.: June 2018

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Pensioners' lunch at The Food Barn

The Food Barn in Noordhoek is running some winter special so we went last Friday with friends to sample the Pensioners Lunch, very good value at R175 for two courses with a carafe of wine. They do have other special ( not for pensioners) so check out their website http://www.thefoodbarn.co.za/winter-special/ to see what is on offer. We had a great time despite it being one of the wettest days last week

Lynne was quite amused on arrival when the waiter queried if we were all pensioners. Don't we look ancient enough, all 70+? And we were even more amused to find two members of our wine club having lunch there with friends and family. It is a very popular restaurant because the food is always good. Times are tight and pensioners need all the help they can get

The menu from which you make a choice. You can have one starter and a main or a main and a dessert. The wine you get is the one that pairs with either your starter or your main course as on the board

Very friendly service

Our wine arrives. There are at least two glasses in each Carafe and the wine is from M*A*N Vintners

We had the Chardonnay and our friends had the Sauvignon Blanc

First we were surprised with an amuse of excellent mushroom risotto

John received a spoonful of the calamari in a teriyaki sauce

A starter of a Pepe goats cheese fritter with quince, mixed leaves, a spiced Pinotage syrup, seeds and a dusting of pink powder - beetroot? Deemed delicious by the two vegetarians

Lynne chose the calamari as her starter. It was tender and crisp on the outside from a light batter on a cauliflower brandade purée, and accompanied by a very fishy tasting seaweed and mashed potato beignet. It was liberally sprinkled with coriander micro herbs and came with a slice of lime. There was a dark sauce which tasted of teriyaki. The menu said aioli, but none sighted, so perhaps they changed the dish slightly. Lynne didn't find a good marriage with the squid and the cauliflower. The Asian style sauce was good

John chose the Carpaccio of Springbok with an agrodolche (sweet and sour) sauce, mixed leaves, a dusting of flaked nuts and topped with slices of Parmesan cheese. There was also some confit onion

Another nice surprise was the refreshing sherbet of apple and cinnamon with Bacardi rum. It tasted just like apple crumble in a glass. Applause too for the paper straw. But a small spoon would get even louder applause. We don't need straws; the frozen delight in a narrow glass was not easy to suck through the straw

John's main course was the two slices of Beef Sirloin, cooked with a thick layer of fat on, perfectly pink, accompanied by some sweet potato mash with cinnamon, fine beans, basil and a roasted jus. There was a thick sinew in the middle

The choice for our vegetarian friends was a main course sized portion of the ash roasted winter vegetables which were a swede, an onion and beetroot, on a sesame cream, pesto, a balsamic syrup, topped with hazelnuts and micro greens. They really enjoyed it

Lynne ordered the very rich chicken livers in a dark complex jus, an onion sauce, served on mash, and topped with sweetcorn, which is very filling, and good on a cold winter's day

No dessert, just some espressos and a mint tea for Lynne

Our bill. It is exceptional value. We may well be back soon to try the other specials. We also encountered two other tables with old friends while we were there. It is indeed very popular. You need to book

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Thursday, June 28, 2018

This Week’s MENU. Hussar Grill, Indian Oven, Societi Bistro, Toledo, Madrid, Tomato stuffed with tuna, Iona One Man Band

We started our Iberian excursion with a photograph of this statue, taken in 1971

Don Quixote is still questing in 2018

This has been a bit of a restaurant week for us. We have visited three restaurants and enjoyed each one and each has a different style. We are coming close to the end of our Iberian trip and show you Toledo and Madrid this week.

We have written frequently about the challenges presented by the drought that has afflicted us for the last year. There is some good news. It has just been announced, perhaps a bit irresponsibly, that our dams have enough water to carry us through the next year. It has to be remembered that they are still, on average, less than half full and the coming summer will be dry, as always. The biggest dam, Theewaterskloof, is at only just over 30%. We have become inured to responsible use of water, and we need to keep the good habits. The Western Cape will always face a challenge of balancing water supply and consumption

Iona tasting before supper at Hussar Grill, Camps Bay

At one of the recent trade wine tastings we met the manager of the Camps Bay Hussar Grill and he invited us to one of their regular Monday evening guided wine tastings - a different wine farm presents the tasting each week. You can phone and ask to attend should you be in the area. They start at 6.30 and you need to book. They can only accommodate 35 people. Our invitation was also for dinner afterwards. The Hussar Grill is up Camps Bay Drive, and not on the sea front. We were welcomed at the bar…

Supper at The Indian Oven, Hout Bay

We are always on the hunt for good authentic Indian food - and we do mean Indian from the sub continent, not Cape Malay or Durban curries (which we like) but Indian is our favourite. Lynne's 27 years in London made her a firm fan and John is also very keen. Friends who live in Hout Bay kept raving about their local so, as we were in the neighbourhood, we decided to give The Indian Oven a try. It is at No.18 on Main Road, the road that leads to Chapman's Peak Hotel and thence Chapman's Peak Drive. Up a few steps, it is one of a few shops in this row. We found parking outside. It only took us 20 minutes to drive through from Sea Point and there is a bus route as well, so we might take the bus for lunch another time…

Societi Bistro’s Winter Menu

An invitation to join other media to sample the new winter menu at Societi Bistro was very welcome on this cold and wet Saturday lunchtime, especially as Lynne was getting over a bad dose of flu and it meant she wouldn't have to cook supper that night - we only take one main meal a day. The tables were set with blankets as well as the usual napery…

MENU's Iberian Exploit 13. Toledo

It is so great when a plan comes together and it did on May Day. We had booked our AirBnB in Toledo in what looked like a central place and boy was it ever. A mansion block on a main road with a lift to the large and comfortable apartment which was just 300 meters from the escalator that takes you up the steep hill to the old town. There was safe, free parking in the area too, near the local park. Once we were settled in, it was time for some lunch and our landlord recommended this local restaurant, Reconquista. It was a Public Holiday, so many places in the area were closed…

MENU's Iberian Exploit 14. Madrid

Our final stop in Spain was Madrid and we had no idea how much this city had grown. Put it in the same bracket as London and New York - it is vast. We had to exit the motorway half an hour before we even saw the City and enter a rather daunting series of ring roads to get to our AirBnB, which was on the other side of the city. We had purposely booked somewhere on the outskirts as it had good rail connections to the city and we had no desire to drive into the centre. Probably one of the nicest places we booked on our tour, it was a small apartment attached to a large house with a kitchen, diner, lounge, bedroom and our own sheltered courtyard. It was a sunny courtyard some of the time, as we were still being plagued by Europe's very wet and chilly Spring! The owners are English and Dutch, so communication was no problem and they were very friendly and helpful. They have lived in Spain for many years…

On the MENU this Week. Spanish Tomatoes stuffed with Tuna

We had this as a starter in Madrid and it was one of the best dishes we ate while we were travelling. Lynne was determined to make it here, so it was tonight’s supper. You do need the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find. If you don’t eat fish, you might like to substitute the tuna with hard-boiled egg, or small diced and browned in olive oil aubergine or courgette cubes. See the whole recipe here

MENU’s Wine of the Week. Iona One Man Band 2012

is one of the wines we tasted at the Hussar Grill this week. From Iona in Elgin, it has just been released. It is a blend of 57% Shiraz, 15% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Mataro (aka Mourvedre) & 3% Viognier, made by winemaker Werner Muller. See more…

28th June 2018

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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

On the MENU this Week. Spanish Tomatoes stuffed with Tuna

We had this as a starter in Madrid and it was one of the best dishes we ate while we were travelling. Lynne was determined to make it here, so it was tonight’s supper. You do need the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find. If you don’t eat fish, you might like to substitute the tuna with hard-boiled egg, or small aubergine or courgette cubes diced and browned in olive oil

4 medium ripe red tomatoes – 1 small tin of tuna in oil – ¼ cup of dry breadcrumbs – half a small red pepper, finely chopped - 5 sprigs fresh parsley – 1 T fresh basil – black pepper – 1 t sherry or wine vinegar - salt - Olive oil – 25g grated cheese

You should use Spanish Manchego cheese but, as it is hard to find, use a mix of mature English cheddar* and parmesan

Take off the tops of the tomatoes and carefully scrape out the core and the seeds, leaving just the outside body of the tomato (don’t throw the insides away; with the lids they make a wonderful salsa or can be added to soups and stews)

Salt the inside of the tomatoes and leave them turned upside down to drain for an hour. Throw away any of the salty juice that comes out. Mix the breadcrumbs with the tuna, red pepper and the herbs and add a teaspoon of olive oil. Season well and stuff the mixture into the tomatoes, pushing it well in until they are full and come right up to the top. Then add about a Tablespoon of the breadcrumbs to the cheese and, pressing well down, put a thick cap of cheese on top of each tomato

Put them into an ovenproof dish which has a cover and put into a 180°C oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the cover and put the dish under a grill until the cheese has a lovely brown crust on it. As with most Mediterranean food, these tomatoes are best served lukewarm; they have more flavour, so you can make them in advance. And you can, of course, double up the recipe if you have more guests.

* We buy good English cheddar under the Wyke Farms label at Checkers. It is very reasonably priced and has the proper “bite” which is usually lacking in local cheddars

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MENU’s Wine of the Week. Iona One Man Band 2012

Perfume and fruit leap out of the glass at you; the wine is dark and inky, with cassis and cherries on the nose with a hint of violets. On the palate which is rich, peppery & full, there is cassis and blueberry complexity, with some dry tannins and minerality on the end showing quality. Well worth buying, as this is ready now and can be kept for a year or three. We predict that this wine will win awards. R242 from the farm

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The new Winter menu at Societi Bistro

The tables were set with blankets as well as the usual napery, but it was nice and warm inside

First a gin tasting of Inverroche, Cape Town and Cruxland gins. Lynne chose the Cruxland

and had a classic gin, lime and tonic. Good gin makes a really reviving drink.

John had a beer instead, he is not a great gin fan

The gins for tasting. We are not great fans of flavoured gins
but the younger members of the media really enjoyed them

A brief version of Societi's extensive and interesting wine list. This is one of the very few restaurants where all the wines are available by the glass and, if you don't know the wines, they are happy to give you a small taste of a couple before you choose one

Specials of the day

The new Winter Menu, some favourites have had to stay at customers' insistence, but there are some new items as well. Some of the dishes are named after regular customers who love the dish so much

The wine list has many of our favourite wines

Lots of 'crack' around the table as we get to know each other

Some new and some of the usual suspects all enjoying the experience

We were going to have some of the starters first and all the dishes were served family style so we could sample everything on offer

Rich and oily marrow bones on toast with capers, parsley and tomato. Serving it this way does make it more enticing for many people who might be put off by the conventional way of serving the bones filled with marrow, (which is the way Lynne prefers it!) The flavours are good, just have a napkin at the ready to wipe your chin!

Lynne really enjoyed this starter of Mushroom Fettuccine 'Luan Nel', well flavoured with Gorgonzola, creme fraiche, garlic and Grana Padano, named after a friend. One to return for often - we can see why Luan loves it - especially as she doesn't eat mushrooms at home because of John's allergy

Large rectangular Ravioli stuffed with spinach and feta, with olives
and Grana Padano cheese in a rich Arrabbiata tomato and chilli sauce

These are the Snail vetkoek (snails in gorgonzola and garlic butter encased

in a deep fried savoury donut. Not sure if this is a good way to highlight

the delicate snails, as the vetkoek stay rather gluey inside?

Time for the main courses. The Teriyaki pulled pork neck with pancake tortillas, salad, salsa and lemon slices was a wee bit confusing visually as it looked a little Mexican, but was very enjoyable

The Lamb shank is done in a tomato, red wine and braised vegetable base and comes on creamy buttered mash. It is a substantial portion, well flavoured and falling off the bone

Butter chicken served with pieces of naan bread and
fluffy white basmati rice is a classic and was very popular

The Vegan Black Bean hotpot with miso, coconut cream and basmati rice served on tiny rotis was a surprise hit around the table, enjoyed by many meat eaters. It had lots of great texture and flavour

Comparing photos of the food, or was it cats?

Time for dessert and for Lynne a total surprise. She does not have a sweet tooth, but
relished all of these delicious desserts and really tucked in. The Chocolate Nemesis cake
is truly rich and dark, and divine

A nicely tart and sticky lemon tart served with cream

Oh that cheesecake! People were raving about it and there were a couple of stolen moments, but
the staff did provide more. Baked, creamy but light as a feather, not cloying or heavy, just beautiful
as great cheesecake can be (but very often is not). Well done the chef who baked this

The classic Crème Brulée was perfect in its dark cracking caramel and its opulent decadent richness

Perfect with a double espresso for John who was in his element

Rain beating down and filling our dams, we were full and satisfied
and looking forward to a fire and a nap, and maybe a cat on a lap, at home

There are neighbours!

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