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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2019

PS If a word or name is in bold type and underlined, click on it for more information

Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656 4169

Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005

Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in our website and ancillary works are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are often unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, pleaseclick here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list

On the MENU this week. Griddled Asparagus with Courgettes and Corn

Are you bored with the look of your supporting vegetable dishes? Lynne was and decided to find a new way to serve some of them. We buy lots of fresh in-season vegetables each week and try to cram as many into each meal as possible. This week she found beautiful fresh asparagus, courgettes and good sweet corn. You will need a stove top ridged griddle pan

Griddled Asparagus with Courgettes and Corn

350 g fresh green asparagus – 3 courgettes – 2 sweet corn cobs – 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated – olive oil – salt and pepper – half a lemon

Cook the sweet corn as you normally would. We season it and then steam it for five minutes in the microwave in a closed container with a Tablespoon of water. Cool and then carefully take off the corn kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. Add a knob of butter to the corn kernels and keep warm in a serving dish

Snap the hard ends off the asparagus spears (and freeze them for winter soups). Slice the courgettes lengthwise into long slices or ribbons, about 4 or five from each courgette. Then rub the slices with some olive oil and the garlic. Put your griddle pan onto the stove and heat till nice and hot. Using a brush, oil the griddle pan. Season both the courgettes and asparagus well and put onto the hot oiled griddle pan until you see char marks on their sides. Turn and char the other sides. You might have to do this a couple of times. You want brown char marks, not burnt black. Remove and set aside in your serving dish with the sweet corn. Add seasoning and a squeeze of lemon as you serve. Serve as soon as you can

You could add other vegetables like baby carrots, parsnips, even butternut and sweet potatoes, thinly sliced

New look Wine labels launched with lunch at Haute Cabrière, Franschhoek

Well, how could we refuse!

Roxi Laker was there to greet us

and there were three Pierre Jordan MCC bubblies to enjoy, with their new, elegant labels

and this is the new label on the three Pinot wines

and on the Tranquille and the Ratafia

Very good canapés were served; this is an olive, feta, caramelised onion Pissaladière

Saldanha Bay oysters with a classic sauce mignonette

A rich and creamy duck liver parfait on brioche with a spiced pear and saffron chutney. Delish

The seared tuna with a ponzu dressing and avocado was so moreish

You could see everyone was loving the plentiful canapés

We had been asked to wear yellow to the function and some of us did

Chef Nic van Wyk welcomes us and tells us about lunch

Hildegarde von Arnim with Allan Mullins

Ian Manley shows that he is wearing the yellow theme too

Takuan von Arnim with Lodine and Ludwig Maske of La Cotte Inn Wine Sales and Fromage de France

Journalists Greg Landman and Mel Minnaar

Takuan with the new logo on yellow

We take our seats inside the restaurant, which was closed to the public for the function

The foyer bar

Takuan and Nic banter about the food and the wine being served. They told us that they will make several modifications to the restaurant and the terrace in the winter that will make the Haut Cabrière experience even better

Takuan’s yellow shoes

They show us the new labels on the publicity poster

Journalist Graham Howe

Clifford Roberts and Anel Grobler with their yellow notes

The wines on display

Fresh bread is served with butter and a sweet tomato jam

The main course of Charcoal grilled venison, which was Blou Wildebees served with a pave of sweet potato, on a bed of braised kale, topped with crisp fried kale and with a spiced gastrique sauce. Sadly, we still find kale hard to chew and digest. A gastrique is a sweet-and-sour sauce made from caramelised sugar or honey with equal parts of vinegar. We both had the venison and drank the Reserve Pinot Noir with it, a very good pairing; such a lovely wine. The other main course was Grilled Yellowtail, with bulgar, quinoa and barley salad, rocket and a sun dried tomato vinaigrette

Dessert was a slice of pie of roasted figs wrapped in shortcrust pastry, with liquorice ice cream. Also on the plate are Lakrids by Bülow. Different flavoured balls of chocolate wrapped around liquorice pieces. They come in berry, orange, caramel, salt, coffee and other flavours. If you like liquorice, you will like these. You can buy them in the tasting room at Haute Cabrière

Hildegard von Arnim showing us photos of her 5 year old grandson's first encounter with grapes in the vineyard. He is already a grape gourmet and so it looks likely that he may go into the family business in years to come

Early Bird special at Brad's Grill, Sea Point

Brad’s Grill in Second Avenue, Kenilworth has been open for 43 years

and now he has opened a branch in Regent Road in Sea Point

We discovered that Brad lives in Sea Point

He is running an Early Bird Special which we decided to sample. In by 6 and out by 8pm

There is a Special Menu with a selection of four dishes. You get one course for R95

Inside, it is spacious and clean with minimal decoration

Some dishes and suggestions on the black boards. He is also embracing the meatless generation

And all the favourites. The restaurant was busy from 6 when it opened, with lots of people coming for take aways too

The specials are not on take away

The menu is the same as Kenilworth

Lynne had the Deep Fried Calamari in a crisp tempura batter

It is nice and tender and the tartare sauce is nicely imbued with garlic

John had the 180gm sirloin steak and we said he is not a lover of fat, so this came without any

Flame grilled and basted in a good sauce

You get two side dishes, butternut and Swiss chard, this was for two

and both dishes come with a serving of chips. We think it is very good value,

especially if you don’t want to cook supper one night or are going to a show and need something quick before

Our bill

The legendary Brad. We watched him training his staff and service is quick, polite and friendly

We may have to return to try other dishes on the main menu. He is an added asset to Sea Point

MENU’s Wine of the Week is Darling Cellars Old Bush Vine Cinsaut 2016

We tasted it when we visited Darling Cellars in December and again last night at our Wine Club and it has really impressed both times. It is a light Cinsaut grown in ideal conditions in Darling. No wonder Professor Perold picked this grape to pair with Pinot Noir when he created the Pinotage crossing. When made properly, this wine shines and more and more winemakers in the Cape are recognising this. It was used many years ago as a blending wine, now it is being allowed to show its beautiful face

Perfumed with roses and violets, it has a very pretty nose with some toasted oak. On the palate, some cola, showing some Pinot Noir character, but sweeter, layered cherries and strawberries, wood just supporting. Lynne scored it 19.5 and wrote "Want Some!". One of her best wines of this year. So she bought six

R186 at the cellar. Tim Atkin gave it 91