Mandela Day tasting at Kitima’s new venture, Raya's Kitchen presented by KRP Wines

Kathy and Dane Raath have a good list of wines and beers which they represent in the trade and this was a chance to taste these together with samples of the food at the recently opened Raya's Kitchen. This new Asian restaurant, serving authentic food from the East, is in Mandela Rhodes Place with entrances on Wale and Church Street in Town. Kitima in Hout Bay is very popular and now you can experience some of the food here in town. You will find some of the wines which KRP represent on their menu. Have a look at their website http://rayakitchen.co.za/

Lots of glass and vertiginous stairs to the other levels

The chef had produced these superb carvings from vegetables - butternut and pumpkin and radish 'roses'. And you could sample two of the dim sum dumplings on the menu, a prawn and an unusual herb spinach and cream cheese. We will definitely be back to try more

Tasting at Beaumont's stand with winemaker Sebastian Beaumont were Mike Bamfield Duggan and Michael Pownall, both sampling to buy. The Hope Marguerite Chenin is showing so well, as usual

Johan Kruger makes the wines on his lawyer father Andre's farm Sterhuis in the Bottelary valley in Stellenbosch. We tasted his excellent 5 star Platter Barrel fermented Chardonnay and his new Noble Late Harvest Stroopsoet (syrup sweet) 2015 which is in superb balance with the 135 gm of residual sugar and good fruit acids

 Michael Pownall with Sandra and Philip Engelen

Van Zyl du Toit and Ansgar Flaatten of Allee Bleue. We liked their raspberry flavoured Pinotage MCC a lot. It is elegant, dry and fruity

Llewellyn Jepson with Teddy and Doreen Hall. Teddy produces a great Reserve Chenin Dr Jan Cats 2011 with lovely layers, grippy chalky tannins and the ability to enhance food. His Sauvignon Blanc has lovely figgy notes

Johan Kruger with his Stroopsoet Noble Late Harvest

 Teddy Hall and Pardon Taguzu, sommelier at Aubergine Restaurant, swapping addresses - or is this a different technique for face to face communicating?

Platters of snacks were circulating. These small wafers were stuffed with sweet corn and chicken

And lots of rather hot spring rolls with a soy dipping sauce

Dane Raath in the busy tasting room upstairs

Johan Kruger and Bouchard Finlayson winemaker Chris Albrecht

Duck salad on a spoon was lovely and fresh

Vegetable spring rolls with a sweet chilli sauce, also heat hot

Sisters Lidia and Linda Nobrega of the Chapmans Peak Hotel

Voted by everyone we spoke to as the best dish of the evening, chocolate stuffed spring rolls. You had to do these in one bite or they dripped everywhere. Very good chocolate was used

And Panko crumbed fish and prawn balls on skewers

Click here to see the Raya's Kitchen menu

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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Sunday at the Franschhoek Bastille Festival

The Festival was at the top of the main road and next to the Huguenot monument. The layout was very impressive this year. The marquees were much wider and there seemed to be so much more space. Finding a seat, however, is still as difficult as people reserve empty seats for ages while their friends do the rounds tasting, leaving others standing around. There was lots of food from the top restaurants, pulled pork seemed to be the dish of the day from many. And the wines from Franschhoek can be very impressive

An avenue of Tricolor flags

We hear Saturday was full, they sold 4000 tickets. Sunday is always more relaxed, more of a family day. And lovely in the warm sunshine

The tents were buzzing too

And if you had not got the message that everyone is supposed to dress up in Red White and Blue there was this stand to sell you the appropriate merchandise

Straight to the busy Cabrière stand

where we met up with Achim von Arnim, Patriarch of Cabrière, for a chat and a glass of their Belle Rose MCC

Achim, with Carina Bouwer, enjoying life in his starred and striped red white and blue waistcoat

Lynne with suitable attire and a moustachioed wineglass

If you could toss a “quoit" (actually a roll of gaffer tape) well enough, Linda Coltart gave you a prize. Some families did rather too well at this and nearly cleared them out of soft toys. The proceeds went to a local charity. Nice action shot John!

She did but he didn't want his photo taken

Chef Neil Jewell of Bread and Wine restaurant manfully slicing his excellent charcuterie for their platters. He does this nonstop for the entire festival as the platters are very popular

L’Ormarins poured us a taste of their MCC

The belles dames, Kathy van Niekerk and Marguerite Nel, on the Boschendal stand with their chilled wines

And at Black Elephant's stand, partners Kevin Swart (Black in Afrikaans) and Raymond Ndlovu (elephant in Nguni) were having fun

We liked their wines and their charming labels: Timothy White (a Viognier) and Nicolas Red (a blend) are self explanatory. Named after Kevin's two sons, Timothy is the hare and Nicolas the Tortoise

Partner and winemaker Jacques Wentzel, also enjoying the day

It is always a very happy, well organised festival

Children are welcome and there is lots for them to play on

Nice use for used corks

Chilling with some wine as the afternoon wears on

And a familiar face, Jacques Roux of Douglas Green Bellingham

There was a band and lots of dancing

Two chefs comparing notes on how the day went: Chris Erasmus of Foliage and Neil Jewell of Bread and Wine

Fun and fame in the sun

Vogue poses!

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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Bastille Day lunch at Dutch East, Franschhoek

Franschhoek celebrates Bastille Day every year on the weekend closest to the 14th of July. This year we were all a little subdued by the dreadful news of the attack in Nice on Bastille Day, but determined not to be deterred by terrorism and to continue our involvement in honour of the people who died so cruelly. We had been invited to lunch at Dutch East restaurant in the middle of Franschhoek before we attended the festival

Pasch du Plooy has changed direction at Dutch East. The coffee roastery has gone and he puts more focus on providing fine food for customers. They do still provide excellent coffee! They had reserved a table for us under the tent. Franschhoek and the staff were all dressed in the Tricolour colours and it was a lovely sunny winter’s day

Our table at the back. On Sundays, they do not take bookings and there is lots of opportunity to get some good food for lunch in a town that is usually booked solid. There were a lot of walk in customers while we were there.

The guys at the bar pour John a good Darling brew

The front of the special Bastille Menu. At present they have a winter special set menu of 2 courses for R240 and 3 for R300 which is very good value. The menus can change daily. Check out these menus on line at http://www.dutcheast.co.za/menus/

Freshly baked rolls and butter

Lynne's generous starter of Duck liver Parfait with Cognac and Port came with a small micro green salad, guavas cooked in vanilla, poached strawberries, a balsamic reduction and a spiced corn chip crumb. The fruit was rather sweet for Lynne. It was a portion that would have satisfied two. It also came with two shards of crisp bread. Some wines are available by the glass. She had a glass of Graham Beck Brut which went very well with both this course and her main

John ordered the French onion and ale soup, well caramelised and topped with a slice of toast with cheese. He found it very satisfying

The main courses and desserts on the menu

John, in French mood, ordered the Cassoulet and says it was one of the best he has ever eaten, so we hope it stays on the menu for you to experience

Lynne is a very instinctive eater and must have been needing iron because she ordered the Pan fried liver and bacon dish. This came with confit onions, lovely smoky bacon bits, slivers of cooked and raw garlic, small potatoes and a creamy mash, topped with fried leeks and a was in a rich sauce. It also had some cherries but we didn't understand why they were there. The mains are served in large bowls. Lynne had six large pieces of liver, absolutely perfectly cooked and well flavoured but just too generous. They do give exceptional value

After this gargantuan meal, we had not an inch to spare for dessert even though there were some temptations. Double espressos for both of us were a good finish And the coffee is excellent

Owner and chef Pasch du Plooy, chef, meat eater, butcher, sausage and charcuterie maker and general bon vivant. Thanks Pasch, we had a lovely time

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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