Thursday, November 02, 2017

This Week’s MENU. SASSI Awards, new Windmeul market, Jardine lunch, Vondeling, Perdeberg, Durbanville Sauvignon, Leeu Manor lunch, Mozzarella and Red Peppers, Vondeling Babiana

Fishing from the breakwater, Kalk Bay
Summer is here. Suddenly, the air is warm, shorts and slipslops are everywhere and the fan is running on our bedroom’s ceiling. It has also brought the dreaded whine of the mosquitoes, who have wonderful breeding ponds in all the buckets everyone puts out to catch every possible droplet of rain. Slap on the repellent and open a bottle of chilled white wine like this week’s Wine of the Week. We produce wonderful Chenins, Chardonnays and Sauvignons in this country, as well as new (to most of us) varietals like Grenache blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne. We’ve been to some great places and tasted some of these wines in the past week. Read about them here
We decided to repeat our visit of last year when we saw Faber was on the Restaurant Week list and did not regret it. Chef Eric Bulpitt was not there as he was taking part in a four chef event in Franschhoek but his wife, Celeste, was in charge and his chefs are well trained, so we had a very good meal indeed....
Do you make sure that you always order and buy sustainable fish and seafood? If you want to know which fish it is, just download the App from the World Wildlife Fund SASSI Website http://wwfsassi.co.za/ and read about how important this is to us and our ocean resources. This week we were invited to Harbour House to see who got this year's SASSI Trailblazer awards. Chilling on the top deck of Harbour House.....
We were invited to the media launch of this new marketplace at Windmeul and they very kindly organised transport for us from the V&A Waterfront. Sadly, it was on a really harsh wintery day and we had to take shelter in the MyCiti bus station while we waited for the driver to arrive. 
A really wet day in Cape Town and how can we complain....
To say we have been meaning to visit this restaurant for months is no lie; when we saw it was on Restaurant week we felt there was no excuse not to book and plan well ahead. We think George is one of the best chefs in South Africa and he never disappoints us. His sauces are legendary and we never allow any to go back to the kitchen. A warm welcome from his wife Louise .....
Season of Sauvignon in Durbanville    Sunday saw us summoned to be at Diemersdal by 9.30am for the media briefing of the Season of Sauvignon, which actually had begun the previous day, Saturday. We managed it even after a rather hectic week and saw the tents and marquees with the food trucks setting up. The festival was different this year in that your Computicket pass was for just one farm, which you had to choose. If you wanted to move to another farm you would have to buy another ticket. This was your chance to experience one farm in depth. As media, we were given special passes which enabled us to move from farm to farm so we could see what was happening.....
An enjoyable wine filled Saturday. We were invited to last Saturday’s Perdeberg Festival and then to Vondeling for their annual 3 hour wine sale, so we decided to combine these as they are just a few kilometres apart. We set off at 10am on a really lovely day.....
Monday this week saw us transported to lunch in the Dining Room at the Leeu Collection Manor House in Franschhoek to try out the new menu. A welcome glass of The Leeu Collection’s Bas MCC...
Summer is coming and we are always on the lookout for interesting salads or antipasti after all this rich food in the media season and winter. Lynne was searching through her old River Cafe books which are a mine of inspiration and found this which just speaks of ripe summer and freshness
2 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella - 2 large red peppers - 150g ripe cherry tomatoes - 4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil - 4 plum tomatoes - 1 Tablespoon red wine or raspberry vinegar - 4 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves
Set the oven at 200C. Toss the cherry tomatoes with 1 T of olive oil; season and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then set aside. Put the whole peppers under the grill, turning regularly until the skins are black. If you have gas burners, you can do this on an open flame using tongs. Put them immediately into a plastic bag and seal, then allow them to cool. Remove them, rub off the black skin, remove the cores and the seeds and tear them into quarters. Slice the mozzarella. Quarter the plum tomatoes. Mix together the vinegar and remaining olive oil, season and pour over the tomatoes and pepper. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes and the basil. Top with the mozzarella. Season and serve. You could serve this on a bed of rocket and accompany with a plate of Parma ham, or Bressaola, or beef Carpaccio. If not Banting, then a crisp ciabatta might be necessary to soak up all the lovely juices. And a bottle of our wine of the week
This has a complex nose of cooked apple and melon with some floral fynbos notes. Rounded and rich Chenin, Chardonnay, Grenache and Viognier blend, more cooked apple, ripe pear with some good wood butteriness, and good acid balance, ending with a little smoke.  Such a great food wine, and robust enough to stand up to meat dishes and spicy food. It was awarded 5 stars in Platter

In next week’s MENU: Aristea wines launch, Lunch at Buitenverwachting, Platter launch, Lunch at Bellevue, Ocean Basket Mediterranean
2nd November 2017


© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
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