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Friday, November 06, 2020

This Week's MENU. Sushi takeaway and an Indian lunch

A frame at Big Bay in Bloubergstrand, copied from an original National Geographic idea, with two women looking at Table Mountain

Right now, the USA is the news. Our lives date from the end of World War Two and its aftermath. In those 75 years, the USA has dominated world news in one way or another and, for all the wrong reasons, in the last four years when the man in charge has done his best to disrupt international relations, the environment and the democracy of his country. He has been no friend to us in Africa. The last three days have captured our attention more than almost any other American election and it appears that his reign is over as the last votes are counted. Maybe this bit of history’s page is turning.

Other than that dominating news, our life has been fairly quiet. We have enjoyed two Asian meals; also, incidentally, we have had the great treat of a family braai, the first since the early part of this year. We have reported on the Asian food part of our story and you can read about that here…

A visit to Eden on the Bay

Saturday was a stunning day, so we decided that it was time to get out and enjoy Cape Town, but go somewhere different. We headed for Eden on the (Big) Bay. However, when we got there the South Easter was really pumping and it became "fresher" the longer we were there. It is the place to go for the most superb view of our city and the mountain, a walk along white sandy beaches and a paddle or a swim. But the downside is the almost constant wind. So it is much used by wind and kite surfers, although they can be swept out to sea. Read on…

Lunch at The Indian Oven, Hout Bay

The Indian Oven in Hout Bay impressed us so much the first time we went. The curries are the closest to those we have eaten and enjoyed in London, but if you like local there is one Durban curry on the menu as well as Bunny Chows. But Lock Down got in the way and we have been longing to go back. They have moved along the building to a better space. And there is plenty of parking outside. Read on…

Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, November 05, 2020

A visit to Eden on the Bay

Saturday was a stunning day, so we decided that it was time to get out and enjoy Cape Town, but go somewhere different. We headed for Eden on the (Big) Bay. However, when we got there the South Easter was really pumping and it became "fresher" the longer we were there. It is the place to go for the most superb view of our city and the mountain, a walk along white sandy beaches and a paddle or a swim. But the downside is the almost constant wind. So it is much used by wind and kite surfers, although they can be swept out to sea

One special observation - usually, when the South Easter blows, the mountain has its 'tablecloth' of cloud; there was none this day. You can see our neighbourhood across the bay on the slopes of Lion’s Head and Signal Hill. Our view across the bay is very different; From our house, this area looks very far away. And there are always tankers and container ships riding in the roads, waiting to go into port or just sheltering from the wind. And from this beach, you do get a very different view of Robben Island, which is much closer

It is a fairly new area which has some lovely looking flats with sea views and they do have several sea front restaurants to choose from. We were hoping to meet an old friend there for lunch, but he was busy. We had done some research about the restaurants there, as we have in the past had a very bad meal at one of them. So we walked up the front and investigated their menus and specials boards. It was not too crowded and most people were masked and keeping good social distancing

While some restaurants were full, others were quite empty. We always take that as an indication of the quality of their food and service

A sign of the times, there had been a few closures

There are also a few restaurants at the back and we had a look at those. Lynne found the Orient, which was the one which appealed the most when she did her research. It has a sushi carousel and some specials. We had brought along a bottle of De Morgenzon's good Chenin Blanc and were planning to buy a take-away and sit on a bench with a view to enjoy our lunch. But the wind, with its icy edges, was going to put paid to that plan

The specials are tempting. The Sushi Buffet seems to have a great price but, actually, how many can you eat?

This one caught our eye and it is what we decided to order

It was just enough for the two of us, and we didn’t need much supper

This would leave us wanting more if we shared, but seemed to be too much for one of us to manage

On the carousel

They have lots to choose from and two experienced sushi chefs. It was lunchtime so, sadly, not many customers

The few who were there were seated outside on the terrace

We watched as the chef prepared our selection

Much discussion about the arrangement of the plate

He is very skilful with his knife; so impressive to watch, It takes years to learn how to do this

Our finished platter ready to put into our car fridge and head home. Most of it was rather good, but some of the maki pieces were squidgy and wet; they had probably sat too long on the carousel and were not good. The quality of the fish is good. Disappointing was the deep fried roll, it was just a maki. And horror of horrors, what the hell is cream cheese doing in sushi?! It may be to your taste; it is obviously a modern iteration, but so not for us

We did giggle about the 'Sanitary Chopsticks'; there was no similar note on the napkins,

and we did not understand why we were given four pots of soy

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All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

Lunch at The Indian Oven, Hout Bay

We met our friends Lorraine and Ronnie there and they had nabbed the long table on the front

They have a special trio of curries for R195, smaller portions of Lamb, chicken or vegetarian curries for two. Which means you can order things you haven't tried before. If you want to splurge, try the Choice Combo at R220 which includes fish and seafood curries. However each table must do 2 of these. And it is what we all chose

The menu is full of delicious and tempting options. You can opt for Lamb, chicken or veg on most curries

and there are lots of Tandoori options as well as all the usual accompaniments of Indian starters like samosas,

starter platters, rice, Indian breads and vegetables if you are not doing the special

We chose three meat curries; L to R: a Lamb Rogan Josh, which John can never resist; a classic and they produced one. The middle one is a dish we had never had before, and sounded tempting: a Chicken Kaltmirchi, creamy garlic sauce with black pepper and Indian spices. And the third is a dish Lynne loves but rarely sees on SA Indian restaurant menus, Kastoori Methi, made with the fresh fenugreek herb. I had the lamb version. They were all, without exception delicious, unique and quite enough for two; we had to leave some rice and sauce as we were very satisfied with the quantity of food. Hot enough to give you a good buzz of chilli but not enough to break out into a sweat

You can opt for light spicing, medium or hot. We all like it medium. And one serving of rice is enough for two

We had a beer each to go with the food, and Ronnie had a glass of Cape Point Sauvignon Blanc

Our friends are vegetarian, so they chose their favourites: L to R: a Paneer curry which they found a little sweet,

an Aubergine curry in a rich spicy tomato sauce and a Potato Jeera Aloo

There are lots of vegetarian and vegan choices on the menu

They bring out popadoms when you arrive with these three side dishes and we ordered the Rogni Naan,

buttered and covered in sesame seeds, one to order every time and to copy at home

Our very reasonable bill came to R360 per couple. Our waiter, Innocent, was so helpful, polite and attentive

and we thanked him for his good service. We recommend a visit

See John's photographs and follow us on YouPic

All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

Friday, October 30, 2020

This Week's MENU. Bouchon supper, Highlands Road, SA Gin, DC Winemaker of the Year, Winex 2020

A butterfly collecting nectar from a rosemary bush

A few more stories this week than we have had to tell for a while. In the time in which we have produced MENU, we have avoided regurgitating the many press releases we receive. This week, we are briefly breaking this practice. Covid prevents the organisations whose functions we attend from holding live functions, and most are presenting online. This week, we have received news of three important events which we feel we need to tell you about, so we have reproduced the press releases we have received. One of them gives you an opportunity to participate…

Restaurant Month tapas supper at Bouchon

Friends told us about the Restaurant Week special at Bouchon in Hout Street so we made a reservation for 7pm last Friday. It's a Tapas/wine bar place, very friendly and it has a wine cellar because Dorrance wines are made there. The special is three Tapas and a dessert for R250 pp. And we had such a great meal; we do recommend that you book and try the special before the end of the month. The prices seem very reasonable if you have to go after that; you can see their menu on line. Read on…

Highlands Road Taste Tubes

Highlands Road wine estate in Elgin has come up with an interesting new way to market their wine in the time of Covid. For R100 you can buy this box of 100ml samples of 8 of their wines. On line or on the farm. Read on…

The South African Craft Gin Awards 2020

The results of the South African Craft Gin Awards 2020, presented by Takealot, have been announced. Schweppes premium mixers is the associate sponsor for this year’s competition. Double Gold medals were awarded to 21 gins from an entry of 125 gins from all over South Africa. The awards competition is the only dedicated competition for craft gins in South Africa

The gins were tasted blind by a judging panel which included Kurt Schlechter, bar owner and spirit expert; Jean Buckham, owner of the Gin Club; Thierry Lubala, mixologist at Africa’s largest gin Bar in Asara Estate and Pam Koen, owner of Africa Infused, a beverage consulting and training company. Roger Jorgensen, ‘The Guru of South African Gin’, chaired the judging panel. Read on…

Finalists Announced for the 2020 Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of the Year Awards

The finalists for the 40th Diners Club Winemaker and 20th Young Winemaker of the Year awards have been announced. Five winemakers have been shortlisted to compete for the prestigious Winemaker of the Year award, while five will vie for the Young Winemaker of the Year title. The 2020 Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of the Year finalists are…. Read on…

RMB Winex 2020. A 21st birthday celebration with a difference – Wine In Your Own Time

RMB WineX 2020 was always going to be different. COVID-19 has made it impossible for us all to gather under one roof this year. However, simply because you cannot come to WineX, doesn’t mean that WineX cannot come to you – in your own home, with your own hand-picked group of friends and family

This year, South Africa’s premier wine show takes the form of an innovative online tasting showcase comprising 267 wines from 61 different wineries. An entirely different experience from the traditional show which attracts thousands of patrons to the Convention Centre, RMB WineX 2020 will still offer an opportunity to engage with SA’s most talented winemakers in the comfort of your own home, as well as the opportunity to shop for wine favourites in your own time. Read on…

See John's photographs and follow us on YouPic

All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

The South African Craft Gin Awards 2020

The results of the South African Craft Gin Awards 2020, presented by Takealot, have been announced.

Schweppes premium mixers is the associate sponsor for this years competition

These are the two competition medal winning gins we were sent to taste. Hobbs is made by Hope Distillery in Woodstock and won a Gold; Darlington is from Charles Withington in Darling and was among the top Double Gold winners. We can't wait to taste both of them; they are in the London Gin style that Lynne loves

Double Gold medals were awarded to 21 gins out of an entry of 125 gins from all over South Africa

The awards competition is the only dedicated competition for craft gins in South Africa

The gins were tasted blind by a judging panel which included Kurt Schlechter, bar owner and spirit expert; Jean Buckham, owner of the Gin Club; Thierry Lubala, mixologist at Africa’s largest gin Bar in Asara Estate; and Pam Koen, owner of Africa Infused, a beverage consulting and training company

Roger Jorgensen, ‘The Guru of South African Gin’, chaired the judging panel. Roger commented, "I am delighted that, despite the pandemic, the SA Craft Gin industry is in rude health. We were impressed with the level of entries this year, especially from new gin brands. The judging panel concentrated on rewarding gins that delivered on taste and quality. We look forward to witnessing the continuing boom in craft gins in South Africa, as they can clearly hold their own against international competitors.”

A spokesperson for Takealot commented, “We’re delighted to be associated with the SA Craft Gin Awards as presenting sponsor and are happy to support the growing South African gin and craft distilling industry. We have witnessed its growth over the past few years and congratulate all the winners and wish them continued success in the future.”

The winning gins are for sale on Takealot

The Double Gold award-winning gins are:

48 Gin Premium
African Craft Naartjie
Amari Atlantic Ocean
Blomendahl Roxy Botanical Gin
Blomendahl Roxy Vine Blossom
Bossieveld The Inspiration
Caspyn West Coast Dry Gin
Darlington Gin
Deep South Spice Island
Giniper
Melodramatic The Phantom
NUY legacy limited edition
Pienaar Ugly Gin
Poetic Licence Fireside Spiced
Poetic Licence Northern Dry
Poetic Licence Old Tom
Rebel Dry Gin
Smiths Spice
Smiths Elderflower
Smiths South African Dry
Sugarbird Cape Fynbos

The Single Gold award-winning gins are:

48 Gin Ivory
48 Premium Pink
African Craft Elderflower
African Craft Honeybush
Amari Indian Ocean Gin
Benedict’s London Dry
Blackwood Spirits Cape Kelp
Blind Tiger
Blomendahl Roxy Spice
Cape Fynbos Citrus
Cape Fynbos Gin
Clemengold Gin
Copeland Gin Cape Peninsula
Deep South Cape Dry Gin
Die Mas Kalahari Gin
Distillery Road Gin
Flowstone Bushwillow
Hobbs Cape Dry
Hobbs Pink Pepper
Indlovu
Inverroche Verdant
L -Gin Plush
L-Gin Lush
Monks Fynbos & Sceletium
No Frills Gin
Pesky Hobbit
Primos Crisp Citron
Unit 43
Vuttomi Classic Gin
Vuttomi Moringa

Best of Category Winners

London and African Dry: Smiths South African Dry
Fynbos and Botanical: Giniper
Citrus and Fruit: Pienaar Ugly Gin
Spiced Gin: Poetic Licence Fireside Spiced

All the above information was kindly supplied by Spill brand communications

See John's photographs and follow us on YouPic

Photograph © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

Highlands Road Taste Tubes

Highlands Road wine estate in Elgin has come up with an interesting new way to market their wine in the time of Covid

For R100 you can buy this box of 100ml samples of 8 of their wines. On line or on the farm

Perfect for doing an on line tasting with your mates or wine club or just tasting at home to find the ones you like so you can order the wine and have it delivered. Winemaker Vanessa Simkis is a very good winemaker

They sent us a box to try and we did the tasting together this week. one evening before supper

The wines were:

Highlands Road Sauvignon Blanc 2017 Richness and ripe fruits like granadilla, peach and pear with some cooked guava on the end. A wine of the Elgin valley, good with food

Their White Reserve 2017 is a barrel fermented in new oak, Sauvignon Blanc and has cooked apple, vanilla oak on the nose and is clean and zesty with crisp apple, lime and mandarin which wakes up the palate and lingers. Complex and layered

Sinacera 2016 A 50/50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, it has vanilla sweetness, pine nuts and complex fruit on the nose. Silky from the Semillon, crisp apple acids, wood, and spice on another level, another food wine. Very good

Sinacera 2015 Perfumed with balsam and eucalyps, then apricot and peach. Richness as expected, with lime, apple, tropical pineapple, warmth, spice and a little chalky tannin. The oily richness stays on the palate

The 2017 Chardonnay has rich cooked apple on the nose, some cumin and other spice. Lovely on the palate, an exceptional Chardonnay. Apple and lime, rounded and delicious with a wood in the background supporting but not intruding. At its peak now and will also last. Another great food wine

The 1214 Pinot Noir has over rich, ripe prune plums and cherries with some earthiness. Good cherry fruit, soft grippy tannins, and a kick of morello cherry acid, long flavours, dark wood on the end. An Elgin Pinot

We had two samples of the same wine, the 2016 Syrah which has cooked berry fruit like summer pudding, and flinty minerality on the nose. Soft silky spicy, lovely layered fruit mulberry, cherry. some chalky tannin, finishes with pepper and powdered cinnamon and ginger. It went very well with our supper

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Restaurant Month tapas supper at Bouchon

French graffiti on the wall near the entrance comes from the winery's owner:

Drink some wine, you will have friends

This sentence is a double entendre:

Le vin d'ici est meilleur que l'au-delà = Wine from here is better than death

Le vin d'ici est meilleur que à l'eau de là = Wine from here is better than water from there

The working wine cellar. All the Dorrance wines are on the wine list in the restaurant, plus some others. Prices are good

The restaurant as we arrived; we were followed by many other guests. The tables are spaced nicely apart

The good thing is the restaurant filled up to nearly full. It has a lovely vibe, and we were by far the oldest people there, a great young crowd

We were in the centre of things and could see the Pass

The restaurant menu. There are so many fantastic choices that we think we'll have to return to try others

Page Two. We did have a concern about the size of the dishes; our friends had assured us that we would be very satisfied

And we were. There are four dumplings to a serving and one Bao; Lynne asked

And the desserts looked good

The Dorrance Rosé was indeed a great choice as it is lighter than a red, but has some red notes when it needs to

and it did go with every dish we had. It has raspberry and rhubarb on the nose and palate

Minerality, some salt, fresh and zingy fruit, and warmth on the end. R179 a bottle. You can have wine by the glass as well

We chose two different dishes to start the meal that were perfect as entrées, and we shared them

This is the melting baked camembert, a local cheese we recognised and it was stuffed with bacon and gently fried onions

The other was the Pork Rillette, a very generous portion with the same accompaniments. The Rosé shone with this well made version of paté and reminded us of eating this in France. We are always surprised how rarely we find rillette on menus here, or in supermarkets, it is so normal in Europe to buy a tranche for enjoyment at home. R80. Accompanied by lots of sourdough bread and good pickles. R88

The restaurant also has a foreign wine list and these are some of the bottles on show. Some rather good wines there

Christophe Durand imports several French wines and other beverages

For our next course we decided to have what each of us wanted and not share. John loves mussels, Lynne not so much

and he really enjoyed this small but beautifully flavoured dish

Lynne chose the King prawns, which the menu said came with roasted lemon, and a sherry and garlic sauce. She was astounded at the size of the prawns, the biggest she has ever had in a restaurant. And the sauce was marvellous, very hot and spicy with chilli so more like a Peri Peri. You do have to get involved to remove the shells to get at the tender prawn meat and they do provide extra napkins and a finger bowl. The prawns are butterflied and perhaps would be nicer if not cut in half? When you go, do have these prawns, they are outstanding and the bread helps to mop up all of the buttery sauce afterwards. R95 and worth every cent

John's third tapas dish was Ocean trout on a bed of squid ink linguine with garlic & chilli, baby spinach, pea shoots and confit tomatoes. We were beginning to get rather full at this stage, so John didnt quite manage all the linguine. Lynne tasted it and it was very good pasta. In the past she has not enjoyed this pasta because of very strong flavours of the squid ink, but this was perfect. R85

Lynne's last dish was Panko crusted baby squid with saffron mayo and a roasted lemon. Sadly a bit of a disappointment and not quite what she was anticipating. The batter was heavy and claggy inside instead of fairy light and there was very little squid within. R82

Dessert time: We both had the really wicked Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. It has all sorts of different textures and dark chocolate flavours: biscuity, chewy, cookie dough, solid chocolate and a chocolate sauce. Hints of a chocolate liqueur? Very sweet and filling but really moreish. Do try it

The bill showing the restaurant special price. Many thanks to our lovely waitress Nikki. And the other service staff who looked after us so well

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