Thursday, April 14, 2022

Lunch at Dias Tavern after a long break

Lynne's Goddaughter Nicolette was visiting us from Holland and brought her Portuguese friend Catia, who had never been to South Africa, but her parents had worked in Mozambique and Angola. Catia is a Professor of Economic History at Leiden University in Holland, with her speciality being the VOC, so she has an interest in our varied history and culture. We mentioned Diaz Tavern (known locally as The Portuguese Embassy) and they were really keen to go. So lunch it was. We took a bottle of Axe Hill Distinta, made by Mike Neebe in Calitzdorp, a wine made from varietals normally used in port:  Tinta Barocca, Souzão and Touriga Nacional, and a bottle of Darling Cellars Sauvignon Chenin blend for those who preferred a white. They did not charge us corkage, despite having a good wine list

Windswept, but really enjoying a huge Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Orange gin and tonic
They were promoting these and there was no charge. Must get a bottle, it is very good

Juicy Gambas and chips on a bed of rice

We both had Trinchado which comes with good chips
rather chewy but flavourful steak, cooked medium rare in a rich marinade of red wine, stock, garlic (lots!), chilli sauce
A favourite of John’s; he has been ordering it for about 30 years

Nicolette’s Trinchado and Calamari special also came with chips

Catia could not resist trying the special of the day, tripe with beans


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Posted by MENU at 6:58 pm 1 comments

Pizzas and pasta lunch at Massimo's

When we heard that Massimo's in Hout Bay had been voted the best Pizzeria in Africa, we decided it was time we went. Neither of us is a huge fan of Pizza, but we do enjoy it when it is really good. And we had never been to this renowned restaurant. We made a date last week for lunch with friends who live in the area. And they don’t just do Pizza, but Spuntini (Italian tapas style dishes), Salads and Pasta. They do daily specials and there is a Kids' menu and a Vegan menu, and we discovered that there is a wicked dessert selection
https://www.massimos.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Massimos_Menu.pdf

There is a huge pizza oven inside and the two men running the pass were hard at work
We began with a bottle of Vondeling Rosé,
 a lovely crisp and fruity summery wine, to drink while we waited for our order

Loraine likes things simple and her usual choice the excellent Margarita:
Tomato, Fior di latte mozzarella, basil, basil olive oil
(and a donation of R4 goes to Border Collie Rescue with every one ordered)

Ronnie was in the mood for Pasta and ordered the full portion of the Puttanesca
Napolitano sauce, anchovies, garlic, capers, chilli, olives, parsley and some parmesan cheese on top

Lynne ordered the Francesco from the Specials menu:
melting Brie, mushrooms, caramelised onions and Palma ham
The thin base is exactly what we like and this was really delicious

John went for his all-time favourite, the Quattro Stagione aka Capri,
but minus the mushrooms and, in their place, he added garlic - it was excellent
We took along a bottle of Cederberg Chenin Blanc and it was a really good match for all the dishes

and even after all those carbs, we could not resist trying their Brownies for dessert with coffees
Each couple shared one. They are sensational, like a good dark chocolate ganache. You have to try them

The bill with service. We will be back. Soon

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Posted by MENU at 6:31 pm 1 comments
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