This past week I’ve had my annual ‘Cannes Lions cold’, and it was also Father’s Day and the Youth Day public holiday (though I worked throughout), as you’ll see from the pics below…
Tuesday, 11 June 2019: Spark Media’s Roots 2019 launch
Last Tuesday, I attended Spark Media’s Roots2019 research launch at the River Club. See some of the intriguing displays made from Lego – behind glass so they wouldn’t be messed with (and snacks, meant for eating!)
Thursday, 13 June 2019: Sunrise over Woodstock
I had a super-early start at the office last Thursday, and remembered to pause to catch the sunrise out the window.
Friday, 14 June 2019: Syrupy crumpets and sunsets
Mmm! When I worked from home last Friday, Mum whipped up a quick batch of crumpets – best enjoyed with tea and syrup, yum.Pretty as a picture sunset caught in the phone wires, as seen from our lounge that evening.
Saturday, 15 June 2019: Beef roast and potatoes, Weber-style
We decided on a slightly different breakfast on Saturday, at Primi on Marine Circle – see our coffees (flat white cappuccino for Husband, Mocha Forte for me), as well as our breakfasts – the berry pretty super protein bowl for me, the full Primi Power for him. Pricy but filling (I brought half of mine home for the next day).As it was a long weekend and we’d be having a special Father’s Day lunch with all the parents the next day, Spec slept over at ours on Saturday night. Husband Webered a roast beef, Mum supplied the potatoes and peas – dinner, sorted!
Sunday, 16 June 2019: Father’s Day lunch at the Italian Club
We arrived at the Italian Club at the same time as Husband’s parents, so took a few snaps outside before heading into the big hall for lunch.The inside was festively decked with balloons and crisp white tablecloths and chair covers.Look at all those drinks! The craft beers were handed to all the menfolk on entry, with the mini gins waiting on the tables.Cheers! We brought our own bottle of bubbly along with us, to toast all the dads at the table.Me with our dads. Lots of love!Buffeting! Finally, the tables were ready for us so we queued up for all the Italian food you can imagine. See some of the selections here.Some of the desserts on offer. I may or may not have eaten all of this.I’ve been to the Italian Club so many times, yet never been out the back to see the view of the mountain. It’s lovely!Sweet little Bassie warming herself in front of the fire that evening.
Monday, 17 June 2019: Youth Day public holiday
As it was a public holiday on Monday, we slept in a bit then headed to The Daily at Seaside Village in Big Bay for breakfast, once I’d done some work. See Husbands tasting tray coffees, my Tin Cup and our breakfasts.See my thick, puffy jacket (Winter is truly here), as well as close-ups of the food – my banana-caramel waffle pop and Husband’s full brekkie (he saw another plate go past with those sausages and promptly changed his order, teehee). This was my only outing for the day.
Tuesday, 18 June 2019: Wintery work-from-home lunch
I worked from home again on Tuesday and stopped for a quick soup-with-toasteds break. Just what I needed!Teehee! So many funny faces. Snapped when we had curry takeaways at Mum’s on Tuesday evening – Gords was in town for business again so stayed the night with us.Various sleepy doglets, snapped trying to stay warm throughout the week.
That’s all, folks! I’m looking forward to switching off completely this weekend and recovering from this cold. May your weekend be warm and relaxing, too.
Boy do we have an action-packed blog update for you! This past week has been a super busy one, so you’re in for a bumper edition of pics below…
Friday, 31 November 2018: Staff end-of-year lunch at Strandkombuis in Yzerfontein
I got to work before 7am last Friday, but the sun was already up. I had lots to do and it was also the day of our staff end-of-year lunch at the Strandkombuis in Yzerfontein – see my ‘Hawaiian-themed’ outfit, and the huge loaves of farm-fresh bread we ate as starters. See my jammed-up bread slice next to my large bowl of spicy butternut soup, for size.It was quite a windy day but that didn’t stop us from exploring the venue and deserted beach. Also see the fish-filled menu for the day and a kitty more interested in his nap than in the food around him (though he did proudly parade through later, with a mouse in his mouth).My goodness, but the food was good. See a plate of the seafood option bottom-left; my braaied chicken and chops and pumpkin fritters top-right; and the plate of fresh koeksisters and pot of ‘moer koffie’ for dessert – we shared, that’s not all mine.One of the few team shots taken of the afternoon – thanks to my deskmate Angie for letting me use her snap!I got back home that evening just in time for a braai with Husband’s parents, who’d not been to our house since June, despite living just 2km away. See the pretty sunset, my food, and our pre- and post-loadshedding faces.
Saturday, 1 December 2018: A ‘staycation’ at Once in Cape Town
We breakfasted at Village Place in West Coast Village with Spec on Saturday morning. He was staying at our house all weekend, to keep the doggies company while we explored the Cape. He had the eggy mince on toast, Husband had an eggs benedict and for me, the low-carb flapjacks.Waves were crashing loudly at Husband’s favourite swimming hole in the sea that morning. He braved a quick dunk but didn’t stay in for long.Our venue for the weekend – the four-star Once in Cape Town backpackers’ lodge on Upper Kloof Street. It’s a wonderful setting with lots to do, and was buzzing with guests catching up at Yours Truly’s ‘Up Yours’ upper bar area and at the downstairs pool table throughout the weekend.See Husband testing out our en suite shower with mountain views beyond; the charming cactus decor in our private room; and ‘bedside tipple’ wine with tin mug.Bright, floral sights from the balcony at Once in Cape Town.We walked a few blocks up Kloof Neck Street to Van Hunks for an afternoon cocktail. See my espresso martini. Husband’s Bloody Mary, complete with celery stick, not pictured.We’d booked for an early dinner at Hudson’s Burger Bar, just a short walk from Once in Cape Town, so that was our next stop. See Husband trying out the top-deck shooter; my Strawberry Candyfloss ‘Insta’ shake; the interesting avo fries; and my delicious ‘bacon jam’ burger topped with thin, crispy ‘dusted onions’. A win!Ahh. The stunning sunset from that side of the Cape on the left, and our complimentary breakfasts downstairs in Yours Truly first thing on Sunday. Once in Cape Town’s guests have a choice of coffees, as well as a juice, fruit and either a croissant board or muesli bowl to start the day.
Sunday, 2 December 2018: Lucky & Lost Cape Peninsula tour
Breakfast down and check-out sorted, it was time for the full-day Lucky & Lost Cape Peninsula tour! We were the first guests to be collected, just after 8am, and the last to be dropped off back at Once in Cape Town after 5pm. See some of the sights and our Cape Malay curry ‘picnic lunch’ top-right.The beautiful Bo-Kaap, our first stop of the tour. We learned that back in the day, different house colours could denote different professions.Seeing some of the sights in the Bo-Kaap. We got to try some of those fresh ‘koesusters’ (not the koeksisters I ate on Friday) when we stopped on Chapman’s Peak Drive, later in the day.Next stop? The high cliffs above Muizenberg. I love the trees down below, beside the train track.Some of the sights we saw in Kalk Bay, Cape Point – see the ostrich family crossing the road, and lines and lines of penguins sunning themselves at Boulders Beach.If you peer closely, you’ll see Husband standing just in front of this crashing wave at the edge of Cape Point.Our next stop was one of my favourites – the Cape Point Vineyards in Noordhoek. It was a lovely afternoon to sit and sample white wines, while gazing at the gorgeous scenery.Taking in the sights on our last stop of the tour, along Chapman’s Peak Drive. Such a wonderful setting.You can see why Chapman’s Peak is such a popular tourist spot.The doglets were happy to finally see us again that evening. They just couldn’t contain their excitement. 😉Mum had made a delicious cinnamon-baby apple cake, just the thing on a Sunday evening with cream and a fresh coffee.
Tuesday, 4 December 2018: Heavy Chef’s YouTube masterclass at Workshop 17
My Tuesday was all about the Heavy Chef masterclass on ‘winning at YouTube’, held at the always-inspirational Workshop 17 venue. Coverage on Bizcommunity soon!
Wednesday, 5 December 2018: A loadshedding sundae at Milky Lane
We discovered that Table Bay Mall’s load-shedding schedule is different to ours at home, so that’s where we spent much of Wednesday evening’s ‘electricity-free hours. Husband decided we should share the ‘Churro-full of Smiles’ sundae at Milky Lane, so we did.Pretty pastel sunset on our way back home from the Mall.
That’s all, folks! Don’t forget to tune in next week, for my next update…
*Disclaimer: Our meals and accommodation at Once in Cape Town, Hudson’s, Yours Truly and Lucky & Lost were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
This week, we got to see all the close Cape family members, as our Johannesburg friend Gords was in town on business…
Friday, 5 October 2018: Sunny office start
I started last Friday with a bright Smile 90.4FM mug of Douwe Egberts coffee in the office, yum.
Saturday, 6 October 2018: The Daily, Melkbos and El Barrio Springbok-viewing
A brand new branch of The Daily has opened in Melkbos, over looking the beachfront, so that’s where we headed for Saturday morning breakfast. See my condensed milk-topped tin cup coffee and ‘waffle pop’ topped with bananas and caramel, as well as Husband’s eggs Florentine.View of Melkbos beachfront, from The Daily balcony.Rugby-themed baked goods on display at our local Checkers when we did groceries that afternoon.Husband had some 2-for-1 salmon sashimi from Best Asia Cape Town, the sushi restaurant in Bayside Mall for his early afternoon treat.Scenes from our early Saturday evening dins at El Barrio – we watched the first-half of the Springboks-All Blacks rugby match and ate delicious taco bowls.Husband had a glass of red, I tried the ‘Mexican coffee’ from the breakfast menu – Sierra Blanco, espresso, Kahlua and melted ice cream, with a cinnamon-rim.Spending some quality time with the doglets that evening.
Sunday, 7 October 2018: Sleepy dogs and Pakalolo’s Bloody Mary
Various sleepy dogs as seen in and around the bedroom on Sunday morning.We had breakfast at Village Place in West Coast Village on Sunday morning. I’d already had a coffee at home, so see my peanutbutter smoothie and Husband’s flat white.To eat, Husband had the mince (and eggs) on toast, while I went for the banting flapjacks – the mix includes bananas, and they’re topped with berries and yoghurt. Yum!Scenes from Husband having his customary weekend dip in the sea.Husband looking pleased with his Bloody Mary at Pakalolo’s that afternoon.Mum made a delicious potato-filled beef curry with rotis for lupper that evening.
Monday, 8 October 2018: Study buddy catch-up at Superette
After work on Monday, I caught up with my former study buddy from Red & Yellow School, Jaryd – he now runs Trusted Talent. We were thrilled to be at Superette in the Woodstock Exchange, as you can see.It was super-hot that day so we were given chilled glasses of water with lemon. I also had a hot-cross-bun latte and we each ordered a chocolate brownie – see little lump of white chocolate inside, with berries and cream.
Wednesday, 10 October 2018: Ads24 event at Nasdak and family dins at Jerry’s
Gorgeous view from the ‘Nasdak’, where the Ads24 Food For Thought event was held on Wednesday. Click here and here if you’ve missed my coverage on Bizcommunity so far.As the event was called ‘Food For Thought’, the food on display was a true delight! See the doughuts, asking to be topped or filled with the contents of the hanging tubes – padkos-nostalgia themed, with strawberry Steri-Stumpie, peanutbutter-and-jam, humbug, guava roll-cream or ‘biltong-and-Melrose’ to choose from. Also see superfood capsules and shakers to boost our morning coffee with cocoa, macha powder, turmeric, hemp seed or mushroom powder.Gords was down from Joburg on business on Wednesday, so we gathered the family at Jerry’s on Marine Drive after work that eve.We had booked a booth, so got to see the lights from Jerry’s reflecting out over the view of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head at sunset.Group shot in front of the Jerry’s tattoo wallpaper before we left.The doggies, caught napping together on the couch again that evening.
Last weekend we celebrated my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary – luckily it was a long weekend, as there were many parts to the celebrations!
Saturday, 22 September 2018: Ruby anniversary breakfast at 12 Apostles, dins at NinetyOne in Sea Point
The long weekend started off on a very special note, as we had booked for the buffet breakfast at Azure restaurant at the 12 Apostles Hotel. It was such a beautiful sunny day!T’was a bit chilly so no-one sat outside, but just look at that view! Heart-eyed emojis everywhere.Ching ching! We had flutes of bubbly, cappuccinos, oysters, pastries, fruits, yoghurts, cold meats and cheese – and that’s before the hot breakfast.Mum and Husband went for the eggs benedict-style breakfast, while Dad and I ordered the waffles. They come with sliced syrupy banana, diced apple and creme fraiche but I topped mine with marshmallows, nuts and mini M&Ms instead.The beautiful roses on each table, jars of sweeties to take home with you and the dry-ice anniversary surprise that arrived at the table once we were all full-to-bursting. Beautiful!My Sugar in Sea Point is one of few specialist chocolate shops that offers ruby chocolate – the ‘fourth chocolate’ after milk, white and dark, it’s the first official ‘new chocolate’ in 80 years. It’s made from a specific cocoa bean that gives it that fruity pink flavour and colour you can see top right. As it was my parents’ ruby anniversary, ruby chocolate seemed fitting, so we stopped in to make the purchase.As we were in the area, we stopped at NinetyOne on Main Road, Sea Point for an early dins before making the long trip back to Table View. See me with my cup of masala chai, the pretty decor inside, and our curries – the butter chicken and chicken korma are divine, especially with a side of paratha naan (with a sweet, desiccated coconut filling.)Teehee. Bertie rested his head on my shoulder when we watched some telly that evening. So cute. Bassie was just out of the shot.
Sunday, 23 September 2018: Trecastelli breakfast, ruby anniversary tea
We treated Spec to breakfast at Trecastelli on the beachfront on Sunday morning, as he’d slept over at ours. See some of the decor, the cooked breakfast (not yet on the menu) that the boys enjoyed, and some berry tarts cooling in the fridge.The rarely-spotted Husband-ordering-dessert – he went up to the deli counter before our breakfasts arrived, ordered a cannoli, and promptly topped it with chili sauce. He declared it delicious. Also see my R40 ‘latte and Nutella cornetto’ breakfast, yum.Teehee. The doglets both looked embarrassed to be caught sitting so close together on the couch that morning. So cute.As it was the actual day of my parents’ anniversary on Sunday, the whole family was invited over for afternoon tea. Mum put on a delicious spread of mini sandwiches, crackers, cheese, spreads, homemade scones with jam and cream and an amazing peppermint-crisp tart. Drooling at the memory!Toasting the lovely couple with assorted flutes of bubbly, wine and even cups of coffee.
Monday, 24 September 2018: Heritage Day breakfast, Cosy Bay swim, Jamaica Me Crazy cocktails
Bertie and his Father-dad had a nice lie-in to kick off their public holiday.We started our Heritage Day activities with a home-cooked breakfast at Husband’s parents’ house. See various stages of the fry-up, flowers and Bertie grinning.Later that morning, we made our way through town – fitting for Heritage Day, the SA flag was still beautifully displayed on the side of the infamous building at the end of Long Street.Next stop – Cosy Bay, where I soaked up some sun while Husband had a swim in the sea – you can just see him in his wetsuit in the pic on the bottom right.Later that afternoon, we drove out to Jamaica Me Crazy – Husband had a Fokkof Lager (hence his pose), and I had a Volcano cocktail, which is a blend of strawberry daquiri and pina colada. I tucked the cocktail umbrella behind my ear, as you do.For our last stop of the day, we went on to Barristers in Newlands. Husband had their bangers-and-mash pub lunch, while I tried the nacho skins (potato skins with typical nacho toppings). So good, especially with a large mug of coffee shake!
That’s all, folks! It’s set to finally feel summery towards the end of this coming weekend, we can’t wait. 🙂
Last Friday’s weather was just the wintery perfection required to review the new winter menu at Anthonij Rupert Wyne’s Terra del Capo, and we had the most wonderful night away at the Peninsula All-Suite Hotel in Sea Point…
Friday, 11 May 2018: Winter antipasti menu at Terra del Capo
After a quick few hours in the office it was time to Uber to the Radisson Blu Hotel at the Waterfront to meet the shuttle taking us to Anthonij Rupert Wyne in Franschhoek. We sipped flutes of bubbly amongst all the blue and green shades.The hour-plus trip out of the CBD into the winelands soothed us into a relaxed state of excitement, if there’s such a thing, and before we knew it, we were making our way down the driveway and into the tasting room area…Look at that loveliness! View of the wintery outside, bread board with porcini truffle butter, carrot arancini, and grapefruit salad.Just look at the way those colours sing – each bite was bursting with flavour, too. This is just a small sample of the four antipasti courses. Crisp veggies, creamy dips, salty meat and warm cheesy bites. Yum!And then, dessert. See various stages of devouring the chocolate cream tart with tiramisu macaron and capuccino, as well as bowl of citrus and the potent, fruity L’Ormarins digestif.Presented with bottles of the Pinot Grigiot and the Sangiovese wines we’d enjoyed over lunch, we happily posed outside the impressive doors before heading back onto the shuttle. Most of us were lulled to sleep by the slow rain that fell as we made our way back through the traffic. “Magies vol, ogies toe!”
Saturday, 12 May 2018: Pre-Mother’s Day breakfast and checking in to Sea Point’s Peninsula Hotel
We decided on a pre-Mother’s Day breakfast at News Cafe with both sets of parents. See all parties present and accounted for, as well as various forms of eggy breakfast.I also had some pre-Mother’s Day snuggles with the doglets as would only see them again the following day. Such cuties!Next stop, Sea Point! The Peninsula All-Suite Hotel towers above the Queens Beach corner of Sea Point, and is impressive from any angle.A quick explore of The Peninsula’s grounds revealed a pool out back, this one ‘slightly heated’; as well as classy navy decor; views of Lion’s Head; and the poolside dining options.Various snaps shot between the foyer and our room – see Husband attempting the ‘Star Wars mirror finger-click’ move, also the striped awning and Pacman-walled games room.And then! Our suite! The colour scheme was bright and just screamed ‘holiday’, while the complimentary bottle of MCC and view of the sea and the private jacuzzi instantly reset our buttons.We’re both Aquarian water babies, so after an intense sport massage carried out in our suite, we spent absolute hours in the jacuzzi – we had a dip at sunset, another after dinner, and one more before checkout the next morning. Bliss!Is there anything prettier than the sun setting over the sea? (No, there’s not.)View from our room of the sea-facing main (cold) pool below.Next stop, dins! This is the stylishly renovated Sunset Restaurant, warmly situated in the belly of the Peninsula Hotel. See the moreish farm-style bread, my ultra-chocolatey milkshake, Husband’s pan-seared Norwegian salmon mains and my chicken ballantine. This really hit the spot after all that soaking in the jacuzzi!Dessert! See my strong cappuccino and ‘death by chocolate’ ganache-y mousse bomb with espresso-creamy centre; as well as Husband’s lemon tart and Irish coffee. Perfect end to the meal.See the craft gin and brandy trolleys rolled out at dins, and the Faces Bar and Strolla restaurant outside areas, popular with walk-ins from the beach front. We took a quick stroll outside but it was cold and dark, so the warmth of our suite beckoned.This time, we posed the ‘hotel gown photo’ in the lounge. That carpet was so fluffy!
Sunday, 13 May 2018: Oreo sugarcones from the Dairy Den
The next morning, I opened the curtains and saw just what I’d been hoping for – a pastel pink, cloud-streaked sky over softly crashing waves. Insert heart-eyes emoji!View from our balcony after we’d woken enough to wish our moms happy Mother’s Day over the phone, then a quick coffee in room… and another at the jacuzzi. Best!And then, breakfast! We saw the buffet winding all around the extremities of the Sunset Restaurant and found ourselves drawn in again. See the sheet of honeycomb hiding various cold meats, cheese and fruits, as well as waffles with strawberries in syrup and super crispy bacon.More breakfast! Assorted juices; cold meats, fruits and cheeses; the egg and omelette station; and Husband’s plate, including kipper.And just like that, our time at the Peninsula was over. Keen to extend the ‘holiday’ feel of the weekend, you can just see Husband almost out at sea here on the right, exploring the rocks at the Sea Point Contact after our speedy check out.Then it was just a hop, skip and a jump to the Dairy Den on Main Road, where I’d heard about the wonderful ice cream specials and ‘Doh!’nuts. Still full from breakfast I didn’t have space to try a doh!nut too (sob), so will have to return! See various stages of eating my ice cream on the Sea Point promenade.The ice cream is worth the distance! After much deliberation I decided on the half-and-half – chocolate swirled with strawberry, served with a chocolatey biscuit in the hundreds-and-thousands-dipped Oreo sugarcone.Husband decided on fish and chips from Snoekies at Eden on the Bay for Mother’s Day lupper at my mum’s, all enjoyed (especially me with my vinegar-soaked chip roll).Mum and I had both just read the ‘Me Before You’ trilogy by Jojo Moyes, so we watched the movie with assorted snacks for Mother’s Day. Such a good idea!
Tuesday, 15 May 2018: 2OceansVibeRadio segment recording, family wors rolls
On Tuesday afternoon, my colleague Angie and I recorded our first-ever live monthly radio show segment on 2OceansVibeRadio.com, with host Nadia Hearn. Will add a link to the podcast of the show soon! Look at the cosy co-working office space they record from in Cartel House in Loop Street.Radio show bits done, we stopped in at the Cafe du Cap coffee shop downstairs in the Cartel House building for a quick treat while waiting out the traffic. The iced latte isn’t on the menu, but they will whip one up for you if you ask. T’was just what we needed!Our friend Gords was down from Joburg on business for a few days so we hosted the whole family for a wors-roll dins once all were done with work. Spec drove up from Fish Hoek, slept over and left before 6am the next morning for work. Lots of laughs were had!Precious doglets spent some quality time with their granny and grampa on the couch that evening.
That’s all, folks! Click here for my full wordy review of the Terra del Capo experience on Bizcommunity, and keep an eye out for the Peninsula All-Suite Hotel review, coming soon. Here’s to another relaxing weekend ahead…
*Disclaimer: Our meals and accommodation at Anthonij Rupert’s Terra del Capo and The Peninsula were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
Last weekend we braved the Lion’s Head hike with brother Spec, as he’d not tackled it before. But first…
Friday, 20 October 2017: Galliova Awards at Landtscap, Stellenbosch
Last Friday, I covered the 2017 Galliova Awards. I started my day in the office, then caught a shuttle from the CTICC to Landtscap wine farm in Stellenbosch, and rubbed shoulders with celeb chef Zola Nene and this year’s ‘broiler champion’ for chicken-writing, Abigail Donelly.Obviously the food for an event celebrating ‘food writers’ has to be exceptional. Landtscap outdid our expectations – click here for a full list of all the ‘chicken and egg’ themed food we ate.T’was a truly lovely afternoon. Click here for all my words about it on Biz.It was also #ChampagneDay, so I was happy to do my bit…
Saturday, 21 October 2017: Musselling and braai at our house
The three faces of Bassie when I had my first coffee of the weekend – “Mmm, that smells nice Mom, what is it? Oh it’s coffee. OK then, as you were.” What a cutie!The entire Andrews family was going musselling on Saturday morning, an event that had been planned for months, with the resulting ‘catch’ to be eaten as starters at the braai at our house later that afternoon. Spec had driven over from Fish Hoek the night before to spend the weekend with us, so we all met up at Doodles on the beachfront for their weekend buffet breakfast.A-musselling we will go! Tummies lined, we headed up the beach to Husband’s favourite spot for musselling, permits in hand.Here’s the overall mussel haul. Soaking, about to be debearded and scrubbed for cooking.As we were in need of the extra man power to complete the task, we took advantage of having Spec in the house to help replace the old helicopter fish tank centrepiece with this shipwreck. Also topped up the gravel and gave it a good grit vaccuum.The doggies were on their sweetest behaviour during the braai later that afternoon.
Sunday, 22 October 2017: News Cafe brekkie, Lion’s Head hike
We knew we needed a big breakfast to sustain us on the hike ahead, so we joined my parents for breakfast at News Cafe in Marine Circle as you can’t beat the value of their R35 early bird English breakfast special.We knew the task ahead of us so took it slow, with lots of breaks to admire the view along the way.The best thing about the Lion’s Head hike is that it’s not a straight, endless line up to the top (ahem, looking at you Platteklip and Skeleton gorges!) Instead you wind around the peak a few times so there’s a new view every few metres.Proof that we made it to the very tippy top of Lion’s Head.Peak summitted, we began our slow climb down with a detour along the way. Success! Wally’s Cave isn’t easy to find if you’re coming at it from the top, as we were. We took a few wrong turns but eventually reached our destination. That’s Lion’s Head done and dusted in full.We were in desperate need of a treat after that, so headed off to Beerhouse on Long Street. The Andrews brothers never say no to a beer, and as for me, well…This is what I came for – the ‘beer float’ – listed on their dessert menu as it’s a mug of milk stout topped with salted caramel and bourbon ice cream, with honeycomb crumbs on a cloud of whipped cream above that, ribbons of dulce de leche and chocolate ganache dripping down the sides and cherry on top. Also served with a side of grilled marshmallow skewers.Two more angles of my beer float, and Husband framed with his draught.Coffee with cream and coconut-jam tartlets at Mum’s that evening.
Monday, 23 October 2017: Gourmet Guide launch at The Stack
I was invited to the launch of the second edition of the JHP Gourmet Guide on Monday morning, at The Stack in Gardens. It was a foodie event packed with delicious treats, tiger ceramics and sunny views.The Stack is all animal-print carpets, wooden artwork and bright colours. I like.Coffee and a scone? Don’t mind if I do!
Tuesday, 24 October 2017: Working lunch at Montebello
I had the opportunity to interview a team of very bright ‘design thinkers’ on Tuesday afternoon. Their office is in the Montebello Design Centre in Newlands so that’s where we met, with a wonderful lunch at The Gardener’s Cottage on the same grounds. See my cappuccino and chicken burger topped with cheese and pineapple-mayo. So yum, and such speedy service!
Wednesday, 25 October 2017: Adams & Adams IP crammer at 15 on Orange
I spent my Wednesday covering the Adams & Adams crammer day on intellectual property issues at the 15 on Orange. Very interesting topics I’ll write about soon, and so many snacks to keep us alert!
In case you missed it, this also happened this week… I’m the only South African to be shortlisted for the Women in Marketing #WIMawards2017! Click here to read all about it.
That’s all, folks! I’m on leave Monday and Tuesday next week so looking forward to a few days of rest and switching off.
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.
Apart from having my bag stolen out of our car last Sunday, and all the admin headaches that go along with that, it’s been a wonderful week, as you’ll see below…
Thursday, 22 September 2016: Spring haircuts and midweek lunch with parents
Look at that chopped off ponytail! I decided on a big change for Spring so had my hair trimmed to shoulder-length, with highlights (as you can see from all the foils in the pic top-right). The doggies weren’t too impressed with the idea of adding my hair to their lovely brown fur, though.For lunch we stopped in at Carlucci’s on the beach. Mum and I shared this delicious chicken schnitzel on pumpkin-seed bread.Bassie wanted to pretend she’s the tallest doggie so insisted on being lifted above her dad’s shoulders that evening.
Friday, 23 September 2016: Breakfast and movie on parents’ anniversary
T’was my parents’ 38th wedding anniversary on Friday, so I joined them for breakfast and a movie (The Magnificent Seven) at Bayside. Here we are, sitting at Spur (dad was the photographer)…We all went for the breakfast special with bottomless coffee. Yay for free refills.The doggies didn’t know what to do with themselves, having me at home with them, so they acted like cats by sitting along the back of the couch.
Saturday, 24 September 2016: Free cookies and see what we’ve been doing in the garden
The Black Forest Cafe is finally open on Saturdays, so that’s where we headed first thing on Saturday. They posted a ‘secret sentence’ on their Facebook page last week that would result in a free cookie if uttered to the till operator.Our sentence-uttering was a success, so I trotted off to choose my free cookie. I went for the Oreo – it has a choc-filled Oreo baked into a regular cookie! So good. Then it was time for some hard physical work…Bassie has been very interested in the ‘paving corner’ of the garden since we started working on it a few weeks ago – first we had to weed it, then Husband set down plastic sheets, mixed concrete (not recommended that you do so by hand!) and smoothed out the area before we could place these pretty pavers. We added the bird bath as a final touch.Bertie loves the little birdies that adorn the top of the bird bath.What a sweetheart! Love that little face.Hungry again after all that work, Husband opted for a wors roll – it was Heritage Day after all, so boerewors was going to be eaten, either way!Lol at these funny little emoji toys I found when we did our weekly grocery shop at the local Pick n Pay that evening.
Sunday, 25 September 2016: Bread & Butter breakfast, hike to Wally’s Cave in Lion’s Head
We’ve not been to Bread & Butter in our local Sandown Retail Centre for a while so stopped in first thing on Sunday. There were lots of lovely baked goods to choose from…But we both needed a caffeine fix before we could think of food. My cappuccino had a lovely heart swirled on top.To eat, I went for the ham and cheese croissant – mini tin cup with side of kettle-fried crisps was an interesting touch.Husband wanted to be healthy as we’d be hiking later, so he went for the banting option – here are his poached eggs on banting bread, with lots of crispy bacon and fresh avo.Then we headed off for Lion’s Head and did a slow hike up to Wally’s Cave, which we’d heard about but not yet seen. Here’s some of the pretty flowers along the mountain side.You follow the usual trail up but veer to the left of the short ladder up Lion’s Head to reach the cave – close to where we took this picture. Note how short Signal Hill looks in the distance!Success! That’s the cave above me.Yes, that little speck is Husband balancing perilously close to the edge of the mountain.View of the outside from the inside.Clever Husband had brought his ‘cave-exploring’ cap along with him so he could turn on the light. See.Proof we were both in the cave together at the same time.Once we’d hiked back down to the car we realised my bag was missing. No damage to the car, but bag completely AWOL, despite having unpacked items like my phone from it into Husband’s hiking bag when we parked. What followed was about two hours of driving from police station to station to make a statement, calling banks to cancel cards, etc etc. Having done as much as we could we stopped in at Jamaica Me Crazy for a soothing cocktail. I had the Blue Hawaii, Husband had the Dark & Stormy.We had a belated Heritage Day braai at Mum’s for lupper that evening.
Monday, 26 September 2016: Breakfast at the Waterfront
As it was my last day of leave on Monday, I went to the Waterfront with my parents. We stopped at the Everyway deli counter to choose our morning eats… it was formerly known as the Royal Bavarian Bakery.Here are our various coffees and pastries. A very good start to the week! Click here to see how they’re the same black cups as when we had a similar staycation coffee in March.
That’s all for now, folks! Keep an eye out for my next update, next Friday…
What a week it has been. I had a mysterious tummy bug/migraine attack last weekend and am only now starting to feel myself again. Before we welcome in the weekend go through my latest batch of highlights below…
Wednesday, 11 May 2016: Levi’s factory tour
I wound up wearing all my dachshund fashion to the Levi’s press day. Click here for my full article, published today – the 143rd birthday of the Levi’s 501 button-fly…We started off with java drinks brewed by the Department of Coffee. Such a clever name and so good!Clever button-like tables so you don’t forget where you’re working.Just look at that view! Lion’s Head is my favourite mountain, so this would be my spot of inspiration if I worked at Levi’s.Denim artwork lines the hallways…Levi’s artwork on display. Impressive as they’ve only been in these offices a few weeks.So many interesting things in the Levi’s offices! Look at bits of mannequin. Look at fly-button shaped door handle in the background.
Friday, 13 May 2016: Bizcommunity’s walking tour of Woodstock
Walking Woodstock. To welcome new staff members our entertainment committee planned a walking tour followed by ‘burgers and beer’. It was just a few blocks from the office to Three Feathers Diner so we all trooped along together, chatting and snapping pics as we went. Thanks for the pic, Charlz!Cheese! We all stopped in front of some colourful graffiti. Only a few remembered to don their sunnies so most of us are squinting but it’s still a fun shot! Thanks to our creative director Terry Levin for snapping us worker bees.See the interesting artwork – “You’ll never walk alone” is fitting as we all walked together, teehee.Because of an order-timing issue, I ended up with a chocolate shake and a coffee shake – at the same time.My meal at Three Feathers Diner. While that’s not exactly ‘crumbled feta’ as promised on the menu, the Mercury burger was delicious.We popped into Delos on our way back to the office after lunch and ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over many lovely things, like the ship light in the background.
Saturday, 14 May 2016: Darts and braai time
What a cute bunny guarding the cakes at Village Place Cafe in West Coast Village! I ended up with a slice of the cake you see – vanilla chai latte. Was fresh and delicious. And yes, that was for breakfast.The perfect cappuccino and shortbread heart on the side to wash it down.Husband had the French Village toasted, touted as the best sandwich. It sure was a pleasing mix of cheese, ham and mustard first thing in the morning.Later we popped in at a friend’s house for a ‘quick braai’. This is the braai fire, with lots of wood at the ready to keep things burning.Husband had a thrilling game of darts while waiting for the meat to cook.I tried out the swinging tyre-seat chair.So did Husband.
Sunday, 16 May 2016: Breakfast overlooking Blouberg beach
Why not add some beautiful scenery to your Sunday morning breakfast by opting for Primi above Marine Circle in Blouberg?Husband went for the Huevos Ranchos. I just had plain brown toast and a pot of Rooibos as was not feeling grand.
Thursday, 19 May 2016: Cape Town sunrise
As we were up with the sparrows to go to work by car because of a chance of rain, we caught the beautiful pinky clouds as the sun rose.Just a few minutes later, everything had brightened and lightened. That’s Table Mountain way off in the distance.The beautiful flowers displayed on the counter in our coffee shop downstairs always brighten my day.
That’s all, folks! A very happy weekend to all 🙂
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 