La Mouette - Fancy a dinner for two?

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 

The Good Food & Wine Show ticket winners

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

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

Taste of Cape Town competition winners

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

Taste of Cape Town - A double ticket could be yours

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