As promised, I said I would update you all on what's been happening the last while..
January brought with it new beginnings and a new frame of mind. I also decided to explore the new (well, not so new anymore) V&A Market on the Wharf.
Market On The Wharf
What I like about the Market on the Wharf, is that it is open Wednesday through Sunday, 09h30 - 19h30. This means that it is not as congested as many of the other markets that are only open one or two days a week. You are able to move around at you own pace, visiting each stall and even have the space to speak to each stall holder to discuss their wares.
Great selection of stalls to visit
That's Chocolate down there
And some wares! One of the standout stalls has to be 'Bubble Tea'. This Taiwanese treat seems to be taking Cape Town by storm. If you haven't tried it yet, GO NOW.. You can read more about it here.
I'll have some popping bobas, please
Another one not to miss is 'Bite Me'. Really tasty burgers with quirky names. My personal favourite is 'The Bad Joke'...because it's so cheesy.
If you insist
The Bad Joke
And what better accompaniment for a burger than an ice cold draught. They guys at Keg King have set up a great bar on the upper level with a good selection of the gold nectar on tap. They've also recently introduced TV's to the upper area, so book a table early to enjoy the rugby . Follow them on twitter to see what they're getting up to.
Beer and Burger. Yes please.
Keep an eye out on the show kitchen. There is invariably a demonstration taking place. When I was there, Sue-Ann Allen from Masterchef SA cooked up some Paleo inspired treats with the help of Chris Lenz from Think Food. Very interesting views on what is healthy and what isn't and how easy it is to change your eating plan.
Chris and Sue-Ann
And if chocolate is your weakness, you have stop by Jean-Pierre Fortain Chocolatier.. So many temptations to choose from. My recommendation? The hazelnut paste. Think Nutella for connoisseurs..
Amazing Hazelnut Paste
On your way out, don't forget to get some Ice Cream from The Creamery. The Sea Salt Caramel is fantastic.
If you're heading through, let me know. Maybe. I'll join you.
Let me know what else you've discovered at the Market On The Wharf.
Ok, well, there weren't any tears, but it makes for a good title. But it was hot, so plenty sweat. (overshare)
Friday was a good day. It marked the last day of work until the day after Boxing Day, so a chance to recharge the batteries.
Also, the world didn't end but, based on all the poor Apocalypse jokes, maybe it should have.
On the way to work Gareth Cliff played this awesome mash up of the hits of 2012 by DJ Earworm (An Annual event).
I had forgotten that we were hosting the Western Province Blood Transfusion Service in a blood donation drive. After Management Meeting, the management team decided that we would do our bit and go down and donate. So fueled by a cup of coffee, a cupcake and three biscuits pilfered from the pastry kitchen (hardly a breakfast of champions, mind you), I went to give the gift of life.
Donating Blood.
Being a first timer (I know..I know), I was surprised at how easy and painless it was. That was until after. That plaster hurts like a mofo and I now have an awesome bruise that makes me look like a junkie.
I did start to feel a tad light headed later in the day, drained even. I'm glad I did it though.
After I got home I had to start prepping my Christmas Ice Cream. Since last year's Ice Cream was a hit, the pressure is on. I've decided to be a bit more experimental this year. I'm going to make a Cherry Brandy Ice Cream for the adults and a Vanilla Ice Cream with blocks of Jelly (Cream Soda, Bubblegum and Candy Floss) for the kids. More to follow in a future post.
After watching our boys annihilate the Kiwis in the 1st T20 Cricket match (If NZ Cricket wants to be taken seriously, they should get Piri Weepu to teach the Haka to them. At least then we're guaranteed a show of sorts) I decided to head off to the Willowbridge Festive Night Market.
Festive lights at the Festive Market
There was a much smaller selection of stalls than I had expected, but I was assured by one of the stall holders that tonight (Saturday 22nd December) will be a lot busier due to the regular Saturday Stalls being up during the day and then being joined by the Festive traders later in the afternoon. They had the usual suspects: handful of food stalls, clothing, jewellery, crafts and healing crystals..(this is Cape Town after all). They even had a Tupperware stall.
One of the keys to effective marketing is making use of catchy signage. I saw the sign below and immediately had the urge to buy some cookies for my two nieces to put out for Santa (I believe he favours Johnnie Walker Black in lieu of milk). The stall holder told me that they own a bakery and had completed delivery of around 6000 of these hand piped cookies. Wow. Imagine how much that hand must have cramped..
Santa likes a good cookie
I did a slow circuit of the market to see if anything else grabbed my attention and spotted a live band playing on the one side. They were playing laid back, background music but it was quite a nice touch. The folks sitting outside at Hussar Grill were enjoying the extra entertainment.
Live Band
I came across these wire crafts which I thought were pretty cool, although I'm not sure if I would buy one. Nowhere to put it.
Cute Bunnies
Wire Tree
I came across the Cape Mountain Charcuterie stall and tried some of their chorizo and saucisson samples. The chorizo is nice and spicy and the saucisson (french style dried sausage) is pretty tasty. Of course, I bought a piece of each. :D
Chorizo and Saucisson
They also had some oak smoked bacon, which I am about to try out. (now that's a breakfast of champions!) They are based in Porterville with offices in the City Bowl, so delivery to the City Bowl and Southern Suburbs is free.. I'm sure once they get their foot in the door in the Northern Suburbs, they will include free delivery for us too..
Finally, I walked past a T-Shirt stall with some nice designs. I have a weakness for t-shirts (I am getting better though) and I decided to have a look through their wares. The company is called May Bru (my broer) and is Cape Town based. They guy selling the t-shirts was a bru. A real fun oke who I, like, had a chat to.
May Bru
I tried on a green t-shirt, but there were no change rooms. It was the first time that I have taken my shirt off in the middle of Willowbridge mall. Luckily there were no small children to scare.
Authentic Cape Town
May Bru
All in all a good day. Now, let the weekend begin.
N.
Greetings.
Wow. What a super busy week! Between work and my second assignment for my Internet Marketing course, I've had no time for anything else. I think I only had one bottle of wine last week (Shock, Horror!)
So as mentioned before, this week we had to create a website for a business (real or fictional). As we progress through the different aspects of Internet Marketing, we will be applying our knowledge to this site.
I met up with my friend on Saturday morning to chat about a few ideas I had for the site. Decided to multitask and have breakfast at the same time. I was joined by my sister, her husband and another friend.
I just love the cappuccinos there!
As promised, if you can guess the coffee shop that I have based my fictional site on, the coffee is on me. (That means I'll pay...don't go throwing your coffee on me.)
So, check out the first draft of the site and hazard a guess in the comments section below. Really, it's not that difficult..
In the midst of finishing this assignment, I had some serious issues with the site builder that we are using. The templates are limiting and, when you do select a template you like, it's a bit tricky to place things where you want them. Add to that my dodgy Cell C connection and the site freezes. I'm not one for saving after typing every word (far too tedious) so if the site freezes, you have to start all over...very frustrating.
On Sunday I was making slow progress, so I decided to take a break and head off to the Blaauwklippen Family Market at Blauuwklippen Wine Estate. This is fast becoming one of my favourite markets. It's a nice drive out there and they have Alpacas!
Last time I was there I noticed a stall that was selling chopping boards and Japanese Chefs knives. I didn't take much notice then, but this time something caught my eye. If any of you are old enough to remember La Linea (Italian for 'The Line') you will appreciate that this is the best chopping board...EVER!
I decided to buy this one for it's absolute quirkiness. The company who makes it is Setta, a local company. They have quite a selection of boards (Natural Bamboo and Solid Surface) so go check them out. The guy at the stall very kindly told me that you can watch all the episodes of La Linea on Youtube...(I've started already).
A trip to Blaauwklippen Family Market is not complete without stopping by Cold Gold Ice Cream for some awesome Artisan Ice Cream. A double scoop of the best chocolate ice cream on a sugar cone? I'll take two! Janine really knows her stuff when it comes to the cold stuff. I stopped by for a chat about how she got into the business and she sneakily told me that she was a fan of my blog.. Flattery will get you everywhere.
She then told me that she had brought takeaway containers, just in case someone wanted to buy some Ice Cream to take home. I went with a tub of Vanilla and a tub of Fat Free Macadamia, Nougat and Cranberry (so healthy, it's practically a vegetable).
Yum
So after my little excursion, I headed back home to finish off my assignment. I was a lot more focused and I was able to finish it off in no time. You definitely need to take a break every once in a while. And when you live in Cape Town, a decent destination is not far away.
Late last night I decided that today I would try something new. The weather in Cape Town is stunning, so I was not up to being stuck in doors. I knew I wanted to go for a drive, so I finally settled on Stellenbosch as my destination. More specifically, the Blaauwklippen Family Market.
Stunning Weather in Stellenbosch
Happening every Sunday at Blaauwklippen Wine Estate, it is a great way to spend the mid part of your Sunday. Parking is plentiful, they even let the older folk park quite close, which I thought was quite nice.
Specialized Parking
I did a few circuits of the market to take in all the stalls. You've got your usual craft stalls, pet items, jewellery, etc., but it was the food that I came for. And I was not disappointed. A taste exploration as many different ready to eat food stuffs were available. From Argentinian Steak rolls to Bitter Ballen, there was something for every taste, including Thai, Indian and freshly baked pastries and pancakes.
Vendors showing their wares
I'll have mine medium rare, please
Bitter Ballen with mustard..I'll take two.
Belgian Waffles anyone?
I also managed to pick up some fresh deli meats as well as some pucker Cornish Pasties. (although, I was a tad disappointed with the pasties. Bit on the dry side, pastry and filling). On the fresh pastry front, I picked up a delicious Parmesan Twist, which was like a giant Croissant in loaf form.
Parmesan Twist
There is plenty place to sit, either under the umbrellas in the courtyard or on the many grass areas, where your kids (if you have them) can go mad after a sugar rush. Bring a blanket or some camping chairs and you're sorted.
Craft Beer and Wine Tasting are also available but, as I was driving, I only looked on and drooled.
Plenty seating space
But for me, the stand out stall was Cold Gold Ice Cream. What could be better than some Ice Cream on a warm spring day? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was rather intrigued by the different flavours that Janine van Zyl had available, but eventually settled on Liquorice. (They even have a selection of Vegan Ice Cream...)
Loads of flavours to choose from
WOW. It was delicious. If you like liquorice (which you should) you must try this out. I tweeted about it while I was savouring it under a tree and got a response almost immediately. The beauty of Social Media and the importance of ORM (Online Reputation Management). This prompted me to go back and buy one for the road. I got the 66% Chocolate Ice Cream (last one that they had!). A little pot of chocolate gold. I swear, this had a halo around it when I opened it. Absolutely heavenly.
Chocolate Gold
Gabrielle over at www.deepfriedbananas.com is going to be doing a piece on Janine soon, so keep an eye out for it. I'm glad to say that I now have a reason other than wine to go to Stellenbosch. And with summer on it's way, you should definitely give this a try.
I am a huge fan of the Neighbourgoods market at the Old Biscuit Mill.
On Saturday mornings you will find it bustling with activity, people browsing, eating, 'kuiering'.
Fresh Veg, Beer on Tap, COFFEE! and generally an eclectic mix of personalities.
What better way to start your Saturday, right?
Now I know there are a number of more than decent markets out there and I am open to education.
My request to you, dear reader, is for you to take part in my poll (hopefully the first of many).
Please tell me what your favourite Cape Town Food Market is and maybe it will be the topic of a future post..
