This Week's MENU. Haute Cabrière labels & lunch, Brad's Grill in Sea Point, Darling Old Bush Vine Cinsaut, Griddled Asparagus

The most elegant of birds. A pair of blue cranes (Anthropoides paradiseus) at the edge of a vineyard in Elgin

After a couple of marathon issues to start the year, the pace has slowed somewhat and we have a much shorter MENU this week. While the Northern Hemisphere freezes and the Ozzies cook, we’ve had pleasantly warm weather with the occasional spike, like we had today. We’ll be investigating some more places north of home for a few days and we anticipate a hot time. Bring on the frosties and a cool white wine. This week, we have a delicious warm salad for you and a seriously good wine from an old grape which is gaining respect… 

New look Wine labels launched with lunch at Haute Cabrière, Franschhoek

An invitation to visit our friends the von Arnims at their Haute Cabrière cellar in Franschhoek to see the new labels and to sample the newest vintages over lunch. We met other guests at the V&A Waterfront and were taken to and from Franschhoek in a minibus. We wish all wine producers would do this. Asking us to drive home after sampling their wines is irresponsible. Well, anyway, how could we refuse!

Early Bird special at Brad's Grill, Sea Point

Brad’s Grill in Second Avenue, Kenilworth has been open for 43 years and now he has opened a branch in Regent Road in Sea Point. We discovered that Brad lives in Sea Point and knows many of the locals. He is running an Early Bird Special which we decided to sample. In by 6 and out by 8 pm; there is a Special Menu with a selection of four dishes. You get one course for R95

Griddled Asparagus with Courgettes and Corn

Are you bored with the look of your supporting vegetable dishes? Lynne was and decided to find a new way to serve some of them. We buy lots of fresh in season vegetables each week and try to cram as many into each meal as possible. This week, she found beautiful fresh asparagus, courgettes and good sweet corn. You will need a stove-top ridged griddle pan. See the recipe….

MENU’s Wine of the Week is Darling Cellars Old Bush Vine Cinsaut

We tasted it when we visited Darling Cellars in December and again last night at our Wine Club and it has really impressed both times. It is a light-bodied Cinsaut grown in ideal conditions in Darling. No wonder Professor Perold picked this grape to pair with Pinot Noir when he created the Pinotage cross. When made properly, this wine shines and more and more winemakers in the Cape are recognising this. It was used many years ago as a blending wine, now it is being allowed to show its beautiful face…

7th February 2019

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2019

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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 our website and ancillary works are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are often 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, pleaseclick here to send us a message and if you wish to be  removed from our mailing list