Good food and wine show - Cape Town

I went to the Good food and wine show in Cape Town last week and Buddy Valastro was the star attraction.

He was charming as ever and told stories of his work, home town and family. He even took a few questions from the crowd and was entertaining. Sadly, he didn't wow us the way I expected him to. He decorated a cake very simply and called it a day. Perhaps I was expecting  a little too much and left the theatre disappointed. He's still my hero...

The rest of the show made up for it though. I sampled all my favourite things to eat and left very satisfied :-)

Macaroons are my new favourite thing. I had blueberry and lemon meringue...awesome

I also had the most amazing spinach and feta quiche. It had the yummiest flakiest pastry with the richest filling. That was awesome too

And then...the highlight...the prettiest, tastiest chocolate mousse cake ever

It had a wonderful biscuit base, chocolate mousse outer layer, custard centre and wrapped up in a rich chocolate ganache layer. I did feel a little queasy after it all but it was well worth it

Hermanus

I fell in the love with the Western Cape all over again this weekend. I even wished, just for a moment, that I lived there...

We spent a better part of Saturday in Hermanus which is about an hour outside of Cape town. What a cute little town this is. Picturesque and so laid back.

The town also has a lot of interesting restaurants but the main reason for our trip there was the Hermanus Fish Shoppe.

It's nothing glamorous and has very limited seating. Service isn't their strongest point either but boy do they make a mean fish and chips. The batter was awesome and the fish so fresh and cooked to perfection.
We had it as it should be had - with salt, vinegar and your fingers. Joy... :-)

 
The portions were very generous as well - one serving was more than enough for two.

I would've licked my fingers if there weren't any people around...

Cute

Source: Pinterest

Passion

I made red velvet cupcakes and thoroughly enjoyed the entire process. They turned out well too :-)

I often find myself baking for no real reason other than the fact that I want to. That makes baking [and cooking] a passion. I always wonder though if it would remain as exciting and interesting if it became my job and no longer a hobby - like a regular 9 - 5. I've had this discussion with many people about living your dream and following your passions but really wonder if that would be wise to live it constantly. What would you do for fun or relaxation? Surely it can't be your job/hobby all the way, can it? In my mind, it makes sense to have something to do, outside of your passion/hobby, so that you have your passion to run to for inspiration and renewal. Right?

Kahlil Gibran has the following views on passion and reason:

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul. If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.

For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.


I think doing what you have to do and what you want to do can easily, and should, coincide - it doesn't necessarily have to be either/or. I think the trick is finding a 'have-to' that's not as soul-destroying as most people find their jobs to be while enjoying your 'want-to's' in between. I think...

Roots

My very good friend turned 30 a few days ago and celebrated in style. She treated us to a 6 course extravaganza at Roots restaurant at the Forum Homini hotel.

The menu

The palette cleanser - squid with grapefruit

Light and yummy. I could've had an entire plate of this

Cob tartare

The mushrooms were sweet and tasty and the rest of the dish was...different



Curried monkfish

This was enjoyable

Duck breast

The duck was a little chewy but the ravioli was AMAZING! It wasn't even on the menu - pleasant surprise. The dried strawberries were also a pleasant treat

Pork loin

I don't like pork (unless it's gammon, bacon or ham). The dish was interesting though and the coffee sauce was different

Lemon meringue

I LOVE LEMON MERINGUE. I LOVE LEMON MERINGUE. I LOVE LEMON MERINGUE

This was amazing

Baked passion fruit tart

Twas lovely. Not as lovely as the lemon meringue :-)

I'm definitely going back there again to sample the rest of their menu

 

 

Letamo game estate

Kromdraai rd (off N14 on R540)

Kromdraai

Mogale City

tel: +27 (11) 668 7000reservations@forumhomini.com

Liquorice

This is going to be the end of me if I don't curb my enthusiasm...TRUE STORY

I had both the chocolate fondue and cheesecake at the same time (we were supposed to share them but my food buddy wasn't really interested in either of them so I HAD to have them both)

The chocolate sauce on the cake was same as the one in the fondue - I had visions of me drinking it straight from the pot :-)

This is from Liquorice which is situated at the new Nicolway shopping centre in Bryanston. They have a few interesting things on their menu. Worth a visit.

Liquorice

Nicolway shopping centre

Corner William Nicol Drive and Wedgewood link, Bryanston, Sandton, 2012

Cake boss

Buddy Valastro aka The Cake Boss and I have a date in a couple of weeks! He will be in Cape Town from the 24th of May at the Good Food and Wine show and so will I. I booked my tickets this week and busy packing my bags :-) :-) :-)

I. CAN'T. WAIT! :-)

Voodoo lily

My girlfriends and I hook up on the first weekend of every month for a proper catch up session. Most of our get-togethers are centred around food [we all have a very healthy relationship with food] or food-related activities.

We went to Voodoo lily this time which is situated in Birdhaven near Melrose. It's a deli, bakery and cafe and they pride themselves in sourcing locally grown, organic produce served in biodegradable material where possible. Even their tables are recycled - made of recycled plastic coke bottles and wood husk.

They've been in business since late last year and have managed to create a relaxed, comfortable environment for responsible food enthusiasts.

I had scrambled eggs on toasted ciabatta which was made at the bakery. I love my bread a little too much and this was quite a treat - the ciabatta had a slight sweetness to it and wasn't as hard or chewy as I know it to be. The rest of my meal was ok - eggs are eggs are eggs.

One of my friends had French toast with bacon and brie - I had food envy for like 2 seconds. [Maybe I'll go back there again and order just that :-)]

64 St Andrew street

Birdhaven

011 442 6965

info@voodoolily.com

Playing with my food

I finally made fondant today! It turned out well and felt really soft to the touch but I really struggled to make my first flower. It cracked as I was working with it but I soldiered on.

If you look closely, you'll notice that it's a rose. A pink rose. With pink petals and everything :-)

The Cake Boss makes it look so easy... I'mma keep tryin' till I get there...