Thursday, November 26, 2020

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

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



Friday, November 20, 2020

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…

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…



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


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




All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus


Thursday, November 19, 2020

A Visit to the Norval

We have been meaning to go to the Norval Foundation 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
Full membership costs are as follows
Membership: R350 - Free entrance for the cardholder
Membership +1; R650 - Free entrance for the card holder and a guest
Membership +3: R950 - Free entrance for the card holder and three guests
You renew your membership at the desk in the foyer or on line. When we got there the sun had rather gone behind a cloud, so it was a good day for an art exhibition or two. In fact they have three on at the moment
Last time we came, this beautiful window was hidden by a complex wooden structure artwork
Now you can see the window in all its beauty
The details of each piece of the window
A photographic exhibit was next
All the photos were of the same person, the artist, and gave a good perspective of how we see ourselves and others. Some were challenging, others tried to be controversial, and some were very beautiful indeed. We prefer not to publish photographs of other photographers work, so no detailed reproductions here and we encourage you to see thw photographs for yourself. In addition, it is a cohesive body of work and is better seen as a whole rather than piecemeal
An extraordinary man, sadly now deceased, who learned to carve from his father and, when he became a lay preacher, he carved many religious icons with his own symbolic interpretations. It was absolutely fascinating to see his ideas and how he made carvings of bible stories from his conception of them and mixed his Shangaan culture. Many were so skilled, others challenged one and many impressed. Especially when they were carvings made from whole trees! But his detailed carvings of small things like the walking sticks were also excellent
Headrests and walking sticks
Four versions of the crucifix
And carvings with African symbolism
We loved his fish
The gallery window had been left unobstructed to let in the wonderful Northern light and there are good views
across the garden, the Steenberg wine estate’s vineyards and Table Mountain under the clouds
His depiction of God is on the right
Many had biblical connections
He certainly was very prolific
Putting them into context with his background
More of those wonderful fish and other animals
Having spent a couple of hours on our feet, we needed sustenance, so we made our way to the Skotnes restaurant
The menu. It was late when we got there, past 2.30, but they confirmed that they were still serving lunch. We wanted something simple like a sandwich, but the compact menu does not have these. So it was a meal or nothing. Until, later, we discovered that we could order tea and scones. Some of these items seem quite expensive, especially as you have to order chips in addition to your hamburger or add ons for the burger or the Caesar salad
Sadly, there were no tables available. We were shown to the small lounge area, ordered two beers and waited. It seems that many people had come for lunch and had settled down for the afternoon. Not much movement. But finally, about half an hour later, we did get a table next to the window. Service was a little slow; perhaps they had a busy lunch service
A new addition to the sculpture garden! There are good views of the garden from the restaurant
It was drizzling, so not many people ventured out
By then Lynne just fancied tea and scones but, sadly, was told that there were no scones
So she ordered the almond cake and Earl Grey tea. She was served English Breakfast
The tea comes with a very hard ginger nut. Bite carefully
John ordered the hamburger and a side order of chips. He asked for crisp chips and had to return the first serving
for another round in the deep fryer. He did give Lynne some of his burger to taste and some of the chips. Good burger
The chips that returned were much better
Lynne's almond torte and "Earl Grey" English Breakfast
Our bill