Birthday lunch at Jordan

John had his 75th birthday on the 27th so Lynne planned a lovely lunch at chef George Jardine's restaurant on Jordan wine estate. Deservedly one of our favourites, the food is always superb, the views are second to none and the Jordan wines are exciting and go so well with the food

Looking over at one of the newer vineyards of dryland grapes. Given the signs of global warming affecting the classic grapes, Gary and Kathy Jordan have planted Assyrtico, a grape from the volcanic Greek island Santorini. You can enjoy picnics on this lawn below the restaurant; just order them from The Bakery restaurant next door to Jardine

The terrace, where we always try to get a table on the front in good weather

One is fully protected from the sun by large umbrellas

They apparently knew it was John's birthday and sent us a glass each of Villiera Tradition Cap Classique to celebrate

A very special gesture; thank you Louise and Chef George

The menu of the day. There are always choices for all

Daughter Clare and Lynne ordered the same starter, a tender braised pork belly soft dumpling with Asian flavours, on an unctuous creamy honeyed parsnip purée and topped with spiralised courgette in a Nam Gin dressing, and crisp pork crackling popcorn. Small, but very satisfying and a good mix of flavours and textures. We both had a glass of The Outlier Sauvignon blanc. Clare does not enjoy wine, so had a long Tanqueray Gin and tonic with her lunch

John went for the Saldanha Bay mussels en papillote in a superb Asian coconut sauce,

served with a vetkoek (savoury deep fried doughnut) for dipping in the sauce

Those plump mussels - it is a large serving

After a short rest, the main courses arrived. Lynne's choice of pan roasted, very fresh and softly flaky Hake, with whole golden baby beetroots cooked and sliced in a parsley sauce with smoked mussels, was as pretty as a picture and very enjoyable

We had to have some of George’s triple cooked chips, which come as a side

Because we were three and greedy, we ordered two portions. An essential side at Jardine’s

John had a glass of the Prospector Shiraz with his steak

Father and daughter are steak eating people and really enjoyed the tender aged Chalmar sirloin and its herb crust,

with roasted glazed aubergine and purée, stuffed roasted baby tomatoes, and Swiss chard balls

John's plate proved how much he enjoyed it, it was "Jardined"! George’s sauces are so good

that it is a term we have evolved for a thoroughly cleaned plate in the 20 or so years we have enjoyed his food

Chef George in his open kitchen with his wife Louise, who ably manages the restaurant

As a special treat, we all ordered the Poppy seed and honey soufflés. John's came with a tiny birthday candle

Our lovely waiter Mazai comes to the table and 'dresses' each soufflé with a warm crème Anglaise poured in the centre and then drops the vanilla ice cream on top

This perfect light and fluffy soufflé is quite dreamy, (if a little sweet for Lynne)

but as a treat if really lives up to all expectation. The ice cream and the crème Anglaise add so much to it 

Some energetic, but quiet, children playing on the lawn - takes one back to one’s youth when walking upside down was de rigeur and hand stands had to happen daily to use up all that youthful energy. Another lovely experience, thank you all

Our bill. We had a voucher that we had purchased from Jordan during lock down and it was deducted from our bill

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This Week’s MENU. Graham Beck 30th, Moroccan lunch

A blue Epaulet Skimmer dragonfly (Orthetrum chrysostigma)

Two cancellations, but one of them will be revived later. So just two stories for you this week. Graham Beck provided us with a spectacular Zoom bubbly tasting to celebrate 30 years of Graham Beck MCCs and we had an interesting Moroccan meal just down the road from home. Next week will be a rush. We are just home from a wonderful celebration of new Cape Wine Masters and are looking forward to a busy few days with a bigger number of stories for next week. So we hope that you’ll enjoy these and the rest next week

Moroccan lunch at Andalousse

Travelling down Main and Regent Road at the moment is quite an adventure and not always a pleasant one as there are so many businesses that have closed. So we were very happy to see a new restaurant. Lynne went on line to see what their menu looked like and
also had a chat with the owner who is Moroccan. They have another in Woodstock where they began and felt this might be a good market for them. It is, with one small exception. Being Muslim they do not allow or serve any alcohol. We decided to give it a try for lunch on Saturday with an adventurous couple of vegetarians. Read on…

Graham Beck 30th Anniversary

This month Graham Beck wines celebrates their 30th vintage, 30 years of Sparkling Success; a celebration of 'Wine that Matters'. They began production in 1990 and the first vintage of Graham Beck Cap Classique was released in 1993. Over the years they have received a long list of honours, accolades and awards for their prestigious portfolio of sparkling wines. Read on…

27th November 2020

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Moroccan lunch at Andalousse

Travelling down Main and Regent Road at the moment is quite an adventure and not always a pleasant one as there are so many businesses that have closed. So we were very happy to see a new restaurant. Lynne went on line to see what their menu looked like and also had a chat with the owner, who is Moroccan. They have another restaurant in Woodstock, where they began, and they felt that this might be a good market for them. It is, with one small exception. Being Muslim and strictly Halal, they do not allow or serve any alcohol. We decided to give it a try for lunch on Saturday with another adventurous couple who are vegetarians

The interior is very different and, not having been to Morocco; perhaps typical

Bench seats with cushions, with cut out decorations giving a slight Moorish feel

They have lots of Tagines and other items from Morocco for sale and the prices look good

We have a tagine and so do our friends, but we were also excited to see a small selection of rough clay dishes

which both of us love to cook or serve food in. Lolly bought two small dishes at R150 for the two

The tagines are beautifully decorative in the Moorish manner

There are different sizes and there are also vases, cruets and other small items 

The menu. We are familiar with Moroccan food and do cook it at home. Lynne makes her own Ras al Hanout spice mix and preserved lemons. They do have several of vegetarian dishes and indeed we decided to try them first. We had no idea how large the servings would be, so we started at the beginning, thinking we would get to the main meals later! Our extremely helpful waiter, Hashim, who is from Libya, did try to indicate the sizes and this is where it got confusing. We contemplated having the Mezze until he told us that the Mezze selection also comes with the Falafel and, as we are all fans, we decided we would each start with the half serving of Falafel

The bread stuffed with cheese and garlic is huge; comes sliced into fingers,

with a slice of lemon and some very hot Harira. We ordered two which was a mistake; one is plenty for four

The cheese did not have much flavour, rather like mozzarella, and the garlic was sadly absent

It also needed salt. The Harira is, as expected, fiery

We two meat eaters decided to order the Pastilla starter, which we shared. It is something we have read about often but not experienced, so it was a chance to have a new food experience. Poultry pastilla is traditionally made of squab (fledgling pigeons), but shredded chicken is more often used today, as it is here. It combines sweet, nutty and savoury flavours. It is covered in crisp layers of werqa pastry. The chicken is cooked in stock and spices, then minced and mixed with roasted chopped almonds. It is topped with cinnamon, and a large amount of icing sugar. We liked it, but it is more like a sweet nut truffle than a savoury dish; we couldn’t taste the chicken

Drinks were initially difficult as they don't have many savoury things and we don't do colas or sodas

Lolly ordered the salty fermented yogurt drink,

Lynne and Ronnie shared a pot of Gunpowder tea with mint which comes sugared and with some very good pastries

John stayed with water

The cute cruet

Our friendly Libyan waiter Hashim, pouring the mint tea. Perhaps, next time, we could ask them to leave out the sugar

The tea is very refreshing and goes well with the food. Lynne and Ronnie had three glasses each

We had a good chat with the owner; we told him that they may be very popular with the visitors in the summer months

The biscuits were heavenly, a great assortment

Lolly asked if she could come and have lessons on how to make them! That delicious

When our half-portion plates of mezze and falafel arrived, we knew that we were not going to order more food this time. This is the half plate for one. Three nutty and crisp fried falafel which have really good textures and flavours. Clockwise from 6 o'clock: An onion, cucumber and tomato salad, falafal, a very enjoyable green herby tabbouleh, plain yogurt, Babaganoush, a very enjoyable smoked aubergine dip called Zoulouc and, sadly, a rather dull humus

The crowded table!

The bread that comes with the falafel resembles soft white handkerchiefs rather than pita bread,

although that is on the menu

We have decided that our next meal will be a lamb tagine, but we will do a take away

so that we can enjoy it at home with a good bottle of wine!

Stands for the Tagines when they are served at the table

Da Bill for four. We think it is very reasonable; it works out at R185 a person with tip

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Graham Beck 30th Anniversary

This month Graham Beck wines celebrates their 30th vintage, 30 years of Sparkling Success; a celebration of 'Wine that Matters'. They began production in 1990 and the first vintage of Graham Beck Cap Classique was released in 1993. Over the years they have received a long list of honours, accolades and awards for their prestigious portfolio of sparkling wines 

Because of Covid, sadly, they could not hold a physical celebration. We were invited to their 25th anniversary five years ago and had a really marvellous day with Cellarmaster Pieter Ferreira in the Robertson cellar tasting through many, many vintage Cap Classiques followed by lunch, prepared by chef Margot Janse. But it was not going to happen like that this year. So they came up with a really great plan. They booked members of the wine trade and media for an on line meeting with Pieter and Chris du Toit, the CEO of Graham Beck Enterprises. And very generously sent us all four bottles of their vintage Cap Classique wines plus a Magnum

And we were also celebrating the 30th anniversary of Pieter Ferreira, who has been with Graham Beck making their wines since he joined them in 1990. Pieter is hugely respected here and overseas for his knowledge and skill in making sparkling wines, "being in pursuit of the perfect bubble". He is affectionately known in the industry as Bubbles Ferreira

It was a spectacular delivery

L to R The Graham Beck Celebratory Magnum is a tailor made blend for us to keep (and it has gone into our cellar to add some age and will be enjoyed at a special future family celebration).  The Graham Beck Pinot Noir Rosé 2015 is made from 92% Pinot Noir from Elgin, Durbanville and Slanghoek and 8% Robertson Chardonnay. So beautiful with rose petals, cherry, strawberry on the nose, with minerality and a fine mousse. Complex with lots of red berry fruit, a hint of amaretto and cream and very satisfying with lasting strawberry flavours. The 2016 Graham Beck Blanc de Blanc, 100% Chardonnay, for so long Lynne's favourite. It spent 4 years on the lees and was degorged in 2020. Lime green in colour, aromatic on the nose, lemon lime with zesty freshness on the palate similar with rich creamy riper citrus and bright zesty acidity. 50% of the base wine is kept in 7-8 years old Champenois barrels to add complexity; however, the wine has no wood flavours

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This Week’s MENU. WWF-SASSI Awards, Visit to the Norval

The beautiful blue head of an Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus)

So much is happening in the world at this end of a topsy-turvy year; Covid, Trump, Zondo and Zuma etc. Our activity seems very inconsequent in comparison, but we hope that we can inject a little fun and light relief. As usual, good food and wine are the centre of our little universe and this week had lovely highlights. Please read the stories and, we hope, enjoy them…

WWF-SASSI Trailblazer Awards

The annual WWF-South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative Trailblazer Awards took place last week and instead of inviting media to attend because of Covid, they did things differently and very innovatively. First, we were asked to post the just released results at 4.15 on the day on Twitter and/or Facebook announcing the winning chefs who are pictured below. We did this and posted on Instagram as well. Then, on Friday, we were gifted a hamper of fish, Spier wine and other ingredients and supplied with a recipe so that we could cook a dish conceived by Chef Judi Fourie of Pilcrow and Cleaver. Read on…

A Visit to the Norval

We have been meaning to go to the Norval Art Gallery in Constantia to renew our annual memberships and a sunny day this week got us moving. The Arts suffered badly during the Covid lock down and our membership ran out in February. They have changed things slightly; the membership is now two tier and there is no separate Pensioner membership. We opted for the entry level one which costs R110 pa and gives unlimited entry during the year but no free parking, reduction on your restaurant bill or other perks, which we shall miss. Read on…

Friday, 20th November 2020

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The WWF - SASSI Trailblazer Awards 2020

The annual WWF South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative Trailblazer Awards took place last week and, instead of inviting media to attend, because of Covid, they did things differently and very innovatively. First, we were asked to post the just released results at 4.15 on the day on Twitter and/or Facebook, announcing the winning chefs who are pictured below. We did this and posted on Instagram as well. Then, on Friday, we were gifted a hamper of fish, Spier wine and other ingredients and supplied with a recipe, so that we could cook a dish conceived by Chef Judi Fourie of Pilcrow and Cleaver. And we have also been invited to go to her restaurant later this month. So we feel well rewarded for writing this article. We were also recipients of the WWF-SASSI Media award a few years ago and do support this initiative. To learn more about SASSI click here: www.wwf.org.za/sassi

This was what was in the hamper to be used with the recipe. Red wine vinegar; a lemon; a tin each of sea salt and fish spice from Funky Ouma, a family business and supporters of SASSI; a bottle of Spier Rosé and one of Sauvignon Blanc to go with the dish; rainbow trout from Ocean Jewels; salted capers, garlic, lime and shallots. Spier wine farm consistently supports sustainability, and each year they support the Trailblazer Awards. They are also a WWF - SA Conservation Champion.

Unpacked: The beautiful piece of trout was supplied by Ocean Jewels Seafood, owned by Julie Carter, who is an ardent supporter of SASSI and a previous winner. This business delivers fish every week in Cape Town and surrounding areas. Julie had a stall at the Biscuit Mill when we worked there and her restaurant and shop are in the Woodstock Exchange in Albert Road, Woodstock

The recipe we were sent:

Rainbow Trout with warm vinaigrette

Serves 2

Ingredients

Trout - 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar - 3 to 4 shallots, thinly sliced - 1 tsp of small capers; wash off any salt - 1 tbsp of butter - 1 small tomato, skinned and finely chopped - Salt and pepper to taste - 1 tbsp of a soft herb (parsley, dill or basil)

Method

Poach the fish. Bring 1.5 litres of water to the boil. Add salt and put the fish into the pan. Reduce heat and simmer the fish for 8 minutes or until just cooked. While the fish is simmering, warm the oil, vinegar and sliced shallots. Add in butter, stir to thicken and take it off the heat. Add chopped tomato and capers. Stir. Add salt and freshly ground pepper and serve with the Trout. Either spoon warm vinaigrette over the top of fish or serve it on the side. Sprinkle with fresh herb(s) of choice

Lynne did make a few minor tweaks, she prefers to poach fish in a Court-bouillon rather than just in water. The water is flavoured with celery, carrot, shallot, herbs, pepper and a little vinegar

The finished dish with the gently fried shallots, tomato concasse, and capers, cooked in a sauce of olive oil, vinegar and butter. The trout was perfection, so moist and flaky, the gentle sauce added to the dish. When next we cook this, and we will, she might add more capers and use a riper tomato. She topped the dish with parsley and lemon verbena from our garden. It was a lot of fish, so she made some gravadlax with the tail end. A very good idea, thank you SASSI and Chef Judi. And it went perfectly with the Spier wine

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