Cat antics...

Felix & packets, what can I say. Not much so I took pics. Here he is cavorting in a plastic bag...gotta love gingers...

Can I go inside it?

It fits me well...

I'm a satisfied ginger...

 

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Face the rain, find the wine...& artisan beer...

So the show I was meant to see last night, 'Panic', starring Siv Ngesi, was cancelled (due to technical issues). At first it looked like a good excuse to stay home - I mean the weather was shite, being 15 degrees, with wind & rain & all. I know, I know, we Capetonians are ridic when it comes to the cold. We think we know it & we want to haul out the thermal underwear when the barometer slides a stripe below 17 degrees. I was looking to settle down in my fluffy slippers after dinner & then decided I needed wine, out, at The Power & the Glory. I don't know about you, but wine always tastes better somewhere other than at home. So to P&G we went...me, Lateral Paul & Son No. 1. The images refer....

The Power & the Glory, downstairs, is a stylish place to seat yourself down (on banquettes covered in sheepskin fur), have a glass of vino & scribble all over the paper tablecloth, when you're not Instagramming Le venue....it's a lot less raucous than the Black Ram upstairs...

 

Lateral Paul had one of his fave beers, Silver Back, brewed in Darling just outside Cape Town.. hashtag proud of that...

 

Lateral Paul, IG addict

Son No. 1, Luke van der Spuy

Winter hath landed...

 

Me & Son

The Power & the Glory is on the corner of Lower Kloof & Kloofnek Road. Open daily from 08:00 until late. Great hotdogs served at all hours; they use Deluxe coffee & Dilmah teas. Closed Sundays.

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Shortbread that takes the cake!

At my new fave chill spot, Luvey N Rose in Rose Street, Bokaap, there can be found a delectable shortbread that is made by an unheralded master baker, Gordon Radowsky. I've known Gordon pretty much forever...way back from my ballerina days when he used to watch many of my performances at what was then the Nico Malan Opera House (now Artscape). His shortbread is made up of rather exotic ingredients like pure vanilla, fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, lemon & orange rind & rose water ~ so more-ish. If you're lucky & they aren't all out, you can get a block of delish fudge on your saucer, just to push your sugar rush over the edge & leave you hankering for more. I've just ordered an enormous batch from Gordon to share amongst family & friends. Not.

See the fudge?

Luvey N Rose Art Gallery & Coffee shop is found at 21 Rose Street in Bokaap...find them on Facebook *

 

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A new coffee shop & art salon in Cape Town, in the Bokaap....

Today I discovered a fabulous coffee shoppe - come- art salon in one of the City's oldest areas, the Bokaap. As owner Ignatius Claassen explains, 'Luvey ' N Rose is an art salon (and sometimes saloon...) that just happens to sell coffee, tea etc and hopefully artisan beers + good wine in the near future. The idea is to make art + antique furniture shopping more personal and consumer-friendly by presenting the stock in a lounge setting as opposed to clinical, impersonal gallery/ showroom setup."

 Situated in Rose Street, towards the bottom end (on the sea side), Luvey N Rose (a play on La Vie en Rose I think), is a gem. The building itself is very old, painted in a wonderful shade of dusty pink. Walk in & you're surrounded by odd furniture...not odd- strange, but odd- not matching. The art is fantastic...olde paintings are mixed up with quirky paraphernalia, surrounded by comfortable couches, wooden tables with bowls of Protea flowers & leather lounge chairs. The charming & lovely Elodye from Paris was there today....she mostly spends time upstairs on the floor above the coffee shoppe that houses beautiful antiques & art. To drink? Deluxe coffee, prepared excellently. To eat? Cheese & chocolate croissants &, if you're lucky, fudge & unique shortbread made by the multi talented Gordon Radowsky. Time to visit...Cape Town once again is offering us something unique & amazing...

Marvelous olde building in Rose Street...look there's Lateral Paul...

Wonderful interior, put together by Ignatius I'm told...

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Eggs Benedict at the Neighbourgoods Market...a Saturday ritual...

Lately, my stomach & I have been lured to the Biscuit Mill in Salt River by the thought of Eggs Benedict (EB), done the Luke Dale - Roberts way. You know Monsieur Luke, that celebrated chef of The Test Kitchen & Pot Luck Club fame. OK, I shall say no more...I'll shut up & write & urge you to go & savour that EB breakfast: a delicately poached egg, placed on a (not to) thin potato rosti, topped with a blob of thick & creamy Hollandaise sauce & garnished with chopped chives & crispy streaky bacon (R50) or smoked salmon (R60) if you prefer. Divine yes?

An Interesting foodie fact re the origin of Eggs Benedict, (courtesy of Wikipedia): In an interview recorded in the "Talk of the Town" column of The New Yorker in 1942, the year before his death, Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stock broker, claimed that he had wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise." Oscar Tschirky, the famed maître d'hôtel, was so impressed with the dish that he put it on the breakfast and luncheon menus but substituted ham for the bacon and a toasted English muffin for the toast.

So there you have it...now all that remains is the experience. The Neighbourgoods Market at the Biscuit Mill in Salt River, is open every Saturday, from 08:00 until about 14:30. It's a Must for Cape Towners & People From Afar. So here's how it works...

First, the rosti is prepared...

Then the poached egg is lifted out of a pot of boiling water...

The bacon meantime gets crispy...

And voila, Les Oeufs Benedict....this time with smoked salmon...

KOS (food) at its best *

 

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Sip & scribble....& a random Friday morning blogpost...

Doodle over a cuppa Dilmah....one of the many things I like about P&G, or The Power & the Glory as its properly named, is that I can scribble on the paper table cloth, like I used to do when I was a kid at Spur or one of those restaurants where we got given those thick crayons in tin cups to mess around with... Now we have P&G, making it fun for over 40's...& hipsters in high waisted jeans... & that cool arty set. & us. Go on a Thursday night & write down your #FF's in advance, & Instagram it...I know, I know, I'm being ridic. But then this IS Friday morning in BEAUTIFUL Cape Town - this Autumn day looks magnificent - & I'm feeling good. Like the song. Have a fabulous weekend All!

Have a fat slice of carrot cake or a marshmallow brownie with your tea or Deluxe coffee, or try something savoury with a glass of Waverley Hills organic or a bottle of one of the many well-brewed-in-Cape Town artisan beers....

 

 

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Winter cometh & out come the knitting needles....

Who knew that there was such a cool wool shop in Cape Town? There it sits in a 50's style house in Oranjezicht & it's the only place - called Orion Wool & Crafts - that I know of where you can get your 'scarf ingredients' as I call them lovely balls o' wool etc. In all colours & many different types, this is yourone stop shop for what your knitting needles & crochet hooks want so badly. Roger & Margarida (I stand to correction on the spelling of her name) are the purveyors of fine product & for people like me who can't seem to find a copy of Knitting for Dummies, they are all too willing to help explain 'knit one, pearl 1'. Fabulous is all I can say. I make multi trips there as soon as I feel winter is too close for comfort & that my neck needs it's comforter. Go see for yourself. I met a gal there today who told me about a knitting circle called 'Stitch & Bitch'. Join? Must! Clicketyclack ladies, clicketyclack *  0214239782, open Tuesday to Saturday - call them for info re the trading hours  ~www.orionwool.co.za
Love the design of this house- Orion is on the basement level, through the little gate & down the little steps, into the little shop.... off you go...

Step inside wool lovers...

Roger is there to answer your questions, as basic as they are (trust me)...

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Prawns & more in a perfect setting....

It's that time again of year again (May to October) when the Harbour House restaurants in Kalk Bay & the Waterfront add a few delicious winter specials to their menu. I took Son No. 2 for dinner last night to sample some of the fare on offer this month & what a satisfying feast it was. There are few restaurants in Cape Town that can boast such superb positioning. Having the sea lapping against the Quay 5 jetty at the V&A venue & the waves crashing up on the rocks below you at HH in Kalk Bay makes for a unique dining experience that makes me appreciate & love Cape Town even more. Thanks to Geraldy & Mirjam, part of the Team on duty, who made us feel very welcome & to Chef Rene who once again gave us a meal to savour*
From inside Harbour House, looking out onto the patio right alongside the jetty...

Pan fried salt & pepper calamari & prawns, served on a tom yum cream sauce with steamed rice noodles, with lime, chilli & basil marinated courgette salad

Free range Beef short rib with pommes Anna, roasted pimentos, aubergines & fine green beans on a balsamic & red wine reduction...

Cheers..a glass of Groote Post, always a winner...the Waterfront mall is in the background...& note the Consol Solar jar on the table ~ a nice Eco touch

Above: red wine poached pear with Kahlua tiramisu, mascarpone & vanilla bean ice cream

The view across the Harbour....
Harbour House is open Monday to Sundays from 12pm - the kitchen closes at about 10:00pm. Booking is essential via 0214184748 (Waterfront) and 0217884133 (Kalk Bay). All info about the specials for the Harbour House venues & the other restaurants can be found at www.harbourhouse.co.za. @harbourhousevna

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Bombay Bicycle Club....a quirky eatery in Cape Town

They call it the BBC & it's a fabulous eatery at the top of Kloof Street in Cape Town. What you get, aside from great cuisine, is a slight sense of madness when you walk past Mr. Maharaja at the door into what I'd describe as a happy place. I want to meet the decorator because bravo to him or her for such a clever use of what is essentially a very small space. Upstairs, downstairs & all that's in between is amazingly appointed so you don't feel squashed in & the decor is busy & quirky, with a touch of kitsch here & there. Every inch is tarted up with something fabulous, be it a lamp, pictures, ornaments, hanging drums, fake flowers or fairy lights. For dinner, I had delish ravioli with oxtail & ricotta...the meringue of my Pavlova dessert wasn't having a good night but the hostess Olivia handled the situation with aplomb & I'll try it next time, after I've indulged in their famous chocolate chili steak that I've heard so much about. So get your good self over to the BBC for your very own Bohemian rhapsody. 0214236805 for bookings *

Fairy lights ...

Lamps & things..

Oxtail ravioli with ricotta...so good...

 

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