Wow!  What a roller coaster of a year!    We came out of a tough 2019  (our drought scared people away from visiting Cape Town) and entered into 2020.   The year looked like it was off to a great start and we were almost fully booked for May & June.   Our forward  bookings were looking wonderful and I was ready to do a happy dance. Hello from spring in Stellenbosch on Spier Wine Estate!South Africa Lock Down! In March our world started coming to an abrupt halt as the world started locking down.    South Africa introduced a draconian lo ..read more

My touring van has been parked for three months during lock down and needed a good drive to get her battery going again!  So on a rainy Saturday we headed through to Franschhoek on what felt like a very long road trip after our lock down period. Autumn Vines in The Cape WinelandsLOCK DOWN UPDATE: South Africa closed down for a strict lock down at the end of March 2020.   During this time restaurants were not allowed to trade at all and the sale of hot food was forbidden.   Gradually over time the government first allowed food delivery and then eventually a few weeks la ..read more

The Corona pandemic resulted in most of Cape Town’s food vendors being shut down completely.   In other parts of the world restaurants were mostly able to do food deliveries over the strict lock down periods,   we were not even allowed to sell hot pies! Recently restaurants (& food vendors) could chose to open if they were able to do deliveries.  In the next phase they were allowed food collection from their stores/homes.  The latest addition is that they were finally allowed to sell off their alcohol collections.   (Alcohol sales were banned in Sout ..read more

All of us are trapped at home at the moment.  We are living in an unreal world where nothing seems normal.   And we are all longing for the same thing.  To escape  and to explore the world again.   We are longing for the wild outdoors, and even for the not so wild,  we want to be able to feel that we are in nature.   We simply want open spaces and sky.   I love the new hashtag people are using at the moment #dreamnowtravellater  I want the later to be now.  I want to be sitting on top of a mountain with a glass of wine, perf ..read more

We want to make sure that you don’t miss out on tasting our traditional South African cuisine when you visit our country!  As such we are going to take you on a visual journey through some of our favourite South African local treats.    We hope you have a “lekker” (delicious/yummy/fabulous) time nibbling your way through our country. BRAAI or SHISA NYAMA Our favourite way of eating on the weekends is to make a fire out of either wood or coal and then to cook up a meat storm on the fire.    This is our favourite way of entertaining.   We will have a “bring and ..read more

There are a couple of food trends that Cape Town is following this year.     This blog is going to explore Trend 1 – The rise in demand for more interactive, personalized and meaningful dining experiences. I am tired of the anonymous experience of entering a restaurant and leaving without knowing much about the place, the food or the chef. Often without a good server the food is also left to speak for itself.   Somehow a story adds hugely to the experience – it adds to the journey and the taste experience.   Somehow to me it adds texture and meaning and leave ..read more

I love small intimate lunches where you can watch each dish being lovingly prepared by the Chef while you relax with  fellow minded foodies.  Chefs are usually hidden in their kitchens and one does not get to interact with them.    As a foodie I am passionate about knowing what I am eating and about the people behind the place where I am eating.   I search for information before I visit places in order to gain a better insight into the upcoming experience.   The more information I am given – the happier I am! So let me share a new gem with you.  &nb ..read more

Chakalaka is a traditional South African spicy vegetable relish.   It is usually served with pap or samp & beans and is most commonly found in black communities across the country.   It has become so popular that one can now buy it in cans in the supermarket and order it at KFC!  Everyone’s recipe for Chakalaka is different – I have never tasted two that taste the same.   It can range from mild to searing hot – depending on the cooks tastes.   So – there is no set recipe for Chakalaka.   As it is often made with what is left over in t ..read more

I have a new favourite restaurant in Cape Town!   Janse & Co literally blew my socks off!  It is quite simply beautiful.  My type of decor – clean, contemporary, dark, open, Asian inspired……..yet warm.   It is almost like a well choreographed play.   The attention to detail is seen in every aspect of this shop from the design to the menu, the open plan kitchens, the simple box with the cutlery and the beautifully plated food. It was one of the best food experiences I have had in the last year.   I am in love with it! Cape Town central has ..read more

Chef Santi Louzán is the perfect Chef to launch a Chef’s table in his home in Cape Town.   He is warm, welcoming, creative, a showman and one of the most charismatic people I have ever met.  Santi hails from Galicia in Spain.  Here he learnt from his Mom and Granny to “love the ingredients” – he was surrounded by artisans and family members who were farmers and fisherman.   In his teens he moved to England with his family.   He started at the bottom of the chain in the restaurant world – washing dishes and slowly worked his way up.   His ..read more