Starting a Conversation at Capeesh?

On Monday nights at Capeesh? in Brooklyn, the pizzas may be half-price, but they are full-quality, I discovered as my dish was set before me… As is the conversation promised in Capeesh?’s slogan! I was out having dinner with strangers again, this time with the Pretoria Social Club, who I also met through Meetup.com.

This event turned out to be very different to the Lemberg Wine tasting at De Kloof that I enjoyed with the Pretoria Wine Lover’s Club, which had been centred around David Sadie’s presentation of his wines. At Capeesh?, our meetup was far more social, with discussions varying according to each person’s interests.

As I arrived at Capeesh?, after getting a bit lost, as usual, I realised that I hadn’t double checked our hostess’ name before leaving the house. I told the friendly manager at the desk that it was a reserved table, but seeing as Monday is such a popular night at Capeesh?, it turned out that most of the tables were reserved.

“It’s a big table,” I offered, “of about 8 people, I think?”

That did the trick, it seemed, since the rest of the reservations were for fewer than six. The restaurant certainly was busy, I noticed, as I was led to the back where the table was situated. The five strangers (not 8!) seated there stared at me as I approached, and I seriously hoped I wasn’t approaching a private table by mistake – that would be embarrassing!

Luckily, they quickly informed me that they were indeed all members of the Pretoria Social Club, two merely hadn’t arrived. Our hosts, Adam and Julie, did a great job of guiding the conversation through dinner. Having only moved to South Africa five weeks ago from the States, they amused us with their fresh perspective of South African culture.

Adam admitted that it had taken a good deal of convincing before he agreed to visit dangerous Johannesburg, but he had loved visiting the organic market there. He and Julie are keen to do a lot of travelling during their two year stay here, with Cape Town next on their hit list! I promised to supply them with a list of “must visit” estates based on my own experiences.

Also at our table were two ladies that both worked in the field of education. Nadia, a tiny teacher (in both senses – she is a tiny thing, and so are the kids she teaches), filled us in on the joys and terrors of trying to educate young children from opposing walks of life, contrasting hardened refugees with the privileged children of diplomats.

Erna, on the other hand, works as a specialist consultant in the Client Service Centre of Tuks, helping young adults decide what direction their lives could take. The quietest member of the group also works at the University of Pretoria, Alex, as a researcher. Originally from Iran, Alex informed us of the experiences he has had as a foreigner in our Beautiful country.

While it may be the place to “start a conversation,” Capeesh? is also the place to enjoy good pizza! (I reckon they should work that into their slogan somewhere, too). I enjoyed a generous portion of the Carnito pizza, lavishly topped with green peppers, olives, onions, mushrooms, artichokes, and garlic (well, not too much garlic, luckily), on a thin and crispy base. It was hard not to polish it all off in one sitting, but I managed to save some to take home and enjoy the next day as well.

Perhaps the best part was that the pizza was half-price, making it exceptional value for money! I see there are half-price pasta evenings on Tuesdays at Capeesh?, with live entertainment, and I am mighty tempted to give that a try as well. Their menu boasts a wide range of Italian delicacies and an impressive wine list.

Even though the dimly-lit restaurant was bustling with patrons, the staff members were attentive and friendly. Good service is something I’ve sometimes found lacking in restaurants that serve great food, so it was wonderful that, despite the tons of orders placed that night, we didn’t need to wait long for our food and drinks.

Unfortunately, what with it being a school night (quite literally, in Nadia’s case), we headed off home fairly early in the evening. Even over the course of only a couple of hours, though, I got the sense that our little ragtag group of strangers were leaving as friends. And Capeesh? lived up to everything we expected, including its promise to “start a conversation.”

(Almost) Too Pretty To Slice: The Grove Mall Cake-Off

I’ve recently begun consulting the event calendar on www.pretoria.co.za for entertaining ideas to get me out of the house. It’s a great website that suggests places to go, things to see, and events worth attending. Even if you’ve lived in Pretoria all your life, as I have, I highly recommend paying the website a visit for a bit of social inspiration.

Cakes on display at The Grove Mall

What I like about consulting local event calendars is that it allows you to find something to do that’s fun but not necessarily pricey. (And because this one is specific to Pretoria, it means that there isn’t too much travel required, either.) One of the events listed for this weekend was The Grove Mall Cake-Off, which sounded yummy, so I went to check it out.

Perfect cake for a tea lover like me

Situated near the Wilgers Hospital, it’s pretty close to where I work, and it was a little odd heading towards the office on a Saturday. The Grove derives its name from the pretty olive trees decorating the outside court where most of the restaurants are situated. It was in this area, just outside Woolworths, that all the cakes were on display.

(Almost) too pretty to slice

The event, in honour of the mall’s third birthday, boasted 34 cakes on display. Some were cute, others were amusing, and some were plain gorgeous! Each was unique. The cakes were supplied by local businesses, and were competing for the title of  the first ever winner of The Grove Mall Cake-Off.

The judges sampling the cakes

Once the judging panel, made up of Alida Ryder (Masterchef and Woolworths blogger), Marius Pretorius (Head of Pick n Pay Bakeries - Northern Region), and Hanna Grobler (local actress), had sampled a tiny portion of each cake, the public was allowed to purchase a slice of whichever cake appealed most. A slice cost only R10, and the proceeds were intended for The Hanna Charity and Empowerment Foundation.

Decor display for a little girl's tea party

Afterwards, a celebrity cake decorating challenge was hosted with celebrities from "Getroud met Rugby, which I missed, along with the announcement of the Cake-Off winner. I was distracted by the other delights on offer between the stores, including various party and décor businesses that had set up demos. There were also stalls selling crafts and books or offering tasting samples of delicacies for sale. This excited me because I love nibbling on artisan products and discovering new treats.

It was a pretty unique and interesting way to spend my Saturday, and only set me back R10 for a delicious slice of cake! I’m looking forward to any other events hosted by The Grove. If you are looking for an inexpensive and entertaining distraction for your weekend, you might find that a quick glance at Pretoria.co.za might provide you with some interesting options you wouldn’t otherwise have considered.

Mixing Business and Pleasure - Off to the Cape

Flying to Cape Town is a costly affair, but since that’s where my godchildren live, I try to make a trip down every few months or so to see them. This month, however, I was lucky enough to have been sent down on business to promote theVine to producers.

My godchildren, however, were not the only kids I’d be spending my time with, I realised, as my boss’ pretty 5 year old daughter rushed up to greet me with a hug at the airport. As we checked in, she proceeded to fill me in on the names and ages of the additional children we would be staying with in Paarl, along with the gifts she’d brought along with her for them.

This didn’t intimidate me at all, as I love children, even when they are very busy and chatty, as my boss’ daughter Isabel can be. She didn’t stop talking at all as we browsed the departure lounge stores (where she craftily persuaded her mom to buy her games and popcorn) while waiting for our flight to board.

My 5 year old travelling companion

On the two hour flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town, I realised that children don’t merely require constant attention – they demand it. Seated between my boss, Alida, and I, Isabel kept chatting to us, playing with us, and getting us to help her with things.

If we became distracted with something else, such as the inflight magazine, she would regain our attention promptly either by diverting it to something that interested her, or by getting involved in whatever you happened to be doing. She’s enormously cute, though, so it’s attention I appreciated. However, it’s a wonder that Alida manages to keep up with her constantly.

We finally landed, much to Isabel’s delight, since the games that had promised “hours of fun” on the packaging had lasted her 10 minutes at most, and she had begun getting bored. Even the sweets she was offered were not enough to distract her, making me think she gets to eat more than my mother ever allowed me. She also struggled to equalize her ears and they hurt as we descended.

Problem: getting the luggage into the car

Sweets were a great novelty for my little “deprived” self. Hell, even carob-coated rice cakes (not even real chocolate!) or fat free fruit yoghurt used to be enough to bribe me with. Kids these days don’t know how spoiled they are!

Once we’d disembarked, collected our luggage, and filled out the paperwork for our rental car (well, Alida filled out the paperwork while I enjoyed a complimentary hot chocolate), we were faced with an interesting problem. Having been given a tiny car, we somehow needed to squeeze three people (well, two and a half) plus a mountain of luggage into it!

Despite being so tiny, children don’t pack light. Besides that, though, we had also brought a mountain of promotional material along with us. Being women, however, with much practice in squeezing everything we need into our handbags, we managed to get everything into the car (taking up a great deal of the free back seat).

One way to sleep in a car

Finally, we were on our way to Paarl. Unfortunately for Isabel, who was thoroughly sick of travelling by this point, Paarl is not very close to the airport. Luckily, she fell asleep – although in an incredibly awkward position. You’d think that kids are flexible, and that should explain how anyone could sleep in that pose, but when we pulled over at deli to buy some lunch, Isabel did complain that her neck was sore. So kids aren’t THAT flexible… ;)

I must say that one of the things I love about the Cape is that you have the option to visit such cute delis out on farms and can try artisanal products that you wouldn’t otherwise. Especially if you come from Gauteng, where you really need to go out of your way to find uniquely made gourmet or delicatessen items. Capetonians are very spoiled.

In this particular one, called SOMETHING, I spotted some dried olives, which I pointed out to Alida because I absolutely adore dried olives. I could eat the entire container on my own, even. Alida informed me, to my delight, that we’d be staying on an olive farm, and I’d be able to enjoy dried olives there. With that knowledge, I became as eager as Isabel to reach our destination!

My home for the next two weeks

After dodging road works and trucks in our tiny car, we finally made it to our destination: Olyvenbosch. The farm is home to Alida’s sister and her husband, who converts most of his olives into award-winning olive oil (of which I have a box at home thanks to Alida’s selling skills that would come in handy on our business trip).

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the farm, though, was not the olives but the children! I was greeted by an insanely cute little 3 year old boy with cheeks that are very difficult not to pinch when he smiles. What’s more is that I was greeted with a hug – even though we had just met!

As I met the rest of the family, including Alida’s sister and brother in law, it became clear that I’d be practicing a lot of Afrikaans in the Cape. All that time I has “wasted” watching local soap operas, such as 7de Laan, would certainly pay off! Even if it does give my Afrikaans a somewhat dramatic flair…

My picturesque room

As we unpacked our car that appeared to be bursting at the seams, Alida enquired as to where we’d be sleeping. Her brother in law responded that she’d be sleeping in his daughter’s room, and I’d be sleeping buite (ourside). It sounds terrible, like I’d be sleeping with the dogs or something, but luckily buite merely meant a charming guest room away from the house.

We had just enough time to drop our bags in our rooms, have a bite to eat, and answer some emails before we needed to be off to our first meeting in the Cape. It was at Hartenberg Estate, where Alida had worked before, so it promised to be an easy meeting, since Alida already knew the people there personally.

When we arrived, it became clear that she not only knew them, but they adored her, in fact. Of all or time spent there, possibly only 30% was dedicated to business. The rest of our time was focused on catching up and tasting wine.

My first glass of wine in the Cape

The latter appealed more to me, of course, and the wines we tasted were among the best I’ve had. I particularly fell in love with Hartenbeg’s Cabernet Shiraz, which will earn 5/5 from me on theVine, our website where wine lovers can rate and review South African wines, deciding the local Top10.

It is possible to rate and review producers as well, and Hartenberg is scoring high for good reason! Their staff is knowledgeable and friendly, serving their wines with whole olives and tapenade on bread in their quaint tasting room. The whole experience serves to do the wines justice.

By the time we finally left, having tasted all their wines, including the exclusive Gravel Hill, it was already getting dark, and we still had a long ride home. I was quite exhausted from our day of travelling by the time we got back to Olyvenbosch.

Such a stunning estate

I was immediately greeted with hugs from all the children as I walked through the door. They were clearly unconcerned by the fact that they had only just met me earlier that day because I scored extra hugs as they were saying goodnight and heading for bed.

I retired to my room soon after them and was out in no time at all. Despite feeling as though I hadn’t got much done, I was exhausted. For a change, though, I actually slept through the night! And I was in the Cape, so there would be no complaints from me.

An Evening of Firsts: The Pretoria Wine Lover’s Club samples Lemberg Wines at De Kloof

My quest for adventure may be getting a little out of hand, I mused, as I navigated towards De Kloof restaurant (getting lost twice on the way), where I had a Lemberg wine tasting event with the Pretoria Wine Lover’s Club. I’ve been to wine tastings before, of course, mostly as part of my job as a wine writer for theVine, and I am growing accustomed to meeting winemakers and tasting new wines.

Smoked mackerel pate

What made this event unique, however, was the fact that I would be sharing it with a group of people I had never met before. I stumbled upon the Meetup.com page for the Pretoria Wine Lover’s Club while searching for additions to theVine’s event calendar at work. Always keen to try something new, I signed up and gave my RSVP for this event.

I was also interested in the venue, since I’d never even heard of De Kloof restaurant before. Located at the Waterkloof Golf Estate (which I misunderstood as the Pretoria Country Club, and that is why I got so lost), it hasn’t yet had its first birthday, which explains why I didn’t yet know of it. The restaurant was already bustling when I finally arrived.

A whole table had been booked for our group, with the rest of the room filled with tables for other guests. Someone was already seated at the Pretoria Wine Lover’s Club’s table. Her name was Desire, and this was not only her first event attended on Meetup.com, but her first wine tasting as well! She was pretty excited to be seated next to someone who could help her practice the correct tasting technique, and we hit it off immediately.

Springbok shank and garlic mash

Other ladies arrived, joining our table, including our hostess Lizé and her father René, who has a business interest in the De Krans winery in Calitzdorp. They graciously welcomed us to their club. Although I had never met any of the ladies before, it didn’t take long for us to start jabbering away, and the Owner and General Manager, Charl Whitlock, had to silence us in order for the event to begin. He introduced David Sadie, the talented winemaker of Lemberg to us, who would be presenting is wines that evening.

David is a tall, well-spoken man, who had no trouble engaging his audience, even when discussing the history of the wines. Lemberg is a small farm in Tulbagh that focuses on red wines. In the 80s and 90s, the farm was known best for its Hárslevelű, an old Hungarian cultivar that is being replanted there now. “Only one other farm in South Africa is producing it,” David told us, “and many people who remember the Old Style have been requesting it from us.”

Lamb skilpaaitjies

In general, Lemberg’s production is fairly small, and David describes his winemaking as “intimate.” He reveals that he avoids too much sulphur and commercial yeast in his wines because he prefers “a more natural and pure way of winemaking.” To demonstrate this, David offered several wines for tasting, each carefully paired with a delightful delicacy specially prepared by De Kloof’s Executive Chef, Leanne Roberts.

The Vionier 2001, which was presented with a delicious smoked mackerel paté, is the first Lemberg Viognier to be made with David’s natural approach. It boasts no acidification, no enzymes, 50% natural fermentation, and the use of older 500 litre barrels to enhance the natural beauty of Viognier. It is fresh and easy-drinking, with an underlying minerality. Production was quite small, at only 1200 bottles in total.

This was followed by the Pinot Noir 2011, which is a cultivar that only Lemberg is producing in Tulbagh. David revealed that Pinot Noir “doesn’t normally do well in warmer climates,” but he promises that, despite the small production, “in the future, we will do much more Pinot Noir because the proof is in the pudding.”

Goat's cheese mousse topped with caramelised red onion

The grapes were harvested earlier to “capture what is so beautiful about the wine – its feminine character.” Paired with De Kloof’s version of sweet bread (which is actually meaty and not a kind of bread at all), the wine took on a spicy, smoky character.

The Pinotage 2010 had a much larger production, and David admits that “it is the most influential grape on our farm. We are establishing ourselves as premium Pinotage producers in South Africa.” Served with Springbok shank and garlic mash, the wine was surprisingly smooth for a Pinotage and had a nice spiciness to it. I would describe it as premium indeed.

Next was Lemberg’s Flagship Spencer Pinotage 2010, which was spicier and stronger, served with lamb skilpaaitjies. The difference between the two Pinotages is purely barrel selection, David explained. “It’s the same wine, but after 12 months, the Spencer is placed in newer barrels. It remains unfiltered, as a way of preserving the character of the wine.” I loved it so much that I took a whole case home. Definitely my favourite of the evening!

How pretty is this appetizer? I will be coming here for dinner!

Lastly, we enjoyed the Surin 2011, which was paired with goat’s cheese mousse topped with caramelised red onion. This is a nice dessert wine, with a fruity apricot character, which is not too sweet. David explained that Surin is another name for Sauvignon Blanc, and the wine is made “on the desiccated method of dehydrating the grapes on the vine until they become like raisins.

Afterwards, us ladies ended up chatting to the event’s hosts and getting to know each other late into the evening, as we enjoyed some fantastic desserts that we ordered off the menu. It was hard to choose because there is nothing on that menu that I don’t want to try. I’m just going to have to go back, I realised, hopefully soon, for another fantastic event with Lizé and her Wine Lover’s Club!

Raclette Evening

Being married to a Swiss man certainly has its perks. We’re always on time, for one thing. My in laws like to shower me in gifts of chocolate, for another. And we eat a lot of cheese, which I love! (If you don’t love cheese, we could still be friends, but I will always think you’re a little weird.)

When thinking about Swiss dishes, the popular fondue often comes to mind. However, there are countless cheese dishes that the Swiss love. They eat their variety of cheeses with just about everything and have found a place for it within every meal of the day. They even enjoy it plain, with perhaps just a bit of bread.

One Swiss cheese dish that I’d never experienced before I’d met my husband is called Raclette (the Dutch may know it as Pannetjies). Essentially, it’s a little grill that you place on top of your table. Underneath the grill, you can place little pans of cheese to melt, which you then enjoy with a hot potato dusted in paprika.

On the grill itself, you can cook just about anything fancy, often little sausages or bits of vegetables, such as mushrooms. Typically, though, the Swiss will merely enjoy the cheese and potatoes as is, served with pickled condiments, such as gherkins, onions, baby corn, tinned asparagus, and olives.

At a dinner party served at our house, we provided the traditional basics, encouraging our guests to bring anything else they wished to add. Andrea Meyer, the friend that had hosted our previous Italian themed party, had bought along a salad, while her husband provided some sausages and strips of meat for grilling.

I’d bought a bottle of Fat Bastard Chardonnay to pair with the rich Raclette cheese, but other guests brought along red and rosé wines as well. Of course, this Swiss dish is inherently social, as diners serve themselves from the platters of accompaniments that get passed around the table, so the relaxing effect of alcohol is nice, but certainly not necessary.

The accompaniments to our Raclette dinner

In Switzerland, a meal like this can last for hours, with guests actually getting up to enjoy a stroll or aperitif before returning to the table to finish their meal. In South Africa, though, we are not used to pacing ourselves quite as well, so there was still food left by the time everyone had eaten their fill.

The meal was rounded off with a classic local dessert of malva pudding and custard, served with tea and coffee. My husband also passed around liquor chocolates as a form of nightcap to round off a wonderful evening with friends.

An Italian Affair

I’m hardly an expert hostess; I’d be lying if I implied anything less. I like to think that I could be if I had more practice… One day, when I’m a big girl (and finally have had enough practice), I’d like to be as great a hostess as my friend Andrea Meyer!

The beautifully simple table decorations

I’m not sure when exactly Andrea transformed into the culinary goddess that I now refer to her as. I remember, when we were still at primary school together, that she’d show off her fancy Micky Mouse cookbook and whatnot, so it may have begun then.

Micky is still on her floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that her devoted husband, Markus, made for her, along with countless other cookbooks, including the additional few that she won from Exclusive Books over the weekend.

Risotto balls

Anyway, somewhere in her devotion to her immense collection of cookbooks, Andrea learned how to make some of the best food I’ve ever had the pleasure of personally eating. I always look forward to her parties, and this one was no exception.

The first course introduced the Italian theme that she had set for her Sunday luncheon. Beautifully presented on a hand-painted platter, she offered us risotto balls, made with rice, potatoes, and green beans. She joked that the recipe had reminded her of boere boentjies as she was making them.

Homemade pasta with Italian meatballs

The mixture was then crumbed and fried, and the outcome was superb. The guest of honour, Frank Schutte, who just returned to Pretoria after spending a year in Namibia with his wife, Nina, remarked that the risotto balls seemed like croquettes made with rice.

After some chatting out on her sun-soaked patio, enjoying our drinks and risotto balls, Andrea disappeared inside to cook the homemade pasta and heat up the accompanying sauce. She and Markus had carefully prepared the pasta themselves the day before.

Cashew, feta, and avo salad

It was the first time I’d ever had homemade pasta, so I took my place at the beautifully decorated table, which had been accented with flowers, with anticipation. The dish was served with a traditional Italian meatball sauce, rounding it off nicely.

Another friend, also called Andrea, had provided an outstanding salad of cashews, avocado, and feta as a side dish. It was a superb addition to our lunch, suggesting that if you wish for your child to grow into a culinary whiz, you should name it Andrea.

Berry sorbet and vanilla pannacotta

To round off our meal, our hostess had specially prepared individual servings of vanilla pannacotta (Italian for 'cooked cream') served with a berry sorbet, maintaining the beautiful presentation that Andrea pays such careful attention to. The rich sorbet complimented the delicate flavour of the pannacotta, a refreshing finale.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying tea and coffee and some truly wonderful company, during which the next dinner party date was set – in less than a week, at my house! Not much time for me to get practicing, is it? I’d better get started!

Pure Café – how did I miss this?

I’m not sure how this happened, really, because on the other side of the building is my favourite ice-cream shop in Pretoria. Seems I was so mesmerised by Royal Danish Ice Cream’s delicious Butter Pecan that it never occurred to me that there might be anything else of interest at the centre. There is, though, and it’s called Pure Café.

I ended up taking my sister off to Pure Café for lunch because it appeared in my twitter feed one day, and I recognised it from the Foodspotting app. We found it quite easily, tucked away behind the ice-cream shop, and it was pretty busy, which is always a good sign.

Pure Café promised to be everything I love about lunching. It’s got that Café feel, but with its own unique spin, making it similar to other cafés in Pretoria, but not quite. The green and white décor, for one thing, gives it a fresh look. In a weird sort of way, you almost feel like you are making healthier choices just by being there. Green, there is something to it.

Vibe is nice, but to me, food is the deal breaker, and Pure Café doesn't disappoint. The menu offering is small, although I often find that more limited menus mean better attention is paid to each dish, so that didn’t bother me. Despite the few options available, it’s difficult to decide what to eat because it all looks so good! I found myself making mental notes of what I’d like to get next time I come, and I hadn’t even ordered my drink yet!

In my adventurous spirit, I decided to try the Soutvissie Skop Pasta because that was what Foodspotting recommended. It’s also way out of my comfort zone since a creamy anchovy and broccoli pasta topped with parmesan cheese and flavoured with a hint of garlic and chilli is not something I’ve ever ordered before.

The flavour isn't at all as overpowering as I imagined it would be. I'm not normally a fan of anchovies for that very reason, but in this case, the flavours of the dish have been subtly blended into pure deliciousness. Even if, like me, you don't like anchovies, I'm pretty sure that this will be winner!

The drinks list is as tempting as the foods they offer. I tried Charie's Ginger, also recommended on Foodspotting, which is a ginger homemade cordial mixed in soda water. I'm a sucker for ginger, and found the drink to be refreshing. I also ordered my dessert off the drinks menu, called A Drowned Italian, which is vanilla ice cream topped with a shot of espresso. If you like coffee ice cream, this is a delicious way to end a meal.

Overall, I'd say that the only problem with Pure Café is that there are too many good things on their menu to try in one visit. They don't make the choice easy for you, either! Maybe you'd like to begin with my (or Foodspotting's) recommendations, and take it from there? Perhaps you'll find something that stands out more alluringly from their menu, and you'll begin with that? One thing I am sure of, though, is that you'll be back to try the rest. At least, I know I certainly will!