlights of the past week include the ultimate winter warmer meal we got to review at Mondiall at the V&A last Saturday. (It’s the same place I used to go for their chocolate sundae… on a Sunday When I had purple hair). But first a bit of a catch-up…
Sunday, 3 July 2016: Milkshakes and doggies
Remember we spent the night in Wellington? We took the long way home through Durbanville and marvelled at the oddly chopped trees.We stopped at Rocomamas for their legendary shakes on the way home. That’s Husband with the caramel vodka shake, while I had a mug of creme brulee shake. Delicious.Finally home, the doggies were also back from their pajama party at their grandparents. Bertie looks happy, Bassie not so much.
Monday, 4 July 2016: Doodles winter specials for dins
We treated ourselves to dinner at Doodles on the beachfront on Monday – their winter specials mean Husband’s linefish (angelfish on the night) with baked potato came to R69, while my chicken schnitzel with pepper sauce and fries was R59. Husband had his with a draught, mine with a caramel shake, both with a view of the sunset over the sea. Simply magical.
Wednesday, 6 July: Meet our office mascot, Uma
She’s only been to the office once but everyone loves our founder’s doggy, Uma. She was very well-behaved.
Friday, 8 July: Chicken curry rotis work lunch at work
We were treated to homemade chicken curry in rotis for lunch at work last Friday. Delicious. The pic on the right is what I usually end up foraging for lunch at my desk. Now you know 🙂
Saturday, 9 July 2016: Sleepy doggies and Mondiall’s wonderful July Winter menu
The doggies were in playful sleepy mode when they woke up on Saturday. Here is Bertie, offering up his belly for tickles…Little Miss Bassie was all sorts of funny. First she settled herself between my pillows, then she wormed her way between pillows and headboard… and fell asleep sitting upright. ❤Following a day of weekend admin and chores that just aren’t interesting enough to be photographed we headed off to the Waterfront to review the July Winter menu at Mondiall. We don’t often go out at night, particularly in winter, so it was a novelty to see all the pretty fairy lights and the Wheel glowingly brightly at the Waterfront.Look at that squiggly light and inviting fire. Lovely winter meal setting, Mondiall. Those tables you see were all shifted out the way for a salsa class later that evening.Husband sampling his gluhwein. Got our bellies nicely fired up before all the comfort food started coming at us…But we started nice and slow. See our well lit table complete with glasses of wine, bread and butter. Husband sat at one end, me at the other, with a view over the harbour out the window to the right.Mmm, Mondiall! This is what the July Winter special comprises. Pork neck in Asian broth with skinny noodles crunchy edamame beans in top left, with bread to mop up the last of the sauce. Top right was my mains: The homemade tagliatelle with Gorgonzola, walnut, spinach and crisp onion. Bottom left was Husband’s mains: The lamb shank on bed of creamy potatoes with veg. Bottom right was the ‘Chef’s choice dessert on the night: A white chocolate fondant with mixed berry sorbet. Click here for my official review!
Sunday, 10 July 2016: News Cafe breakfast, Winter beach visit
Lol. We always try for a ‘group shot’ when we have the early-bird breakfast special at our local News Cafe. It had been closed for renovations since we were last there on Father’s Day, so we thought we’d breakfast there to surprise mom and dad if they decided to eat there too. They did. 🙂T’was a perfect beach day on Sunday so we dipped our toes in the icy water at Dolphin Beach, my favourite for its icing sugar sand.A week later, the attempt at ‘sitting on the couch with mommy’ photo results in the same doggy expressions. Happy Bertie, worried Bassie. So cute.Mum made an amazing chocolate pudding/cake ‘just because’ when we popped in for lupper that eve. ❤ Love the guineafowl placemats.
That’s all folks! Tis another chilly weekend so I predict lots of snuggling ahead and hot drinks to be imbibed…
*Disclaimer: Obviously our meals at Mondiall were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
Ramblings, rumblings and random ruminations, version ii. Also reviews, recommendations and alliteration. Based on living the good life in the fairest Cape. Eating is my favourite pastime. Updated weekly
Rambling Litchii 