Friday, November 22, 2019

This Week’s MENU. Platter 2020 launch; Tintswalo; He Sheng Chinese; UK Adventure, Falmouth and Fowey to London; Artichoke chicken; Perdeberg Malbec

Friendly, inquisitive heifers on a Cornish farm near Mevagissey

You should see the other guy! Actually, he’s OK, he is made of concrete. Very late last night, as I was closing my office and going to bed, I tripped over the long aluminium pole of the pool cleaning net (I know, it shouldn’t have been there) and went a.. over tip. So anyone who sees me in the next week or two can expect to see a magnificent shiner. Tomorrow, we will be at a grand black tie event and, in my case, it will be a black eye and tie event. Enjoy the weekend and our stories
John

The 40th Anniversary edition of the 2020 John Platter South African Wine Guide has been published and you can get your copy from good booksellers and wine shops. This year it is a fetching shade of Midnight Sky, a deep navy blue. We were invited to attend the launch and the 5 star wine awards last week, held at the Table Bay hotel in the V&A Waterfront…

The first time we visited Tintswalo Atlantic, a small, exclusive boutique Beach Lodge in Hout Bay, Lynne did not want to leave; it was so beautiful and so calm. To get there, you go along Chapman's Peak Drive, almost to the toll booth, and then take a right turn. It is almost impossible to see it from the road. It is a place where mermaids come to enchant you. Tintswalo is down a vertiginous road, almost on the beach. Luckily, there is a good secure parking place at the top and guests are fetched by car or golf cart. It has quite a sad history, in that Tintswalo Atlantic has been destroyed three times in its short life. First, by a huge wave during a storm. They recovered and rebuilt…

We are not the only ones in our family who like Asian food so, when John's brother visited us last week, we went to our local authentic Chinese, He Sheng on Main Road, Three Anchor Bay. How can you tell if a restaurant is authentic? When more than half of the customers are Chinese and you can see Mama cooking in the kitchen, banging her pots and pans…

Nearing the end of our week in Cornwall we decided to push the boat out a bit and visit another Rick Stein restaurant, this time in nearby Falmouth. It seems the last time we visited we didn’t go far enough into the town. And the sun was sparkling on the sea. It was the weekend, so many people were attract to this pretty port. England has always been a seagoing nation and, judging by the number of boats, they still like going on the water...

Another easy one pot dish, using lots of vegetables and some left over roast chicken. John loves artichokes and we buy him a large tin of artichoke hearts from an Italian supplier once a year. They do freeze but while the tin is open Lynne tries to use as many as she can. Fresh artichokes are in season so you could use those as well. Or leave them out and substitute them with tenderstem broccoli or even asparagus. If you leave out the chicken, and use a good vegetable stock, you have a good vegetarian meal. We used mixed grains instead of rice, which gave the dish some good texture... 

This wine is a real find, It bowled us over. Soy Umami at first on the nose with hints of rose and gentle spice, then cherry and chocolate with some smoke. Soft sweet cherry fruit on the palate, very well balanced and seductive with dark chocolate and a pinch of salt. The fruit remains for a long time with fine minerality and wood on the end. This is a great wine to pair with food. Rich meat dishes, rich classic sauces and definitely with good cheese. R85 from the cellar

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