A day on the coals

On Wednesday we were fortunate enough to have a public holiday. So we set this challenge out for us and our friends, Francois and Anneke: An entire day of food cooked on the fire. Very South African.
We made jaffles for breakfast and then we cooked the most amazing Tarzan Roast for dinner. We used the recipe from Justin Bonello's book, Cooked in Africa. It was such a laid-back day and the leg of lamb was cooked to perfection.
Here is the evidence of our journey.

You can get the recipe here.

The waiting game...

Well, if that is not satisfaction then I honestly don't know...

St Patrick's day in Sunnyside

I know this is a bit late but I would still like to share a wonderful afternoon with friends. There is no better way to celebrate an Irish holiday (which naturally involves the consumption of Guinness) when you can walk to the local pub. We first had some Guinness in our backyard and then we spent the afternoon at what we refer to as "the local" - the Sunnyside bowling club. And although they don't stock Guinness (yet) the Milk Stout is apparently amazing. And the prices are very reasonable.

So, if you are in the 'hood, come and say hi to Tom (the owner of the bar) and his Dulux dog. You'll find that you would like to return to this little urban oasis.

Sillyness

It is so necessary. Being silly with my husband is the best. I love it when we can just play like kids, lie flat on the grass, talk with funny accents, play Scrabble (although he always beats me and sometimes forces me to play) and hang out in the park as af we do not have a worry in the world. It's the best, try it!

Thanks Husband, for doing this with me since forever.
xxx

The Bakers

Today we baked a bread. I must confess, this is my first bread since my lovely childhood days spent with my grandmother baking bread, "helping" her by chatting and asking silly questions whilst she was kneading away. She would've been proud of me and Thys today.
We got a very simple Rustic Italian bread recipe from cookingbread.com and true to our way of working in the kitchen, we modified it a bit by adding a filling of black olives, tomato paste and feta cheese. It came out really nice and although the bread-baking process is a long one, we had fun doing it.
Here is the evidence:

The kneading is quite intensive. You have to massage the dough for 10-15 minutes. Best workout since the swim this morning...

You then have to let the dough rise in a warm place, covered with a damp cloth, until it's double in size.  We managed to go to the park and walk the dogs in the time it took to rise.

...then you have to knead it down again!

These are the ingredients we added - tomato puree, black olives, italian herb mix, coarse salt and freshly picked rosemary.

The bread then had to rise in the pan for a second time. We managed to squeeze in a movie in Brooklyn before the commencement of the baking...

Yummie! Have a nice week everyone!

How we ate in the Mother City

When I downloaded my Cape Town photos today, ALL of them were either of restaurants, us eating or food. And I felt a bit like a glutton. Truth is, we were at the Design Indaba and the only daylight hours we had to ourselves we spent eating. So, here are of some of our favourite places in words and images.

Loading Bay
Amazing light and colour, great space. Go there for breakfast.

The Dog's Bollocks

Yes, this isn't a typo and that's really the name of the place. What a nice refreshing change from the oh-so-pretentious places that litter Cape Town and makes you feel that you inherited the wrong genes for not being quite beautiful enough to be there. This place is run by one guy, Nigel, and the burgers are truly the best I've ever eaten. He also serves his own wine, which is quite easy-drinking. It feels like the place is literally in an alley, which makes it even more exciting to be there. But go and experience this gem for yourself...

The Daily Deli

I also like the unpretentious street-cafe vibe of this little breakfast spot. Very nice coffee and very nice, friendly staff. Will definitely go back.

The Power and the Glory

We went on Emma-Jane's recommendation and were not disappointed. The crowd might be a bit pretentious but the food is really delicious and the service really friendly and fast.