Unpleasant experience at Piazzo Paradiso

I usually only blog about restaurants that I enjoy. If an establishment does not impress me I won't recommend them. So to leave all negativity in 2014 this is a post that I will write and leave in this year.

I was joined by a group of friends for a pre-NYE dinner. I have previously dined at Piazzo Paradiso and never had any problems with them. I've also previously endorsed them here as they make the best bouillabaisse. So it was a no brainer to book a table of 8 for last night.

An extra person decided to join the dinner party so because it was last minute I did not think to notify the restaurant as we could simply just have added an extra chair to the table.

We arrived in very jovial spirits at the restaurant.We were seated in a room where our table of 8 was as well as a table for 2. I immediately asked the waitress to check if the table of two was also reserved as we wanted to either add the table to ours or steal a chair. She then proceeded to check with the manager.

A woman dressed in black with dark hair then approached us. I don't know if she is the owner or a manager.

Her body language and tone of voice was condescending and unfriendly from the start. She started off by telling us how inconvenient we were and that she has to now rearrange her entire restaurant and that we should have notified her earlier. I understand that all restaurants are under major stress during the holiday season but our extra person joined us at the last minute. The way she approached us however was not professional at all. The situation could have been dealt with differently.

Feeling very embarrassed and insulted I then, without any sarcasm in my voice, told her that we will leave as she really made certain that we understand that this is a big inconvenience for them. We now were a party of 9 and we were definitely not going to dine without our extra person. She then proceeded to tell me that I should "not be funny with her" and continued to go off on us and make us feel like tiny little ants. I have never experienced this in a restaurant. Our whole party was gobsmacked.

The waiter then added a table to ours and we never saw the manager/owner again. She dampened our mood and made us feel extremely unwelcome and uncomfortable. We actually should have left but proceeded to order food.

My bouillabasie was great as always and everyone who had pizza and pasta enjoyed it. The one diner who had steak however was not impressed. The quality of the meat was questionable. It was stringy and not tender. It was as if the meat was precooked, frozen and then reheated.

The lady who served us was great.

I saddens me as I live in Hermanus that one of our local places would treat their paying customers like this. I do also feel that because we were a group between 24-26 year olds we were treated with a condescending and judging tone. If we were older I do not think this would have happened.

For Italian cuisine in Hermanus I would recommend Rossi's or Col Cacchio.


So leaving all negativity at the doorstep of 2014 I hope that you will have an awesome NYE and an even better 2015!

Piazzo Paradiso
Loacted in Marine Drive
Contact them at 028 313 1153

Domaine Des Dieux

One of the last stops on the Hermanus wine route R320 is Domaine Des Dieux. Their award winning MCC's made us venture along the dirt road and it was worth it. The tasting room also recently reopened after a revamp! It overlooks the beautiful pinot noir valley and an afternoon here will pass too quickly.

The Hermanus wine valley

 

Welcome to the revamped Domaine Des Dieux

A tasting will cost you R20pp and the fee is wavered if you buy a bottle.

My favourites were the following

• Claudia Brut MCC 2009: This was the Amorim Methode Cap Classique challenge champion. After one sip you will know why this is one of the best MCC's in South Africa.
• Claudia Brut MCC 2008: I actually preferred is one to the above. The 24% Pinot Noir gives is a subtle sweetness and the 76% Chardonnay delivers the creamy/biscuit notes.
• Rose of Sharon MCC 2008: It you prefer a sweeter MCC then I would recommend this one.
• Syrah Mourvedre 2011: Spicy and fruity wine perfect for steak dinners!

The best MCC

 

One of the tasting corners

 

Tasting areas inside and outside

 

We enjoyed their MCC's during our Christmas festivities and the Claudia 2008 will definitely make an appearance during New Year! Visit them to spoil yourself for the last few days of holiday :)

Cheers!

 




Happy buying!

Visit them Tuesday-Saturday 11:00-16:30 and Sundays 11:00-15:30
Like them on Facebook
Tweet them @DesDieuxWines
For more information visit their website

Weekend in Tulbagh

It was one of my beautiful friends wedding in Tulbagh a few weekends ago. The last time I was in Tulbagh was 15 years ago. All I remember was that I ate a huge piece of chocolate cake :)


Wedding time at Morgansvlei

The beautiful bride

I was therefore very excited to venture into mostly unknown territory. Tulbagh has loads of wine farms around the town so naturally they were the main component of my weekend activities!

When you arrive in Tulbagh fetch a map at The Tulbagh Tourism Centre. The map is great and you can easily navigate the surroundings with it.  Alternatively these maps are available at the wine farms as well.


Saronsberg

Our first stop was at Saronsberg. You can't go to Tulbagh at not visit them as tasting their Shiraz is one of the top things to do! I mentioned to some friends that I was travelling to Tulbagh for the weekend and everyone started the conversation with " Oh but your must visit Saronsberg..." and I would interrupt and finish with " I know, I know to try the Shiraz." It has won numerous awards and truly is a great wine to drink.

Statue by Angus Taylor

Welcome to Saronsberg

Beautiful lawn to relax on

To top it all off the tasting venue is beautiful with loads of art you can admire. Our favourite pieces where the sculptures by Angus Taylor. I could have spent the entire afternoon at Saronsberg. You can lounge on their lovely lawn next to the dam with a glass of wine.

Art gallery upstairs

Elegant tasting room

Having an awesome time at the tasting room

Wine tasting is free and there are a lot of wines to taste. My favourites were the following

• Saronsberg Provenance Shiraz : I'm happy to report it lives up to its reputation.
• Saronsberg Seismic 2009: It's a bold and full bodied wine with cabernet sauvignon as the main variety which is probably why I loved it.
• Saronsburg Brut MCC 2009: I was surprised that this Brut actually had quite a sweetness to it that I really enjoyed.

The only wine I did not enjoy  was their Sauvignon Blanc. It seems that the reds are their forte. Saronsberg also offers accommodation with self-catering cottages and they only receive good reviews on Tripadvisor.

You can visit them

• Monday-Friday 08:00-17:00
• Saturday 10:00-14:00
• Closed on Sundays

Tweet them @Saronsberg_wine
Like them on Facebook
For more information visit their website


Krone @ Twee Jonge Gezellen

I love bubbly so I was very excited to enjoy a tasting of only that! I actually enjoyed a glass of the Krone Borelis the previous night while watching the Lumineers at Kirstenbosch so I could not wait to visit the birth place of the lovely bubbles. The tasting room overlooks the vineyards and it was lovely to sit outside underneath the vine leaves. Our wine tasting host was energetic and really friendly.

Beautiful surroundings

Cheers

Outside tasting area

We tasted the following MCC's

• Krone Borealis Brut 2013 - This I would describe as your everyday bubbly :) I has the lovely biscuity/creamy taste.
• Krone Rose (Cuvee Brut) 2013 - This MCC has a beautiful pink colour and lovely apple notes. Serving this bubbles at a party would definitely make a statement.
• Krone Night Nectar (Demi Sec) 2013 -  This was my favourite! It was sweet but at the same time very refreshing.
• Krone Chardonnay Pinot Noir - Not a bubbly but also a great easy drinking wine.

Krone

My purchase of the day!

You can visit them

•  Monday-Friday 10:00-16:00
• Saturday 10:00-14:00 and the cellar tour is at 11:00

Like them on Facebook
Tweet them @houseofkrone
For more information visit their website

Other wine farms in the area that I did not get to but will in the future were Montpellier, Theuniskraal and Waverley Hills .

Tulbagh has loads of accommodation to choose from. We stayed at Rijks Country House which is situated 2 km outside of Tulbagh. You can also enjoy wine-tasting here. It's a beautiful estate where you can walk around and enjoy the surroundings. Service is impeccable and the rooms are equipped with more than you need. My favourite part of our visit was lounging next to the pool with a G&T. We made our booking through Booking.com who has great deals!

Does not get better than this!



Perfect way to relax!



Cottages at Rijks



Rooms at Rijks



Pool area


We spent most of our time outside of Tulbagh but if you have time you can enjoy the museums about the famous earthquake, watch a show at the Saronsberg Theatre or wine and dine at numerous restaurants. A place that looked awesome from outside was Things I Love.

As you can see to enjoy the small-town gem that Tulbagh is you will need at least two weekends away :) I will definitely be back!

Gabrielskloof Wine and Chocolate pairing

It was a Monday morning after a fun filled weekend and I needed something to help with the post-weekend blues! I decided to drive out to Gabrielskloof as its been ages since I visited them.

Beautiful court yard

Gabrielskloof is a beautiful estate situated in the middle of the canola fields. They produce quality wine and was the host to my fathers 50th birthday party so they will always be a special place for me.

I decided to enjoy their wine and chocolate pairing as a glass of Gabrielskloof wine never disappoints. The grounds and buildings of Gabrielkloof are beautiful and it's equally enjoyable to sit inside or outside during your wine tasting experience. It was a lovely sunny day so we decided to sit on the 'stoep'.

The lovely stoep to relax on

 

 

 

Tasting room inside

The Gabrielskloof wine is paired with Honest Chocolate. Honest chocolate is raw chocolate. This makes them the perfect accompaniments to the wine so that no artificial elements interfere with the taste of it. They use raw and organic cocao from Ecuador  which is high in anti-oxidants. The chocolate contains no sugar, stabilisers ect.

Here are the pairings

• Gabrielskloof Viognier with 72% orange chocolate. This was our favourite pairing as well as my favourite wine. We loved it as it was the sweetest combination out of all.
• Gabrielskloof The blend with 72% with mint. The wine is a Bordeaux blend, my favourite, which is led by Cabarnet Sauvignon.
• Gabrielskloof Shiraz with 72% Kalahari Desert salt. I am a big fan of sweet and salt combination desserts. Although Honest chocolate is not naturally sweet the above combo was still a treat.
• Gabrielskloof Five arches with 88% Dark. Five arches is also a Bordeaux blend with Cabarnet Franc as the leader. This combination unfortunately was too heavy for me.
• Gabrielskloof Swartrivier Shiraz with 72% grains or paradise(spicy citrus pepper from Ghana). This was my other favourite pairing. The pepper in the chocolate worked well with the pepper flavour in the wine.

Honest chocolate

 

Pre-wine

 

Awesome pairing

 

My tasting companions

At R60pp this was an awesome experience. Next on my to do list is the food and wine pairing that they now offer at the following prices

• White wines only (4) - R60
• Red wine only (4) - R70
• Complete tasting - R130

Current food and wine pairing menu

You can also just enjoy winetasting at R30pp and the fee is wavered if you purchase any wine. It has been a while since I've dined at their restaurant but all my previous experiences have been excellent, hearty food at reasonable prices.

Also remember about their Our Favourite Things Market the 12th&13th December that I've mentioned in a previous post.

As you can see Gabrielskloof has a lot to offer. My suggestion would be to enjoy one of the wine pairings and then head over for lunch or dessert at the restaurant. You will definitely want to spend as much time as possible here.

For more information visit their website
When to visit

• December
• Restaurant
• 09:00-17:00 everyday
• Wine tasting
• 10:00-16:00 everyday
• January-November
• Restaurant
• Wednesday-Monday 09:00-17:00
• Wine tasting
• Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00
• Saturday 11:00-15:00
• Sunday closed

Tweet them @Gabrielskloof
Like them on Facebook
Located near Botrivier(R43).(map link)

Honest chocolate

For more information visit their website
Tweet them @HonestChoc
Like them on Facebook
Instagram honestchocolate
Visit their newly opened store at 64A Wale street, Cape Town

And the winner of the Hermanuspietersfontein Tribute concert tickets is...

Congratulations to ... Linya Greyling, who entered via Facebook, for winning the two tickets to The Tribute concert at Hermanuspietersfontein the 20th of December. Details of your prize will be conveyed to you shortly!

Enjoy!

xxx

p.s

For those of you who did not win a ticket check out all the other events at HPF here or contact anika@hpf1855.co.za to buy some tickets!

Hope you rock it out Elvis Style!

L'Ormarins Queensplate

 
The 154th L'Ormarins Queensplate is one party I won't miss in 2015! I attended the event for the first time last year and had a blast. To be honest I wasn't too involved in making any bets or watching the races but I did have a great time with my friends. Some of my party however were lucky winners...

The lucky winner

It's an elegant event where everyone dresses in shades of blue and white. There are numerous bars and footstalls to quench the thirst and keep away the hunger pains. After all the races are finished the after party will start where you can dance and celebrate into the Saturday night. Here are some pictures of our fun times:

Many spots to chill with your friends



Lounging about and enjoying the day outside



Let the good times roll

The Style Lounge

The place was packed with well dressed people all ready to party!

DJ Fresh

Happy!

See you again next year!

Ticket options are the following:

• Style lounge entry at R300 pp
• Entrance into the Style Lounge Village
• Ticket allows access to the horse racing as well as the after party featuring DJ Lora and Princess Scilla
• Access to purchase from wine bars, bars and food concessionaires
• Access to car displays by the Franschhoek Motor Museum
• Tote facilities available
• Parking on the in-field at Kenilworth Race Course, with the overflow parking area at Wynberg Sports Club
• Paddock site at R6000 for table of 10
• 10 x Entrance tickets into the Style Lounge Village
• a private, decorated and shaded area for ten people, limited to eight sites
• 2 bottles of Protea Sauvignon Blanc, 2 bottles of Protea Merlot, 10 Peroni’s, a bottle of SKYY vodka and ten Red Bull’s
• Ticket allows access to the horse racing as well as the after party featuring DJ Lora and Princess Scilla
• Access to purchase from wine bars, bars and food concessionaires
• Access to car displays by the Franschhoek Motor Museum
• Tote facilities available
• Parking on the in-field at Kenilworth Race Course, with the overflow parking area at Wynberg Sports Club
• Stud club at R1200 pp
• An exclusive, secure and private area in a prime location along the rail that is limited to 900 people
• A decorated area with private bars, private totes, lounge areas and cocktail seating
• Complimentary L’Ormarins wines and Peroni as well as a private cash bar
• Complimentary light lunch and snacks will be served
• On site make up artists for touch ups throughout the day
• Private tote and bar facilities
• Entrance into the Style Lounge Village and the Stud Club for access to the horseracing as well as the after party featuring DJ Lora and Princess Scilla
• Access to car displays by the Franschhoek Motor Museum
• Parking on the in-field at Kenilworth Race Course, with the overflow parking area at Wynberg Sports Club

The details

• When: 10th January 2015
• Time: 11:00-23:00
• Dress code: Smart and elegant in shades of blue and white. No jeans, shorts or fancy dress allowed.
• Parking: Parking is available on the in-field at Kenilworth Race Course off Wetton Road for all guests who have pre-purchased event tickets. Alternative parking is available at the Wynberg Sports Club.
• Where: Corner of Rosemead Avenue and Wetton Road, Kenilworth, Cape Town
• Transport: Queensplate has partnered with Uber to ensure safe transport for all. If you use the promocode, LQP2015, you will receive R200 off

Tickets available from Computicket! See you there!

For more information visit the official website
Tweet them @LQPCT
Like them on Facebook
Instagram lqpct

Canapés and wine pairing at Creation

My friend Kerry payed me a visit from Cape Town last week. Her only request was that we must visit Creation as her family loves their wine. It was a very easy request to partake in, as I also love Creation, and they are the yin to the yang of the Hermanus wine route. They are one of my show off secrets to visiting guests :)



Sunny day at Creation


We decided to enjoy their canapé and wine pairing. I've actually done the pairing two years ago and it definitely sustained its excellence since then. You can read about my previous experience here.They also won the Klink award for best food and wine pairing .

First wine of the day: Whalepod Rosé

We were seated in the beautiful tasting-room/restaurant that has an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere. The staff of Creation were very welcoming and well informed. Kerry and I asked a lot of question about the food and especially the wine and we always received satisfactory answers.

Can't wait to tuck in

The food and wine pairing components were the following at R125pp

• Pineapple and basil gazpacho with scallops. This was paired with their  Sauvignon Blanc 2014. The tropical fruit taste of the wine really brought out the pineapple flavour in the gazpacho. I am not a fan of cold soups but how the flavours of the wine and soup balanced off each other was interesting.
• Savoury short bread with pesto and tomato paired with Sauvignon Blanc Semillion 2014.
• Avocado and prawn with citrus and vanilla mayonnaise  paired with their Chardonnay. This was a very refreshing combination and one of my favourites.

Prawn, goat cheese, springbok loin and duck canapés

• Beetroot, goats cheese panna cota and lentil salsa paired with  Pinot Noir 2013. Hermanus is known for their delivery of excellent Pinot Noirs and Creation is no exception. This canapé was great but you could not taste the beetroot as the goats cheese overpowered it. I did not bother me as I love goats cheese and it has a known strong flavour.
• Cauliflower and gorgonzola soup with sourdough herbed croutes paired with Merlot 2013. The creaminess of the soup was balanced out by the smoothness of the wine.

Cauliflower soup

• Rare roast loin of Springbok on brown bread paired with a bordeux style blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I love bordeux blends and Creations was a treat. It paired well with springbok as it toned down the 'gaminess' of the meat. The bread the springbok was served on did nothing for the canapé and I would prefer it rather on something else like a potato rosti.
• My favourite!!!! The braised pork belly wonton paired with Syrah 2012. I could have eaten hundreds of that wonton. I definitely want to plan a return visit to order that as a main meal. The Syrah was also our favourite wine and the bottle that Kerry purchased.

Pork wontons

 

• Buchu scented duck confit with Malay aioli paired with Syrah Grenache 2013. This was a great finish to our food and wine pairing.



6 of the 8 canapés :)

Kerry wanted to purchase some wine and we were unsure which of the last two we loved the most. Our tasting host was so kind to bring us the wines again and in the end the Syrah was the winner.

The food and wine pairing is a great activity that is well priced. Wine tasting at Creation is also one of the wine tasting spots where you are educated about the wine but not to the extent that it's overwhelming if you are a wine novice. They also use different glasses to serve the wine and this allows you to experience how much the glass that wine is served in determines what you taste. I though that it was just a fad but I now have first hand experience that it's not.

Chardonnay served in two different glasses

Other activities you can enjoy at Creation

• Chocolate and wine pairing: R75pp
• Tea and canapé pairing: R205 pp
• Walk through the vineyards of creation in the company of a guide: R95 pp
• 10:00 brunch and wine pairing: R375 pp is something I definitely want to do before my holiday ends! 
• Wine tasting
• Lunch

I would recommend that you always book if you plan to visit Creation as they are a very popular spot with locals and tourists. Trust me once you get there you do no want to be turned away at the door!



Located 7km down the Hemel & Aarde road, Hermanus
Contact them at 028 212 1107 or info@creationwines.com
Visit them

• Wine tasting 10:00-17:00
• Wine&Food pairing and lunch 11:00-16:00

For more information visit their website
Like them on Facebook
Tweet them @creationwines