Thursday, February 06, 2020

This Week’s MENU. Meze lunch at Mykonos, Buitenverwachting, Tzatziki, Buitenverwachting HusseysVlei Sauvignon

The Cape water lily, Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea, is South Africa's most commonly grown indigenous water lily. This is in our koi pond

The harvest is active, more in the warmer areas than in cooler climes. Some warm areas have finished picking some varietals, others have picked for the bubbly, but are still a week or two from picking for the still wines. With all that activity, it has been very quiet on the PR front, but we can report on an interesting, new (to us) restaurant and one of our favourite, and one of the country's oldest, wine estates

In the 17 years since we started writing about our activities, we have published thousands of photographs

A portfolio of the best of these is building on a new website: https://JohnDuncanFord.youpic.com/
Have a look. We hope you’ll enjoy them


Vegetarian friends told us that they have been going to Mykonos in Camp Bay and how enjoyable the food was there, so we decided to meet them there for lunch last Saturday. Apparently it started as a take away, as they did not have serving staff, but that has changed and the staff are lovely and helpful and certainly have got the Hoppa! and other Greek phrases going. It is behind the PicknPay centre, right next to CodFather on the corner of Camps Bay Drive and The Drive. There is parking available in the area, in the centre in front, but definitely not on Beach Road!  Read on…


We discovered that it had been three years since we last visited Buitenverwachting in Constantia, so an invitation from Cellarmaster Brad Paton to come and taste some of his wines with him was gratefully accepted. And very much appreciated, as he is in the middle of what looks like a successful harvest. The farm Buitenverwachting (it means beyond expectation) originally formed part of the Constantia Estate, which was founded 1679 by Simon van der Stel, the first Governor of the new Dutch Cape colony. Buitenverwachting as a separate entity dates back to 1769. It is owned by the Mueller family and Lars Maack, son of Mrs Christine Mueller, is joint owner & the Managing Director.  Read on…


Tzatziki is easy to make and goes well with Greek food like souvlaki or with pita bread on a meze platter. Dill is traditional in Greece but not always easy to find here. Read on…


Hussey's Vlei Sauvignon Blanc has long been a favourite of ours; from a single vineyard, it is intense, with green peppers on the nose, and flinty. Crisp and beautiful, it charms. Cool at first, then intense clean flavours of green peppers appear with elderflower. 4½ stars in Platter, 93 points for the 2018. R180 from the cellar door



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