Eat Out Awards - And your nominations are...

It's finally here. Eat Out has announced their 20 nominations for the country's acclaimed 'top 10 restaurants' awards. 

Here they are:

• 9th Avenue Bistro, Durban
• Aubergine, Cape Town
• Bizerca Bistro, Cape Town
• Bread and Wine, Franschhoek
• Carne, Cape Town
• The Foodbarn, Cape Town
• The Greenhouse at The Cellars Hohenort, Cape Town
• Hartford House, KZN
• Jardine, Cape Town
• La Colombe, Cape Town
• Mosaic, Pretoria
• Overture, Stellenbosch
• The Restaurant at Grande Provence, Franschhoek
• Reuben's Restaurant, Franschhoek
• Roots, JHB
• The Roundhouse, Cape Town
• Rust en Vrede, Stellenbosch
• The Tasting Room, Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek
• Terroir, Stellenbosch
• Zachary's, Knysna

So there it is. My immediate thoughts: 

1. Nice to see the return of The Foodbarn, Bread and Wine and Reuben's. The Foodbarn especially seems to have made a strong case for top 10 honours. 

2. No Bosman's? I personally agree and found it a bit overrated when I visited, but I'm sure they will be disappointed. 

3. Very pleased to see Bizerca and I still expect them to finish in the top 3. 

4. Interesting to see the amazing quality of restaurants situated on our beautiful wine routes. 

5. Only one restaurant from Jozi? Very interesting. 

6. Carne? This seems a touch premature to me. Having said that The Princess was blown away on our visit. 

7. Still no room for Ginja or Myoga? Will Mike Bassett ever regain his former glory? 

8. No room for Opal Lounge? I think they deserved a nomination. The food might be "over-cheffy" but the experience was memorable. 

9. Overall, Cape Town is the undisputed food capital of South Africa. 

To read my past reviews of featured restaurants click on the links below

The Foodbarn:

http://jamiewhatshisname.blogspot.com/2009/07/foodbarn-will-you-forgive-me.html

Bizerca Bistro:

http://jamiewhatshisname.blogspot.com/2009/06/bizerca-bistro-my-new-favourite.html

Carne:

http://jamiewhatshisname.blogspot.com/2009/04/carne-yes-please.html

Roots:

http://jamiewhatshisname.blogspot.com/2009/08/roots-tough-one-for-me.html

The Roundhouse:

http://jamiewhatshisname.blogspot.com/2009/07/roundhouse-you-will-see-me-again-soon.html

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the 20 nominations...

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Roxanne Floquet - Seriously beautiful food

In my opinion, the line between art and food has become blurred. In a good way. Presentation has reached the point where sometimes you just want to hang a plate of food on a wall instead of eating it. Food photography and styling is so beautiful that cookbooks are the new coffee table books. The thought processes of people like Heston Blumenthal and Adria Ferran are nothing short of genius. (Google them...you will be fascinated). In fact, Adria Ferran was a speaker at this year's Design Indaba. A cook! Inspiring the most creative minds in the country. It's awesome.

I am telling you all of this because I want - no, I NEED - you to check out the following site:

http://www.roxannefloquet.com/

I stumbled across her work looking for someone to make our wedding cake (yes ladies, I am getting married. Calm down, get yourself off the floor and back on your seat. Everything will be fine) and I was blown away. Honestly, her work is stunning. (too gay? stunning? Should I have gone with gorgeous? Not much better really...)

Anyyyyyway, after working in London and training under some HUGE names she has returned to SA and works from Cape Town. If you need a cake for a special occasion, or cupcakes, or petit-fours, biscuits, cookies etc. check her out. She's pretty good. Did I mention she made cupcakes for Elton John? Yeah, not bad.

I wonder... if Elton John was a blogger, would he write "This chick is making Jamie Who's wedding cake. She is brilliant." Probably.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. If you liked that, check out this site too: http://www.peggyporschen.com/ (yeah, it's pretty cool when Stella McCartney is your point-of-reference quote on your homepage)

Jack Black Interview

You should know by now how much we enjoy the little guy at Jamie Who. The true artisan. Well, I was lucky enough get some time with Ross McCulloch and Meghan MacCallum - the team behind Jack Black Beer - and I asked them a few questions about their awesome brand. Check it out.

Jamie Who: Let's get the boring stuff out of the way. Please introduce yourselves and let us know a bit about your backgrounds.

Jack Black: We are an entrepreneurial couple with a serious passion for beer, wine and food. We've spent significant time in Canada but came back to Cape Town with both business and lifestyle goals in mind. We couldn't imagine a more beautiful place to live.

JW: And you saw the chance to bring Capetonians a locally produced beer?

JB: Yeah, there's that too!

JW: Lovely. We seem to be experiencing a definite shift from pre-made convenience goods back to artisanal fare. Traditional, "old-school" beliefs seem to be gaining popularity. Did you guys identify this trend when you started and set out specifically with it in mind?

JB: Not really. We definitely considered the shift but our real goal was simple: to bring quality microbrewed beer to Cape Town. We have both travelled extensively and have seen the proliferation of small breweries in other parts of the world. We wanted to bring that experience to Cape Town.

JW: Tell us how you came up with the Jack Black brand. The name, design, packaging etc.

JB: The style of beer we make is known as pre-prohibition lager. John Jack Black was an actual brewer making beer in North America during the prohibition days. We were inspired by his maverick attitude towards beer and thought it was a cool name. The logo and design came from there.

JW: How important is that in the success of the brand?

JB: It helps, but to us it's really all about the beer.

JW: All about the beer. Nice. So can you tell us in layman's terms what makes yours different?

JB: Our beer is a bit more flavourful than regular beer. It is crisp and refreshing. What makes us special is the microbrewing process involved.

JW: Tell us more about microbrewing.

JB: Basically, microbrewing is brewing on a smaller scale. It involves brewers who hand craft their beers in small batches for five weeks at a time. This results in extremely high standards being set.

JW: And this then leaves you with a product that has less additives?

JB: Yip. Jack Black Beer has no additives or preserves and no adjuncts like rice or corn.

JW: So with a purer beer, I can drink more and hang less?

JB: We don't really make claims in this regard but we do believe any product without additives or preserves is benefiting the consumer.

JW: So...I can drink more and hang less?

JB: Umm...

JW:Moving on. What are the differences between creating a perfect bottled beer and a perfect pint?

JB: The beer in both is exactly the same. However, the benefits of draught include drinking from a better vessel (the beer glass) therefore improving the experience. Also, draught is often fresher than bottled beer owing to regular replacement of kegs. Having said this, we do still pride ourselves on our bottled beer always being fresh and adopt a just-in-time philosophy.

JW: What makes a good beer. Without getting too poetic. Let's keep it to three words.

JB: Fresh, balanced, head-retaining.

JW: Technically four words but I'll give it to you. Where can people get Jack Black?

JB: There is a list on our website http://www.jackblackbeer.com/. It's a good time to bring up your acronym J-BOT (Jack Black On Tap). You thought you were pretty clever with this one hey?

JW: I did but let's stick to me asking the questions. I have plenty of jealous friends up in Jozi asking me what all the fuss is about? Any plans to get up there?

JB: For now we just want to be Cape Town's local beer. Get your friends down here! Summer is going to be amazing!

JW: I will see what I can do. Thanks so much for your time. One last question: what wuld you do if you caught someone slipping a shot of lime into a Jack Black pint?

JB: Knock their socks off! No, seriously, if that's what you want then go for it. Just don't tell our brewers about it!

So there it is gang. The very first Jamie Who interview. You liked that hey? I think you did. I think you liked it very much. If there are any other areas of interest or specific people you think would be cool to talk to drop me a line and I will see if they are as accommodating as the peeps from Jack Black were. Nice one.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Massimo's Pizza Club - Good luck beating it

I recently wrote an entry boldly declaring Carlyle's the best pizza in Cape Town. http://jamiewhatshisname.blogspot.com/2009/09/carlyles-best-pizza-in-cape-town.html

Read it, read the comments, enjoy my charismatic writing and hear me out. I was wrong. Now...it's not often I admit a mistake but I come to you tail-between-the-legs to ask forgiveness. I appeal especially to the person called "L" who suggested Massimo's Pizza Club in Hout Bay had Cape Town's best pizza. Turns out, she was spot on.

I went there last night with The Rentals and was blown away. Take everything you think you know about pizza and throw it out the window. These creations are paper-thin, spread with a delicious tomato sauce (the hero of the pizza) and topped sparingly with only a few ingredients. The philosophy here is that a real pizza should not be over-complicated.

Last night the quality of ingredients was critical and the flavour combinations were traditional and unique at the same time. (Coppa ham and rucola, pancetta and mushrooms, pear and gorgonzola, anchovies and capers, mozzarella and pesto etc.) There was even a boerewors pizza and a white pizza with no tomatoes, but instead smoked cheese and garlic. All were sensational. You can order off the normal menu but the true concept is to settle in for a pizza feast, whereby Massimo brings the pizzas to the table and everyone helps themselves. This encourages everyone to try as many flavour varieties as possible. For R98 you can eat as many as you like and even enjoy the house salad for the evening. (When I went it was cannellini bean and tuna).

Decor. Ummm...this is going to be a very short paragraph. No style awards here. Brown paper tablecloths with the winelist (good by the way) scribbled in black pen. That said, it kind-of adds to the appeal of the place. Rustic and laid-back. No hang-ups.

Service was outstanding and to top things off we sampled some AMAZING Limoncello which is for sale. We also had Bicerin which is a chocolate liqueur. Both hand-made, both phenomenal. I could not leave without a bottle.

In terms of X-Factor, Massimo's is flooding with the stuff. Hospitality from a husband and wife team, quality food and real passion. Hard to beat. As I said, my idea of Cape Town's best pizza has shifted very quickly. With hindsight, my trainer and I can count ourselves lucky that this place is not closer to home.

Call them on 073 390 1373 or check out their website www.pizzaclub.co.za They are open from Wednesdays to Sundays from 17h30.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Red Espresso - The healthy coffee alternative

Do you know what an ORAC is? If you do, bra-bloody-vo. If you're part of the 99% who don't, let me enlighten you. ORAC is the measurement used to measure antioxidants in food and drinks. Obviously the more ORACs you have per 100ml the healthier the item is. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I'm not at the office today and am instead chilling at home sipping a Red Espresso. A Red Espresso you ask? Indeed. Let's get straight into it...

Red Espresso is a tea espresso. The world's first actually. Made from ground rooibos, the espresso is caffeine-free and has a ridiculously high ORAC count. 5 times more than green tea. 6 times more than beetroot juice. 20 times more than carrot juice. Pretty impressive stuff. And you use it as you would normal espresso. (So you can make normal espresso, americano, macchiato, cappuccino, latte, etc). In summer you can even make iced-tea and frappes. I like to add some honey and/or cinnamon to mine, depending on what I'm making. They work well together. 

Red Espresso has done so well that it even won 'Best new product' in the specialty beverage category at the American Specialty Coffee Awards. It was also a top 10 product at the World Tea Expo. 

According to their website, other health benefits of Red Espresso include soothing headaches, hypertension and insomnia, relieving nausea, relaxing stomach ulcers and increasing your IQ by 50 points. (Not really, I made that last one up). It also promises you will have a six-pack in 3 days. (Nope, I made that up too.) But, in a nutshell, it's gooooood for you. It can be made at home with an espresso maker or instead of filter coffee so - really - there's no excuse. Otherwise, look out for it next time you're at a cafe, health shop or deli. More places are definitely stocking it.   

Obviously true coffee-heads might not take to it straight away but even substituting one or two cups a day with this product is a good start. Personally, I love it and don't touch coffee at all anymore. Try it. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Super Meats - proper meat

So, tomorrow is National Braai Day and something to do with our heritage too apparently. Far be it for me to tell you how to celebrate your heritage, (I didn't want to tell you what and how to cook) I thought instead I would think outside the briquette and point you in the direction of where to buy whatever it is you are going to cook. I buy my meats from a place in Kenilworth that The other guy who can cook told me about. called Super Meats, it is an authentic butchery. A place that actually smells of meat, but in a good way. 

The guys who work there are passionate about what's on offer and are always willing to help. If you can get past the fact that they call you sonny or bud and insist on telling you how to cook your meat the place is a winner. Expect stuff like lamb shanks, frozen duck, kudu biltong, venison fillets and man-sized ribeye. 

Find them at 274 Main Road, Kenilworth or call them on (021) 797-5595 to pre-order (which is a really good vibe by the way.)

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. Because I love you I have included below a list of other butchers in South Africa. Courtesy of www.eat-in.co.za

http://www.eat-in.co.za/static/directory/list.php?cats=13&cities=0&provs=0

Lindt with a touch of sea salt - Good luck friends

I had some Lindt morphineheroincrackcokepainkillersboozeuppersecstacyandeverythingelseaddictive last night but there was a typo on the package. It said Lindt with a touch of sea salt.

Honestly, good luck with this one. Good luck trying to control yourself. I felt like a fu*king animal tearing the packet and looking for more. Getting up this morning to go for a run I kept asking myself..."was that chocolate really worth it?" I'm afraid it was. I'm afraid there are a lot more extra runs in my near future.

Get it but don't say I didn't warn you.

Cheers,
Jamie Who