The back
of Table Mountain and Devil's Peak, seen from the National Botanical Garden,
Kirstenbosch
It has often been said that tourists see more of a
place than the people who live in it. We travel around all the time, but there
are places we are guilty of neglecting, probably because they are just a little
outside our usual routes. And, sometimes, we are a little guilty of telling
ourselves, as we drive right past it, often, that we must get there soon.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is, without a doubt, one of the best
parks/gardens/nature reserves in the world. We took our Dutch friends there
this week. We also have a couple of slightly different dining experiences to
share with you.
Friday morning at Jason Bakery
Jason Lilley now has two Bakeries in Cape
Town and we had not yet been to the one in Green Point which opened late last
year. We haven't treated ourselves to breakfast for months so on Friday morning
we set of at 9.30. Why so late? The breakfast menu is quite small and they
start serving sandwiches at 10, so we were hoping to have a choice of both
options. http://www.jasonbakery.com/eat/
Bouchon Wine Bar at Dorrance Wine Cellar, Heritage Square in Cape Town
We love wine bars and often wonder why
they have not really caught on in the Cape. There are a few, but there could be
many more. When Lynne returned to Cape Town from London in 1993 she wanted to
open one. “It will never work” she was told, “people don’t go out after work,
they go home first and then they go out”. But it seems things have changed and,
as Cape Town has become more work flexible, lots of people want to meet friends
after work. We decided to go and see how Dorrance were succeeding with theirs
Glorious Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
We had not been to this wonderful place
for years, other than attending the occasional concert; we confess it. No
excuses, just meant to and it didn't happen. But our overseas friends love it
and suggested we go so finally we got there, being tourists in our own town
again. And on a Tuesday when local pensioners (us!) get in free. It is being
affected by the drought but they are making survival plans and there is a lot
of mass planting of succulents and other water wise plants. We finally got to
walk on the Boomslang, the tree canopy walk, and had lunch in the old
restaurant that holds many memories for Capetonians
On the MENU this week. Cauliflower Curry
Eating curry in hot weather is almost as
good as it is in the winter; it does cool you down. This is a well flavoured
way to eat cauliflower and it is quick to make and doesn't take too much
cooking, as no-one likes cauliflower overcooked
1 T grated fresh ginger - 2 cloves of
garlic - 1 or 2 green chillies - 2 tbsp Canola oil - 1/2 tsp mustard seeds -
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 4 Curry leaves - a pinch of Asafoetida (Hing) - 1 onion,
finely chopped - 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped - 2 potatoes, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 1 tsp red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric - 400 gm cauliflower, broken into
large florets - pepper and salt to taste - 1 cup of water - 1 teaspoon fresh
garam masala - fresh coriander leaves
In a pestle and mortar, or using a stick blender,
make a paste of the ginger, garlic and chilli, adding a few drops of water if
necessary. Heat the oil in a pan and season it with mustard & cumin seeds,
curry leaves and hing. Fry gently until the spices begin to pop; a minute or
two. Add the chopped onions and fry till beginning to go golden brown. Then add
the tomatoes and potatoes. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes
Stir in 1 teaspoon of the green chilli paste, the
chilli powder and turmeric and mix well. You may like it hotter; if so, you can
add more of the paste to your personal taste. Then add the cauliflower florets,
salt and enough water to make a good sauce. Simmer until the cauliflower and
the potato are just done. Taste again and season if it needs it. Serve
sprinkled with a teaspoon of fragrant garam masala, with rice, and some fresh
coriander leaves, if you like them
MENU's Wine of the Week. Lynx Blanc de Noir 2017
A lovely pale rosé wine, so good for hot
summer days, we took two cases of this home with us. Made from 100% merlot, it
has a very pale salmon colour, sweet candy floss notes, peach and apricots.
Fresh, zesty, and a perfect companion to summer lunches. Great with spicy food
as well. Price at the Cellar Door is R70
1st March 2018
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656 4169
Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005
Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please click here to send us a message
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