jamie who

So long blogger.com - it's been real

2010-07-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is my last post. *pauses for dramatic effect

Okay, it's not my last post. But it's my last post on this site. Yip, I'm moving on. (And up hopefully.) I've been working with some super-talented and creative people for the last few months on a concept which I can finally tell you guys about. It's a lifestyle website which aims to showcase the finer things in life. So things like fashion, travel, food, art, wine, cocktails, design, architecture etc. are all there for you to enjoy. Sort of like the online equivalent of standing in front of a magazine rack. I'll be handling the food&wine side of things, with other talented contributors talking about what they know best.

I am pre-empting the cynics out there, who no doubt will point out the fact that the new site has advertising. Indeed, it does. I have previously been pretty outspoken about the fact that I didn't allow advertising so let me explain:

This is a step towards writing about food full-time. The last year and a half has seen a tiny blog grow to the point where I can genuinely make a career out of doing what I love. At the moment I spend a lot of time and money investing in a passion and I now feel it is fair enough to start generating some income from it. The ads WILL IN NO WAY IMPACT EDITORIAL CONTENT. This remains paramount and as long as we don't lose sight of this, we'll be okay.

The new site will have awesome improvements for readers. As well as the fresh posts coming through daily (2 a day), I will be re-shooting old recipes. Some of my old photography makes me cringe and this allows me to re-introduce recipes that I'm proud of, this time with the images that they deserve. Also, the new site makes searching for recipes/reviews etc. a lot easier. You'll see a drop-down menu on my site which you can use to navigate your way around the categories. Bear with me, at the moment all my old categories are there along with the new ones. I'm busy sorting through them so everything should be fixed up pretty soon. (I've been working flat-out on organising these - it is a slow process but the end result will be very skooch. Trust me). The new site is also a chance to get to meet me. My name is Andy. Not Jamie. I'm looking forward to this too, as we move into an area where the Jamie Who pseudonym becomes part of a brand, not the entire brand itself.

The new site is going live from about 14h00 tomorrow. Check it out at www.aficionado.co.za - I am extremely excited about this but nervous at the same time. I have poured a lot of energy into building the blog and I know I will lose a few readers who see this as "selling-out". I just hope the majority realise that the new site is something I would not be part of if I didn't honestly believe credibility can be maintained.

Cheers,

Andy Fenner

Ostrich and mushroom lasagne

2010-07-01T04:38:00.000-07:00

I wrote in the past about some hake kebabs that arrived on my plate - and your screen - courtesy of The Queen. What you might not know is that she regularly cooks up pretty impressive stuff. After hustling me for the first 2 years (when I was convinced all she could do was a roast chicken) the cat is now very much out the bag. The girl has skizzills. This recipe is hers and I'll admit it is one of my favourite on this blog. The white sauce was homemade but it's not really necessary - you could easily just buy one.

Stuff you'll need to feed 8 (or 2 of you. Umm...4 times):

1 kg of ostrich mince
A box of the best lasagne sheets you can find.
1 x onion, finely chopped
2 x tins of tomatoes
A handful of parsley, roughly chopped
About a tablespoon of tomato paste
About a teaspoon of dried thyme
A handful of mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 x chilli, finely chopped
2 x cloves of garlic, crushed
A handful of grated parmesan (I don't mean buy grated parmesan. Please, don't ever do that. Buy proper parmesan, grate it yourself. Come now)

To make the white sauce (if you are backing yourself):

1 and a half tablespoons of butter
About 3 tablespoons of flour (to start with. You might need more as you go)
A litre of fat-free milk (we were keeping it healthy. Use whatever milk you want)

Okay, what to do:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. Gently fry your onions over medium heat for a few minutes until softened.

2. Add the thyme, the chilli, the mince, the garlic and the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes more.

3. Add the tomato paste, the tinned tomatoes and the parsley and bring to the boil. Season well, reduce heat and allow to simmer with the lid on for as long as possible. Depending on the time available, remove lid and allow sauce to reduce and thicken.

4. In a suitable baking dish, layer white sauce, pasta sheets and mince mixture, repeating two or three times until the dish is full. Make sure the top layer is white sauce.

5. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and bake for 45 minutes.

If you're making the white sauce:

Start by melting the butter. Remove from stove and start adding flour slowly mixing in to form little dough balls. Make sure flour is covered in butter. Slowly start adding your milk, continuously whisking. As the milk warms, the mixture will thicken. IT IS SUPER-IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO WHISK THE ENTIRE TIME. If you don't, lumps will form. This is a slow process so be patient. You might need to add some more flour at this point - if you do make sure the whisking doesn't stop.

I'd serve this with a very simple herb salad. That was the plan. That was also the plan for the shoot, but when I put it on a white plate there was something about the simplicity of it that appealed. I loved it. Hopefully you do too.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Beef braised in beer and served on butter beans

2010-06-30T01:08:00.000-07:00

Beer is a highly underrated ingredient when it comes to cooking. It makes a great batter, it is awesome to braise meat in and it's pretty handy in a marinade/sauce. I'm talking about good beer. Real beer. Beer with depth of flavour and character. (The irony is that I'm writing this post after drinking my own body weight in Budweisier at last night's football. My word that stuff is average.)

Anyway, the other night I got my hands on some free range beef and threw together a little stew using the beer I was drinking. It was good. Like...reaaalllllly good. You should try it sometime.

Stuff you'll need to feed 2:

A dark beer (I used the dark lager from &Union)
A tin of tomatoes
About 400g of free-range stewing beef, cubed
A handful of chopped celery
A teaspoon of coriander seeds, crushed
A teaspoon of dried thyme
A handful of parsley, chopped
A handful of chopped carrot
An onion, roughly chopped
A handful of mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
A few leaves of sage to garnish
A cup of water
A chilli, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
A tin of butter beans, drained (or your favourite beans)

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celsius. Brown your meat over a high heat in some olive oil. Remove and set aside.

2. Reduce heat and gently fry your onion, carrot and celery until soft. Add the mushrooms, chilli, herbs (except sage) and garlic and fry for an additional minute.

3. Add the tinned tomatoes, the beer and the water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer.

4. Cook in the oven for 2 hours. (If you can, cook it longer at a lower temperature. The longer the better)

5. About 30 minutes before serving, remove pot from oven and cook on the hob to reduce sauce to the desired consistency.

6. To serve, spoon beans into a bowl and pour on some beef and sauce. Garnish with sage.

You'll have to go a long way to find better comfort food than this. The beer is phenomenal in the sauce and plays a part in tenderising the meat. It is a healthy, hearty dinner and will impress anyone. Well...it should. If it doesn't (1) You're an idiot and you messed up or (2) They're an idiot and they should leave.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Caveau cookbook (and Sunday brunch/lunch)

2010-06-29T00:38:00.000-07:00

I was invited by the owner of Caveau to join him for lunch at the Newlands branch (in Josephine's Mill) on Sunday. I sat down to what he described as "the best offering we have as a brand." Big words from a guy who has successfully opened (and then extended) Caveau in Bree Street, Gourmet Burger in Heritage Square, HQ steakhouse and the Caveau in Newlands where we sat. As part of his collective restaurants he's got a sushi bar, a huuuuuge wine offering, Friday night parties at HQ, rugby days at Newlands, annual birthday parties, events in the Heritage courtyard and a deli to buy fresh produce. So...he's got a few things to throw at the public.

About 15 minutes into the lunch I knew what he meant though. The sky was clear, the live singer (a gorgeous brunette called Louise Day) was singing up a storm, the river was gently trickling along and the bubbly was being opened at pretty much every table. Very skoochie and super-chilled.

It was about halfway into my second glass of Villiera Brut Natural 07 that I stopped listening to anyone at the table. I had picked up a copy of The Caveau book. The Caveau book???! Who knew they had a book? I didn't. It's bloody well done though. With the food styled by none other than Liam Tomlin and beautifully shot, the book is written in a deliberately informal tone and does well to reflect the relaxed, warm atmosphere that began with the opening of Caveau back in 2004. There are personal anecdotes, food philosophies, recipes, a focus on wineries and the winelist, an explanation of the vision for Caveau and more. The thing I enjoyed most about the book is that the main stars in it are the loyal customers and the staff. The people who have made Caveau a success.

Anyway, I can tell you my lunch was brilliant too. A potato and leek soup with just the right amount of truffle oil and a nicely seasoned vegetarian risotto with perfectly cooked rice and sweet mediterranean flavours (peppers, courgettes, patty-pans etc.) Next time you wake up looking for something to do on Sunday consider this as an option. They are open from 10h00 to 15h00 so whether you do brunch or lunch is up to you. Either way, good luck avoiding the bubbles.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. The Caveau book is available at both branches and also at The Chef's Warehouse

Wine of the week - Bramon Sauvignon Blanc MCC 2007

2010-06-28T01:40:00.001-07:00

It's no secret that when I take a break from work (that's right, I do actually work) I like to head to The Garden Route. What is a secret though is a little wine farm about 10 minutes outside of Plett. It's called Bramon and makes MCC that I have been drinking fairly solidly for a while now. The chain of events (in a nutshell) goes like this:

1. About 18 months ago I propose to (then) The Princess. (now The Queen of course).

2. About 8 months ago I spend a long day at Bramon Wine Estate drinking their MCC.

3. I order waaaaaaaay too much of it for my wedding.

4. About 6 months ago I get married.

5. All the guests do their best to finish the bubbly at our wedding.

6. They don't even get close.

7. We wake up after the wedding with crates and crates of extra bubbly.

8. We spend 6 months drinking it.

It's been a pretty awesome 6 months.

The MCC itself is unusually made from Sauvignon Blanc, which results in fresh, citrus on the nose and crisp green apples in the mouth. A hint of asparagus comes through nicely. The bubbles themselves are quite aggressive, and perhaps not as refined as some MCC, but I love it. I think it gives the glass some character and it also awakens the mouth. Gentle but authoritative at the same time. Does that make any sense? Like a slap you might give your lover on the bum? (you can see my extensive wine jargon coming through in that last sentence)

Anyway, the stuff is delicious and you would do well to get some. To find out where, check out their site on www.bramonwines.co.za and if ever you are in the area make sure to visit. Just be sure to place your order early on in the trip. Not like us. Unless you want to drink bubbly for 6 months. Well...now that I say it out loud...

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer

2010-06-25T04:38:00.000-07:00

Guys, I have been asked to take the post I did down. WINE Magazine paid me to write for them exclusively so it's not really the done thing for me to publish it here. That's fair enough. I'll re-post it when this month's issue is off the shelves.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

La Mouette - Fancy a dinner for two?

2010-06-24T00:53:00.000-07:00

You may well have heard about La Mouette already. It's the restaurant that sparked the infamous Rossouwgate. I actually felt for them, as JP's review of the restaurant was totally overshadowed by the scathing attack that was mounted by readers in the comments section. People totally lost the plot, and more importantly lost sight of JP's opinions. I haven't reviewed La Mouette, as the only eating experience I have had there was the invitation to a chef's table as part of their launch. I can't provide a fair review based on that meal, but I can tell you the food I ate was sublime. I have also heard from others - who's opinion I trust - that their experiences have been equally good. La Mouette seems to be the real deal, and with an undoubtedly beautiful setting it's worth checking out, even if only for a drink or two.

But what makes it categorically worth a trip is the special they are currently running. R150 for a 6 course tasting menu. That's bloody good value. Even if the food is only average (which I'm confident it won't be) that's worth visiting for isn't it? Dishes like crispy calamari with paprika, fish soup with potato, mussels and leek and tuna tartare with avocado and rocket promise brilliant value for that price.

What? Still not convinced? How about half-price cocktails in the new upstairs bar. What's that? Does it have a TV? Yes my dear, it has a flat-screen showing all the football.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I'm giving away dinner for two at La Mouette. All you have to do is tell me which teams will be playing in the Cape Town semi-final of the World Cup. Yip, guess those teams and dinner is yours.

I'll give everyone until 5pm tomorrow to have their predictions in. In the case of more than one person being correct we'll have a draw.

Go. Go. Go.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

If you don't win, but still want to check the place out, try their website

Sweet potato gnocchi with shredded lamb shank

2010-06-23T02:26:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love lamb shank? In winter it must rate as one of the best comfort dishes around. Plus, it's super easy to cook. I usually make mine the night before and let it cook on a low temperature through the night. Serving it on the bone with polenta, parmesan mash, saffron rice etc. is cool, but what I like to do is shred the meat. It opens up so many options and you can create phenomenal things with it. I've used it in the past in a risotto which was sensational. The dish was pretty heavy though and I needed something a bit lighter when we hosted The In-Laws on Sunday. Enter gnocchi.

Gnocchi is highly underrated. It is not overly difficult to make and when you use sweet-potato as I do it's a lot healthier than most starches. The other bonus is that you can always make extra dough and freeze it. In terms of exact amounts, it's a bit tricky. Just gauge as you go and add flour or water as necessary.

Stuff you'll need to feed four:

For the gnocchi:

3 - 4 sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
A pinch of nutmeg
One free-range egg yolk
About 2 cups of flour plus extra for dusting

For the sauce

4 lamb shanks
A handful of finely chopped carrot
A handful of finely chopped celery
An onion, finely chopped
Two tins of tomatoes
About half a bottle of red wine. (Good wine. Wine that you would drink happily)
A handful of hard herbs, chopped (Go for thyme, rosemary, oreganum or a combo)
Flour, for dusting the meat
A handful of parsley, roughly chopped
1 - 2 chillies, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed

Okay, what to do:

For the gnocchi

1. Make sure the sweet-potatoes are well mashed and while they are still warm add flour, egg and nutmeg. Season well with salt and pepper and knead to make a warm, soft dough. If you need to add some flour or water do so. Cover with a tea towel for 5 minutes.

2. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out the dough to form a long, thin "sausage".

3. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into 1cm pieces. Use a fork and squash each piece to form ridges on one side. Place pieces on a floured baking tray.

4. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook gnocchi pieces in batches. What's pretty cool is that the gnocchi tells you when they are ready by rising to the surface. When this happens, scoop them out gently and put aside.

For the shanks

1. Preheat your oven to 140 degrees celsius. Dust your shanks in flour and brown them in a deep pot. Remove and set aside.

2. Gently fry your onion, carrot and celery in the pot for a few minutes and add your herbs, garlic and chilli. Fry for a bit longer before adding the tinned tomatoes and wine. Place your shanks in the liquid. They should be covered so you might need to add a glass or two of water.

3. Bring to the boil before reducing heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes before placing in the oven.

4. Cook shanks for as long as you can (at least 2.5 hours but preferably 7 or 8!) Take the pot out and gently turn the shanks every now and then.

5. When the meat is falling off the bone, remove shanks and set aside to cool. Shred meat.

6. Add ladles of the sauce to a pan and reduce until desired consistency. Add the meat and heat through.

To serve, spoon sauce into bowls, top with some gnocchi pieces and garnish with chopped parsley.

Quite simply, an epic meal.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

AmaZink Eatery - Sensational

2010-06-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

When you're getting paid to eat out, and deadlines loom, the danger is that sometimes the pleasure of a restaurant experience is lost. It can become a job rather than a passion, as dishes and flavours blur into plates of "sameness". Having said all that, what it does mean is that when a restaurant or meal stands out from the masses it does so because it deserves to. It stands out because it is memorable and special. It is a defining food moment. One of these moments presented itself to me on Saturday. In the middle of a township.

AmaZink Eatery is the brainchild of Bertus Basson, the man behind the fine-dining establishment, Overture. His new venture is poles apart and is a no-nonsense, no frills restaurant in Khayamandi. The decor is a collection of lively coloured wooden chairs and gorgeous painted tables. There is an amphitheater set up with a big screen for watching sport and an outside section where you can watch the goings on of a bustling township. The menu is scribbled on chalkboards in funky fonts and the meat you're about to eat displayed behind glass. Loyiso is the man in charge of a friendly, vibrant staff and he runs the show brilliantly.

I sat down and skeptically ordered a glass of their house white. A pleasant surprise arrived in the form of a cold glass of Chenin Blanc from Ernst Gouws & Co. I asked our waitress about it and it turns out it has been created especially for AmaZink. Nice. To eat, I ordered a vegetable soup to start. It arrived with light, steaming-fresh vetkoek and was an enormous portion. The soup itself tasted like vegetables which already was a lot better than vegetable soups I have had in more expensive settings. With none of the meat being free-range, I asked Loyiso if I could taste some of his pap. What arrived was the biggest plate of food I have seen. Ever. Pumpkin fritters, potato wedges, chakka lakka, spinach, pap, sauce. Alright then. I ate until I couldn't actually face another bite, savouring every bit of food. This was proper food, cooked simply and with a distinct sweetness to the vegetables that is characteristic to the culture. The Queen had a perfectly cooked half Peri-Peri chicken, blackened by an open flame. The same vegetables were offered, this time with a generous combination of samp and beans. Again, brilliantly cooked.

Other options for mains were pork, lamb, chicken, wors and even a platter for two combining everything! We couldn't face desserts but next time I reckon I'll just start with one of them. I already know the malva pudding will be the real deal.

Next time you feel like doing something different, this place is worth a trip. Unfortunately I was driving, but the best way to enjoy this place would be to hire a shuttle, get 10 mates, do a bit of wine-touring and end here for lunch. That - my friends - would be the ultimate day. Who's keen?

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. Check out their website on http://www.amazink.co.za

Wine of the week - Cloof Inkspot Vin Noir 2007

2010-06-20T23:40:00.000-07:00

Cloof is a winery in Darling which produces serious wines without taking things too seriously. With names like Daisy Darling, Happy Dragon, Very Sexy Shiraz etc. it's clear they have a sense of humour out there in Darling. Don't be fooled though, their wines are crackers. One of them, the Inkspot Vin Noir 2007 (a blend of Pinotage, Shiraz, Cinsaut and Cabernet Sauvignon), is a personal favourite for sentimental reasons...

I chose it as the red for my wedding, which means I got too much and am still drinking it 6 months later. Not necessarily a bad thing. I chose it for the big day for a few reasons. Despite the intense dark colour (hence the name), I found it to be exceptionally fruity. I got some strong citrus coming out of it, particularly orange zest. This set my mind wandering and conjured up images of sipping sangria somewhere along the Spanish coastline. Of course, it's not sangria and saying it is might be a massive insult to the winemaker. What I'm trying to say is that it's fresh, lively and not too heavy. Plums and summer berries come through in the mouth, and in a blind tasting I reckon I would've said it was a Pinot Noir. Wrongly, of course.

It is the type of red wine you can drink during the daytime. (Which is not the case for all red wine in my opinion). It is the type of wine that I can happily drink standing round a braai or having lunch in my courtyard. It lends itself to be served slightly chilled and I reckon it would be dynamite with something like a smoked duck salad with blueberry dressing.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. This wine is a bit more difficult to find than some. That's the bad news. The good news - no, the GREAT news - is that all you need to do is drop them an e-mail on marchell@cloof.co.za and they will deliver. A bottle costs R45. Call the cops people...that is an absolute steal.

Cape Wine Braai Masters - South African to the core

2010-06-18T03:13:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's the World Cup fever that has swept through South Africa in the last few weeks and months, but it's safe to say I have never felt prouder to be part of this country. I always considered myself to be patriotic, but things have been taken to a new level lately. Seeing foreigners openly perv our beautiful scenery, and hearing them rubbish reports they heard prior to arriving (about safety, lack of development, poor infrastructure etc) has been awesome. Our heritage has come to the fore but at the same time change is evident. Super 14 semi-finals and finals in Orlando? And then two weeks later Bafana Bafana playing at Loftus? Who would've thought it a few years back?

I know I'm not the only one feeling this way. Flags and mirror socks are one thing, but you need only look at peoples' faces in the packed stadiums to know that we are all in the middle of something special. There is a swell of excitement and it's good to be part of it.

So it is nothing short of genius that the Wines of South Africa (WOSA) - a non-profit organisation - have timed this general feeling of euphoria with the release of a cookbook which aims squarely at our heritage and the heart of what is truly South African. Yip, I'm talking about the braai.

153 pages are dedicated to our beloved pastime, with areas of focus including such serious matters as:

Braai grid preparation
Making the fire. (This is especially technical and involves wood selection, lighting technique, stacking coals etc.)
Equipment necessary

The book takes readers on a journey through some of Cape Town's favourite wineries, with the owners and winemakers each sharing their interpretations of the perfect braai. Of course, wine features heavily and is paired with sensational recipes. Expect things like tea-smoked springbok salad, gemsbok fillet, seafood potjie, vegetables in phyllo pastry etc.

The photography and styling of this book captures not only the food but also the joy of lighting up a braai with mates. It is a simple pleasure, but one that speaks loudly to us. Louder perhaps than any vuvuzela in any of our incredible new stadiums.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. I'm sure you'd like to know which farms are interested? Yes? Well I can do better. Go to their website (www.wosa.co.za) and check out the digital version of the book. It's a pleasure luv.

"Caprese salad" soup

2010-06-17T00:43:00.000-07:00

Look, in the food and wine world we know some ingredients belong together. Dark chocolate and raspberries. Mint and peas. Mushrooms and thyme. Shiraz and pepper. Tequila and Myprodol. Some things just work, you know?

One of the most celebrated examples of flavours being best friends is the simple Caprese salad. Basil. Tomatoes. Mozzarella. Done. With the temperature being what it has the last few days (fu*king cold basically) I had a stab at trying to bring these flavours together in a way that would warm me up too. The result was a pretty cool "Caprese salad soup", which was a bit like a tomato soup dressed up for a night out.

Stuff you'll need to feed 4:

Three handfuls of cherry tomatoes
Two tins of tomatoes
A bunch of basil
The best olive oil you can get your hands on
About 500ml of the best chicken stock/vegetable stock you have (Check out NoMU's fonds range)
About 12 balls of bocconcini, or the equivalent amount of mozzarella ripped into 12 pieces.
Half an onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
A handful of finely chopped celery
A handful of finely chopped carrot

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius. Place your cherry tomatoes in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast for 35 minutes, or until they begin to blister. Remove and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, gently fry your celery, onion, garlic, carrot in a pan until softened but not coloured.

3. Add your tinned tomatoes and stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer. Add your roasted tomatoes. Allow to simmer for as long as possible, or until the liquid has reduced to your liking.

4. Using a stick blender blitz mixture until smooth. (If you don't have a stick blender pour into normal blender and blitz.)

5. While soup is simmering, make a very rustic "pesto" by pounding the basil with some olive oil and sea salt in a pestle and mortar.

6. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and add three pieces of cheese to each bowl. Drizzle over the "pesto" and a bit of olive oil if you need to. Make sure to season with plenty of black pepper.

This is - quite simply - cooking for dummies. Anybody can make this. It is more sophisticated than a tomato soup and way tastier. The cheese that melts into the soup is what makes the difference. It scores high on the health:taste ratio and is perfect for winter. Get moving.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Neighbourgoods Market - open tonight (15.06.10)

2010-06-15T03:08:00.001-07:00

A quick one here my lovelies. A quick one to let you know that the Neighbourgoods Market will be open tonight. What? You knew that already? Well, that's nice. Off you go. Go buy yourself a samoosa.

For those of you (like me) who didn't actually know the good news until recently, let me break it down:

The usual suspects like Kitchen Cowboys and Piroschka will be there, as will the stand selling ridiculously good seared tuna burgers. Curries and paella will be piping hot to battle the cold and the fashion wing will be there too, sporting a distinctly winter offering. So think scarves, beanies, hats, gloves, coats etc. Get something yourself, get something for the missus. Get both...

I have it on good authority that the Von Geusau hot chocolate is the stuff of legends so grab a cup of that if you're trying to be responsible. If not, I'm sure the Jack Black team and other local micro-breweries will be there. Maybe a glass of red from one of the wineries? Yes? No? Come on, I know you want to. Tomorrow is tomorrow's problem.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Epicurean chopping board - Skaters dig cooking too

2010-06-15T02:15:00.001-07:00

My second product review for the team over at Yuppiechef went out in their newsletter today. I see they have taken my photo off this one. I queried this with them and got answers that were too technical for me to understand. "Traffic overload", "Systems crashing". Something like that...

Anyway, read about it here. Who knew a chopping board could be that cool?

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Wine of the week - Idiom Cape Blend 2006

2010-06-14T01:55:00.001-07:00

I've realised that my Wines of The Week haven't exactly been of the "cheap and cheerful" type lately. I realise this may seem like I am a snob. Far from it. I enjoy a glass or bottle of well-priced wine. I've got no problem with it. In fact, discovering a little gem is often far more rewarding to me than enjoying wine that you know is good. That said, there are times when you need wine to celebrate. You need a special bottle to enjoy and savour. There is also no doubt that mood and circumstance can have an effect on how good (or bad) a wine can taste. So perhaps I should explain what I was going through when we opened this one.

Long Distance, Prego and I had just finished the African X (well, 2 of the 3 days. The last one had to be cancelled because of dangerous weather). My left knee felt like a midget was standing under the table stabbing me in the leg. My toenails were black. My back ached. I had blisters the size of golfballs on both feet. But I felt awesome. Six mates (the others were staying somewhere else...shame) had pushed ourselves and our bodies for 65km's through some of the most beautiful trail running around. We sat and traded war-stories. I had thrown a leg of lamb into the oven about 4 hours earlier and the smell of rosemary and garlic was filling the room. I needed a drink.

Prego had brought along a bottle of the Idiom Cape Blend 2006. We decanted it, gave it as much time as our patience could manage and poured ourselves a glass. On the nose, pomegranate. With a bit of something sweet. Maybe honeycomb? If that sounds weird, it is. But good weird. Anyway, from the first sip it was brilliant. Full-bodied and with the ability to linger in every millimeter of your mouth, it made all the sweat of the two previous days worth it.

We managed to drink the wine slow enough to enjoy some of it with the lamb, which proved to be a great pairing. Again, the situation may have helped that. A roaring fire and watching the rain lash into a wild sea 20 metres from where we sat can do that I guess...

Next time I promise I'll showcase something a bit more entry-level. But if you're celebrating this is a good one. Trust me, my knee felt instantly better.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. The wine itself is a blend of Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot. It comes from a Stellenbosch winery and should cost you about R145 - R155 from wine boutiques.

Espresso - Bad name, good fun

2010-06-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

If you judge a restaurant by how busy it is (and quite a few people do) then Espresso in Parkhurst must surely be one of the best in the country. Every time I have visited the place it has been absolutely heaving. The formula of: arrive for lunch, get an outside table on the pavement, drink copious amounts of wine, eat calamari and go across the road to The Attic (a funky bar with plenty of character) was revisited last night as I hooked up with The Big Dog and his missus for an early dinner. It was the first time I had been to Espresso for dinner and upon examining the menu it became obvious why. It is simple, cafe food that lends itself to daytime eating. Less obvious is the reason behind calling the place Espresso...

The pizza is thin, crispy and delicious, with the pasta playing a solid hand too, but really it is their secret Peri-Peri sauce that forms the backbone of the menu. It is splashed on the three best things to order at Espresso, which are:
1. The falklands calamari
2. Beef trinchado
3. Prego roll

I tried a caprese sandwich last night which was decent and packed with some high-quality pesto. Not as good as the three options above but something to consider if you just feel like something light.

A strange aspect of Espresso is the fact that they only accept cash. If that seems a bit shady...well...it is. If you don't like it I guess they are happy with you going somewhere else. As I mentioned, with the amount of people this place gets they seem comfortable with losing the odd customer.

Call them on (011) 447-8700

Cheers,
Jamie Who

Pomodoro - Hello Joburg

2010-06-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

The e-mails continue to flood in from the Jozi masses. "When are you going to write about Joburg Jamie?" "Why don't you visit us more up here Jamie?" "Can we see a photo of you naked Jamie?" It's never-ending. I don't really know what to say - I love you guys just as much as the Capetonians. If you were here right now you would see I'm busy blowing you kisses. So I'm delighted to be spending a full week up in Jozi. Eating. Drinking. Trying to pretend running at altitude is no big deal.

Yesterday I visited Pomodoro for the first time since they made the move from 1st Avenue in Rivonia. Their new home is the Morningside Shopping Centre and it's a nice shift. Some of the original look and feel has been maintained but it has received a nice injection of style. So less spartan, but still true to the formula that made it a success. Look, it's in a shopping centre, but there's a nice outdoor eating area, soft natural light, good finishes and an owner who is very, very good with his customers. And the menu is good too. Plenty of pizza and pasta but creative sauces and toppings packed with authentic ingredients. Ther are also more substantial offerings like baked linefish and ostrich fillet.

I tried The Dragon's bruschetta topped with fior di latte and anchovies, which was delicious. God I love real anchovies. The Queen was similarly impressed with a simple carpaccio and a side order of wilted spinach and parmesan shavings, but in all honesty they both knew I had ordered the best meal of the day: A prawn pasta with perfectly cooked penne and the curious addition of tequila in the sauce (which was basically tomato and onion). Well, it was a triumph and brought a sharpness to the dish that was most welcome. The fresh chilli I asked for took the dish from good to excellent and in my opinion it should be a permanent fixture in that specific recipe.

I was told to look out for the owner's grandmother but couldn't see her anywhere. I was initially disappointed at not being able to meet such a legend (she's about 85 years old but pulls in for lunch on most days) but sure enough on my way out there she was...happily slurping up Pomodoro's famous Puttenesca sauce. What a legend.

It's in a mall, yes. So are most of the restaurants up here. But it's got a bit of soul and is definitely worth checking out.

Call them on 087 940 3811.

Cheers,
Jamie Who

Food blogging - it's real

2010-06-09T00:52:00.000-07:00

I attented a brunch yesterday where I was named as one of Mail&Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans you should take to lunch. Now, this article is not just to brag and blow my own vuvuzela (although let's face it, that's part of it) - it's to hopefully settle something that has been irritating me for a while now. A few weeks ago there was huge drama in the food writing/blogging world, as JP Rossouw was attacked on his site for allegedly not conducting all his own reviews. The outcry was long, tedious, malicious and strayed from what is the main point: credibilty.

Credibilty is the cornerstone of any food writer/blogger when they take it upon themselves to review a restaurant. With the internet and the more recent emergence of social media it has meant basically anyone can be a food critic. Anybody can have a voice. This is a double-edged sword though, as people with absolutely no clue are now free to write disparaging things about restaurateurs and their establishments. Now, I am the first to admit that I don't have any professional training. I set up a blog to write about food, which I love. The tone throughout the past year has deliberately been informal as I want to try and talk to normal people. Normal foodies. And I want to do it with a normal voice.

The response has been staggering, as I now find myself part of 'the media'. Invited to launches, events, functions, chef's tables etc. and being commissioned to write for other publications. Initially this seemed strange to me. Only yesterday did it sink in that food bloggers are now considered real media. The events I attend inevitably include fellow bloggers. Like Dax from Relax-with-Dax. And Chris from Whale Cottage. These people sit alongside representatives from the bigger sites like Eat Out and Food24. Indeed, Neil Pendock's mention of Clare Mack (fellow food blogger) and Harry Reginald (wine blogger) in the Sunday Times again confirmed the need to pay attention to food bloggers. The Foodie (yet another food blogger) remains one of my favourite food reads, above some more prestigious publications. Michael Olivier is soon to launch his online magazine, Crush, which shows huge faith in the online food writing industry. It really is an exciting time to be a food blogger. Let's not forget the wine guys over at Spit or Swallow, who are climbing up the highest-ranked sites.

But back to credibilty, and perhaps the more importnat question: what makes a good food/wine blog. To me you get blogs where the writer has great knowledge. There are others where the actual writing is brilliant. A good blog is a combination of both. Get that right and the credibilty will come.

And what gives me or the other bloggers out there the right to slag off establishments? Some say we are wrecking careers. I understand that. I understand the sensibilty that those people might be doing their best. But that's called freedom of speech. Food bloggers are here to stay I'm afraid. If you don't like us, don't read us.

Cheers,
Jamie Who

Wine of the week - Haut Espoir Gentle Giant 2006

2010-06-07T00:33:00.000-07:00

The first time I tasted this wine it was from a bottle that I had won. Some dude called Rambowine was having a competition on Twitter where you had to identify a restaurant's bathroom from a photo he had taken with a cellphone. I ended up guessing Reuben's in Franschhoek and 24 hours later I was holding a bottle of the Gentle Giant 2006 from Haut Espoir. Lovely...

Since then I have learnt more about the mysterious Rambowine (real name Rob Armstrong) by following him on the TV show, "Way of The Warrior". On the show his determination and passion for life was obvious and this comes through clearly in his wine. Upon completion of that first bottle (which was the same night by the way) I have made a point of ordering the stuff whenever I can find it. It's a blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Mourvedre, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. So some strong flavours are involved. The smell is spicy and reminds me of poached plums. In the mouth it is incredibly smooth, with cracked peppercorns and even a bit of aniseed coming through - like crushed fennel seeds or star anise. Very skooch.

A great way to enjoy this is with a simple, grilled ribeye steak. Use plenty of black pepper to stand up to the spicy wine.

You're welcome.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Madame Zingara - She's gorgeous

2010-06-03T23:53:00.000-07:00

The Madame Zingara story is a beaut. It's like a soap opera. In a nutshell, it goes like this:

1. One of Cape Town's most beloved restaurants burns down

2. In one of the greatest marketing/PR coups South Africa has ever seen, the restaurant is resurrected. This time in a massive tent. With live shows.

3. The wildly successful show comes to an end. It gets packed up and the team departs on an overseas tour.

4. A major investor pulls out.

5. The team returns to South Africa, battered and in dire financial trouble.

Last night I was lucky enough to be part of what would read as point 6 in the above story. Point 6 would say: The restaurant opens again. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes! Bigger and better than ever, and this time in the middle of a designer shanty-town.

The team has done a phenomenal job in creating a faux-township, dubbed eZingalethu. There's a shebeen, a pool bar, some dodgy tattoo shop (they're fake, don't worry), hubcaps on corragated iron partitions, plastic chairs everywhere, a place to hire gumboots and more. The staff are dressed in the trademark whacky costumes and there are several familiar faces from the past MZ adventures. There are some new characters too - my favourite being "the tart". A dude (quite a big dude) who is dressed as a brilliant parody of the Paris-Hilton/Joburg kugel type of girl. She (he) dons a tiny dress and a 1m tall wine glass. She (he) flits around chatting to anyone who will listen and is brilliant. A similar satirical character is "the Trance-party chick", which is another dude dressed as a hippy at a trance party. She (he) has ribbons everywhere, a florescent headband and a moonbag from the 80's. It's classic. She (he) also does a good job of acting like the shrooms have kicked in too hard. Come to think of it, most of the MZ staff do a good job of acting like the drugs have kicked in....

Anyway, once inside the tent you are reminded of how much you missed it. The vibe is electric, the costumes outrageous and the tent itself beautiful. I took my seat and for the next few hours was treated to some awesome cirque acts. A combination of physical strength and raw power, beauty, humour, talent and style were seamlessly strung together. It was awesome to watch and I enjoyed it way more than Vaudeville. Some might disagree but at Vaudeville I found myself drinking tequila to try get in the mood. Last night I had to stop myself from getting tequila. I didn't need it. The show has something for everyone but the stand-outs for me were the hula-hoop girl and the roller-skate pair. Truly skoochie.

Another major aspect of MZ is their community work. They have one again teamed up with Ikamva Labantu, a non-profit organisation who help support communities with health, education, food, security and skill development initiatives. Awesome stuff.

Oh, the food. Right, I forgot about the food. An antipasti platter is shared between two people. Not bad. Mozzarella, fresh figs, a sundried tomato tart, a simple salad and some toasted cashews. The starter dish was a artichoke ravioli and for mains you could choose from their signature fillet with chocolate and chilli sauce, a springbok shank, salmon or a vegetarian risotto with roasted butternut and gorgonzola. Dessert was a chocolate torte with a raspberry mousse. Was the food spectacular? No. But it was decent. And let's appreciate that they are feeding 5oo people! That alone is pretty spectacular and gets my respect. And let's be honest, you're not there for the food really. You're there for a night of escapism and to have a good time, which I absolutely did.

So there it is. Madame Zingara is back. And she's beautiful.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. How much are tickets and how do you get them? Well, I was lucky enough to be invited as media so I didn't pay anything. Well...I paid for the wine (the winelist is impressive by the way). For info on prices etc. check out their website on www.madamezingara.com

Jamie Who favourites

2010-06-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

I've deliberately stayed away from two types of stories over the last few weeks/months. One is the "winter specials" story. I swear when I have to read about some of the ridiculous things certain places are offering it makes me wonder how desperate they actually are. Come visit us on the first Monday of the month between 1 and 2 pm, wearing a Bafana Bafana jersey and if you order your pizza in Afrikaans you get your second caraffe of wine free if you pay for your first with a R20 note. Okay, it's not that bad but I have read and heard enough of winter specials. Enough. Every single day the list grows and grows and I personally am completely over it. Fellow food blogger Dax wrote a great piece on specials and their shortfalls and followed it up with a piece on the worthwhile ones. Nicely done.

The second story I have steered clear of is anything World Cup related. These stories often tied in with restaurant specials and I refused to get sucked in. Until recently. The fever has got me and it's got me bad. The socks are on the Fire Truck mirrors (yes, I just told you the name of my car), the flag is hanging out my office window, I've bought a ridiculously-expensive Bafana jersey, I own a Puma Unity jersey and when I finish this post I'm off to get myself an Ivory Coast top. I am totally over-excited for The World Cup. So...I thought instead of listing specials that different places are offering I would provide a list of my own. A list of Jamie Who favourites for visitors lucky enough to be part of this historic event. These will no doubt spark debate (which I would love by the way) but please guys, let's keep it civilised. Below is a list of my favourites. Things I enjoy. I'm not saying they are the best. I'm saying they are MY best. Please understand the difference. By all means, comment and leave your suggestions. Here we go:

1. Best steak: HQ and Carne. (Go for the hanger cut here. Rare.)

2. Best place to have an artisanal beer: Brewers & Union. (I'm a fan of the Berne.)

3. Best place to have a glass (or more) of wine: Caveau. (Their Heritage Square branch.)

4. Best pizza: Carlyle's on Derry Street. (It must be made very clear that this is only because visitors won't have the opportunity to enjoy a pizza from Massimo. We should all agree by now that he is king of the pizza)

5. Best beer on tap: Jack Black

6. Best place to enjoy Jack Black on tap: Harvey's Bar at Winchester Mansions and Twankey Bar at the Taj Hotel.

7. Best bakery: Ile de Pain in Knysna and Jardine Bakery in Bree Street

8. Best restaurant on a wine farm (if you're looking for fine-dining): Overture on Hidden Valley

9. Best restaurant on a wine farm (if you're looking for something rustic): Bread and Wine on Moreson

10. Best place to have a cocktail (if you want a view): Salt at the Ambassador hotel.

11. Best place to have a cocktail (if you just want a bloody good cocktail): Martini bar at the Cellars Hohenoort and Asoka.

12. Best food market (for a vibe): The Neigbourgoods market in Woodstock

13. Best food market (for the produce): The Wild Oats Farmers' market in Sedgefield or The Slow Food Market in Stellenbosch.

14. Best burger: Loading Bay (when they have burger nights). Otherwise Caprice.

15. Best breakfast spot: Bistro Sixteen82

16. Best sandwich: The Kitchen in Woodstock

17. Best overall lunchtime restaurant: Superette in Woodstock

18. Best healthy food: Osumo (chicken fajita wrap is what you want here. Trust me)

19. Best coffee: (...............) I can't drink coffee so it's up to you to judge by the comments.

20. Best food memorabilia shop: The Chef's Warehouse

21. Best curry: Firefly in Knysna

22. Best value-for-money restaurant: La Boheme

And now, the big dogs. Let's get a slow clap going....

23. Best restaurant in Cape Town: Bizerca Bistro

24. Best restaurant in South Africa: Zachary's in Knysna

A special mention must go out to Cheyne's in Bree Street. He does private functions in the evenings and the feast he cooked for The Queen's surprise dinner still rates as one of the best I have had.

There you have it. My favourites. A guide to places I would recommend to anyone visiting Cape Town and/or the Garden Route. If you think of any categories I may have forgotten let me know. We'll chat. Also, I didn't include links to the places I've mentioned. If you want contact details for any of them please drop me a mail at jamiewhoblog@gmail.com

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The 2010 Stellenbosch Wine Festival - Really, honestly, why wouldn't you?

2010-06-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

There's almost too much going on during the World Cup. Don't get me wrong, I love the hype and I'm incredibly proud of the beautiful country that we get to show off. I just think restaurants/hotels/bars etc. are putting too much hope in the whole thing. People have invested loads of time and money in some cases and personally I'm not sure they're going to be able to get back the returns they had in mind. I think World Cup Fever has blinded them a bit and their excitement has clouded judgement. Having said all of that, some guys have got it right and introduced spectacular ways to showcase the incredible things we have to offer as a country. The 2010 Stellenbosch Wine Festival is a good example of this.

From the 1st to the 5th of July, visitors are invited to experience the festival in a slightly different format. This year the plan is to offer a decentralised experience, where guests are transported by shuttle buses to participating wineries. All you need to do is rock up at one of the Park-and-rides, buy a pass and off you go. That's how they're rolling this year. Sounds awesome to me.

Various activities will be offered by the participating farms, including winemaking workshops, tastings, live music, game drives, football on big screens, food-pairings and interactive meals at some of the farm's restaurants. Idiom Wines are even hosting a 5-a-side football tournament. For the less enthusiastic - or those looking to do more drinking and less running - there is a Boules court (yes there is such a thing as a Boules court) too. For those not in the know, Boules is that game where you chuck the little wooden ball and then the heavy silver balls to try and get them as close to it as possible. It's chilled and can DEFINITELY be done while drinking.

With participating farms including Delheim, Jordan, Villiera, Waterkloof and L'Avenir (pictured) this event promises to be an absolute corker. Trust me. Have I ever let you down? Tickets will set you back R150 for the day or R500 for the duration of the festival. Do it.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Wine of the week - Newton Johnson 2007 Chardonnay

2010-05-31T01:36:00.000-07:00

I'm loving wines from the Hermanus/Hemel En Aarde Valley area lately, which is where this week's featured wine is produced. I've been nailing a lot of the Pinot Noir from the Newton Johnson farm but I recently stumbled across their 2007 Chardonnay. It's aged in Burgundy oak barrels, and smells like fruits stewing in vanilla and butter. In the mouth I found it to have more body than expected, with citrus flavours hanging around long after you've taken a sip. They come wafting in the same way you smell a beautiful women's perfume a few seconds after she has walked past. They are subtle but still worth a mention.

I know winter is here but that doesn't mean we have to ONLY drink red wine. I like to match a wine like this with something spicy which provides the warmth. I had this with a phenomenal plate of chicken livers and chorizo at Wild Woods recently and it worked a treat. The creaminess of the livers matched the texture of the wine and the heat from the chilli was awesome with the citrus notes. It was pretty skoochie and if ever you're out there you would do well to order that. Trust me. If you're looking to knock something up at home a nice piece of grilled tuna with chilli and ginger could be good too.

The wine goes for R115 and is available at most boutique stores.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

We Love Real Beer - welcome

2010-05-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick one peeps - it seems life is getting in the way of food and drink today...

You'll notice a new logo somewhere on this page. I've spoken before about my hesitancy to just throw any logo up, but here's one I believe in. My love affair with Jack Black started way back when I did this post about them. I explained how much I love the product, the brand, but more importantly the philosophy behind it. Micro-brewed by people with passion. The response I got from them was amazing and I took on a self-nominated "ambassador" approach, drinking it wherever I could and telling anyone who would listen that they should do the same.

My love for &Union is also pretty well documented. As a restaurant, the concept is brilliant in its simplicity. They stock phenomenal beer and highly underrated food. Everything in that place is a celebration of all things artisan.

The evening I went to to launch of the We Love Real Beer campaign was when I got the idea of teaming up with these two awesome brands. And that's what we've done. Jack Black Beer. Brewers&Union. Jamie Who. I mean, come now. It makes sense. I'll be sharing any new products that hit &Union, any specials that they run, new pubs selling Jack Black on tap, giveaways, competitions etc. I'm here to share the love. The love of beer. Real beer.

So join me in raising a glass. To the people who take raising a glass seriously.

Cheers (not Charles) *ahem

Jamie Who

Tomato and basil bread

2010-05-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

I love to take recipes and make them "my own". Add a little something here. More of this. Less of this. Cook it longer. Cook it slower. Substitute this for this. You get the picture. What I did with this recipe was read it out loud and do exactly what it said. I didn't change a thing. The flavour combinations seemed perfect for me and I didn't mess with it. It came from the Woolworths Taste Cookbook and it's a cracker. I knocked it up for breakfast on a recent trip to Wellington with Power, The Awesomes, Mama Kee and of course The Queen. I'm not sure if it was the stinging hangover (it definitely wasn't just them being polite) but they seemed to love it. I served it for breakfast with some silky, scrambled eggs but honestly it could work with pretty much anything. At pretty much any time of the day. It would also work if you used the mixture to make muffins.

Stuff you need to feed 6:

15 cherry tomatoes, halved
120g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 free range eggs
Half a cup milk
125g basil pesto
165g parmesan, grated

What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 140 degrees celsius. Halve the tomatoes, season with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 2 hours. Remove and set aside.

2. Increase the temperature to 180 degrees celsius. Combine flour and baking powder. In a bowl beat the eggs, then mix in the flour mixture. Add the milk and basil pesto and stir through.

3. Fold half the roasted tomatoes into the mixture and stir in the parmesan.

4. Grease a loaf pan and spoon in the mixture (or into muffin tins)

5. Bake for 50 minutes, or until cooked. To test, insert a skewer and pull it out. The bread is done if the skewer comes out cleanly.

Like I said, I served mine with scrambled eggs. If you want to just throw it onto a chopping board and present it like that (and it will still look incredible) roast some extra tomatoes and use them as a garnish with some basil leaves.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Whole wheat penne with pork sausage, blistered tomatoes and chilli

2010-05-26T05:05:00.000-07:00

Sausages. Jeez I miss them. With the whole free-range thing it has honestly been one of the toughest things to give up. So you can imagine how stoked I was to stumble across Open Veld organic and free-range sausages recently. Created by Ian Bergh (trained chef), they are not made from sinewy off-cuts (like most sausages in this country) but rather good quality meat, sourced from ethical suppliers. This means they add no preservatives and cereals or bread in order to bulk them up. They also use less fat, which is an added bonus. (Look, they need to use some fat to add flavour - and help as a binding agent - but they are definitely healthier than most.) There are a couple of flavours but the one I keep coming back to is the pork, garlic and white wine variety. It's fantastic. My favourite way to cook them is to cut them open, take out the meat and use it in a pasta. Here's what I mean:

Stuff you'll need to feed 4:

500g organic, whole wheat pasta of your choice (I prefer a short pasta with a chunky sauce like this, so go for something like penne, farfalle or fusilli)
A punnet of Open Veld pork sausage
2 chillies, finely chopped
Half an onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of parsley, roughly chopped
A handful of basil, torn
Half a tin of tomatoes
Three handfuls of rosa tomatoes

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Place your rosa tomatoes in a baking dish, pour over some olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for about 35 minutes, or until blistered. Remove and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan and fry your onion until it softens. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for about 2 minutes more, making sure not to burn the garlic.

3. Cut the sausage casing and remove meat. Add to the pan and fry until golden.

4. Add the roasted tomatoes and the tinned tomatoes, reduce heat and gently simmer sauce until reduced to the desired consistency.

5. Cook the pasta as per packet instructions. Drain, reserving a little bit of the cooking water.

6. Add pasta sauce to pasta, along with cooking water. Throw in the chopped parsley and stir to combine.

7. To serve, spoon into bowls and garnish with the basil. Shave over some pecorino cheese, if you really feel like a treat (and let's be honest...this dish deserves it.)

The great thing about this is the seasoning that is built into the sausages. It adds heaps of flavour for you so just keep that in mind and taste as you go.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. Look for Open Veld sausages at The Neighbourgoods market, The Foodbarn Deli (Noordhoek) and Melissa's.

Christophe's - I'm tipping it for big things

2010-05-25T01:37:00.001-07:00

The last time I visited Stellenbosch I wrote about how disillusioned I was with all the franchise food stores. (Vida, Melissa's etc.) I eventually stumbled across Nook which restored a bit of faith in my belief that there were some good, rustic eateries in the town. A further visit revealed Cafe Dijon, which definitely raised the culinary stakes. But my most recent visit took things to another level, and I haven't enjoyed a restaurant as much in a long time.

Christophe's is the latest venture for chef Christophe Dehosse, who previously worked at Au Jardin at The Vineyard Hotel. That was a few years back and in between now and then he founded and set up Joostenberg Bistro, which built up a great reputation as home of all things pig. He has now moved on and left that in the hands of his wife Susan. His new place is a bit more serious but remains unpretentious, with the decor being a mixture of soft, pastel walls and a collection of varied artwork (for sale.) White linen tables and imported cutlery let you know you are in the hands of someone who cares, as does the highly-professional and well-informed waiter/manager.

The menu is reassuringly short (indicating a chef who focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients) and lists five starters, five mains and a handful of desserts. The wine list was also a great collection and listed quite a few nearby, boutique farms. There was - understandably - a strong Joostenberg presence.

I tried "pan-fried quail salad" to start, which was served as quail with a side salad. A simple dressing of blanched, cubed and deseeded tomatoes and chives brought the dish together with the help of some sauteed porcini mushrooms. The Queen's starter of a cape salmon tartare was one of the finest starters I can remember having. Anywhere. I have never seen this fish served as a tartare but the texture worked amazingly well and I am surprised more chefs aren't trying it. (Upon reflection, I think it worked even better than Bizerca Bistro's yellowtail version, which I have enjoyed often.) Just the right amount of acidity came through from a fantastic dressing, and it was cleverly garnished with onion sprouts that added flavour, not just "prettiness" to the dish. Mains were a bouillabaisse for me (rich, deep flavours with prawns, a beautiful plump scallop, calamari and both cape salmon and Kabeljou) and a pan-fried Kobeljou, served on lentils with a mustard dressing, for The Queen. (Both dishes worked outstandingly with a bottle of Miles Mossop Saskia by the way...if you feel like a treat.) Desserts presented the only stumbling block in the form of a gooseberry creme brulee, which was far too sweet and over-caramelised i.e. burnt. That said, the chocolate fondant was sublime. Moist. Rich. Gooey. Decadent. Brilliant.

If ever you are in Stellenbosh (and in fact even if you're not) make a plan to find time to eat here. It's a great find. Find it at 44 Ryneveld Street, or call them on (021) 886-8763 .

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. Special mention must be made of the crockery, which I absolutely loved. They are quirky, vintage pieces and they make eating such high-end food seem totally unpretentious. A very clever touch.

Monday Wine of the Week - AA Badenhorst Secatuers Red Blend 2007

2010-05-24T01:46:00.000-07:00

I feel a bit sorry for Mondays. Honestly, I have never met a single person who likes them. And this is especially true for foodies. Obviously Mondays can't compete with the popular Fridays and Saturdays, where the majority of people are doing their wining and dining. Sundays are often the time for family roasts or simple evening braai's in the summer. Wednesdays are the "mini-Fridays" and often see people magnetically drawn to a pub on the way home. Thursdays? Well, they're almost Friday so why not indulge in the now famous Phuza Thursday movement? Hell, even Tuesdays are popular now that people can go to the movies and save some money (ignore the fact that this money saved is then spent eating extra sushi when the movie is done.) But Mondays, well...they've got very little going for them. Until now.

Say hello to the wine of the week. Sure, it's not exactly a new concept but I've decided to throw it up on a Monday to at least - at LEAST - get people stoked about a new wine. I mean come on people, let's give Mondays something to stand for.

Wine of the week on this blog is going to be a super-informal recommendation of a wine that I'm enjoying. I'm not going to get technical about it (mainly because I don't know enough about wine to do that), but instead just tell you what I'm drinking. And why I like it. That simple.

We kick off with The Secateurs Red Blend 2007, from AA Badenhorst Family Wines. The farm is in the Paardeberg area, between Wellington and Malmesbury. Upon opening the wine (a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Merlot, Carignan, Cinsaut and Grenache) I was struck by the smoky, spicy notes. A touch of sweetness came though from the fruits and the whole thing smelt like a campfire. A gorgeous mix of burnt wood and cooking marshmallows. I expected it to be heavy on my tongue but it was surprisingly thin, which was not necessarily bad. With such bold flavours a heavier consistency could've felt a bit clumsy. It reminded me a lot of the Hedonist blend (another favourite of mine) which, not surprisingly, comes from the same area and also uses highly underrated bush-vine varieties for intense flavour.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would've loved to cook something like a chorizo, chilli and butter-bean soup with this. That said, when I first opened it I also just wanted to knock up a bacon and peanut butter (crunchy...obviously) sandwich. It didn't last long enough with my thirsty guests for me to either.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. The wine retails from boutiques for about R67 a bottle.

P.P.S. If any of the more knowledgeable wine guys/girls - and there are plenty more knowledgeable than me - are reading this please feel free to comment and give opinions. Also, if there are any wines out there that are blowing your minds drop me an e-mail at jamiewhoblog@gmail.com so I can check them out.

Free-range Fridays at Catharina's

2010-05-20T01:12:00.000-07:00

You would've noticed my not-so-subtle "preachings" about free-range meat lately. It's a lifestyle choice I've made and it has been tough. No more Wimpy burgers on road-trips. No more bacon thrown liberally onto pasta and pizza. No more boerewors rolls on the side of rugby fields. No more Nando's when you're hammered or hungover. I've had to sacrifice certain dishes I used to love at restaurants and choose vegetarian options instead. Shopping at markets instead of grocery stores has taken on a whole new level of importance for me. Basically, free-range meat is a big deal. It's a huge deal. So when I heard of Catharina's Free-range Fridays concept, it was something I absolutely had to check out.

I was invited to a lunch to showcase the type of dishes the restaurant will be featuring on the menu, where chef Garth Almazan (surely one of the most underrated in Cape Town) talked a group of us through the philosophy. Not surprisingly, it all starts with the supplier and Garth explained the care that goes into sourcing the finest animals from the best farms. From there, Garth has borrowed from the "nose to tail" eating trend which, as the name suggests, focuses on using every part of the animal (or as much as possible). This brings me to my next point: offal. Offal has never really been given a chance here in South Africa, mainly because I feel people have no relationship with the animals they eat as meat. So the idea of eating livers, kidneys, sweetbreads etc. makes the average person squeamish. I guarantee that if people ate it in a blind-tasting they would love it.

Anyway, onto the lunch. We enjoyed roasted bone marrow with a quinoa stuffing. Braised beef tripe with pan-fried sweetbreads and a bean ragout. Pan-fried calves liver with oxtail rillette. Pork belly with trotter spring rolls. All paired with gorgeous wine. Think Herold Pinot Noir, Steenberg Nebbiolo, Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal (all from 07). The most unusual - and my favourite - was the Jordan Riesling teamed up with the pork belly. Cathy Marston (wine guru over at food24.com) was there and her explanations of the wine were fascinating. For example, I had never noticed the strong minty/Eucalyptus character of Steenberg wines which she pointed out. Watch out for it next time you have the chance.

The food was sensational. Honestly, some of the richest, deepest dishes I have enjoyed for a long time. The rain outside made it a perfect day to get stuck into such earthy flavours and the afternoon flew by. Bianca Coleman made an excellent drinking partner and I was quite bummed when I checked my watch and realised I had to get out of there. Next time - and there will definitely be a next time - I will make sure I stay longer, drink more and then roll down the road to my parents' house. (Yip, they have a place there - very convenient.) I'll probably wake up, go for a trail run on the Silvermine Reserve and enjoy brunch at Bistro Sixteen82. Because that's how we do it in Cape Town.

To find out more about the Free-range Friday movement, give Catharina's a call on (021) 713-2222. Do your bit. Do your bit and enjoy an unbelievable meal.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Shiny Happy People by Neil Roake

2010-05-19T00:55:00.000-07:00

Reviewing cookbooks is tough for me. Not because I can't find any decent ones. More because I find so many. Being a food nerd, my house is busting with them. Old. New. Beautiful. Stylish. Rustic. Hand-me-downs. And then there's the magazines. Honestly, it all gets a bit much. I'm running out of space. And when I stumbled across Shiny Happy People, by Neil Roake, I couldn't help myself. I had seen the book before, admired it and said "no" many times. I had been firm. I said it out loud. But like a moth to a flame (or more like Tiger to a cocktail waitress) I was eventually drawn in and my resistance broke. I caved. Let me tell you why...

The book is a shrine to the two most important things in Neil's life: food and friends. I can relate and wholeheartedly believe that the best way to enjoy these two things is with each other. The book introduces you to Neil's like-minded foodie friends and showcases their various signature dishes. The recipes are not too advanced for the average cook, but are still impressive enough to serve to anyone who appreciates food. There is a wide range of ingredients ranging from cheap and cheerful to lavish. Perhaps this is best illustrated by two pasta dishes, sitting happily alongside each other. One is ruote with boerewors, the other is spaghetti with crayfish. The styling and photography of the book is beautiful and captures the overriding food philosophy perfectly. It's awesome.

Honestly, if (and when) the time comes when I have to start making space and donating books to charity I'm afraid they won't be getting this one. This is staying put and is definitely one of my favourites. If you're anything like me you would do well to stay away. Or else it'll get you. Seriously, it's coming.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The 2010 Eat In Awards lunch

2010-05-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Do you know who George Jardine is? How about Bruce Robertson? Luke Dale-Roberts? If you're a foodie then you probably do. But what about Wayne Rademeyer? Do you know him? And Swepie le Roux? Sound familiar? I thought not.

The first few names above are celebrated chefs within the South African food scene. The last few are two winners of the recent 2010 Eat In Awards which I attended a few weeks ago. The fact that the average South African has absolutely no idea who the real food heroes in this country are (they're the ones putting in hours of unrecognised work to provide amazing produce) was the backbone for Eat In magazine and its creation. The publication aims to showcase the best suppliers, bakeries, butcheries, markets, farmstalls, cooking schools and delis we have to offer, and awards prizes for the best in a variety of categories. This year they hosted a lunch to hand out the awards and it was an honour to share a room with the eventual winners. Men and women whom I respect enormously.

The lunch itself was a laid-back affair and took place in The Food Corp premises, which is on the seventh floor of the central building in Black River Park. It's a funky venue and one to remember for anyone looking for something a bit different. Food was provided by A Sense of Taste, with a few of the ingredients being provided by the producers. Wine was provided by Waverley Hills (winner in the organic category) and unlike most organic wines I had no problem drinking it. A lot of it. I was seated next to the gorgeous hostess Justine Drake who seemed to be playing her usual game of "making Jamie Who blush as much as possible", which she seems to love. She's also very good at it. The wine was my coping mechanism and worked fairly well. Maybe too well, as I did later find myself pouring a glass of wine at home with the cork still in.

I was seated across the table from Pete Goffe-Wood and Abigail Donnelly and it was awesome to talk about all things food for hours. I also sat next to the guys from La Petite France who won an award for their brie. (You can get this from the Neighbourgoods Market so look out for it.) We enjoyed fat wedges of it with various preserves and, of course, the Waverley wine. I've also found their camembert at the market so try get your hands on that too.

The list of winners can be found on the Eat In website. Buy the magazine, have a look at the smaller, independent producers and do your best to support them. They're the guys making food with love and passion.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Neighbourgoods Market antipasti platter

2010-05-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I was at The Neighbourgoods Market in Woodstock on Saturday when I got the call from Mr Awesome looking for a place to watch rugby later that day. Coming off a long week of eating, drinking, cooking and reviewing I was pretty tired and wasn't really feeling the pub vibe so I suggested my house. I wasn't in the mood to cook so I threw together a little antipasti platter, with tasty things I found at the market. All I had to do was sautee the wild mushrooms I found, mix some mashed avocado into the hummus I bought and make sure it all looked good. Obviously what you buy is up to you, but a good place to start is with the following:

A tub of hummus, with an avocado to mix in.
A jar of olives (I bought some marinated in chilli)
A jar of pesto
Cheese (I got a phenomenal brie and camembert)
A bag of mixed wild mushrooms
Chorizo and Merguez sausage
Smoked trout fillets
A few figs
A handful of mixed nuts
300g of free-range, Namibian biltong
A loaf of ciabatta and a loaf of sourdough

Okay, so all you need to do is sautee you mushrooms in some thyme, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix a mashed avocado into your hummus and cut your figs into quarters. Throw some nuts over the figs and drizzle with the best honey you have. Make sure you have plenty of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the bread and hot english mustard for the sausage.

A platter like this is a brilliant way to entertain when you don't feel like cooking. It's also a cool way to eat with everyone getting their hands dirty and experimenting with different flavour combinations. Nice. For me, the sausage and hot mustard washed down with some Berne from &Union was a winner. (Yip, you buy your Jack Black and &Union beer at the market too.) Pretty skoochie.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Interview with Marthinus Ferreira - The dude behind DW Eleven-13

2010-05-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

I was up in the smoke (Jozi) recently for work and was asked by the Eat Out team to interview the talented Marthinus Ferreira. Instead of the usual Q&A session we opened a bottle of wine and just started talking food. He's a cool guy with big plans and big goals. The interview went out with the Eat Out newsletter recently. For those of you that missed it, check it out here.

I ate at at his spot, DW Eleven-13, the night before and loved it. Simple produce, where the main ingredient is the hero. As it should be. You should check it out. Call them on (011) 341-0663 or visit their site:

www.dw11-13.co.za

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Five Flies - Fall from grace

2010-05-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

When I first moved to Cape Town the Stormers rugby team had just started playing in black and Five Flies was was one the best restaurants in the country. 10 years on and a lot has changed. For the Stormers, they are now wearing a solid blue jersey and for Five Flies...well...it must rank as one of the city's great disappointments.

Eating there last night was one of the most impersonal experiences I have had in ages. The space itself is beautiful (an old building carefully restored with black and white tiles, an outside courtyard and beautiful exposed wooden beams). I hardly had time to notice though as I was ushered inside and hurried to my seat. The first thing that struck me was the number of tables. And the number of people. In the first 30 minutes I was there I saw two separate tables being turned over for new diners and the whole thing was starting to feel like a bit of a procession. The menu itself was a paradox of expensive food being listed on a plastic, laminated menu. The wine list is separated into price categories rather than grape varieties or regions, and it too (unlike the wine it lists) was cheap in nature.

I asked the waitress if the meat was free-range to which I received an honest answer of "What does that mean?". Fair enough. I won't be having the sirloin then. Instead I tried mussels to start. They arrived less than a minute later with a suspiciously hot plate and suspiciously cold mussels. Perhaps microwaved. Perhaps frozen mussels. Perhaps both. They were rubbery and tasteless and I left most of them. Another starter of grilled field mushrooms with gorgonzola and caramelised onions was better but still smacked of "amateur-hour". My linefish (cape salmon) was presented skin-side up but the skin in question had not been scored, nor crisped. A grey, soggy piece of fish is not great for presentation. It came on "herbed linguini", which turned out to be linguini with store-bought pesto. I ate about half. Desserts got no better. In fact they got worse. The Queen had her standard creme brulee (she's become a bit of an expert). Tragic. The custard had curdled and it was inedible. My malva pudding was hardly better and had either been baked in bulk sometime in January, or bought. Sometime in February. The sponge was dry and the ice-cream it was served with was rock-hard.

I should mention that all starters are priced the same, all mains are priced the same and all desserts are priced the same at Five Flies. For example, any main costs R125. There is another list for more advanced food, with surcharges. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during winter they run a special where three courses is R150. Compared to the normal menu, that's great value. Compared to almost anywhere else it is not. For example, Jardine is running a special where they too charge R150 for three courses. No prizes for guessing where I would rather eat.

Five Flies. Home of chipped, cheap glassware and knives with plastic handles. Where the policy of "bums on seats" is paired with "get them in and out quickly". I have heard a rumour that 60% of their trade is provided by a deal they struck up with Thompsons Tours. I'm not sure about the accuracy of that but it would help explain their fall from greatness to mediocrity. And the fact that they seem quite content in that role.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Creamy oats with spiced fruit compote

2010-05-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

Winter is here. I think it's official. I tried hanging on for as long as possible but every day 5 o'clock rolls around and I'm thinking about stews, soups and slow-roasts. It's here guys, deal with it. Down in Cape Town this means the sky starts leaking rain and the temperature never gets above 15 degrees. It's grey every day and the leaves on the trees are gone. It can be depressing. But you know what? It doesn't have to be. I knocked up a hearty breakfast this morning that The Queen described as "smelling like Christmas". I loved that. It proved again that food - and cooking generally - can have a big impact on our moods. If I had poured a bowl of cereal and milk I would probably still be miserable. Instead, this recipe has left me feeling ready for a big day. I adapted it from Gordon Ramsay's book Healthy Appetite, which I love. The book proves that healthy cooking doesn't have to be boring cooking and this principle is fundamental to what I aim for with most of my recipes.

Stuff you'll need to feed 4:

For the compote:

500g mixed, dried fruit. Use your favourite. I went for apricots, pears, apples and prunes.
A cup of water
Juice of two oranges
Zest of two oranges
2 star anise
1 cinnamon quill
2-3 cardamon seeds
Half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg
2-3 whole cloves
A teaspoon of vanilla paste

For the oats:

2 cups raw oats
3 cups milk
3 cups water
A pinch of salt

Okay, what to do:

For the compote:

1. Place all the ingredients except half the orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer with the lid on for about 10 minutes. You want the fruit to become plump by soaking up the liquid. If it becomes too dry too quickly just add more water.

2. Strain through a fine sieve to separate whole spices and return fruit to liquid. Keep warm.

For the oats:

1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce and cook until done to the consistency you like. (I like to cook my oats until they creamy so I will add more milk/water as I go) You can also cook it in a microwave but I like the control of temperature I get with a stove.

To serve, divide oats into bowls and spoon compote over the top. Garnish with remaining orange zest.

There you have it peeps. A healthy breakfast big in fiber and anti-oxidants, with slow-releasing energy. It'll keep you going all day and it's super-easy to make. Just get up 10 minutes earlier. Stop your whining. You'll thank me later.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. For a Saturday/Sunday brunch I reckon a shot of whiskey would be awesome in this recipe. No kidding. If that doesn't warm you up, nothing will.

Welcome "Unity", the newest addition to the &Union family

2010-05-11T00:09:00.000-07:00

I read an awesome article in Monocle magazine a few months ago about Puma and part of their their branding strategy being to "own" African football. With Nike concentrating on technology and Adidas concentrating on performance gear, Puma decided African football was a great place to showcase the brand's unique flair and desire to push the envelope. One of the ways they chose to do this was to sponsor 12 African teams, including powerhouses Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana. Another aspect was their Africa Unity campaign, which involved teaming up with artist Kehinde Wiley as well as a partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme. The campaign is typified by the creation of a special kit that African teams playing in the world cup will have the choice of wearing as their away strip (for those that don't know, each team has a second jersey that they wear when playing a team with similar colours). The kit is inspired by the African landscape and uses a transition of brown to blue as a metaphor for our continent's soil and sky. The numbers and the badge are in yellow to signify the sun. The badge itself depicts two hands shaking. When I read about the idea I was immediately interested. When I heard a further part of the campaign was a collaboration with the &Union team I was even more interested. Last night I went to the press launch to learn a bit more.

While the campaign is a brilliant concept, I was most intrigued to see how and why two brands with no obvious connection would fit together. The cynic in me asked the question "how on earth did the Puma guys get the idea approved at top-level?" A sportswear brand teaming up with a brewing company didn't quite make sense. After listening to an explanation from Puma's Marketing Director, Brett Bellinger, it became clear. Pretty much anything is possible with like-minded people driving an idea. The key to success was a total commitment to uncompromising quality and the end result is a limited edition beer that carries all the qualities you'd expect from Collective Sao Gabriel, Brewers&Union and indeed Puma. How does it taste? Like summer in a bottle. Quite light, with strong florals and honey on the nose and a crisp green apple aftertaste. It would be ridiculously good with smoked duck and fig, but would work just as well with prawns straight off the braai.

Wednesday sees the official launch. You would do well to get there. Lindiwe Suttle will be singing with a few of her friends and the vibe should be awesome. I might even have a word with The Big Guy to make sure the weather plays its part.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Good Food & Wine Show ticket winners

2010-05-10T03:19:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to everyone who entered the comp for The Good Food & Wine Show. I must say it's awesome to see how many foodies there are out there. I got people writing in with some interesting explanations as to why they deserved the tickets. Tactics ranged from flattery to passion to excitement to threats! I wish I had tickets for everyone but in the end these are the people I picked. Congrats and stay posted to find out where and how you get your hands on the tickets.

1. Hila Jonker

2. Georg van Rensburg

3. Nina Timm

4. Polly Howard

5. Tammyn Gregory

There it is guys. I am so bummed I don't have more. Keep eating and keep drinking.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

"The Pig" by Neil Jewell

2010-05-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

"This blood is so fresh when it arrived a few hours ago it was still warm." Neil Jewell's opening line at his presentation at The Chef's Warehouse last night. Quite an icebreaker. I was there to do his class, simply titled The Pig, and had been looking forward to it for weeks. As a big fan of Bread & Wine, and as an admirer of Liam Tomlin and his new operation, I had high expectations. The four hours that I spent listening to Neil last night surpassed all of them. It was absolutely awesome.

The thing is, you never really know what to expect at these classes. Some are very technical and you end up not really enjoying yourself. Others are really just an excuse to eat and drink and you leave having not really learnt anything (except maybe how to hide a bottle of wine under your jacket but we don't talk about that anymore...) What I loved about last night was that is was a combination of both.

We watched Neil effortlessly de-joint and butcher a carcass. We watched him make black pudding. We watched him wipe drops of blood from his forehead. We watched him knock up beautiful salami and phenomenal crackling. We learnt how to cure meat and how to make sausages. And we ate. A lot. The quality of food was exceptional and because I was lucky (or unlucky) enough to be sitting at the same table as the boys from Caveau the wine flowed easily. South Hill Sauvignon Blanc 08. Beautiful.

The thing that had the most impact on me was when Neil brought out a gorgeous cured leg of ham for us to taste. He called the pig the meat came had come from "one of his girls." He always referred to "her" and not "it." He obviously loved that animal and that love translated into the taste of the meat. We can all learn from that.

For info on other classes check out www.chefswarehouse.co.za. Neil has set the bar pretty high but with some of the other guests they have lined up you should seriously think about booking.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Baked prawn, calamari and mussel linguini

2010-05-04T01:12:00.000-07:00

The cool thing about this recipe is that you can cheat. You can cheat as much as you want. For example, on Sunday I was nursing a fairly severe hangover so I bought already cooked prawns. Normally that's a bit of a cop-out for me but at that stage I honestly didn't care. You could buy frozen prawns that have already been peeled, or you could buy the real deal, cook them properly and de-shell them yourself. How much effort you go to with the mussels is up to you too. If you want to put on boots and scrape them off the rocks in Simon's Town by all means, go ahead. They will taste sensational. Because of the already-mentioned hangover I just bought some from Woolies. (Yip, you can do that now). They were green-lipped beauties from New Zealand and because this recipe calls for steaming them they were done in 5 minutes.

Stuff you'll need to feed 2:

2 x 150g calamari steaks
400g of mussels
400g of cooked prawns (if you buy raw ones, pan fry them until they are pink)
250g of whole wheat linguini, spaghetti or other long pasta
A punnet of cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
A handful of parsley, roughly chopped plus extra to garnish
2 lemons, cut into wedges
Tin foil
A few shavings of pecorino

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius. When ready, place your cherry tomatoes in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 4o minutes, shaking every now and then.

2. In a very hot pan, fry your calamari in the chilli and garlic for 2 minutes per side. NO MORE. Remove and set aside. When cool, cut into strips.

3. Cook the pasta as per packet instructions. Drain, reserving about half a cup of the cooking water.

4. In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, the pasta, the prawns, the calamari and the mussels. Add some of the water from the pasta. Throw in the parsley.

5. Tear two thick pieces of tinfoil and lay them on a work surface. Carefully spoon half of the pasta and seafood mixture into the middle of the foil and using another piece fold in to create a "parcel". Before closing, divide the lemon wedges and throw them in. Close the parcel, making sure it is airtight. Repeat so that you have two pillowcase-looking foil parcels.

6. Place them in the oven and cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove and carefully peel back some foil to see if the mussels have opened. Return to oven if necessary but be careful not to overcook the seafood. Really, you just want the mussels to open and the flavours to all infuse a bit.

7. To serve, place parcels in a deep bowl, slash open the foil, add the pecorino, pour in some olive oil and extra parsley and eat. Glory.

The thing here is not to be scared of the mussels. With all the moisture in the parcels they should open up pretty quickly. BE SURE TO CHUCK OUT ANY THAT DO NOT OPEN!!!! If you try and eat them chances are you will end up in hospital with seafood poisoning. That will really ruin the vibe.

A nice touch would be to add a splash of wine into the parcel before cooking but my hangover wouldn't allow me to smell wine, let alone eat or drink it.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. You can also serve this by carefully sliding the pasta into a deep bowl once cooked. It's not as dramatic but it does look a bit more elegant.

The Good Food & Wine Show - 13th to 16th May

2010-05-03T01:38:00.000-07:00

Gordon Ramsay. He's a clever bastard. The last few years have seen him leapfrog several others to become arguably the most internationally renowned celebrity chef in the world. (Along with that other guy called Jamie I guess). He has done this not only by being a great cook but by being a great businessman. He obviously knows how to market himself and no less than FOUR of his shows are currently on BBC Food (The F-Word, the Cookalong thing, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen.) That's pretty incredible. We know he is hard-core and digs a swear word or ten but he is seriously bright too. He is a brand and a very good one.

So you can imagine it was quite a coup when The Good Food & Wine Show (which is being held at Cape Town's International Convention Centre from the 13th to the 16th of May) announced Mr Ramsay would be headlining the event. He has some pretty awesome support too with a few chefs from BBC Lifestyle conducting cooking workshops. Most notable for me is Giorgio Locatelli - I love that guy. There are loaaaaads of cool things including a chef's action theatre, timed "cook-offs", beer academies, a cookbook library, brandy tastings, an appearance by The Stellenbosch Slow Food Market, a Garden Party by Top Billing and more. To see it all check out www.gourmetsa.com.

The organisers are expecting 55 000 visitors over the three days. Let's be honest, that's a shitload. The good news is that you could be one of them. I've got 5 double tickets to give away. All I want you to do is to e-mail me and tell me why you deserve them. It's that easy. Tell me about your passion for food. Tell me about your love of wine. Send me photos of your boobs. I don't care. Just convince me somehow.

For those that don't win, entry is R80 each. For any additional info check out the website I mentioned earlier.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

HQ - I am truly sorry I didn't mention this sooner

2010-04-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

Ask Capetonians who makes the best steak and they get pretty animated. Answers will range from "their local" to "my wife". Some idiots will say Brad's Grill. Pfffffft. Shame. Others will throw in 1800 or Nelson's Eye. People who think they're clever will say "You know what? Spur makes a great steak". Let's be honest though, people who matter will say Carne or HQ. I've written enough about Carne in the past but it dawned on me that I have never mentioned HQ. I realised this glaring error last night and felt like stripping naked and whipping myself the way that albino monk does in The Da Vinci Code. I was disgusted with myself. I immediately strolled across from &Union, where I was enjoying the redhead (if you know what this means congrats - gold star for you), to see if HQ was still that good. It was.

For those of you who don't know, HQ was started by the team behind the renowned Caveau brand. How it works is this simple: they serve salad, sirloin and chips. For R155. You might be thinking how expensive that is, but let me dig deeper on your behalf. (It's a pleasure.) The steak is 35-day aged meat from free-range, grass-fed cattle brought in from Namibia. It is - quite simply - superb. Served with a Cafe de Paris butter and sliced for you, it is 250g of heaven. The chips are skinny frites and you can have as many as you want. Excellent in texture. Did I mention you can have as many as you want? The simple salad is a combination of fresh cos leaves and butter lettuce and is served with toasted pine nuts and parmesan shavings. If ever there was an example of how simple food can taste delicious this uninspiring-looking bowl is it.

Desserts are a part of HQ that never seem to get the recognition they deserve. There are 10 classic versions to choose from, and at R25 each they are surprisingly good value. I tried the chocolate fondant, which was faultless. Light, and with the right amount of wobble factor (very technical cooking term there).

We enjoyed a bottle of Haut Espoir Gentle Giant 2006 which, with a smooth body and warm, peppery notes, was a match made in steak heaven.

Is the steak the best in Cape Town? That is a debate that will probably never be settled. Is it better than Carne? Perhaps not. But throw in the sexy bar serving up some of Cape Town's finest cocktails, Jack Black on tap, gorgeous staff, the live music and overall vibe and it's a tough place to beat.

You can call them on (021) 424-6373.

P.S. HQ is pretty dim, making it tough to shoot. A flash just didn't do it any justice. My bad.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Two shitakes walk into a chopping board

2010-04-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

These are two shitake mushrooms. I bought one of them at a market and one of them at a grocery store. That's why I love markets.

What's that? I'm getting lazy. No, no, this has nothing to do with the day I've had. I swear. I'm not busy doing other things instead of this blog. I swear. I love you. Honestly. Wait, come back...

Cheers,

Jamie Who

6 Spin Street - Brace yourself

2010-04-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

I'd like to talk about value-for-money here. I've said before on this blog that value-for-money doesn't mean cheap. What it means is value. For. Money. In other words I'm happy paying R100 for a burger if it is the best I've ever had, or R40 for a beer at &Union. I'll also happily accept a platter of sushi that isn't the greaaaatest if it was ridiculously cheap. If I want free-range lamb from a farm in the Karoo I will pay a premium for it. So...basically, when I eat at a restaurant, or when I shop for produce, I am expecting a direct relationship between what I pay for and what I get. It's pretty simple. Apparently the guys over at 6 Spin Street Restaurant are unfamiliar with the concept though, as I have never seen such a discrepancy between prices charged and quality of food.

Let's start with the good points though. The restaurant is in a beautifully restored building in town. Pressed ceilings, an original fireplace, a stunning stone facade, huge arched picture windows and parquet flooring. The restaurant shares the space with a few racks of books (made to seem even more like a library by the fact that the atmosphere was deathly quiet) and art hangs on the walls. Really, it's a great space.

I'm not going to spend too long on the food because...well because I get in a bad mood when I talk about it. Power had a piece of kingklip with a tomato and feta sauce which came in at R105. It was a piece of fish on a plate. I had their special of the day which was crispy duck. It was a piece of duck on a plate. When the bill arrived I discovered it was R175. I have eaten all over Cape Town and never been charged that much for duck. Forget the fact that it was actually extremely average. They were also running a special from Phillippa Cheifitz (who I love by the way), where you could try a few dishes from her book, South Africa Eats. Well, it's a great idea but unfortunately it was butchered. The tuna from Phillippa's recipe (which she serves with sweet potato soup) was overcooked so badly it was inedible. A yellowtail and haricot bean salad suffered similarly overcooked fish, was terribly dry and we left half of that too. Service throughout the meal was appalling (let's keep in mind we were the only people there) and presentation of all the dishes was amateurish. In fact, I've been to loads of dinner parties where the host/hostess's food tasted and looked in another league.

I understand teething problems but these guys have far more deep-rooted problems. You simply cannot charge these prices and get away with it. We have far too many other options in Cape Town.

Oh, I drove around for 20 minutes trying to find parking. Good luck with that.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

6 Spin Street is on...umm...Spin Street. Here is the web address www.6spinstreet.co.za

P.S. I didn't want to put a picture of the food up. I like my blog too much for that.

Beef and wild mushroom stew served on butternut and celeriac mash

2010-04-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

I had a good giraffe (laugh) the other night, watching TV. There's a show on BBC Food which is all about how some people are scared of food. Like, properly terrified of it. The particular episode I watched had a dude who freaked out every time you brought fruit or vegetables anywhere near him. I'm not kidding. He started sweating, shut his eyes and blocked his ears. It was truly bizarre and I laughed unashamedly. As the programme went on I realised it wasn't supposed to be funny. Not that this made me stop laughing. What was interesting to me was the reason the guy was so scared of the fruit and vegetables. You see..he didn't know what they were. He was scared of the unknown. Once I had figured this out the show became a lot more interesting to me. I say this because I am constantly trying to explain to people not to be scared of food. You can't learn unless you try things. Use ingredients you aren't familiar with. Buy whole foods and unusual cuts of meat. Get inventive. You'll find out soon enough the recipes you can come up with are limitless.

A good example of a strange looking ingredient is celeriac. I spotted some in Woolies the other day and used it to take a pretty standard dish to a level that made it interesting. Here's how:

Stuff you'll need to feed 2:

400g stewing beef, cut into chunks (I used free-range)
1 tin of tomatoes
Half an onion, sliced
A red chilli, roughly chopped
A handful of mixed wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
Half a cup of red wine (I used Cloof Very Sexy Shiraz. Use whatever you like but I do like the way a shiraz has the spiciness to support this dish)
Half a cup of water
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
A handful of parsley, roughly chopped
1 celeriac bulb, skin removed and cut into cubes
1 butternut, skin removed and cut into cubes
2 teaspoons of paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper
A handful of parsley, roughly chopped with extra for garnish

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 20o degrees celsius. In a deep pot fry your beef in olive oil until browned. Remove meat and set aside.

2. Add onion and the mushrooms to the pot along with the red wine. Cook for a minute and add the garlic and chilli. Cook for another minute and add the tomatoes and the water.

3. Return meat to pot, bring liquid to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook on a medium to low heat with the lid on for as long as you can. (3 hours or more is ideal. If you don't have time make sure it is at least 1 hour. Anything less and the meat will be tough). About 45 minutes before serving remove lid to allow liquid to reduce and thicken. Add the parsley at this stage.

4. Place the butternut and celeriac in a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and add the paprika and cayenne pepper. Season with sea salt and black pepper and shake to make sure vegetables are covered. Cook for 20 minutes, remove and shake. Cook for 25 minutes more, remove and mash.

5. To serve spoon celeriac/butternut mash into deep bowls and pour over some of the stew. Garnish with parsley.

The celeriac is a funny-looking thing but it adds a great depth of flavour when combined with butternut. Together they work as a beautiful alternative to mashed potato and visually the dish is more attractive. How smooth you make the mash is up to you. Personally I like to leave it looking a bit rustic - I think the extra texture is a bonus. Of course, it's also a lot healthier than mashed potatoes which is another plus.

There you have it. A nice little winter dish with an ingredient that you really have no right to be afraid to use. Give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen?

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Joseph Joseph Elevated Utensil cooking range

2010-04-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

So my lovelies I have finished my first review for Yuppiechef. Actually, I finished it a while ago but I had to put it on ice until their (very nicely designed) newsletter was ready. The good news is that today it went out. So click here to hear what I had to say.

See what they did over there at Yuppiechef? They gave you a little pic of me. Naughty...

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Bombay Brasserie - Delicious

2010-04-20T02:34:00.000-07:00

There's a true story in the world of sneakers. It's a long one and you can Google it if you have the will or the time but basically it involves two German brothers. The Dassler brothers. Named Rudolf and Adolf, these two became estranged mainly as a result of their differing views on Hitler and the nazi movement in the 1930's. At the time, they were involved in shoe-manufacturing. After the fall-out, Rudolf left to set up his own company (Puma), while Adolf stayed behind and re-named his shoes, Adidas (Adi Dassler - see what he did there?) What makes the story really cool, as these two went head to head, was the close proximity of their factories. The story goes that they could actually see each other across the Aurach River. So what does this have to do with anything? And why did it pop into my head when I ate at The Bombay Brasserie last week? Well my lovelies, the extra spice *ahem in the question "where is Cape Town's best Indian restaurant" lies in the close proximity of two if its contenders.

Just down the drag from the newly renovated Bukhara, Bombay Brasserie has opened to generally glowing reviews. I stopped by last week to check it out and was impressed for a few reasons. Firstly, the staff. Everybody was world-class. In particular, Phineas, who we were lucky enough to have serving us. He was brilliant. In fact, I would go so far as to say he is the best waiter I have ever had. Thumbs-up to the man.

The decor is plush, and serves as a good indication for what they are trying to achieve at Bombay Brasserie - which is elevating Indian food to a fine-dining level. (Something, as pointed out by JP Rossouw on his blog, Bukhara achieved when they first opened their doors, many years ago.) There's soft lighting, show-stopping chandeliers, thick velvet curtains, white orchids, oversized mirrors, rich wallpaper etc. adding to a good feel. One plus, for me, is the size. At only 40 covers a night, Bombay clearly has the edge over Bukhara in terms of creating an intimate and elegant dinner. The flip side of the coin being that the atmosphere was quiet. Almost too quiet. Bordering on dull.

So...the food. With diners being encouraged to share, we did just that. Starters were both vegetarian and consisted of apricot and potato cakes (perfect texture) and steamed lentil dumplings. The dumplings were phenomenally light - a result of being held together by just a hint of chickpea, rather than an overpowering binding agent.

For mains we enjoyed a lamb shank, cooked in a saffron broth, and a prawn masala. The shank was put in front of me. I reckon I could've made the meat fall right off the bone if I stared hard enough. Meltingly tender and beautifully seasoned with the delicate saffron. The prawns, as is often the case with a curry, was a battle between aromatic vs. hot - the latter winning pretty comfortably. Our side dishes were a garlic naan bread (too small but thoughtfully cut into two already) and beautiful sauteed spinach with fried garlic. I didn't know spinach could be that good and owe it mainly to the consistency they achieved; almost a puree but not quite.

Desserts are often relegated to an afterthought in Indian eateries but we ended off with some cardomon ice cream, which certainly deserves praise.

Something worth mentioning is the strong emphasis on wine pairings which I found refreshing for an Indian restaurant. With so many spices and flavours on offer in each dish it is a sommelier's dream and I enjoyed hearing the thought processes behind the selected wines. The added bonus is a good selection of wines by the glass, albeit at fairly steep prices. We enjoyed some Teddy Hall Reserve Chenin Blanc 08. Shame...

The place is hard on the wallet and I can already hear people complaining about portion sizes. At R350 -R400 per head it is unashamedly positioning itself in the fine dining category. I'm interested to see who wins the Bukhara Bombay Brasserie Battle.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. I tried to get some pics but the romantic lighting made it tricky and a flash would not have done it justice. I'm going to try and source some though so please be patient.

Kitima Sunday Buffet - A steal

2010-04-19T01:47:00.000-07:00

The words "all you can eat" and "buffet" - when used in one sentence - are generally enough to strike fear deep into my soul. I stay way from these offers the same way I wouldn't go to Pep and buy "all the clothes I could wear". The point I'm making is that quality, as a rule of thumb, is compromised at these special offerings. But, as they say, there is always an exception to the rule. In this case it is Kitima in Hout Bay.

I used to go there for their Sunday buffet pretty often. Too often probably. I got a bit tired of it. But, after enjoying a birthday party for The Gym Nazi a few weeks ago, and after seeing their new cocktail lounge, I was keen to give it another go. I had given it more than a year and figured I was ready.

Those of you who haven't been to Kitima will be floored by how beautiful the decor is. The venue is an old manor house and the place has been beautifully restored in a combination of colours and fabrics. Deep reds and blues are offset by delicate silks, lavish ornaments and over-the-top mirrors with gold frames. There are thick carpets running along dark wooden floors, stunning details on pressed ceilings and a new outside area beneath a bedouin tent. The new cocktail bar (I think it's called Raya Lounge?) is also a skoochie addition and a perfect place to have drinks before your meal. Or after. Or during. Or before, after and during.

I have never eaten from their regular menu but in terms of what they throw out for a buffet you are spoilt for choice. There's sushi, duck springrolls, steamed dumplings, fried wontons, wok-fried noodles, tom-yum soup, pastries, green curries, beef stews and more. With nobody being able to tell me where the meet came from I stuck to sushi and vegetable dishes and nailed a creme brulee or two at the end. While nothing was mind-blowing, nothing was disappointing and at R195 per head I've got to say it is still the bargain I remember it as.

As I have a habit of doing, I made up for the savings on food by ordering expensive wine and drinking too much of it but they had Moreson 2008 Premium Chardonnay. I mean, come now. If you can control yourself better than I did you can leave having enjoyed brilliant value-for-money.

The buffet ends at 15h30 so book early (we went at 12h00) and settle in for a long, boozy lunch. There's no rush. I mean...it's Sunday. In Hout Bay.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Quinoa salad with roast beetroot and caramelised onions.

2010-04-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

Ok my lovelies, this entry is probably going to be my shortest ever. I'm extremely busy and have an important meeting to get to. Look it's at Caveau and yes, I will be drinking but don't you DARE feel like I am neglecting you to rush off and get drunk. You know I love you. So much. Kisses.

Annnyway, here's what you'll need to feed 4:

A cup of quinoa
6 baby beetroots, quartered
2 onions, peeled and quartered
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
A handful of basil, ripped

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar and sea salt over the beetroot and onions and roast for 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook your quinoa on the stovetop as per the packet instructions.

3. When your vegetables are cooked, remove and allow to cool. Chop finely.

4. In a large bowl mix the quinoa into the vegetables and add the parsley and basil. Add a good glug of olive oil (the best you have)

5. To serve, place in the middle of a large plate. Drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar around the salad.

Told you it was going to be quick. Don't be fooled though, this salad will make you weep. It's that good.

Now excuse me. Chardonnay and brainstorming awaits. And we all know how well those two go together.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Twankey Bar - You will be sick of me very soon

2010-04-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

We've spoken about the foodie club before. It's a weird bunch. I'm a member. You're a member. You also get fake members. Or, as I like to call them, wankers. These people are the ones who order the most expensive bottle of wine instead of the best. They are also convinced they know everything there is to know about food. Real members of the club (yes, that's me and you in case you haven't gathered so far) are aware that you can never know enough about food. There are always new techniques, trends, flavour combinations etc to learn. And what happens when you do discover something new? Well...it's a revelation of sorts. Last night, having a few drinks before eating at Bombay Brasserie, (review to follow) it happened to me.

We'll get to that just now though. Let's first talk about the general vibe at Twankey Bar, on the corner of Wale and Adderley. As part of the Taj Hotel they have done well to create a separate entrance. So you don't feel like your sitting in a bar at a hotel. Nice. Inside the eye immediately takes in the beautiful marble bar. It's a beaut. There are raised, cushioned chairs instead of uncomfortable stools, lower versions, some leather wingbacks and one or two booths. The place is sexy but discreet at the same time. Like Mrs. Jackson who taught me Chemistry all those years. Annnnnyway...that's neither here nor there. What becomes quickly obvious at Twankey is the attention they have paid to the food. And in particular (and here comes my "light form the heavens" moment) the pairing of oysters with Guinness. Wow. I had never tried it but was instantly hooked. Something about the thick, velvety Guinness and the delicate oyster was..well..it was f-ing amazing. As explained by James, the food and beverage manager for The Taj, it is their intention to introduce this to as many people as possible. In fact - and don't tell him I told you this - if you go there right now and order oysters they bring you some Guinness. For free. To try. With the oysters. For free. With the oysters.

The rest of the menu is vastly superior to any other pub fare I have seen in this country and had things like quail sitting happily next to chilli poppers.

With Jack Black on tap and the entire &Union range proudly on display, you know where to find me on a Friday from now on. And Thursdays. Because it's Phuza Thursdays. Maybe Wednesdays. Because let's face it Wednesdays are the mini-Fridays. And Saturdays. (Did I mention there is a nice big TV showing sport?)

With brilliant service, a winelist that clearly champions the little guy, a passionate manager and a vibe that generally just makes me feel skoochie inside, Twankey has jumped to my number 1 spot in terms of after work drinks. According to James they are going to be very strict on how many people they let in on a busy night. Just another reason to leave work early tomorrow.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. I did take more pics than this but I'm having some camera issues. I'll try and get them up tomorrow.

Fig, raspberry and almond cake

2010-04-14T00:30:00.001-07:00

I got a quiet reminder from some of the guys I had over for lunch the other day that I had forgotten to post the dessert I made. With a bit of a chocolate hangover from Easter I figured this was a good time to stick it up on these pages. I got the idea for this recipe from the awesome Kylie Kwong and chose to use the ingredients because they are beautifully in season at the moment. Any fruit can be used but honestly, why would you not want to use figs?

Stuff you'll need to make a cake for 8-10 people:

3 figs, stems removed and cut lengthways
Two-thirds of a cup of self-raising flour
2 cups of icing sugar
2 cups of almond meal (ground almonds are fine)
2 tablespoons of finely grated orange zest
8 egg whites
185g of butter, melted
1.5 tablespoons of milk
A punnet of fresh raspberries
1.5 teaspoons of brown sugar

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a 23cm cake tin and line the base and sides with a double layer of baking paper. Make sure it sticks out a bit over the rim of the tin.

2. Sift icing sugar and flour into a large bowl. Stir in almond meal and orange zest until well combined.

3. Place egg whites in a bowl and whisk lightly with a fork. (You don't need peaks, you just want the egg whites to break down slightly).

4. Add egg whites, butter and milk to almond mixture and stir until everything is mixed in. Fold through half the raspberries. DON'T OVER-MIX.

5. Pour half the mixture into the cake tin and add the remaining raspberries. Pour remaining mixture over the top. Push sliced figs into mixture at a slight angle. (How you do this is up to you but I like it to look "haphazard". The rustic vibe is cooler I think)

6. Sprinkle over the sugar and place in oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Start checking after an hour though. You know it is done when you can insert a skewer/knife and remove it cleanly. If the top is becoming too brown cover with tinfoil.

Now the hard part. You have to leave the beautiful thing in the tin for 10 minutes before you turn it over onto a wire rack. It's tough to wait.

You can serve this either hot or cold, which makes it a great dessert to make in advance. Oh, and please throw on a scoop of proper vanilla ice cream. I mean, come now.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Emily Moon - Date night

2010-04-13T01:57:00.000-07:00

If you can find a restaurant more romantic than Emily's at Emily Moon River Lodge, just outside of Plett, I'd like to know about it. I'd also like you to take a photo of that parallel universe you live in and send it to over to planet Earth where I live.

It might be the phenomenal views of the Bitou River. It might be the love letters featured in the menu design. It might be the collection of eclectic artifacts. It might be the weathered wooden sculptures and leather upholstery. It might be the fact that I'm generally tipsy when I arrive. I don't know what it is. But the whole vibe is magical. If ever you are looking to impress a date, this is the place. Honestly, I reckon Wayne Ferreira's ugly brother could seal the deal in there. There are loungers around the pool, tables on a balcony which are perfect for pre-drinks and a recently-completed shop in an upstairs room. Style drips from everywhere.

I had doubts though, mostly because of a past experience with the chef. Stereotypical in his moodiness, the man seems to be unaware of how lucky he is to have such an amazing venue. Last year when The Queen (she was only a mere Princess at the time) and I were scouting for wedding venues we set up a meeting with him. You might not know this about me but I quite like food. So you can imagine how I felt when I told him what I was thinking for our menu and he simply said "that's not wedding food." Look, I am aware that fish and chips and bunny chows might not be for everyone but that's what we wanted. He should have been excited by something a bit different but instead we told him to piss off and found another venue. (One that made awesome fish and chips and a beautiful gourmet version of a bunny chow by the way!!!)

Anyway, back to the chef and back to Emily's. After firing a few questions at our waitress (very good by the way) it was pretty obvious that the chef in question had taken more of a management role and was not really in charge of the kitchen. Well, this was a bit of a blessing actually and the food we all enjoyed was better than I have ever had at Emily's! We started with a 24-piece sushi platter from the new sushi bar (yip, the most beautiful place in the country now has a sushi bar) and a goat's cheese and artichoke salad. The artichokes weren't fresh but the vinegar they were kept in actually worked brilliantly as a dressing. I'm not sure if they meant this but let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Fresh gooseberries married nicely and added necessary sweetness. The sushi was brilliant. Deep red tuna, clearly not frozen and the usual salmon roses, california rolls and nigiri. All good. And at R99, an absolute steal.

For mains I had the linefish, which was the interesting Panga. Quite an unusual fish, and not seen on many menus, I would compare it to Red Mullet. Dusted and shallow-fried, it was exceptional. I also tasted delicious sirloin from Karan, which was a massive slab of meat. In fact, it was too big and after seeing the amount of fat that was left by The Dragon, the general consensus was why not just serve a smaller piece but with less fat? Surely a better idea? The Queen had a mussel and prawn pasta, baked in tinfoil. Good, but not excellent. For desserts I ended things off with an excellent creme brulee, perfect consistency of custard and a nice thin, crisp caramel.

Emily's. The most beautiful, romantic, gorgeous setting anywhere in the country. Now with a tapas menu, a sushi bar and some new energy in the kitchen. Let's hope the food starts doing the venue justice. So far, so good.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Whole wheat linguini with blue cheese, walnuts and wild rocket

2010-04-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

Jeeeeeeeeez, I hate it when people say "oh this? I just made this with whatever ingredients I could find". Sure you did. That quail just happened to be in the freezer. So I understand if you're going to be pissed off with me starting this recipe with "I just made this from stuff I had lying around." But honestly, I did. See...I insist on having some cheese in the fridge. Good cheese. Strong cheese that smells. Unashamedly. Like it's proud to be stinky. Anyway, I had some unbelievable blue cheese in my fridge and (inspired by the classic waldorf salad) I used it as the base for this recipe. It is embarrassingly easy to make.

As with any dish, the better the ingredients the better the dish. When it is this simple though, that philosophy is even more important. So get the best you can.

Okay, stuff you'll need to feed 4:

A block of blue cheese the size of a tennis ball, torn into chunks.
A packet of whole wheat linguini (or any long pasta)
The zest of three lemons
A handful of walnuts
A big bunch of wild rocket

Okay, what to do:

1. Cook the pasta as per the instructions.

2. Drain pasta and add blue cheese immediately so it begins to melt.

3. Add the lemon zest, the rocket and the walnuts. Stir through pasta to ensure everything is mixed properly.

4. To serve, place in deep bowls and drizzle over some extra-virgin olive oil. (The best you have. I'm a big fan of Tokara and Willow Creek)

Yip, that's it. Could be the easiest recipe I've ever put up here. Which is proof that tasty food doesn't have to be fancy food.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Ski Boat Club - Average. At best.

2010-04-09T03:33:00.000-07:00

Whisperings were filtering through Plett about a place that served the best fish and chips in the area. Big call. Huge call actually when you consider The Deck, Emily Moon's, Enrico's, Off the Hook and...my house. I was told it was the choice of locals. That's normally a good sign. Unfortunately, Crocs are the footwear of choice for a lot of the locals. Ignoring this I went searching. I found the spot easily enough. It is on Main beach with a great view of the famous Beacon Isle. The only signage was a tatty sign that read "Ski Boat Club". Tatty is a word that describes pretty accurately the entire experience.

Firstly, I'm all for a place that is cheap and cheerful. In fact, fish and chips taste best when served that way in my opinion. And that is what the Ski Boat Club offers. Tomato sauce from plastic red bottles. Proper vinegar. Tables made of pine wood. Walls made of pine wood. Actually, the entire place made was made of pine wood. You know the vibe. We were seated outside and if you could ignore the sunburnt poms and screaming kids (which I never can) things were pleasant enough. We ordered the fish and chips (what else would you order) and waited. And waited. And waited. After two polite enquiries the food arrived and part of me wish it hadn't. The batter was disturbingly yellow, a clear sign I told a by-now-horrified-Queen of the cleanliness of the oil it was cooked in. Look, the fish beneath it was fresh at least and the chips were delicious. Luckily I had gone for grilled hake. Well, I say luckily but let's not get carried away. I spent a good amount of time pulling bones from my teeth. And not little bones. Like baby elephant tusks. The actual fish, when I found some, was good enough.

Worth a trip? Sure. For a beer in the sun and a meal to fill the gap. Best fish and chips in town? I hope not. The search continues.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Zachary's - Memorable

2010-04-08T04:06:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on Twitter (and why wouldn't you, I'm hilarious) you would have picked up by now that I'm swanning my way through the Garden Route at the moment. Last night I took time out from eating amazing food and drinking expensive wine at home to go to a restaurant. Where I ate amazing food and drank some expensive wine.

The venue was Zachary's, Pezula Hotel, Knysna. Expectations were high. The problem with having such high expectations though - I've discovered in the past - is that they are often not met. So it gives me great pleasure to announce that not only were mine met last night, they were exceeded. And then some.

The first thing that struck me upon arrival was the restaurant's warm decor. Interesting "tree" sculptures hanging above tables, modern art on the walls, awesome booths that had been cut into walls and padded and the obligatory white orchids made up the look. Lighting is soft and while maintaining an aura of "this place is the real deal" you feel very welcome at the same time. Service is world-class and consistently impressive. The valet dude (jokey). The hotel receptionist (chatty). The barman (funky). The sommelier (smiley). The general manager (witty). Every single person was on their game.

Onto the food. We were presented with the set menu for the night which included an amuse bouche of smoked salmon and dried fig, free range quail with pomegranate and marula nuts, Chalmar sirloin with smoked potato puree, green beans and roast garlic, a chocolate banana cupcake with butter toffee mousse and chocolate ice cream and petit fours consisting of white truffles, mini coconut cakes and chocolate shavings. At R275 per person, I can go on record as saying it was the best value-for-money I have seen. Anywhere. Ever. The Queen, Pafoof and The Dragon all opted for this and two of them couldn't even finish their meal, such was the generous portion size. (I obviously ate what they couldn't manage.) The Bear opted instead for a beef fillet from Karan which was the only disappointment of the evening. Under-seasoned and some of it way too rare for the medium he ordered. (What's that? Who ate it? I did. What's your point?)

And then there was my meal. Wow. Kicked off with a rabbit terrine which was perfect in texture. Not the gelatinous mess that some can be. Seasoned well, and held together with a beautifully smoked strip of cured pork. Fantastic. Next was a roasted duck breast which was served with a parsnip puree, the smallest baby beetroot I have ever seen and baby shitake mushrooms so delicate they were kept raw. At this stage I felt my review was going to be more of a love letter so I started looking for faults. I found none. And if I was impressed, I slipped quietly into delirious with the arrival of my dessert. A white chocolate tart with..wait for it...roast butternut ice-cream. One of the stand-out dishes of my short career. As a combination the flavours married beautifully and I got - I think - a small taste of what people probably experience when eating Heston Blumenthal's food. My eyes and brain were seeing butternut but my tastebuds were getting ice-cream. The whole thing was almost surreal. Truly an unforgettable plate of food. Oh, did I mention I was sipping Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2004 and Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon 2006? Yeah, that added to the occasion. And on the subject of wines, theirs must surely rate as one of the best in the country.

All in all, I wouldn't just recommend Zachary's, I would insist on it. Yes, the regular menu might be a bit pricey but it's an experience. The chef, Goffrey Murray, is so dedicated to source local seasonal produce that he has started growing them himself. With local fruit, vegetables and herbs on his doorstep the food speaks for itself. He didn't quite crack Eat Out's top 10 restaurants in their 2009 edition, but with this quality of food on offer he is surely not just knocking on the door. He is banging it down.

Call them on 0443 02 3333.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Mixed green vegetable salad

2010-04-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

Part 2 in the Easter Feast special here. I am going to make this entry short mainly because it's supposed to show how easy the recipe is. Also, quite a big part of me wants to go drink a glass of Chardonnay at Cornuti.

This is called the green vegetable salad because...umm...because that's what it is. I literally buy as much green shit as I can and throw it all into a salad. I was lucky enough to find some pumpkin seed sprouts at a food market so I added them. Obviously these are rare but you can use any microherbs as a substitute. Always top it off with some pumpkin seeds and shaved pecorino/parmesan or similar cheese. The visual contrast is pretty cool.

Okay, stuff you need to feed 6:

A few handfuls of rocket
A few handfuls of baby spinach
2 Avocados
A handful of microherbs or your favourite herbs (flat-leaf parsley is a good one)
A bunch of tenderstem brocolli
A punnet of sugarsnap peas
A cup of frozen peas (This is one that I have no problem cooking from frozen)
About 5 medium-sized courgettes, sliced lengthways as thinly as possible
Some pecorino shavings
A handful of pumpkin seeds

Okay, what to do:

1. Blanch your vegetables in boiling water. When done plunge them into a bowl of iced water. This will keep the electric green colour.

2. Rub your courgettes with olive oil and cook over a braai or in a griddle pan. You want them to have charred lines.

3. Throw your herbs into a big bowl and mix in the vegetables. Halve the avo, remove the pip and scoop the flesh out with a teaspoon. Add avo to bowl. Add some good olive oil and mix to ensure everything is coated.

4. To serve arrange salad on a platter and garnish with the pumpkin seeds and cheese. Find the best balsamic vinegar you have and use it to dress.

I sincerely hope you managed that one. If not, maybe we should just quit now. No hard feelings. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get my drink on.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Deboned leg of lamb, stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and blue cheese

2010-04-06T01:17:00.000-07:00

Jeez I have eaten for the A-Team this weekend. Thanks to The Dragon our Plett headquarters is packed with chocolate. Like...packed. You can't move without knocking over a bunny or a rabbit. If you open a cupboard there's one staring at you. The fridge has them wedged in between fruit and vegetables. On top of the TV there are little bowls of white chocolate chickens. There are dark Lindt balls in the bedrooms. It's a joke. Honestly, I almost expect to see milk chocolate when I turn on my shower in the morning. And it doesn't stop with the chocolate. It seems Easter has become a bit of a general binge and the lunch we hosted for some family friends summed it all up.

After visiting an amazing local butcher and a market in the morning I made olive-and-sundried tomato rolls, a huge mixed green vegetable salad, a butterflied leg of lamb stuffed with wild mushrooms, spinach and blue cheese and roasted tomato and basil pasta rice. The Queen weighed in with decadent chocolate brownies and ice cream. So yeah, it was a bit of a feast. I'm not going to do all the recipes in this single post because...well because I'm lazy and I'm on holiday in Plett and the beach is looking awesome. So I'm going to break them up for you. Let's start with the lamb shall we?

Stuff you'll need to feed 10-12 people:

2 deboned legs of lamb, about 1.5 kg each
About 750g of mixed wild mushrooms
Two big bunches of baby spinach
A good block of blue cheese
A handful of rosemary
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Fry off the mushrooms in a little olive oil and set aside.

2. Do the same with the spinach leaves, adding some water. This allows the leaves to steam and wilt down fairly quickly. Don't overcook the leaves - you still want a bit of bite and you want the green colour.

3. Lay a leg of lamb on a large work surface. You will see the cavity where the bone used to be. Slide a knife in and cut through one side. Now carefully use the knife to cut as you roll the meat out. You are trying to flatten the meat so just cut wherever you think is right. Use the palm of your hand, a mallet or a rolling pin to beat the lamb down if you want. Repeat process for the other leg.

4. Take your mushrooms and spinach and chop them as finely as possible. If you have a food processor use it. What you want is something that resembles pesto in consistency.

5. Spread the mushroom and spinach mixture over one of the pieces of lamb. Add rosemary and garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Crumble over the blue cheese. Place the other piece of lamb on top of the mixture. You should now have something that looks like a T-Rex sandwich. Season the outside of the meat again.

6. Wet some string and tie the two pieces firmly together.

7. Take the tray you will cook the meat in and place over your stove. Turn all the hobs on high and pour in some olive oil. Place your meat in the tray and brown on all sides.

8. When your meat has a nice golden colour, place the tray in the oven and cook for about an hour or until done. (use 20 minutes per 500g for pink lamb as a guideline)

9. Remove, cover with tinfoil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remove string and carve into slices.

10. To serve, place on a large platter carefully keeping the stuffing between the two pieces of meat.

As I said, this went down with plenty of other stuff but there is no need to go so overboard. A couple of roasted potatoes, or a nice simple salad would be awesome. It would also work really well on a Weber.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Maze at The One & Only - I'm underwhelmed

2010-03-31T23:13:00.001-07:00

The problem with putting a restaurant in the lobby of a hotel...is that it often feels like a restaurant in the lobby of a hotel. And Maze, at The One & Only, is a good example of that. Dark wood, thick carpets with geometric prints and heavy, oversized light-fixtures make it seem impersonal rather than impressive. Of course, the space is made to seem all the more soulless when there are hardly any people there and, after accepting an invitation by management to have lunch there yesterday, the first thing that struck me was how dead the place was. In their defense, they have obviously realised the need to get some local lunchtime trade coming through the doors and have introduced a set lunch menu. At R150 for two courses and R200 for three courses it is extremely good value when compared to (a) The rest of their menu, and (b) Some of the V&A Waterfront restaurant prices.

The new lunch menu is set to change weekly. Yesterday there were three options as starters, three main dishes and three desserts. After checking with the chef that his meat was strictly free-range, I began with a duck and chicken terrine served with peach chutney. Feeling the long weekend a touch prematurely I also ordered a bottle of Bouchard Finlayson Sans Barrique Chardonnay (What, like you wouldn't have? Grow up.) The Queen ordered quail. I was very impressed with my dish. Beautifully presented, with the subtle chicken and the slightly weightier duck working nicely together. The chutney was a win too and was served as a chunky "Mrs. Balls" style along with a much more elegant puree version. They also brought out some toasted brioche - a nice touch. The Quail was good but nothing special. For mains The Queen ordered kingklip with bourgignon sauce. I was intrigued as I have never seen the sauce served with fish before. The combination didn't work for me - the delicate flavour of fish being totally overpowered. My ribeye was a trainwreck. The first few bites were good enough and the sauce was exceptional. (They had smoked tomatoes and combined them with baby mushrooms and a deliciously silky jus.) After a few mouthfuls I started to panic though. I simply could not chew meat that tough. I tried. And tried. And chewed. And chewed. And chewed. Eventually I just left some of the steak on the plate. Desserts were a lemon meringue cheesecake, which went a little way towards compensating for the steak, and a rooibos panna cotta which was equally good. In an effort to right the earlier mistake we were both given a free glass of Rudera Noble Late Harvest to enjoy with the dessert. I must say, I always enjoy managers admitting they have done something wrong and trying to make amends. Too many are far too arrogant and would rather sulk or make the customer feel like they are actually the one who has done wrong.

Mention must be made of the awesome service. The waiter and sommelier were friendly and extremely knowledgeable. I loved the layout of the winelist too, which is split into regions rather than grape varieties. An impressive selection of wines by the glass too.

All in all, I would say the place is underperforming. There is inconsistency and a lack of atmosphere that borders on depressing. But there is definitely potential. Chatting to the manager, he told us the aim is to make Maze less intimidating for Capetonians. They want to get people coming for relaxing after-work drinks, business lunches or just a glass of wine. The problem is...in Cape Town we already have so many other places to do this. So there is a lot of work to do. But they know that. And that, at least, is a good sign.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Chicken and Mushroom pie

2010-03-30T02:17:00.000-07:00

You know those healthy recipes I love to bang on about on this site? Yeah, well this isn't one of them. In fact, there's pretty much nothing healthy about it. It is high in fat, loaded with calories and the carb count is also up there. But it tastes like it's made from the tail of a unicorn. And on Saturday, after I had squashed a big trail run in the wind and rain with The Gym Nazi, Prego and Long Distance, I wasn't too fussed about what I ate. See...they were all coming for lunch with their lovely wives and I figured we had more than earned it.

There are plenty of cheats for this recipe. You can buy a whole chicken cooked and shred it yourself. You can buy chicken thighs and fry them. You can buy chicken stock. You can buy puff-pastry instead of making your own. You can buy a white sauce instead of your own. You can blah blah blah blah blah. The recipe below is how to do it if you have the time and are willing. Otherwise, take a little shortcut.

Stuff you'll need to feed 8:

For the stock and chicken:

2 large carrots, roughly chopped
2 onions, quartered
5 cloves of garlic, cut in half
2 pieces of celery, roughly chopped
2 medium sized chickens (I used my favourite Spier ones)
2 teaspoons of thyme
A few black peppercorns

For the rest of the filling:

Butter
Flour
4 big handfuls of mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used shiitake and porcini)
1 onion, finely sliced
A teaspoon of thyme

For the pastry:

2 coffee cups of cake flour
Half a teaspoon cream of tartar
A teaspoon of salt
250g of STALK baking margarine, cut into cubes
2 egg yolks
A cup of ice cold water (it is essential that the water is cold)

Okay, what to do:

1. Place the carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, peppercorns and celery in a pot of water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and submerge the chicken in the pot. Place a side plate over the chicken to make sure it is covered by the water.

2. Poach the chicken for approximately 1 hour, or until cooked. Repeat for second chicken. Keep the beautiful stock you have just made.

3. Once the chicken has cooled, shred the meat and set aside.

4. Cook the sliced mushrooms and onion in some butter and thyme until softened. Set aside with the chicken. (You might have to do the mushrooms in two batches to avoid them stewing)

5. Make your pastry. Start by combining all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add STALK margarine and work in with your fingers until combined. Add the egg yolks and a little bit of the water (your dough mustn't be too wet). Work in to create a nice smooth dough. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour. Too dry, throw in a bit more water. When it is a nice ball, cover with clingfilm and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

5. Make your white sauce by adding some butter and flour to the pan. Using a whisk, combine the two to make sure the butter is coated with the flour. The appearance should be dry, like breadcrumbs.

6. Skim off any white fat from your chicken stock and start slowly adding it to your flour and butter, continuing to whisk gently. It is important that you never stop whisking. Once your sauce has a good consistency remove from heat.

7. When your pastry is ready, remove from fridge and roll out on a floured surface. Carefully use it to line two suitable dishes and cut off extra pastry to leave a 'lip" hanging over the edge. Use your fingers to press it down into the bottom of the dishes, being careful not to tear the pastry.

8. Cut two circles out from the pastry to serve as lids from the pies and pour the filling in to both pies. Place lids on top and using your thumb and index finger pinch the pastry together, moving along the dish as you work.

9. When you're done place pies in oven pre-set at 220 degrees celsius and bake for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and flaky.

Jeez, that was a long process! Are you still with me? Look, it is a bit more difficult than my other recipes but as I said you can simplify it by cutting a few corners in the preparation. Even if you do, I guarantee it will taste a whole lot better than anything you buy pre-packaged and bought off the shelf of a supermarket.

I served this with a simple green salad and on the advice of a fellow blogger and wine ninja some good buttery Chardonnay. It was beautiful.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Carne - Amongst all the controversy, I was impressed. Again.

2010-03-29T02:22:00.001-07:00

You might have noticed I am getting pretty particular about where I get my meat from. This comes on the back of finishing a book called Eating Animals which, as you may have figured out by the name, is an extremely hectic read. It basically takes you through the horrors that animals are exposed to in traditional farming methods. I will do a full review of the book soon but for now what you need to know is that I only eat free-range meat, where I can be absolutely sure the animal had a natural, healthy life (without growth hormones and antibiotics) and was treated well.

This has been quite a process to manage in terms of buying meat for home but when considering restaurants it has been even more difficult. I am at the stage now where I actually e-mail the place before I go. If the meat is from a reputable farm I'm happy but if they give me a bit of a blurred answer I'll go vegetarian. If you had told me three weeks ago that I would go to The Wijhnhuis and have a mushroom linguini with pesto sauce instead of the beef tagliata I would have laughed in your face but I'm afraid that's where I'm at.

Anyway, last week I went to Carne. It was on the back of some fairly serious accusations made on another blog which brought the restaurant's meat supply source into question. (you can read all about it here). Now...I'm not looking to spark some hectic foodie debate here and get all controversial but what I feel I need to say is that Giorgio Nava (the owner) personally came to my table and explained his side of the story. He was open to the fact that I am now paying close attention to where the meat I'm eating comes from and he sat and politey talked me through the entire process. In a nutshell, he gets beef from his own farm in the Karoo. He gets a lot of it. He uses other butchers to hang and mature the meat. He never wants to use the entire animal so he then buys what he needs from said butchers. He goes through the same process with lamb and game but uses another butcher. Regarding his buying of meat from other suppliers Giorgio was open about the fact that he does this to "compare flavours". He assured me that what I was to be eating was not from any of these suppliers. I do agree with the point that he should remove the word "organic" from his website though. I am speculating but I find it hard to believe all his meat is 100% certified.

As I said, there was a bit of doubt before I went. I asked the manager, Jamie, about the meat and he gave me a thorough explanation. I asked the chef and he too gave me a satisfactory answer. I know some people may not accept this but I was there to enjoy dinner not deliberately try and expose some meat conspiracy and bring the industry to its knees. I asked a question and got an answer which I believed. Maybe I'm being a bit naiive but that was good enough for me. There has to be room for a bit of trust in the world.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. When I reviewed this place I had the hanger steak and chocolate souffle. Guess what I had this time? Yip, I'm afraid so. It's that good.

Kwalapa - Three cheers for the little guy

2010-03-26T05:52:00.000-07:00

There's a show on BBC Food called Gary Rhodes' Food Heroes. I normally hate Gary Rhodes but after watching this show...well...I hate him less. The vibe is that he has famous guests on the show who nominate people they think need recognition but aren't necessarily getting it. These people are often suppliers or farmers. Sometimes the nominees are owners of delis who only use local produce. The deli owners all stress the importance of sourcing the highest quality ingredients and, more importantly, looking nearby.

Since watching the show I have often thought about how cool a South African version would be. Not just because I want to be rich. Not just because I want to be famous. Not just because I know I would look amazing on camera. But rather because I think there is a story to tell. I want people to meet the farmers and I want people to appreciate the difference between small, independent suppliers who care and the mass producers who pump animals full of growth hormones and antibiotics (this is subject of another post though, still to come). Anyway, the reason I'm writing this rather long intro is to tell you about a place that would get Jamie Who's vote for South African Food Heroes. It is a small organic deli/restaurant in Newlands called Kwalapa. Never before have I seen a place that puts so much emphasis on where their food comes from.

The vibe itself is very rustic - a huge bedouin tent (with a hole in it for a tree) covers most of the restaurant. There are arts and craft stalls and you sit amongst the Newlands trees. I recently met the owner and she explained their deliberate anti-Hippy approach. "One of my partners wanted to call the place Sprout but that wasn't an option" she explained. "We want people to see organic food as normal food but just farmed the right way, without additives and preservatives". Amen.

To eat I went for their RAW muesli which came with a beautiful, seasonal fruit salad covered in poppy seeds and freshly torn mint. I have since been back for lunch with Long Distance and had a chicken wrap made with my favourite, biodynamically-farmed Spier chickens. Both times my meals were outstanding. There are soups of the days as well as ever-changing, freshly baked pies. The deli section is also really cool and you'll find plenty of gorgeous cheese, fruits and vegetables.

It might not be the funkiest venue and it might not get the most press. It doesn't have a celebrity chef or a fancy interior. But it has passion. And that's good enough for me.

Find them at 31 Newlands Avenue or call on (021) 687-9314.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Taste Of Cape Town - A review via Twitter

2010-03-24T23:37:00.001-07:00

I've said enough about the Taste of Cape Town Festival so I'm not going to do a whole post about what an awesome time I had there last night. Instead let's have a look at my tweets from the event shall we? Things should be pretty obvious.

JamieWhoSA
5:05pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

2 glasses of Steenberg 1682 Brut and some yellowtail sashimi to kick off @TasteofCT

JamieWhoSA

5:29pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

Salmon in Miso from The Greenhouse and a glass of bush vine Chenin from Bosman Family Vineyards...

JamieWhoSA
5:39pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

Ragu from Il Leone is a showstopper. im definitely tipsy now

JamieWhoSA
5:52pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

soooo...a glass of Mooiplaas chenin and soft shell crab from Bistro Sixteen 82. approaching drunk now

JamieWhoSA
6:18pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

aaaand a glass of Pinot Noir from Elgin Vintners. beautiful and best value for money

JamieWhoSA
6:55pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

okay, truffle burger from the awesome Overture. oh, and a Grolsch

JamieWhoSA
7:36pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

what? have i been to the Patrone stand? yip, had all 4. its heating up

JamieWhoSA
7:40pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

there's always going to be a disappointment on a night like this. and it comes in the form of Myoga's salt & pepper prawns. pathetic.

JamieWhoSA
8:09pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

sho, grande provence shiraz right now. and the duck from Jardine. i wont be driving home. i love you

JamieWhoSA
8:19pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

Heineken. just to mellow for a while

JamieWhoSA

8:45pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

in terms of skill, presentation and execution the chocolate calzone from Grande Provence is leading the pack

JamieWhoSA
8:48pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

the johnnie walker black was probably too soon. some would say

JamieWhoSA
9:02pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

Ended the night with ice cream with the boys from Societi. argument with an old lady. hilarious.

Yeah look, it was good.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Justine Drake Interview

2010-03-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

She's gorgeous and funny and her enthusiasm for food is infectious. I recently had the chance to fire a few questions at Justine Drake, the woman behind the Taste of Cape Town Festival which kicks off in about 9 hours. Check it out:

JW: Justine, we've gotten to know you through your work at various magazines and probably most obviously through the awesome Just In Africa show on BBC. You always seem to be busy with something, albeit food styling, recipe development, consulting etc. What I want to know is how - and why - you were crazy enough to take on such a big project?

JD: It involved food and wine which is all the encouragement I needed! Seriously though, it's an incredibly successful festival internationally and the chance to be involved in the LOCAL version was very appealing. I have always flown the 'local is lekker' flag and this is a chance to celebrate our own chefs, restaurants and producers rather than looking overseas for inspiration. It is insulting to me that media showcase international talent when we have fabulous, equally gifted folk right here at home.

JW: I have been to the event the last two years and the growth has been pretty obvious. Tell me a bit about that.

JD: Obviously we aim to improve the event every year. We try and involve new restaurants so people can look forward to it and start planning early as part of their annual social calendar. It is important to us that we always introduce new and exciting things to keep people interested.

JW: The event is obviously a huge strain on the chefs involved. What considerations are there to keep in mind when you choose chefs and restaurants to approach?

JD: We want diversity. We want to represent the different tastes of the city so we try and get a wide range of different styles.

JW: Well, you look like you've nailed it this year. The lineup is ridiculous. Be honest now, are there any personal favourites that you are looking forward to trying?

JD: Honestly, there's something about each and every one of them that I love.

JW: Other than enjoying some of the best food in Cape Town, what can people expect?

JD: Great wine, wonderful booze, the Pick 'n Pay Fresh Living Theatre where you can attend informal cooking demos, the Grolsch Beer Academy, the Johnnie Walker Whiskey Theatre and the Checkers Wine Route, all of which you can enjoy simultaneously! There is also a small Producers' Market where you're bound to make some foodie discoveries.

JW: Aaah, so booze will play it's part - good to know! With that in mind, are the evening sessions a bit more of a party than the daytime ones? Or do Capetonians drink regardless of the time of day?!!

JD: I suppose there are less kids during the evening and things are probably a bit sexier at night but, as you say, people let their hair down during the day too!

JW: So are you going to find some time to actually enjoy the event yourself or will you be running around making sure we have a good time?

JD: No no, I will be enjoying myself. I always do!

JW: Cool. Well, I know you are hectic at the moment so I won't keep you any longer. Hopefully I'll see you later to buy you a drink?

JD: Thanks hon. See you there. And I'll buy the drink...

So there it is guys and girls. The Taste of Cape Town Festival starting tonight and running through to Sunday. I'm not going to say you're a loser if you don't go but...well...you kind-of are.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Hello Sailor - Well played sir

2010-03-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

I love getting a heads-up from a reader when a new spot opens up. To me, that's what makes blogs blogs. The interaction. And with the rise of social media it means you can get this kind of feedback pretty much instantly. Like...someone goes for lunch, someone digs lunch, someone tells you about their lunch. It's cool.

This is exactly how I found out about a gem in Observatory called Hello Sailor. Cut from the same cloth as The Kitchen, Superette and Cheyne's, it is obvious that the owners subscribe to the idea that design and food are interlinked. I say this because the place is flat-out cool. Look, it's not in the best area (it's in quite a shitty area actually) but the decor is awesome. Little trinkets, posters and sailing memorabilia have been collected to form a colour scheme of red, blue and white which acts as the backbone of the place. The room is tiny (I reckon it can seat 20 people) and the menu just as small. Breakfast is the usual stuff with nice additions like a pea and chorizo frittata. Lunch is a collection of sandwiches with interesting fillings and flavour combinations. I went with smoked chicken, sundried tomatoes, pesto and feta while The Queen chose grilled chicken, preserved figs and camembert. I was a bit disappointed at the fact that I could only have ciabatta but the flavours were good, even if the bread was average.

A drawcard is the fact that they sell Deluxe Coffeeworks, which I'm told by those in the know challenges for the best coffee in town. The guy who served us also explained that they are also open to chat about private dinners which would be a very cool and unique venue. Something to consider for sure.

They're in Lower Main Road but I couldn't find an address or phone number. Check them out on www.hellosailorbistro.co.za

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Yuppiechef - Welcome

2010-03-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

You'll know (hopefully) by now my stance on "freebies". I hate them. I get loads of brand managers, restaurateurs and even hotel groups calling me up and inviting me for a free stay/meal/product sample in exchange for a positive write-up. To me this is the complete opposite of what this blog is all about. I'm trying to give you honest advice. Sure, it's all just my opinion but at least it is an honest one. My usual answer to these offers is that I'll have a look but if things are shit, I will say they're shit. Surprisingly, this scares quite a few people off. How weird is that? Surely if you have any confidence in your brand/product/service at all you would be happy to stand beside it? Strangely this isn't the case.

Anyway peeps, the reason I'm writing this entry is to introduce you to the first brand that I am going to endorse. And I feel it is necessary to explain why. Yuppiechef (check them out on the right) is a brand that I love. I always have. I love them so much that we had our wedding gift registry with them. I have always shopped through them.

They will be sending me various products to review under the strict understanding that everything I write will be nothing but the truth. I won't sugar-coat it and if a product is inferior I will be saying so. (Although I'm fairly confident you - like me - will love their vibe)

What I love about Yuppiechef is the fact that they are selling premium products but doing it in a light-hearted, accessible way. They dig food and they want to make your life easier when preparing it. This goes hand-in-hand with my own philosophy of demystifying food. In addition to essential, practical cooking tools, Yuppiechef has funky, quirky gadgets that can make cooking fun and easy. That's why I picked them and that's why you should check them out.

I will be endorsing a few other brands to this blog when and if I see fit. I will always write a rationale just like this one. Maintaining my credibility in your eyes is hugely important to me.

I welcome any of your thoughts on this.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Bistro sixteen82 - Breakfast this time. And another tick.

2010-03-17T02:03:00.001-07:00

Remember when I wrote that article about the fabulous new Bistro Sixteen82? (If you don't, then shame on you). Well, I was there again last week for breakfast and enjoyed it so much I just had to tell you all about it.

You will remember how much I enjoyed my first trip (if not just bear in mind that I'm a straight man who used the word "fabulous" in his opening paragraph) and this time round was no exception. The venue screams out leisurely breakfast but would make a perfect option for a business breakfast too I reckon. The menu might seem pretty standard at first but when you look closer it becomes pretty apparent that you are about to enjoy something special. One of the items is bacon and eggs. Cool, I dig bacon. And eggs. But look closer and you'll see the "bacon" is actually smoked pork belly - a feature which runs throughout the menu. The pork is smoked and cured on site by chef Brad Ball and is a creative and delicious touch. Other details that are worth mentioning are the complimentary honeyed brioche that appears at every table upon arrival and the unusual potato bread that is served with quite a few of the dishes.

I had scrambled eggs with smoked salmon (R58). Brad claims he spent years learning the art of scrambled eggs and I have to admit mine were sensational. The dill hollandaise it was served with was good but I felt maybe it could've done with a touch more vinegar. The rest of the menu is made up of eggs benedict (yip, with smoked pork belly. R55), poached eggs with smoked trout and hollandaise sauce (R58), an omelette with asparagus, basil and cherry tomatoes (R55), berries, yoghurt and toasted almonds (R49) and fresh summer mushrooms (R50). I tasted some of the mushrooms and they were a brilliant combination of shitake, portabello and king oysters. Did I mention they were drizzled with the faintest hint of truffle oil? Yeah, well...

I figured it wouldn't be right not to have little glass of bub so I washed it all down with some of Steenberg's 1682 Chardonnay Brut. Because I'm like that.

This place has thrown its hat quite definitely into the ring for "best breakfast spots in cape Town" in my book. You should keep them in mind next time you're looking.

Call them on (021) 713-2211.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Chef's Warehouse & Cookery School

2010-03-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

Liam Tomlin is Irish. Conrad Gallagher is Irish. Jamie Who is Irish. Two of these people are well respected, highly-acclaimed, famous, handsome, charismatic leaders of their respective fields in the food industry. The other one is Conrad Gallagher.

After leaving Cape Town in a hail of insults, debt and broken promises the Irish community is looking for something to celebrate (besides St Paddy's Day tomorrow which, by the way, I am looking to enjoy at The Slug & Lettuce.) So it is with a great amount of pleasure that I introduce you to one of the country's most exciting food developments.

Situated at 50 New Church Street, it's called The Chef's Warehouse & Cookery School and it promises some of the most exciting cooking classes and short-courses you could ever imagine. The main feature is Liam's 20-part course running on alternate Saturdays. He is backed up by a list guest of speakers that reads like The Harlem Globetrotters of the local food scene. Neil Jewel (Bread & Wine) on the 5th of May, Bruce Robertson on the 6th of May, Alexander Meuller (Pure) on the 24th of May, Luke Dale-Roberts (La Colombe) on the 8th of June. Are you getting this? There is a wine course by Caroline Rillema and a bread-making course by Tim Faull of Knead. Others mentioned are Laurent Deslandes (Bizerca Bistro), Reuben Riffel (Reuben's), Pete Goffe-Wood (Kitchen Cowboys, Wild Woods) Margot Janse (The Tasting Room) and even Richard Corrigan. (You're kidding right? Google him.)

I had to take a deep breath there, I was getting a bit carried away. But honestly, have you ever seen anything like that? I half expected to see Oprah giving a lecture on how to make a birthday cake. It's mental.

The first course starts on the 24th of April. For more info e-mail info@chefswarehouse.co.za

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Spier Contemporary Art Exhibition

2010-03-15T02:30:00.001-07:00

I dusted off my black skinnys and attended the media launch for The Spier Contemporary Art Exhibition last week. It's brought to you by The Africa Centre (www.africacentre.net) and showcases 101 local artists, with 132 stunning pieces having been chosen from more than 2 700 entries. The exhibition features a wide range of skills and techniques, with sculptures, photography, painting, performance art and more all being displayed.

The exhibition is being held at the City Hall, which itself has been turned from a beautiful space into a breathtaking one. Part of the transformation process has been the creation of a temporary cafe/coffee area catered for by Rotisserie 360. As well as their usual light fare (which is bloody good by the way and I am embarrassed that I haven't reviewed them on this site) they will be serving coffee throughout the day and - to answer the obvious question - yes, they do have a license.

The exhibition runs until the 14th of May and entry is free. It is something cool and different and it feels hugely satisfying to support the people who have put so much effort into creating the beautiful work. If you are anywhere nearby you should totally check it out. Grab a beer, a chicken sandwich and who knows, maybe even some art?

For more information, including a list of this year's winners, check out www.spiercontemporary.co.za

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Hedonist - Watch out

2010-03-11T03:31:00.001-08:00

I'm part of a very special club. If you're reading this then so are you...

Foodies. We're quite a strange bunch aren't we? We get genuinely excited when we talk about food. We pick up vegetables and cradle them like they're puppies. We devour cookbooks and grab the latest copy of the Taste magazine as if our favourite celebrity crush is lying naked in the centre-fold. We plan weekends away around restaurants and we list eating out as a necessary item instead of a luxury one when sorting out our finances. We're basically nerds but instead of Dungeons and Dragons we eat and drink. The best part about being a foodie though? Meeting another one...

This happened to me the other day when I bumped into a fellow blogger who is now making his own wine. He left me with a bottle from his first batch and I sat down last night for ONE glass. It was always going to be one glass. I didn't really need it but in the name of research I thought I would just have one. It was raining outside...perfect weather for one glass of wine. ONE.

45 minutes and an empty bottle later, I was left speechless. What a cracker. Now, it's no secret that I am no wine expert. I don't pretend to be. What I can do though is tell you when something tastes good and when something tastes shit. This one was the former. Strong hints of black pepper and dark cherries were offset beautifully by a smoky aftertaste. The feeling in your mouth was smooth and elegant but the wine held its shape just long enough to coat all the right places before you swallowed. All in all, I found it sexy as hell.

The wine is an unusual red blend made up of syrah, grenache, carignan and viognier (which I found particularly interesting) grapes from the Swartland area. The end result is fantastic in my opinion and I love the passion these guys have. In a similar vibe to The Real Beer campaign, the focus seems to be on selecting the highest quality grapes and concentrating on smaller volumes. Less clients. More personal attention. Very Jerry Maguire.

The wine is called Hedonist by the way. As far as I know the only place it is available at the moment is &Union. I'm pretty sure that won't be the case for long but next time you're there keep it in the back of your mind. I know it's tough not to order a beer straight away but hey, it's always good to keep your options open.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Cookshop - It's a go

2010-03-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

If you ever lose your baby/father/grandmother/dog/parrot etc. stop what you're doing and - wherever you are - head to the Engen in Gardens. I promise you they will be there. Honestly, it is the world's busiest petrol station. I don't even like calling it a petrol station. It's got more going on in there than some of the smaller African countries. So...you would be forgiven for thinking that opening a restaurant just around the corner would be a good idea. That's exactly what a few people did a while back when they opened "Sage". It turns out they did everything right except concentrate on food, ambience, service and decor. Basically, the place was a joke. The Queen used to work nearby so we tried it out a few times and I usually got so pissed off with the tree-hugger mentality that I left without even ordering.

So you can imagine I was intrigued when I heard whisperings that they had been taken over. The place is now called Cookshop and to compare it to Sage would be like comparing Madonna's armpit after a 4 hour gig to Megan Fox's belly button.

The reason I enjoyed Cookshop so much was because of its fresh, seasonal ingredients and the fact that the whole place had a personality. Similar to The Kitchen in Woodstock, I noticed everyone smiling and genuinely looking to please their customers. It's not rocket science guys but so few places actually do it.

To eat you choose between gourmet sandwiches and a buffet table. I went for a big plate (R30) from the buffet table and loaded it up with a pomegranate and herb salad, a green-bean-and nectarine one and some sesame-seed-crusted chicken thighs. Power went for roast chicken and homemade mayo on rye. Both our meals were way above average. They also make interesting juices and I threw back one made from apples, ginger and pear. I felt like Superman leaving that place.

The vibe is simple but nicely done (chalkboard specials, blue feature wall, baked goods on display etc), the clientele is funky, the food is healthy and the atmosphere is laid-back. Honestly, you could do a lot worse.

Find them at 117 Hatfield Street or call them on (021) 461-7868.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. If you do decide to check them out, park in the Jewish Museum's parking across the road.

10 foods you thought were bad for you that actually aren't

2010-03-09T00:30:00.000-08:00

The problem nowadays is that everyone has an opinion. Look, that's just my opinion. I find it's especially true when it comes to health though. You can pick up a magazine one day that tells you what is good/bad for you only to pick up a newspaper the following week with a totally contradictory article. It's tough and confusing. Over the years I have read lots of articles about foods that you thought were healthy but actually aren't. That's fine, but what I always want to tell people is foods that are supposed to be UNHEALTHY but are actually fine in moderation. Recently I was sent an article by The Other Guy Who Can Cook which deals with some of these food types. I think it was published in the UK Style magazine but can't be sure. I'm throwing a lot of my own interpretation in there too so it's not reaaaaaaallly plagerism. More like borrowing and adding. Yes, that's a much better way to put it.

So here we go peeps, brace yourself for some good news. Here are 10 foods that you always thought were the devil. Turns out, they are actually really good for you.

1. Cheese. Yes, I know cheese is high in fat. It's also high in calcium and certain proteins that carry amino acids, some of which have been linked to prevention of diseases like cancer. So as long as you don't eat a piece of camembert the size of a hockey puck every night you'll be fine.

2. Chocolate. The theory behind chocolate being good for you is a little bit of a dangerous one. See...it has recently been argued that chocolate contains high levels of antioxidants which help prevent a number of things from heart disease to premature aging. This is true, but only partly. The antioxidants are really only found in high-quality dark chocolate (70% or more). So if you buy a cheap bar of chocolate and eat it because you read somewhere that it was healthy you're kidding yourself. As with cheese, you should only have a little bit of the good stuff.

3. Red meat. Again, it CAN be high in fat. But what is important is that it doesn't have to be. And with red meat it is easy to see when it is. Marbled meat is f-ing delicious but it is also higher in fat so be careful. Eat it sparingly and choose leaner cuts if you are trying to be healthy.

4. Carbs. Who can honestly tell me they can survive without carbs? (If you answered "me" then piss off. You're lying.) Carbs are actually extremely important. The right type of carbs. It's all about sugar. With processed carbs, like white bread and sugary cereals, there is a surge in sugar levels followed by a very sudden crash which can lead to cravings. Rather go for wholegrains, quinoa, oats etc.

5. Dried fruit. Surely by now we all know you are supposed to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Come on, EVERYBODY knows that. The confusion comes with things like tinned fruit, frozen fruit and juices. Well, dried fruit is absolutely fine but because of the fact that it has "shrunk" you should just watch how much you are chowing. Dried fruit can give you fiber and plenty of minerals and vitamins.

6. Avocadoes. I actually hope you already know these are good for you. Some people steer clear of them because of their high fat content but what they don't know is the fact that the fat in avo's is mono-unsaturated fat which is "the good fat". It helps with cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and on top of that most mono-unsaturated fats are packed with vitamin E.

7. Butter. Most people think margarine is healthier than butter. Most people are wrong. They both contain similar amounts of fat. As with avo's it is the TYPE of fat that is important. True, most margarines are made from unsaturated fat but some contain transfats which is like the Hitler of fats. Honestly, you don't want to see transfats anywhere on a diet. Basically the deal here is neither butter nor fat is healthy, so use them sparingly. Definitely don't use margarine thinking you are taking the better option - that is not necessarily true.

8. Coffee. I can't touch it, but research lately seems to be showing that a cup of coffee can speed up the metabolism process as well as the obvious other benefits of increasing endurance, performance and stamina. (sounds like the researchers mixed up their papers with the work they did on viagra)

9. Sugar. This is only healthy when compared to sweeteners. The problem with sweeteners is that when the body takes them in it prepares itself for more calories. If these don't arrive the body then needs more food or burns less energy. Both result in weight being added on, not lost. If you have to get a sweet kick, rather do it naturally.

10. Late-night snacks. For years the argument has been that if you eat late at night your body doesn't have time to burn off the calories. Common sense says that what is way more important is how many calories you eat throughout the day. If you go to bed having eaten less calories than you have burned, you are absolutely fine. So have a little something before you go to bed. Just don't have a big something. Simple, no?

Sho, that was quite a post. Maybe not as funny/interesting as some of my others but definitely something important that I feel strongly about. Food is there to be enjoyed and people need to keep that in mind. You can be health-orientated without deprivation. Just reward yourself with the good-quality products and eat them in moderation.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Grilled yellowtail served on fennel gazpacho

2010-03-08T03:54:00.000-08:00

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a beautiful, chilled bowl of gazpacho. Except maybe for the fact that it is never really enough for me. It's fine as a starter but as a main I really do need more. So with this in mind I threw together this little dish last night. The plan was to leave the gazpacho very chunky so that it could double-up as a kind-of-sauce. It worked out pretty nicely...

Stuff you'll need to feed 2:

About 450g of any firm white fish (I used yellowtail)
A mixture of mustard seeds, coriander seeds and fennel seeds, all crushed
3 tomatoes, quartered
One red onion, quartered
A bulb of fennel, quartered (keep the leaves too)
A tablepoon of red wine vinegar
One chilli, roughly chopped
Half a cucumber, peeled
About 100ml of water
A few tablespoons of olive oil

Okay, what to do:

1. Preheat your oven to the highest temperature. Rub fish in olive oil and cover with mustard seed mixture.

2. Using a spoon remove the seeds from the cucumber and discard. Add cucumber, along with tomatoes, fennel, onion, olive oil, vinegar, chilli and water to a blender and pulse to form a chunky soup. Place in refrigerator. (The consistency is totally up to you. It can be as smooth or as course as you would like)

3. Grill fish in oven for 8-10 minutes or until done.

To serve, spoon gazpacho into bowls and place fish on top. Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes and fennel leaves. As a final touch drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil.

Another healthy dish that's absolutely perfect for the heat we are going through at the moment. It's light and easy and the fennel adds an interesting dimension. Give it a bash.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Calamari, mango and coriander salad

2010-03-05T00:36:00.001-08:00

Isn't the 1st of March supposed to be the start of Autumn? I thought so, but someone clearly forgot to tell whoever it is up there that controls the weather. You see...Cape Town has been off-the-charts hot this week. On Wednesday Icepick and I set out to do the Men's Health 10km race (cleaned it, obviously) and it was 35.5 degrees. What's the big deal? The race started at 18h15!!! Yeah, that's what we're dealing with down here.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm not one of those people who moans about the heat. If I do feel the slight pang of "this is just too hot" I do a quick Google search for temperature in London and see how the expats are doing over there. 9 degrees. Yeah...

It's pretty chilly here today too. 28.5 at the moment. Annnnyway, the point is when it gets this hot I turn to light, easy salads for dinners. I keep the flavours clean and try and spend as little time cooking as possible. That was the gameplan last night and this popped out. A lovely little dish. Check it out.

Stuff you'll need to feed 4:

800g calamari tubes, cut into strips
2 - 3 mielies (cobs of corn)
A handful of cashew nuts
2 big handfuls of mixed lettuce (different colours, shapes, textures etc)
A handful of coriander, roughly chopped
2 mangos, peeled and thinly sliced

Okay, what to do:

1. In boiling, salted water cook the corn for a few minutes until done. Slice the corn to remove the kernels.

2. In a dry pan roast the nuts for a few minutes. Be very careful not to burn them. It's quite easy to do so keep an eye on them and shake the pan often. Remove and allow to cool.

3. Place the lettuce leaves, the coriander, the mango, the nuts and the corn in a bowl.

4. Heat a wok (or big pan) until smoking hot and cook the calamari in vegetable/avocado/sunflower oil (olive oil won't work here) for 1-2 minutes. Do not overcook it. Add the calamari to the bowl.

5. Season with salt and black pepper and serve immediately, before the calamari has a chance to wilt the leaves.

I didn't make a dressing which was a big a mistake but I just used some soy sauce and honey to drizzle over, which was a pretty good save. If you've got lemons that would be good too. The whole thing took about 10 minutes and was absolutely perfect for a quick, healthy summer dinner. Loving it.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Queen's surprise birthday at Cheyne's

2010-03-04T03:57:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked in an interview *ahem what my three favourite Cape Town restaurants were. The reason I'm telling you this is not only to let you know there is a very exciting feature about me coming out soon (including a steamy picture ladies) but also to let you know that one of the three restaurants I chose was Cheyne's, which I had the pleasure of enjoying again last week. See how elegantly and seamlessly I did that? Allowing me to flow into my next paragraph? Yeah, I know...

So last week I threw a surprise birthday party for The Queen. I had told her we were heading out for a quiet dinner and that we just needed to quickly drop something off at Cheyne's on the way. Well...having successfully managed to put together a dream team of 18 people (the whole place only takes 20) including Mouse, Long Distance, Pafoof, Mr & Mrs Awesome, Power, Icepick, Ledgie, Godmother E, Hotspur, The PR Ninja and more, the two of us walked in to find everyone waiting for us. They went bananas and I'm stoked to say my lovely was blown away. I had absolutely nailed it. The best was still to come though. The food...

Cheyne threw out a spread the likes of which must surely rate as some of the best chow I've had. Like...ever. He brought out platters and laid them out in the middle of the table for people to help themselves. To start there was salt-and-chilli squid, deep-red tuna tataki and a watermelon and duck salad. The mains were slow-roasted pork belly served with crackling (why more places don't do this I will never know), fillet with a pesto-style sauce, yellowfish and lamb cutlets. Dessert was the only thing dished up on individual plates but even they were made up of taste-size portions of different types. A delicate pear tarte tartin, cheesecake and airy chocolate mousse. My God. I almost started eating my cellphone halfway through this paragraph.

The amount of food was actually more than we needed, the quality of EVERY SINGLE DISH was faultless and the style and vibe of the place is something 100% unique. In a nutshell, if you are looking for a place to have a function for up to 20 people you would be a fool not to have it at Cheyne's. Look at me...a fool.

To get a quote (he can design a menu for whatever you are after) give him a call on (021) 422-3358.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Beer, chocolate and music - boom!

2010-03-03T04:35:00.000-08:00

My head nearly exploded from pure joy when I read about what's going down at Brewers&Union on Friday night. I'm going to keep this very simple because I feel like if you need me to explain why you should be there then...well...you don't deserve to be there.

Starting at 8pm there will be a beer and...wait for it...Lindt chocolate pairing. What? I know. It's too much. There's also some awesome live music in the form of Wrestlerish.

It pains to me to say I can't be there on Friday but rest assured, I will be thinking of you. Thinking of me.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Taste of Cape Town competition winners

2010-03-03T01:39:00.000-08:00

It's time children. Time for me to announce the winners of the Taste of Cape Town double-tickets. Let me just say I was pretty overwhelmed by how many entries I got. With this kind of enthusiasm we can safely conclude that the foodie movement is alive and well in Cape Town! That and the fact that people dig free shit.

The two winners I chose were picked on the basis of one simple thing: their obvious passion towards food.

So without wasting too much of your time (I know you all have to go and pretend to work) here they are. The winners. Give them a hand...

1. Samantha Bath, for her review on Eight at Spier

2. Jaclyn Van Zyl, for her Moroccan-inspired minty marinade.

Nice one ladies. Drop me an e-mail to arrange collection of tickets.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Salt Deli & Vodka Bar - Tick

2010-03-02T01:20:00.000-08:00

I appreciate anyone who opens a place with "vodka" and "deli' in the name. It's pretty ballsy and, even though the vodka bar hasn't opened yet, the restaurant aspect of the Salt Deli & Vodka Bar seems to be doing nicely. I checked it out for breakfast on Saturday.

Occupying the space where Carlucci's used to be, Salt is done fairly simply using timber decking, screeded slate floors and an open, supermarket-style shelving layout to showcase the deli items. There is a funky stone bar, glass displays boasting fresh tarts and pastries, mounted bread cages and (the now standard) blackboards listing daily specials.

Having squashed a good trail run with Icepick that morning and with a debaucherous wedding planned that night, I was keen to keep it healthy. Something I was stoked to see was ostrich mince on toast - I went with rye.(R40). I dig mince on toast and the added health benefits of the ostrich sold me. The dish might not have been the prettiest to look at, but the seasoning was good enough and knowing how easy it is to dry out such a lean protein I think the chef did well. Pafoof had a bagel with smoked salmon, cream-cheese and capers (R45). Not exactly culinary genius but something I did enjoy was the fact that each component was brough in separate bowls, allowing a customer to add the amount they like (we all know making a bagel/sandwich is one of the most personal tasks around). The Queen went with an unusually dainty order of two poached eggs and fresh tomato on sourdough (R20 - steal). Again, the presentation impressed me as the eggs were served up in individual saucers. Little details yes, but that's what I love. Service throughout the meal was brilliant and some of the better tea I have recently enjoyed topped off a great breakfast.

The lunch menu also sounded good with things like chicken and asparagus salad, stuffed aubergine, lamb pita and a game terrine on offer. There's also a nice selection of wines by the glass, suggesting this place could do well during lunchtime trade too.

Recently chef Jacques de Jager joined the original Salt restaurant (located just across the road in The Ambassador Hotel) and with high expectations, Salt Deli seems to be an extension of the lofty goals the group obviously has. I personally can't wait for the upstairs champagne and oyster bar to open.

Call them on (021) 439-3354.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

TRUTH.coffeecult - Impressive.

2010-03-01T04:35:00.000-08:00

I've got a little confession for you guys. Seeing how close we have become, and how our relationship has deepened, (my God I love you) I think it's only fair that I be honest and upfront with you. It's going to be tough but bear with me and please don't judge me for it. Ready? *big breath in through nostrils

can't

drink

coffee.

*exhales through mouth

It's a medical condition and one that I carry around with regret. The reason I'm telling you all of this is because last week I attended the official opening of TRUTH.coffeecult and I realised again how much I miss the stuff. The smells of the roasting coffee were unreal, the place was packed with beautiful people, it was a gorgeous Cape Town day and Rus Nerwich was murdering it on the sax.

Truth is owned by the David Donde (the guy who started Origin) and in only a few weeks it has managed to make a huge impact on the Cape Town coffee scene. Walking around the place it didn't take long for me to understand why. The first thing you notice is the integration of the outside area into the architecture. It is beautifully done and creates a very European/New York vibe, where they often focus on pedestrianising their inner-cities. Inside the shop the emphasis is on clean, simple lines and a vintage coffee roaster which takes pride of place and serves as a stunning feature. The building, it should be pointed out, is pretty special too and is actually a memorial. A perfect, light, airy space to browse and admire while while waiting for your order.

The philosophy behind Truth is to strip down coffee to its basic form and offer the customer only a handful of options. There is a case to be made for too many varieties being presented lately and it would appear that Truth are going for the "back to basics" angle, which is more often than not a good one. Food-wise there are a few options like wraps, mini-burgers, salads etc. (all priced at R15!!) and if you - like me - can't handle coffee, you will be pleased to know that there is an impressive selection of tea available too.

No doubt this place will be making the Vida and Origin boys sit up and take notice. It has already drummed up a lot of hype and the fact that you can go to a coffee shop, not drink coffee, and leave impressed says a lot.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. I feel better that I have come "out". That secret has been tormenting me and I think you and I will only be closer as a result hey. Kisses.

Massimo's Pizza Club Interview

2010-02-25T23:27:00.001-08:00

It's no secret where I think you get the best pizza in Cape Town. Made with passion and delivered by an Italian with a reassuringly strong accent, Massimo's Pizza Club in Hout Bay is king of the pizza world for me. Massimo's wife Tracy is brilliant as front-of-house and when you arrive you feel like part of the family. I recently sat down and asked them a few questions on what makes their pizza so special. As with most Italians, getting him to talk wasn't a problem at all. Getting him to stop? Well...

JW: Let’s start with the boring stuff. What part of France are you from?

M: haaa monsieur, je suis Italiano! But we lived in beautiful Dordogne, France, for 7 years before moving to SA. That’s where the Pizza Club was born, in the garden of our 400 years old farmhouse.

JW: Okay, relax. Bloody hell. Italy then. Now…Italian cooking is very regional, with each area claiming to have their own version of some pretty famous dishes. What were the meals you can remember eating growing up, and did they differ from the way they would’ve been prepared in other parts of Italy?

M: Not only every region, but every village! I come from Piemonte, north west region, near the mountains. My family grew their own vegetables, made wine and had chickens and rabbits running around.(I remember once a year buying a pig and making salami), so for me ‘free range’, ‘organic’ has always been the natural way to eat. In my family, like in most Italian families, every meal, lunch & dinner was cooked from scratch. Normally there’s a pasta or risotto or soup, followed by a main meat course with vegetables. I recall with affection my Mum’s coniglio alla cacciatora (rabbit casserole) and ‘illegally’ distilling grappa with my Dad.

JW: So Italian cooking is just as romanticised as it appears on the BBC Food Network then? Tracy, maybe you should answer this one…

T: Well yes. When Massimo talks about food everything sounds romantic! TV is becoming more true to life though and at least it’s not all designer kitchens. In my opinion Italians eat well but they’re not adventurous with new foods. I have introduced Asian foods to my-in laws and as my father-in-law LOVES what I cookwhich has landed me in trouble with my Suocera (mother-in-law)!!!

JW: Beautiful. Does it irritate you that most people interpret authentic Italian food as being red-and-white tablecloths and red pasta sauces?

M: It does. But what irritates me more is the amount of salt and pepper people put on my pizzas before they’ve had the first bite! How do they know is not already salted to perfection?! There is an annoying habit here of people adding extra toppings to already perfectly balanced pizza recipes. I don’t get it; this never happens in Italy.

..another thing that irritates me (and I don’t want to take the place of another CT restaurateur famous for this...) is when small children waste my food… I’m used to Italian kids who learn to sit at the table and appreciate proper food!

JW: Which brings us onto pizza. I’m not just saying this because you promised me free pizza forever after this appears on my blog but I have never tasted anything that even comes close to your creations. So…what is more important: the quality of the flour used for the dough, the quality of the tomato sauce or the toppings? Or is it everything?

M: The quality of the flour is certainly important, and I use only the best Eureka mills (before I decided I went one morning at 5am to see what they were using at Ile de Pan in Knysna). We use only Fior di Latte Mozzarella and not the processed pre-grated stuff that is standard in most other places. But the most important thing is certainly the woodfired oven and the high temperature the pizzas are cooked at. On average a pizza is ready in 90 seconds and on some evenings it can take as little as one minute. This allows the toppings to remain fresh and maintain all the individual flavors.

JW: Aaah, the wood-burning oven. I see you are now baking your own breads in there. What’s the vibe with that?

M: My grandfather was a baker but unfortunately he retired before I was born and my biggest regret is to never have asked him his secrets. At an Italian table you can’t start eating if the bread basket is not full... and you never leave a plate with some sauce left on it! You use the bread to do a ‘scarpetta’ (mop it up). I try to bake bread one morning a week, when the temperature of the oven is perfect (it would be too hot in the evening after the pizzas) and I love every moment of it. I’m still experimenting with lots of different recipes, it’s not as easy as you would think, but the result is unique, like nothing you could buy.

JW: I see you are now doing a mezze platter using this bread...

M: I serve my bread with the Piatto di Legno, which is a selection of simple, fresh ingredients and recipes from my mamma. Like the giardiniera (summer vegetables cooked in a tomato sauce) and the zucchini in carpione (slices of fried courgettes in agrodolce).

JW: And Tracy, you handle the salads?

T: Yip. Even we get tired of pizza and can appreciate that customers will sometimes feel like something lighter.

JW: I hear you. So guys, how often do you eat pizza then?

M: We eat pizza at least 4 nights a week.

JW: Ha ha, living the dream. That's awesome. What are the favourites?

M: Every night we try a different combination (and when it works it becomes part of the menu), but we tend to prefer vegetarian combinations. Lately we love the one with goat's cheese and salsa verde, pear & pecorino cheese, or just a simple Margherita with home-made pesto. The secret for a great pizza is to have few, but tasty ingredients.

JW: Okay, one more question. When I stop by for a pizza what should I wash it down with?

M: In Italy we prefer to drink beer with pizza. We have recently started stocking some interesting beers like Birkenhead and the &Union range.

JW: Glory. Can I have a menu please?

Jack Black and Brewers&Union - We Love Real Beer

2010-02-24T22:53:00.000-08:00

I have written quite often on this page about how much I love Jack Black Beer. I've also mentioned how awesome Brewers & Union is for delicious chow and artisanal beer. Last night I went to the launch of a concept that sees these two teams collaborating on a very exciting idea.

It's dubbed We Love Real Beer, and plans to showcase the microbreweries around the country (and continent). With mass-produced, chemically-enhanced stuff being the beer of choice for most people in this country, We Love Real Beer plans at setting up a platform for the little guys. The guys who truly care about their produce. The guys who use no additives or preservatives. The guys who brew their beer for longer. The passionate guys.

Both Jack Black and Brewers&Union have realised how the marketing landscape has changed with the rise of social media. Everyone now has a voice and the consumers' is the loudest. With this in mind, their We Love Real Beer website is aimed at being an interactive way of bringing retailers, suppliers and consumers closer together. The vibe they are after is to get people to communicate where they go for a beer, what they drink, who they drink it with, how often they drink it etc. It's a very, very cool idea to gather information and use it constructively.

The thing that really stood out for me last night was watching a Brewers&Union employee happily pouring me a Jack Black pint. In theory these guys are direct competitors, but they don't think like that. They have the bigger picture in mind and both are looking to do one thing: champion beer. Real beer. Made properly. It's that simple. If only other industries were this open minded.

Their site is spanking new and at the moment there's not much to look at. But apparently they did that on purpose. Their theory? Beer needs to be the focus, not a pretty site with loads of worthless gimmicks.

Watch out for Jack Black and CSG beers. They might cost a bit more but to me they represent amazing value for money. You need to remember value-for-money doesn't mean "cheap". It means VALUE FOR MONEY.

Check out the www.weloverealbeer.com site

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Pepper Club - Underseasoned

2010-02-24T02:33:00.000-08:00

I've got Pafoof staying with me at the moment. She's down from JHB scouting a few venues as she looks for a place to host her next client dinner. Somewhere, somehow, someone suggested The Pepper Club in Camps Bay. We went there last night to check it out with The Quad and his lovely girlfriend who were here from England. Was it suitable for the vibe Pafoof was looking for? Unfortunately not. Why? Well...she's not too keen on expensive, average food in a place with slow service and zero atmosphere.

Look, I'll be the first to admit that last night wasn't the best night to show off Camps Bay. The wind was pumping, it was raining and the impressive views from the restaurant were rendered pretty much useless as we were forced inside. But still. Was that the reason we were literally THE ONLY table there? In a 100+ seater restaurant. I think not.

After arriving at 8 o'clock we eventually got our starters after 9. They consisted of the prawn tempura (good batter, good prawns, terrible dipping sauces), a house salad (absolutely massive but fresh) and the salmon tartare (good, well seasoned.) By now 2 people had made their way to the bar and I was beginning to understand why the place was called a bar SLASH restaurant. Those two had really got the place humming. In fact, if I leaned forward far enough, I could actually hear them talking. It was getting wild.

Onto the mains (after 10 o'clock). The Quad and I both had the nori and sesame crusted salmon which sounded fantastic but under-delivered in everything except price (R135). It was bland and overcooked. Pafoof had the linefish which was kobeljou (R125). Her dish was the best of the night and was beautifully cooked and nicely presented. The Queen had a sirloin steak which I found to be tough. It was pretty good in terms of flavour though. The Quad's girlfriend had a vegetable tempura platter which was also not bad. Good batter and fresh vegetables at least.

An interesting part of the menu (which is huge by the way. Ranging from prawn platters to venison to pasta to grills to chicken etc) was their desserts. They had some guilt-free options and we tried the cheesecake. The actual cheesecake was perfect in terms of texture and flavour but the blueberry "coulis" it came with was without doubt one of the worst and strangest things I have ever eaten. They looked like blueberries that had been dried and then re-hydrated. When you put them in your mouth they were chewy and then sticky and then totally dry. Imagine a tiny blue piece of cotton wool soaked in blueberry juice. Weird. And not in a good way.

The Pepper Club may well heave in summer on a beautiful night. The bar area might be packed with shmodels having cocktails when the sun is shining. But that's really not good enough in a fickle Cape Town restaurant scene. You need to be consistently busy and consistently good. Busy and good. Last night it was neither.

Oh, did I mention the waiter asking for his tip in cash? No? Well...yeah, that was weird. Also, there was the cleaning staff packing up the chairs around us as we ate. Hardly ideal.

If you still want to go there call them on (021) 812-8888.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Chicken and wild mushrooms braised in white wine

2010-02-22T22:55:00.000-08:00

I normally start giving some thought as to what I'm going to write for you lovelies somewhere on my way to work in the morning. This morning was different though, and as I stood admiring myself naked in a full-length mirror, I knew what I was going to write even before I had time to exfoliate. You see...it was raining. And I have just the thing for a rainy day. Look, it's not the prettiest dish you'll find here but in terms of taste it's hard to beat. And perfect - absolutely bloody perfect - for a cold night when you just feel like no-hassle cooking.

Stuff you'll need to feed 4:

About 800g of organic, free-range chicken pieces (I use skinless. Try and get the thigh meat, otherwise get chicken on the bone.)
A handful of cherry tomatoes
A cup of white wine
A cup of water
An onion, finely sliced
A handful of mixed wild mushrooms
2 Tablespoons of fresh thyme
2 Tablespoons of fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

Okay, what to do:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees celsius.

2. In an oven-proof pan or casserole dish gently fry the onions, mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil. You want the onions to soften but not colour and you don't want to burn the garlic so make sure the heat is not too high.

3. After about 2 minutes add the chicken pieces and the herbs and fry for about 1 minute. Add the water and the wine and increase the heat. Bring to a boil and reduce back to a simmer.

4. Add the tomatoes, season well with black pepper and sea salt and cover the pan/dish with a lid or damp wax paper. Place in the oven and cook untouched for about an hour and fifteen minutes (maybe an hour and a half, depending on your oven).

5. Remove the pan/dish from the oven and cook gently on the stovetop to reduce the sauce to your desired consistency. You can have it as thick as you want, depending on what you are serving it with (quinoa, couscous, brown rice and lentils are good options).

So...that's it. There's an expression that says if something is too good to be true it probably is. Not here though. Here it really is that easy. And healthy. And f-ing delicious. Enjoy it.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Toffie Pop CultureFestival - A shot in the arm of funky

2010-02-19T02:15:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing I'm married. Because after reading this there's an extremely strong likelihood that you will want to sleep with me. The most exciting festival I have seen in ages is coming soon. And most of you probably haven't heard of it. It's called the Toffie Culture Festival and, quite frankly, it looks like the balls.

With a creative celebration of art, music, design and fashion their guest speaker lineup is like reading a list of the world's coolest jobs. Most notable is Kim Jones (head Creative Director of Alfred Dunhill), who has been voted by The Face magazine as number 20 in their "most influential people in fashion" list.

The Toffie Festival promises to be raw, edgy and brilliant and more importantly, accessible. And...oh yes...creative. The best part? A ticket costs R680, which gives you access to the exhibition plus two full days of lectures. When compared to The Design Indaba prices (which in all honesty are an absolute joke) that is phenomenal value.

The festival is from the 26th to the 28th of March. For more check out www.toffiepop.blogspot.com/

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Grand (Granger Bay) - Not that grand

2010-02-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

At the Dear Me tasting the other night I met an awesome guy who told me a great story about The Grand Beach Cafe in Granger Bay. Now...I haven't reviewed the place yet but there have been plenty of mixed reports. (read some of them here). The general consensus seems to be that they have an amazing view and because of that the standard of food is not very good. In fact, words like "horrid" and "extremely disappointing" pop up. If there is one thing that everyone seems to agree on though it is the shocking service. Something that irritates me more than anything is when a restaurant realises their location is fantastic, and adopt a we-don't-really-need-to-try-because-people-will-come-anyway policy. The story I heard the other night seemed to sum up what everyone is saying about The Grand. It goes like this...

He arrived at The Grand and ordered a Peroni. Fine, things were going according to plan. He drinks the Peroni and goes back to the bar to order another one. The barman's reply? "We don't serve Peroni." The guy explains nicely, holding up his empty bottle as evidence, that he just bought one. "You must've brought that in yourself, where is a receipt?" was the barman's only conclusion. Our boy goes back to his table. Eventually the owner comes over and explains that somebody else must've brought them in and HIDDEN THEM BEHIND THE BAR. WTF? ARE YOU GUYS GETTING THIS???? Hey? How priceless is that? Well needless to say the guy was speechless and his expression obviously registered with the owner who then gave him a Peroni "on the house." Wow. What a charmer.

The night got better when the same friend then went back to the bar to get a cocktail. He asked for a cocktail menu and when he opened it it was nicely held together with...a big blob of bright pink bubblegum. Not exactly Grand. Not quite. He gave the barman (who saw the gum quite clearly) a pleading look but was given no apology. Just a casual "So what'll it be?"

Pathetic.

He was aware enough to snap a quick photo of the disgusting menu. Now, I understand that these things happen in restaurants and some of you might be saying it's not The Grand's fault. I am well aware of that. What is their fault - totally their fault - is the way they handled it. Terribly.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Dear Me - Could, and should, be amazing

2010-02-16T23:50:00.000-08:00

Remember this day. The day you were browsing through a couple of blogs and stumbled across Cape Town's hottest new bar/restaurant THREE AND A HALF MONTHS BEFORE IT OPENED. How could this be? Let me explain.

On Monday night I was invited for dinner to crit a sample menu for a new restaurant set to open on the 1st of June. The place is going to be called Dear Me and sounded interesting. Situated just off Long Street and Greenmarket Square in the building that used to have that really weird Russian champagne/oyster/caviar bar in it, I was intrigued. (I think it was called Sobeit back then.) Anyway, Dear Me is to be set on three levels and promises a lunch menu focusing on light, healthy meals, a more substantial dinner menu, private dining areas/function rooms and my favourite...a rooftop bar with awesome views. Sound good? Thought so.

Back to dinner. Amazing. Eight of us enjoyed a six course meal, talking music, art, food and wine (not in that dry, poncy way that is so common with pretentious "foodies" but more in a way that showed just how passionate the owners are.) The courses we had were reflective of how chef Vanessa (previously of Cassia) sees the food being served and were all excellent. There was a definite style to her food, as she tried - and succeeded - to produce healthy food that was still interesting. As regular readers of this blog will know, I'm a huge believer that this is possible and anyone who disagrees would certainly have been proven wrong had they been there on Monday. We sampled tomato consumme with fresh petit pois and basil, a chicory, couscous and pomegranate salad, sauteed wild mushrooms with asparagus and truffle oil, vanilla scented quail and more. We even had a semillon sorbet which was an unusual and brillant palette cleanser.

Speaking to the Dear Me team, it is obvious that they have put a strong emphasis on design and decor elements. This is often a worry for me, as the actual food doesn't get the attention it should. That wasn't the case on Monday though and I reckon if they produce this level of food when they open they'll be fine. Better than fine actually. Watch this space.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Constantia Fresh Festival

2010-02-16T03:44:00.000-08:00

There are some things that go hand in hand in the food world. Always have. Always will. Bacon and eggs. Fish and chips. Tequila and regret....

Seriously though, for me, food relationships are a bit more complex than that. It's the feeling you get when you're eating/drinking and the surroundings you're doing it in. So yes, fish and chips go well together but it's more about the memories you had as a kid eating them on the rocks at the beach. When I sit down and eat roast chicken I don't only taste the chicken, I taste the memory of how my Mom always makes it. The difference is subtle, but hugely important. (Was that all a bit arty? My apologies.)

One of these food relationships is that between summer and Sauvignon Blanc. Nothing says hello summer like a chilled glass of a beautiful, crisp SB. (I will be calling it SB from now on. Deal with it). The joy of this wine is that I have mostly enjoyed it outdoors. It somehow tastes better that way. So you can imagine I was pretty stoked to hear about the Constantia Fresh Wine Festival which is taking place on the 26th and 27th of Feb. The festival showcases SB in all its glory and participating farms include Constantia Uitsig, Klein Constantia, Groot Constantia, Steenberg, Eagle’s Nest and Buitenverwachting. A huge drawcard for me is the pairing of the wines with canapes prepared by some of our most talented chefs. Look out for Peter Tempelhoff of Cellars-Hohenort, Bertus Basson of Overture, Garth Almazan of Catharina’s at Steenberg, Roland Gorgosilich of Bosman’s at Grande Roche Hotel and Edgar Osojnik of Buitenverwachting.

Tickets for the Friday are R1500 (yeah, that is bloody steep I know) but there are several international farms on display. Personally, I'm going to hit it up on the Saturday where tickets will sting you R400. If you are interested call Jorg on 072 467 5943. Tell him Jamie Who said you should call. He'll give you the tickets for free. Just kidding. I've never met Jorg.

The festival's strapline is "For the love of Sauvignon Blanc." Me? I'm doing it for the love of summer.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Taste of Cape Town - A double ticket could be yours

2010-02-15T03:51:00.000-08:00

Okay kids, gather round. I'm sitting here holding two double tickets for this year's Taste of Cape Town Festival, which takes place on the 24th-28th of March. I wrote about this event last year (here) and can safely say it is an awesome day out and needs to be experienced if you consider yourself (a) Capetonian (b) a foodie or (c) both.

Because I feel the way I do about you guys (we really have taken things to the next level lately don't you think?) I am giving these tickets away. They are valued at R160 per double ticket and could be yours. All you have to do is send me a recipe or a restaurant review that makes me smile/cry/applaud/laugh/pump fist in air etc. Basically you need to send me something that gets a reaction. I'm telling you not to be boring peeps. Do you hear me? Do you feel me? Good.

I will pick one winner for a recipe submission and one for a restaurant review. They don't need to be long, they just need to be brilliant.

If you still need convincing of exactly how cool this event is, check out their website on www.tasteofcapetown.com

I'll announce the winners on Monday, the 1st of March.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Sichuan pepper calamari salad

2010-02-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

I got the idea for this dish from Kylie Kwong, who has to go down as one of my all-time favourite chefs. Her philosophy is to bring Asian techniques into Western cookery and she does this by showing us that real Chinese cooking isn't all about sticky sweet and sour pork, MSG-packed sizzling beef and some chicken and stale cashews served in a gooey sauce. It's more about clean, simple flavours that showcase the main ingredieent of the dish. She is very clear about the fact that quality of ingredients is absolutely vital. I'm a big fan of this approach to food and love her "less is more" vibe.

Last week I had some fresh calamari steaks and didn't really know what to do with them. I ended up adapting one of her dishes and the whole thing took about 10 minutes from start to finish. The end result was a beautifully balanced, light warm salad.

Stuff you'll need to feed 2:

About 400g fresh calamari steaks
A quarter of a cup of cornflour
Canola oil (I like using this oil for this dish as olive oil is a bit overpowering)
A handful of coriander, finely sliced (use the stalks and roots)
2 tablespoons of spring onion, sliced diagonally
About a thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely sliced
1 - 2 chillies, finely chopped
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
About a teaspoon of sea salt
2 teaspoons of Sichuan pepper (you can find this in any Asian store but I think places like Woolies and Pick 'n Pay are stocking it now too)
A head of iceberg lettuce, finely sliced
2 lemons, cut into wedges
A packet of rice noodles, soaked in boiling water as per packet instructions

Okay, what to do:

1. Score your calamari steaks to make criss-cross patterns. Be careful not to break through the skin.

2. In a bowl, combine the calamari and cornflour to coat. Shake off any excess flour.

3. Heat some canola oil in a wok (or the biggest pan you have). Wait until the oil is extremely hot and cook the calamari steaks for about 1 minute per side. 1 minute guys, that is all it will take. Please don't be tempted to cook it longer. Remove calamari, cut into pieces diagonally and set aside.

4. Add the coriander, spring onions, ginger, chilli and garlic to the wok and stir fry for another minute. Return squid and add the sea salt and Sichuan pepper (leave a bit for garnish). Stir-fry for 30 seconds and you're done.

5. To serve, place a handful of noodles in one half of a bowl and shredded lettuce in the other. Top with the calamari mixture and finish by sprinkling over some Sichuan pepper and squeezing over some lemon juice.

This dish is healthy, fresh and ridiculously easy. The only thing that can go wrong is if you overcook the calamari. It will be tough, tasteless and generally pretty average. Just have a bit of faith and pull it off early. As a worst-case scenario you can chuck it back on if you need to.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Jardine - The real question is...do you book for lunch or dinner?

2010-02-12T04:08:00.000-08:00

Me reviewing Jardine is a little bit like Barry Ronge reviewing Avatar. Well, instead of a fat gay man I'm actually blindingly handsome and instead of blue people I'm talking about food but you get the point. Everyone knows about Jardine. Everyone knows how good the chow is. But those places are always worth reviewing. Hear me out. You see...sometimes that can be the worst thing for a restaurant. If people arrive expecting awesome food then you are under real pressure to deliver it. Thankfully, Jardine does. Every single time.

The reason for my visit was the introduction of lunch at Jardine on Wednesdays and Fridays. I wrote a post about it here and after hearing good reports I went along to check it out for myself. The menu is surprisingly simple. I say "surprisingly" because...well...I like saying the word. No, not really. I say it because I was surprised at such relaxed, bistro-styled food being served in a place that I had always associated with fine dining. There was a choice of four starters, three mains and three desserts. I had steamed mussels in lemongrass, ginger, garlic and coconut milk (R45). They were served in a wax paper bag and were sublime. Plump, fresh, tasty and beautifully seasoned. I would've loved a bit of chilli thrown in there but other than that they were hard to fault. The Queen had oysters served with a shallot dressing (R60). I would've liked to report back on how they tasted but they disappeared before I had to chance to start negotiating for one. So, assume they were good. For mains we both had yellowtail served on squid ink risotto (R85) and, along with the meal I enjoyed at iCi, it was one of the best fish dishes I have had for a long time. The fish was moist and light and worked extremely well with the velvety risotto, which actually stole the show. The dish could - in fact - easily have been called "squid ink risotto topped with linefish." Micro-herbs topped it off. Sensational.

We skipped dessert and walked out having paid R125 and R140 per head. To me, that's a good deal. Yes, I know it's not cheap but it's all relative. For that caliber of food you could easily be paying more. Look around you. It's Jardine.

I take my hat off to Eric who has taken over as the man in charge while George is away working on his new venture at Jordan wine estate. From what I've seen, and heard from others, he is doing a top job. My next visit is for dinner.

Call Jardine on (021) 424-5640.

Cheers,

Jamie Who