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Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Tasting The High Road at Mano a Mano

Despite horrid wet weather, we left Kirstenbosch for this tasting in town which was held at a venue new to us, Mano a Mano just off Kloof Street in Park Road. It was pumping with people tasting the two wines but besides PRO Gudrun Clark, three other media and the winemaker Mark Carmichael Green we did not know any of the other guests. They seem to have a good mailing list business

Mano a Mano terrace and entrance

Winemaker Mark Carmichael Green

Grapes are bought in for these wines from the Stellenbosch and Helderberg areas and are made in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch. They are both Bordeaux blends with varying quantities of Cabernet, Merlot and Cab Franc. The Directors Reserve also has Petit Verdot, which adds violets to this inky dark dense wine with flavours of cassis and blackberries. Classique 2011 is fruit forward with cassis and mulberries. Both are well made and will last

Mano a Mano is a busy bar and restaurant

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Lunch at Ocean Sizzler, Big Bay

Well then, what to do for lunch on such a stunning day? We decided to head for the beach and, because we so rarely visit this side of the Bay, we headed for Big Bay, along with half of the people who live in the area. We took a chance and sat down at the first restaurant we saw serving fish, called Ocean Sizzler. It looks like it has been there since the 1970s, with quite shabby decor, but it seemed to be popular

The first glorious day of Spring weather, even though the season has not begun, officially. The view from Bloubergstrand of our beautiful city.

The rather recherché interior of Ocean Sizzler

It reminded Lynne of the old Carousel at the Sea Point pool. Italian tiles and a round bar

The shaded deck and, beyond it, an area with umbrellas

Crisp and freshly cooked hake and chips. John said it was very fresh. The chips are mashed potato made ups, but they were crisp on the outside

Lynne’s promised Birthday plate of sushi. Why is there so much? Well, she expected the others to want a piece or two. And they didn’t. It was very, very good sushi. The rice was firm and pearly and not mushy; she did not detect any MSG and the salmon was good quality. It was moist and fresh. It was also very good value

Clare’s Quattro Stazione Pizza didn’t look like any we have ever seen, as it is usually divided in four with different ingredients in each quarter, but it was a very good olive, mushroom, bacon and cheese pizza, nice and crisp

We took along a bottle of Hartenberg’s Alchemy Chenin Semillon Sauvignon blend, which we had been sent to try. It went very well with the food. Clare had a Cosmopolitan cocktail. The bill for lunch was R355 including service and service was good

The outside of the restaurant in full sunshine with happy people; some eating, others drinking and chilling. Pity about the smokers

Specials are displayed on blackboards

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Country market at Groote Post, Darling

Sunday dawned and the weather was even better. We were so happy that we had accepted an invitation to go up the West Coast to Groote Post to attend their new monthly market. The spring flowers are all out and we had such a lovely relaxing day. It was amazingly well attended given their location and you could see people were really enjoying themselves. Just before lunch, we spoke to someone who was counting customers and she had got to over 2 000 by then. The next markets will be held on 28th September, 26th October, 30th November and 28th December, should you wish to go

Look at the colour of that sky! The lawns were green and the car parks were filling up when we arrived at about 11.30

We met PRO Posy Hazell and her daughter Amy enjoying themselves with glasses of draught Darling beer

The always friendly winemaker, Lukas Wentzel

A firm recommendation is their new Pinot Noir Rosé 2014. The grapes were meant for another farm’s Brut Rosé MCC, but they were too ripe because of last summer’s heat wave, so Lucas turned them into this impressive, dry but elegant, juicy rosé. It is only available on the farm and there might not be much left, as it was flying out - you will have to go there to try some. It was available to enjoy with lunch as well

Darling Beer was so popular that they ran out of beer. Next time, they will bring more

On the Charcuterie stall,

you could get a large platter for R70

including pickles and bread

A stall with jams, jellies and rusks

Happy, busy faces

A “Cheese Cake”

Lots of things to taste

Rusks and seasonings

Chilli sauces of all levels

A stall selling home made cakes, which was almost sold out by midday

Coconut cake

or Bakewell tart? We had one in our media pack and they were very good. Crisp pastry led us to believe it had been made with lard

Cookies and sweets

A popular stall preparing salad lunches

The braai with the garlic chilli prego steak rolls received our attention and our money. They also add extra garlic sauce if required

We had to taste the beer because of the heat

A small storm trooper

Rare or well done. Rare PLEASE!

Served on a huge bun with avocado and extra sauce

They had long queues and sold out of steak by about one. But they could still let you have Prego chicken. Probably the most popular food stand

Lots of seating on hay bales (and at one table) on the lawn

A band kept us entertained

We met a friendly couple and joined them at a table under the trees

The tasting room was also a popular place

And the cellar was lovely and cool in the heat

At two, it was time to head for the hills on a farm drive. On the left are some of the large herd of cattle

The hills are covered in spring flowers at the moment and, in the distance, one has a lovely view of Table Mountain

Charging (away from us!) Wildebees

They joined their herd and on the left is a lone Red hartebees

Lovely spring greens and daisies

More of the herd assemble

There is also a large herd of eland

There was still snow on the far Ceres mountains, but the temperature here was up to 26ºC. In the foreground, on the left, are the Groote Post vineyards

A field of yellow Rapeseed (Canola)

Looking down on Groote Post Manor House and farm with the sea in the distance. It is on the other side of the farm from the wine cellar and restaurant.

Cover crops still grow between the vines, which are waiting for bud break

We stopped for a glass of good Groote Post Brut Rosé and a cheese platter. This is the touring vehicle they use

Admiring the view

A farm bakes in the sun with snow on the distant mountains after a week of horrible cold and wet weather. Spring has sprung

The tasting room, still busy at 4pm

The procession of cars going home

Quick, take pictures of the daisies before they close. It was a little after four o’clock when we left

We should not have left it so late if we were to get the best photographs of the flowers

Reeds in the river bed

A brilliant Scarlet Bishop weaver. They make their nests in the reeds

This is classic Rhenosterveld (local name for the unique biodiverse botany of the area) Rhino used to roam here centuries ago. And another lovely view of the sea and our mountain

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