Thursday, July 12, 2018

MENU's Wine of the Week. Saronsberg Viognier 2015

made by skilled winemaker Dewaldt Heyns, has hints of fynbos, peaches, apricots, honey and summer grass on the nose, rich on the palate with white peaches, limes and lemons with some caramel hints from the toasted wood and great fresh acidity to cut through complex dishes

It’s a dry wine with a slight fruity sweetness. 40% wild yeast fermentation and the new wine is evenly divided for maturation between 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill barrels, adding structure. No malolactic fermentation is allowed, to keep it fresh

 Online prices are between about R130 to R150 or speak to your favourite wine merchant

Posted by MENU at 9:26 pm 0 comments

What’s on the MENU this week. Blue Cheese, Bacon and Broccoli Pasta

An easy pasta dish with lots of flavour. You can use the pasta of your choice: penne, or shells, macaroni or fusilli. It even works on spaghetti. But make sure you use good Italian pasta. Try not to overcook the broccoli or it will go a nasty grey. It, too, should be a bit al dente. If you leave off the bacon, it will be suitable for vegetarians. The pasta we used was fusillata, the pasta which is supposed to hold the most sauce 
200g pasta - 250g small broccoli florets - 2 Tbsp olive oil – 6 pieces of streaky bacon cut into 3 cm slices - a good handful of lightly chopped walnuts – 1 clove of garlic, sliced thin - 100g creamy blue cheese, gorgonzola, dolce latte, nothing too strong, cut into small cubes - zest of one lemon – juice of half a lemon – freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in well salted water until al dente; Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan and fry the bacon till crisp; remove and keep aside. Add the walnuts to the pan and fry gently for one minute; add them to the bacon. When the pasta is nearly ready, steam the broccoli for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry the garlic for a few seconds till soft. Do not discard the pasta water. Take the pasta out with a slotted spoon and stir it into the oil with the broccoli, the bacon, the walnuts and the lemon zest. Then add the blue cheese. Moisten the dish with a tablespoon or two of the pasta water, and stir until the cheese begins to melt. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and serve immediately. Serves 4

This is a fairly robust dish because of the blue cheese, which can have a slightly metallic note. We think that a Viognier, unwooded or very lightly wooded, makes the perfect companion wine. Its notes of peaches, citrus and slight sweetness are the perfect foil. We had it with Saronsberg’s excellent Viognier. It’s a dry wine with a slight fruity sweetness, which is exactly what this dish called out for, and its fresh acidity cleans the palate. It is our Wine of the Week
Posted by MENU at 9:19 pm 0 comments

Burger special at Gibson's, V&A Waterfront

Another media invitation this week to taste a winter special in the V&A Waterfront, this time at Gibson’s. Since we were last there, they have moved downstairs to a waterfront position, with lots of space and a roll out roof covering over the deck in case of inclement weather

We were there to try the lunchtime special
It was a lovely day, so we chose to sit outside. Sadly, the sun did not reach us. We arrived just after 12, so a little early. The tables filled up with  diners, many of whom were parents with offspring, who are still enjoying school holidays
Inside the restaurant
You can see the new covering structure over the deck
The food menu on the wall. It also comes in a folder to the table. Did you know that Gibson’s has over 120 different milkshakes on offer, even some adult ones with alcohol? Sadly none are dairy free, so we didn't imbibe
A good selection of real beers, including two under their own label
We went for the Gibson's craft ale
On Special, you can choose any regular 200g burger at the normal menu price and get a small(!er) 160g one of the same description, for just R20. (NB it must be the same description) Do not assume it is going to be slider size. It was plenty big enough to almost defeat Lynne. You can choose to accompany it with any of the starches, which are a choice from baked potato, triple fried potato chips, or sweet potato fries. Or just a salad. Lynne chose the baked potato with sour cream and butter.
Together we agreed that the Governor Deluxe would fulfill all our requirements for the perfect burger. A pure beef burger in a sesame bun, topped with smoky barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, sticky fried onions - very delicious - cheddar cheese, bacon, guacamole, cucumber and a sweet mustard sauce. And those crisp fries were really good
Filled with goodness
You can hardly see the difference in the sizes
Jennifer, our friendly waitress
It is school holidays and we saw several parents taking teens out for lunch at Gibson’s and ordering milkshakes, so John asked if he could photograph some before they went to the table. L to R: A Vanilla Flake, An Oreo Mint, a Chocolate Brownie and a Cinnamon Doughnut. There were 4 very happy lads. And they had burgers afterwards
We finished with a pot of green tea with lemon for Lynne
And a very good double espresso for John with great crema
Posted by MENU at 5:03 pm 0 comments

Sunday lunch. Taking a Bao

A new restaurant in Cape Town, called Bao Down, sounded as though it serves just the Asian food that we love. They have a special menu each Sunday for R300 per person, so we booked a table for four. You don't choose the food, they do and they change the menu every week. Bao Down chef Graham Oldfield has worked for Liam Tomlin as head chef at the Chefs Warehouse and Canteen and absolutely loves the clear flavours of Chinese, Japanese and Korean food. He has opened the restaurant with Philippa, his wife who was a caterer, at 3 Vredehoek Road, just behind the Gardens Centre. It is around the corner from Marika's
Bao are steamed Chinese buns, light and fluffy, and are often part of a Dim Sum menu. They do two sittings, we opted to arrive for the first one at 12h30. On Sundays, you get the several dishes for the table to share.  During the week you would order from their normal menu and share the dishes, just as you would at a Tapas restaurant
We were early, the restaurant filled up quickly
The inclusive Sunday lunch menu we enjoyed. They do not yet have their liquor licence, so you are welcome to BYO
The is current daily menu
Like the water bottles!
It’s an open kitchen with seats at the bar
Loved these matching green plates from Paris
All the food in these pictures is to be shared between two people. We just had two servings of everything. The steamed rice topped with crisp onions. Pamela, who has lived in the East, said she thought there was some sake in the rice, which is how they do it in Japan
We began with the wonton noodle soup with mushrooms. The broth was outstanding and we loved the dish, very satisfying food, especially in cold weather. We took two white wines with us. A special Spookfontein Reserve Sauvignon Blanc from Elgin, brought by Pamela, and a Babiana from Vondeling in the Voor Paardeberg. Both went so well with the food
John was given dumplings in a noodle broth with no mushrooms; we did let them know before we went about his allergy
This dish blew everyone's minds. Sticky Korean fried chicken packs a huge punch of chilli, just how the Koreans and we like it. We enjoyed it with a bottle of Pinot Noir from Quando in Bonnievale
Barbecued Belly of pork, so tender and well flavoured, topped with Spring and fried onions. You add a slice of this to the bao and you have a wonderful taste and texture experience
A great mix of Szechuan Dry fried vegetables, with new season broad beans
Those bao. Just waiting to have something slipped between the covers and enjoyed
A cucumber and sesame salad

Dessert was fresh cherries with a white chocolate crumb on a coconut crème brulée. This was such a good meal, we will definitely be back, soon. Our bill was R645 per couple with service
Posted by MENU at 3:34 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Breakfast at Café ExtraBlatt, Green Point

Waking up early on Winter mornings is difficult; you want to sleep longer, but you have to address the day. We like a lie-in at least once a week and we realised that we could then go out and have someone else cook us breakfast. Café ExtraBlatt in Main Road, Green Point was our choice this week
They turned out to be very popular because of the Breakfast buffet which is available every Saturday morning. On Sundays, they have brunch for R139.90 from 09h00 to 14h00.
It is very spacious, and there are more tables on the verandah. Lots of people were celebrating birthdays, and there was a large group doing a baby shower. We suspect, as they are right opposite the Cape Town Stadium where many walking running and cycle races are started, that they get lots of customers after the races have finished
They have a chef making the eggs to order and several tables for the Buffet food. Service was quite friendly and reasonably efficient
You can have a healthy start,
even have a salad
Croissants and rolls
Cold meats
and cheeses
and help yourself to the ingredients of a more conventional cooked breakfast
We know that we could never do the buffet breakfast justice, so we usually order off the menu
For our German friends and those who love German food, we found this on the normal menu. A place to go if you are missing German food. Even Currywurst..
We ordered two black coffees and they come with a tiny biscuit
Lynne went for the Eggs Benedict. They get zero points for presentation. However, the flavours were good and that meant that, for taste, it scored higher. Two slices of white toast (you can order brown) or pay extra for a different bread) some spam ham, and two poached eggs, one perfectly done, the other overcooked and very small. The Hollandaise was good and coated the eggs well. The flick of salad was a token. Lynne enjoyed it.
John ordered the German Farmer’s breakfast. A turned-over omelette containing fried potato and onions, with bacon, German mustard, some gherkin slices and a similar flick of salad. This came with good sourdough bread, which John had with some marmalade (R6.90 surcharge) afterwards, with another coffee

Our bill. Quite reasonable
Posted by MENU at 6:45 pm 0 comments
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