Stark conde - Sneaky hour wine tasting

The weather was beautiful in Stellenbosch last weekend so myself and a group of friends wanted to utilise the sunshine with some wine. There's so many places to choose from in and around the student town. We decided to head to the Jonkershoek region as that was the road less traveled by.

We stumbled on to Stark Conde! What a treat!

For R30 you are allowed to taste five wines. We tasted their Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet sauvignon, Syrah and Pinotage.

The best part of the whole experience however was the surroundings. You sit in the middle of a pond surrounded by beautifull mountains. You feel totally isolated from your surroundings. 100% bliss.

Boardwalk leading to tasting area.

The Postcard Cafe situated next to the wine tasting area.

Before or after your winetasting you can go for breakfast, lunch or tea and cake at the Postcard cafe. This is still on my to do list! If you have been here let me know of your experience! I did see their desserts and a slice of chocolate torte is waiting for me.

On our way to taste :)

Relaxing afternoon with friends.

Tasting times: Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 16:00
Location: Drive up in the Jonkershoek road and drive past Lanzerac. A few kilometres beyond that you will find Stark Conde on your left side.
GPS coordinates: 33°57'14.00"S 18°54'38.00



" Not all the pictures displayed today is my own and i hereby don't claim any ownership to them."

Addis in Cape - A pleasant cultural experience



Happy diner!



Addis in Cape :)

Its time to be more adventurous and try something new! Ill recommend you start with this Ethiopian treat.

Located on the corner of Long and Church street you can go and experience a glimpse of the Ethiopian culture.

Addis in Cape is a large restaurant consisting of 3 storeys. It's decorated with warm reds and oranges. The roof is filled with colourful umbrellas.

Beautiful umbrellas decorating the roof.

Cosy atmosphere!

First impression: You're hit with a wave of warmth when you enter Addis. Soft music plays in the background and you know that here you will eat well, drink well and leave as a happy diner.

Food: You sit around a woven basket table called a Mesob. Your dishes are served on a large plate covered with a sour dough pancake called injera.

The mesob that gets covered with a large injera.

Before dinner your waiter will come around and allow you to wash your hands. A lovely touch to your dining experience.

Hand washing ritual.

They have an extensive menu of meat,chicken and vegetables dishes that get served directly onto the large injera.

They have a large variety of fillings you can choose from.

You eat with no utensils.  They bring you a basket with smaller injera which you use to scoop up  the numerous dishes that you choose.

We were a group of six and for a R100 each we chose 2 dishes each! It was a wonderful dining experience where we shared and tasted loads t of different flavours and fillings. Addis is especially known for their flavoursome food. Their food is halaal and gluten free.

Dishes we tried

• Butternut Wot -Cubes of butternut sautéed with onions and garlic and cooked with Berbere. 
• Kek Alicha Wot - Split yellow chickpeas sautéed with onions, garlic,ginger and turmeric.  
• Mushroom Wot - Mushrooms are a rarity in Ethiopian cooking. At Addis in Cape however they are a specialty, simmering in a Bebere sauce.
• Doro Alicha Wot  - Slow cooked chicken fillet with freshly chopped garlic,ginger, onions and turmeric with a touch of Kibe for aroma and taste.
• Yebeg Alicha - Lamb sautéed and then slow cooked with chopped garlic, ginger, onions and turmeric until the meat is soft and buttery to the touch. 
• Tibs 2002 - Fillet of beef cut into cubes and stir fried with Berbere and Kibe for a delectable and juicy delicacy.
• Fish Addis in Dar - Fish stir fried with onion, sweet pepper,cardamom and a dash of lemon.
• Prawns Alicha  - Those that prefer it mild will enjoy this tasty prawn dish served in a smooth ground chickpea sauce. 
• Doro Wot  drumsticks / fillet - Chicken marinated with fresh lime juice and simmered in a mixture of freshly chopped onions, garlic and ginger, with Berbere and a hint of Kibe.   
• Defin Misir Alicha Wot - Whole brown lentils sautéed with onions for a wholesome vegetarian meal.
• Kitfo - Kitfo is a delicacy favoured by Ethiopian meat lovers. It is a beef tartar mixed with Kibe and a touch of chili,cardamom and other herbs. It can be served raw, rare, medium or well done.

Restaurant with a great atmosphere

Service: Attentive and friendly!

Drinks: Limited wine list and the cheapest bottle of wine is R99 (Mooiplaas -Langtafel). Ill recommend you take your own wine that you usually enjoy and pay the R35 corkage. Our table opted for cocktails such as a Long island ice tea (R35) which seemed more affordable. Be sure to end of your meal with REAL coffee(R20). It is served in a traditional coffeepot called a jebena and comes with a small serving of popcorn as well.

Ethiopian coffee served with popcorn.

Open times: Monday - Sunday 17:30-22:30
Adress: 41 Church street on the corner of Church street and Long street.
Email: celebrate@addisincape.co.za

The Grand - Beach luxury

With this dreary weather we're experiencing these last few days I would like to motivate you to hang in there...summer is around the corner and then you can go and visit this special place.

The Grand at Grangerbay is your make believe place for "im on a tropical island". You can sit on a couch with your  feet in the sand, the blue clear water of the sea spread out in front of you and enjoy numerous delicious cocktails. This restaurant is best utilised during the warmer months of the year. 

One visit and you will be hooked.

First impression: Couches to lounge on, soft sand and beautifull people. If you can't afford an island holiday come and spend a day here.

Beautiful view!

Quick sun-downer after a day in Cape Town!

Choose your comfort and enjoy!

Food: My favorite dish at The Grand is the massive pizza's. They are great to share and makes your dining experience a social event. The toppings are simple and range from a plain margarita(R120) to a salmon or a pancetta pizza (R200 and upwards). The prices are steep but the pizza is a dish to share and two of us never finish one. This is the best value for your money dish.

The have a big variety of seafood always cooked and seasoned to perfection. Calamari grilled or fried will cost you R84 . Fish availible at The Grand is salmon(R150),kingklip(R140) and also their linefish of the day(R125). Most of the mains come without sidedishes and if you are interested you can add pommes frites(R18), creamed spinach(R25), seasonal vegetables(R25) or grand green salad(R25)

A variety of pasta and salad dishes are also availble. I still want to try the Grand club salad (R80/R180) and their Primavera pasta (R80).

A must try for dessert is their cheesecake. Its a big,rich, smooth slice of heaven! Their good old chocolate sauce and ice-cream was thoroughly enjoyed by my boyfriend!

Sunday lunch with a group of friends. This place is perfect for large groups!

They allowed us to choose two types of pizza toppings on one base!

Rich and creamy ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Drinks: Wine, champagne, beer you name it they have it but what you MUST try are their delicious and beautifull cocktails. You can go wrong with a classic mojito or a refreshing pimms! Most cocktail are more than R45.

Beautiful and delicious mojito!

Moijito & Grapefruit and Mint cocktails!

Cheesy Margarita!

Service: The waiters are very attentive and all your needs will be dealt with but most of them are very arrogant. Just keep that in mind before you visit so that your experience wont be influenced by it. Honestly even if the service was horrible I would still return to this beautiful place.

Getting refreshed at The Grand during a hot summers day.

Positive points

• Beautifull location
• Lounging beds,couches and chairs spread out on a beach which will immediatley put you into relax mode
• Delicious food and drinks of high quality

Negative points

• Arrogant waiters
• Lunch/Dinner and drinks for 2 people will be R300 at least. Its also a great place just to go for a sundowner!

Half of the 3DD club!

Current special :
For a 2 course (R140) or a 3 course(R160) meal you can choose from the following

Starters

• Potatoe and chestnut soup
• Goats cheese & sweet onion croquettes
• Chilli-salt fried squid with jalapeno aioli

Main

• Braised lamb & white bean potjie
• Battered fish, mushy peas and chips
• Chicken liver, chorizo and tomato linguini

Dessert

• Chocolate mousse,amaretto and red berries
• Bread and butter pudding with a caramel sauce
• Vanilla seed ice cream and hazelnut chocolate sauce

All served with a complimentary glass of housewine or Peroni draft.

Trading hours: Open from 12:00 - 23:00. Lunch is severd from 12:00 - 16:00 and dinner from                   18:00 till late. Drink are available between 16:00 and 18:00.
Location: Granger Bay road (off beach road).
Maplink: www.grandafrica.com/Downloads/Grand%20Africa_Granger%20Bay%20map.pdf
GPS coordinates: 33˚ 54’6” S, 18˚ 24’56” E
Tel: 021 425 0551
Website: www.GrandAfrica.com

One of the best locations I think for a restaurant!

Queen of tarts - Baking made easy

I spend hours learning about what can go wrong in the body so I decided to lighten the mood and learn something "fun" for a change. I don't only like tasting food but love creating it as well and if its something sweet the experience is complete for me. A cupcake has never ruined my day :)

Tina -  owner writer and baking extraordinaire from Queen of tarts has numerous baking and cooking demonstration at her bakery. Myself and two friends went for the Baking #3 on Saturday morning. The classes are not larger than 8-10 people so the environment is very comfortable and relaxing for you to interact with Tina and ask any questions or tips you want. 

The session was from 9 - 12:30. We were greeted with some lovely tea and coffee. You receive a booklet with all the recipes in it as well as a shopping list for each item. Tina then bakes and creates all the lovely goodies and the best part.... YOU GET TO TASTE everything. 

She explains to you why you use certain products and gives you tips on how to succesfully recreate what she made. The big driving force behind picking Baking #3 was to learn how to make maceroons! They are apparently very tempramental treats so I hope my first attempt soon will go great.

This really is a awesome morning that can be shared between friends, mothers and daughters and even the guys should come and try it.

The cost are R450 per session and it really is worthwhile. She even gave us 'doggybags' to go and impress our loved ones.

Follow this link to get information about classes in the future - http://www.queenoftarts.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=41

If youre not into the baking thing then just go and visit the bakery. The staff that work there are lovely and you will discover some lovely unique treats.

If youre baking and cooking skills are intact then invest in some of Tina's books. She makes cooking and baking simple. Her recipe layout and explanations really shows that. Prices range from R150 - R165 and they are available at Woolworths, Exclusive books and from her website.

There are three baking courses you can choose from.

The recipes that were demonstrated to us and that we tasted.

Icing the petit fours.

Petit fours - These lovely treats takes at least 2 days to make!

One of our "classmates" helping Tina.

Scrumptious country loaf! NO kneading involved!

Drizziling the cake with chocolate!

Chocolate and almond cake.

mmmmmmmmmm............

Florentines!

Chocolate and raspberry petit fours.

Piping the macaroons.

Vanilla, strawberry & vanilla and ginger macaroons.

Joandi after our successfull morning!

Outside the bakery... tummies full of cake and head full of knowledge! Let the baking begin!

Address:  213 Lower main road, Observatory
Email: tina@queenoftarts.co.za
Contact number: 021 448 2420
Website: www.queenoftarts.co.za
Facebookpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Queen-of-Tarts/165824503459307
Opening times : Monday to Friday 08:00 - 16:00 & Saturday 08:00 - 14:30