Scusi Bistro, Parkview – Delightful and Deliciously unassuming

Dear Universe I love, you know I do – but I’m rather annoyed at the fact that you kept me from this darling bistro for 2 years…

A good friend of mine has been telling me about this little bistro for more than two years now, but it seemed the universe was against me discovering this delightful eatery. At long last, I finally I got the chance to go for an early dinner directly after work a week or so ago.

Situated on the corner of Tyrone Avenue and Ennis Road, in the leafy JHB suburb, this café is elegant and vibey with a strangely soothing feeling.

Filled with black and white photographs, it pays homage to our lovely city of Gold.

The service is friendly and helpful, and the menu as a good variety, form the Grill, to Seafood and Vegetarian. The wine menu is sufficient, but could perhaps have some more wines added – my opinion.

As you might or might not know, pasta and me are not friends.  Like rice – it is a vehicle for sauce or the actual thing with flavour. So why not just have the thing with flavour, or the part f the dish with the flavour on something else with texture and flavour?

I have exactly 3 pasta dishes that I would gladly eat again, 2 of which is very unlicky to cross my path again as they are in Peru, the other in Cape Town.

Now, I have a forth to add to my short list of delicious yummy, non-useless pasta dishes. ( if this trend continues I might be converted into a pasta lover…somewhere in the far future…)

I had the butternut ravioli with a slightly creamy sundried tomamto sauce – bliss!

My friend had the fillet with mushroom and pamasan risotto, she cleaned her plate which is a good sign, and I’ll say it looked gorgeous and had a wonderful truffel mushroomy scent, one of thebest aromas in the world.

Scusi definitely do not penny-pinch, you get what you pay for. The portions are lavish.

Due to the above fact that we did not order one of the lush desserts on offer – but next time I most definitely will.

 

The only negitave I can comment on for now, is that they are only open from Monday- Friday, which saddens me, as this is a perfect spot to induldge and relax under the leavy trees on a Saturday or for Sunday Breakfast…

 

I’ll definitely be back within the next week or 2.
Don’t miss out.

 

Until we eat again…

Hard Rock Café, JHB – what is in a name?

Since learning of the opening of Hard Rock Café in Sandton , the entire JHB has been in a frenzy to visit this iconic restaurant.

Located on the popular Nelson Mandela Square, but tucked away in the corner, this is sure to be a huge success. And indeed it is.
This restaurant/bar is overflowing with customers practically every day of the week.

 

Home of the burger – this is a burger lover’s dream, I think. If you prefer an old-school type “real” burger patty, and not the more recent gourmet burgers that you can find at Dukes and The Wolfpack. I’ve never been a fan of the burger, so I to me this is more of the same. A veggie burger would be nice to see on the menu though. Or a meat-free salad as well…
I opted for the Chicken Quesadilla – without the chicken and added mushrooms instead.

I can comment that the portions are plentiful, very generous, and everyone seemed to enjoy the food a lot – whether this was because it was so darn delectable, or due to the fact that we’ve been having a couple of bottles of wine, and only ordered at around 9:30pm, I’ll leave open for debate…

 

The service was great, we had an amazing waitress and two managers who checked in regularly, without being overbearing.
All in all, I’d definitely go back for a drink or two, not so much for the food. Meat/burger lovers might disagree. It promises to be a fun night out.
For now though I do think the hype is all about the name, we’ll see how this plays out over the next 6month or so.

 

 

Opt for a seat on the patio, the music inside grows louder as the evening sky grows darker, until your ears almost start to zing.

 

Until we eat again...

Crepisimo, Arequipa – Paper thin crepes oozing with flavour

If you have read a couple of my post on this blog, it is easy to spot that I love a bit of good French food. Crepes are the ultimate street food of French, and when made properly these delicate creations are marvellous.

On my 2 most recent trips to Paris I was utterly disappointed that it was so difficult to find a street vendor of café with a proper freshly baked crepe – mostly the batter was too think, and they were pre-baked and cold.

I could not in my wildest dreams think that I would find a prefect crepe in the middle of a small Peruvian town named Arequipa.

Situated at the entrance of the Alliance Francaise, this 10 table restaurant and bar – with an astounding selection of beers from across the globe is the epitome of excitement. People queue and comeback and queue and sit and eat at the bar. Incredible how such a small amount of people can create such a vibe.

Lovely selection of fillings for the crepes, and you can also create your own should you wish to do so. For the more health conscious they offer a brown batter on any savoury crepes, which is made from a Quinoa type of grain – this brown batter is bursting with flavour and a wonderful alternative to the classic white batter.

For dessert crepes in Peru, they have created their own signature – Dulce de Quinoa, and what a signature this is!

The best way I can think of explaining this, is something between a rice pudding and sweet risotto, delightful and sinfully sweet with the texture of the Quinoa.

The prices are extremely reasonable, service quick – not a lot of English, but they try very hard to assist where they can. And luckily pointing at the Spanish translation on the menu is really not difficult.

Aaah, the nostalgia is taking over and I’m salivating just think of these heavenly mouthfuls.

(PS - we dined here 3 times...twice for dinner, and once for lunch, yummy everytime!)

Until we eat again...

MAP café, Cuzco – Decadent and delicious

 

This is definitely one of my highlights in all of Peru.

Set in the courtyard of the Museum of Art in Cuzco on Plaza del Nazarena,  the elegant glass box is crisp and inviting.

We have read very good reviews on TA about the MAP café, but was not expecting this kind of deliciousness.
Absolutely everything was amazing, from the Pisco Sours (best in Peru!) through to the beautiful freshly baked bread, mains and desserts.

The service is friendly, professional and invasive. So happy that we went for an early lunch, as the restaurant filled up within 30min, and had sad patrons looking through the glass, and having to book for the following day.

 

So most vegetarians eat a lot of pasta, I’m not one of them. In fact I actually really dislike any pasta dish, it’s just a vehicle for sauce… a fattening carb vehicle.

In most restaurant however the vegetarian options are limited to pasta. MAP has a couple of other vegetarian options, but they had me at truffle perfume with this cannelloni. It was divine!!  The best pasta dish I have ever eaten, and probably just one of the top 5 best things I have ever eaten.

Also I have developed a slight obsession with Quinoa, and tried ordering as much Quinoa dishes as possible.

Put Quinoa and Truffle in the same dish and I’m sold. Desperately wishing that I could have that dish in South Africa, which means I’ll just have to practise my cooking skills to get it perfect.

 

The other dishes on the table were the Pork Adobe and the Chilli Pepper stuffed Lamb. Both of these were superb, but nothing compares to the Quinoa Truffle Cannelloni’s.

It was tough not to order all the dessert on offer, but the 3 we selected were the Sacha Inchi, Goat’s Cheese and honey Maki (yes – dessert sushi!!) and the deconstructed Suspiro Lemino. Last mentions was my favourite.

 

We decided to treat ourselves to this amazing culinary glass box on our last evening in Peru as well, but unfortunately they were fully booked – and rightly so.
This chef deserves a Michelin Star, and to be at the top of the TA list in Cuzco.

 

Do not miss this lovely setting and delicious food!

Until we eat again…

Waterkloof Wines, Somerset West - Heaven on Earth!

Close your eyes, and have your mind wonder to a secret little place of awe and beauty.

Imagine a glass cube on the top of a hill, overlooking a valley of vineyards, abundant vegetation and the majestic blue sea.

You have that?

Now – go visit Waterkloof Wines, and exceed your imaginations expectations.

The most amazing fireplace with specially made leather couches and small tables and chairs that compliment this stunning feature in the centre of the room, beside the open kitchen. This double volume ceiling and glass walls give a sense of openness and amazement.

True serenity and bliss.

Situated just outside Somerset West in the Cape, on Sir Lowrie's Pass, this prize winning architectural structure is a highlight in its surroundings. Yes, a little drive if you commute from Cape Town or Stellenbosch, but well worth the travel.

Waterkloof restaurant is still quite new compared to the other vineyard restaurants, but will soon be in the top 10 – guaranteed.

Waterkloof has only offer their own wines, which is great, as these wines are delightful and you really wouldn’t want any other wine. I think what a suprises me most of this restaurant are the prices. The wines are at cellar prices, and the food with all the details and expertize are half (or less) the price that you would pay at any of the top 10 restaurants, or well-known places in the Cape. The owner of this little piece of heaven on earth has a passion, and is making it a reality, offering all a glimpse at paradise, without ripping you off and charging you near insane prices.

And I haven’t even started on the food!

An absolute master in food, Gregory Czarnecki will ensure that you have a food experience that lingers on in your mind for months. His knowledge of food, and combinations of flavor, textures, technique and plating is jaw-dropping, every course unique and exciting. And catering for vegetarians in no problem, and these dishes are just as amazing. It is here that I again realized my love for good food and wine.

Think Lentil Velouté with beetroot, truffle foam and foie gras; Scallop Ceviche with cauliflower and curry; Spingbok Loin with parmesan custard, smoked potato and pumpkin gnocchi; Monkfish, wild mushroom and Iberico; and for desserts – Sablé Breton and Hazelnut, burnt honey and clementine marmalade sorbet; Carrot Sponge, butternut ice cream with white chocolate and celery cream; and a cheese platter with liquid shortbread, truffled honey and foie gras snow.

My mind goes a little blurry as I reminisce about the total decadence that is Waterkloof. So I think it’s best if pictures do the rest of the work, as words escape me…

Untill we eat again...

Casalinga, Muldersdrift - Feels like home

The Christmas tree goes up, the little nativity scene is pack out on a table, fragrant cinnamon scented candles are lit and Bony M is playing softly in the background “pa-rampa-pa-pam”…
Aaah, I love Christmas time.

(un)fortunately I can’t remember the last time we did all the above, as December is the one holiday that all the family member have, and we take this holiday to go and travel the world – hence the brackets around the (un). I absolutely love traveling and aspire to be a globe-trotter one day, if only I had a sponsor… Never the less, decorating a tree and having family or friends over for an exuberant Christmas lunch has a certain comforting element to it, a feeling of belonging.

We now have Christmas lunch with the entire family, my brothers’ wives and their parents included, a week or so before we go on holiday – and this year we opted for Casalinga in Muldersdrift.

Sunday’s are their busiest day by far, and the serve a set menu to help feed the masses.

A choice between 6 starters, and 8 mains, excluding any specials that they might have for the day, and then a tempting dessert “trolley” with a selection of treats. This always comes with a delightful freshly baked bread basket, with a variety of deliciousness, and a generous fresh table salad.

They are not that big on Vegetarians, but do offer one starter and one main for us herbivores.

Homemade Gnocchi with a light gorgonzola sauce, and the green lasagne was then obviously mine. I love their gnocchi – light and fluffy, unlike the little rubber bullets you buy in a packet to prepare at home. The lasagne is not bad – but I’m actually not a pasta fan at all, and this is a solid piece of 12 -14 layers of lasagne sheets with béchamel and basil pesto in-between, so this turns out to be extremely rich. And for a non-pasta loving vegetarian, two pasta dishes is not my ultimate.

A lovely fragrant tomato based mussel pot was on special, and this looked and smelled heavenly! Not one single bowls of this was left with a drop of sauce in, all was soaked up with a piece of bread en devoured. Spicy calamari, beef Carpaccio and chicken livers were also on display, but the mussel pot  took the gold for the starters.

Kingklip and salmon, slow roasted pork, a lamb shank and fillet with mushroom sauce all made an appearance for main course. I sat between two of my brothers who had the fillet and lamb shank respectively, but the clear winner was the lamb shank, literally falling off the bone in a seductive jus (easy to spot shank cooked properly on low heat over night). All dishes served with wilted spinach, medley of peppers and crispy roasted potatoes – all from the luscious veggie garden. I have such bad envy on this vegetable and herb garden, it’s not even funny.

Deciding on desserts, always results to a bargaining between 2 or 3 of us, so we can then all have a little taste of one another’s. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose. I had the floating island, which is usually like a slice of cloud floating on a delicate crème anglaise with a cluster of fresh fruit to add texture, was unfortunately overly sweet, with a crispy meringue… perhaps the pressures of having 500 - 600 guests in one sitting got to the dessert chef, and he confused the floating island with a Pavlova?

The BarOne cheesecake, lemon meringue pie and dark tiramisu were delightful, and the ice-cream and BarOne sauce yummy – just a perfect end to a meal – just goes to show, sometimes less is more. Never underestimate the simple things, as simply things done with great ingredients are simply gorgeous.

A last little touch – coffee. Good coffee. Great coffee.

You can’t get fresher coffee than this – as Casalinga proudly has their own coffee roastery on the grounds.

 The restaurant has a lovely warm, inviting, homey feeling, with thick dark wooden tables, wooden floors in some parts of the house and a couple of fireplaces burning happily away. We had the “living room” to ourselves, which was decorated festive with a sort of rugged elegance, of wood, pine kernels,  soft fairy lights and a touch of red and green festive ornaments. An absolute pleasure sitting on the couches sipping champagne having a laugh about old stories of when we were little. We also chose to have coffee on the snuggly couches, and I could have easily had a catnap right there and then.

Being so popular for lunch and functions alike, perhaps a restriction of 400 guests should be key, to avoid running out of some desserts and serving Pavlova meringue as a floating island?

Always offering excellent service and food of the highest standards, Casalinga rarely disappoints.

Happy December – I’m counting the days..

Until we eat again…

The Red Chamber, Hyde Park - Tantalising authentic Chinese cusine

When you think of Chinese food, do you get an image of deep-fried balls/strips of what is supposed to be chicken, but could in fact be any form of animal protein (know as well as unknown to man), drenched in that sickly sweet pink sweet-and-sour sauce, accompanied by enough rice to feed a family of 6?
You have that picture in your mind, and feeling slightly uncomfortable and nauseated? Aha, yes – we all do, and if you don’t, you are in need of some culinary education.

Today I will tell you where to go to have anything but the above mentioned.
The Red Chamber.

Owned by a Chinese lady who has been running this authentic restaurant for almost 30 odd years, speaking a very good English but still with a heavy Chinese accent – you know you’ve hit the jackpot.

Dark wood with accents of bamboo to break the lighting on the sides of the restaurant, and proper chopsticks (well not the R0.50 wooden ones that splinter in your mouth) no silverware present on the tables – this is the real deal.

Armed with a delicious and curios array of dishes, lamb, duck, chicken, pork, seafood and of course vegetables, you’ll take a couple of moments to decide what to take and what to leave; who you can persuade to take the second dish you would like to try, doing so with the “sharing is caring” motto.

If all else fails and you still want to order food that might feed and army, ask the extremely helpful waiters or owner, who will tell you what the specials are, the most popular dishes as well as how they can change the dish you want to enhance your experience.

Big juicy spring rolls, packed with veggies and flavour, not transforming paper to translucent with oil, and a spring onion think-crust pastry is always the way to start, you  will not regret this, served with a soy, ginger, chilli dipping sauce - what an outright delight!

The portions are very generous, and ideal to share, especially if you are planning to indulge in starters and mains. However, I do not see the problem with a little take-away snack for late night nibbles.

An easy spotted favourite – or easy heard favourite is most definitely the sizzling duck, beef or kingklip with garlic and chilli. The sizzling and smokingly hot plates are delivered to tables all around with great fascination and delightful aroma. A little bit of theatre at the table.

What I love is that you order your own rice or noodles - as much or as little as you like, one portion of noodles is usually enough for 3. Waste not want not.

(I do suggest an ice-cold Chinese beer rather than wine to compliment the flavours).

This is without any doubt my favourite and most authentic Chinese restaurant in all of Africa (and other countries, perhaps maybe even China).

Tantalising tastes and wonderful flavour combinations guaranteed in this humble little place.

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti

Untill we eat again…

Cafe Del Sol, Olivedale - Don's be stupid, break the habit

Sometimes we do things that are really extremely stupid. But I mean seriously.

Sticking your finger into a plug; purposefully touching the glowing red stove top just to ensure that it is indeed burning hot; ordering an unpronounceable dish at an unknown Chinese restaurant without pictures, possible ending up with earthworm soup or cat testies; having 2 bottles of wine, whiskey and shots on a weekday evening until 4am the day before you have to be in court at 8am.

Yes, the human race never seizes to amazing in doing stupid things.

 

If you want to break away and do something completely un-stupid, book a table for dinner or Sunday lunch at Café del Sol in Olivedale, JHB.
This is one of my favourites by far, and it’s not just me who thinks this - having one countless prizes, including best Italian restaurant in SA, and being rated as JHB nr 1 restaurant on Trip advisor by the masses.

The location is a little odd, in a small corner centre overlooking a parking lot.

However, once inside, the vibe is amazing! If there is background music, I’ve never heard it, as the chattering and laughing of guests, and clinking of glasses in celebration fills the space with absolute delight.

Simplicity is key, with modern touches here and there. The walls are filled with quotes about food and wine, and other little drops of wisdom. Inspiring and quirky alike.

So if your family or friends are not the most talkative, or you’re stressing about not having a topic of conversation on a date – there are walls full to fill the silence.

 

I’m always amazed at the amount of food that is being produced in that small open kitchen; and the magician chefs that man 6 to 8 pans of the burner at the same time? What a pleasure to watch!
For starters, think (the best) homemade gorgonzola and walnut gnocchi, beetroot risotto, fresh rocket and parma ham spring rolls, tempura prawns.

One of the signatures which I absolutely adored before converting to my meat-free ways, is the calamari limoncello with a black squid ink, parmesan rice tower – delicious!! Another classic is their balsamic fillet, as well as the stuffed calamari, served with a beautiful spicy vegetable noodle side. My tastebuds are dancing just thinking of this little gem of a place.

A selection of mouth-watering cakes are proudly displayed on the counter, pre-order a slice of lemon meringue if that is your poison, as it disappears before your eyes. And my personal favourite is the delectably smooth panna-cotta, always a different flavour.

The quality has never disappointed, not wavered even once.

This family owned restaurant offers an attractive selection of wine, and have friendly attentive staff, who are personal without being invasive.

We have been there so often that they know every one’s favourite dishes and drinks. The delightful owner always walks around telling about the specials and just having a quick chat.

 

Café del Sol sure does have a lot of Italian soul. If I would have to choose one restaurant in JHB, this would be it.

Go on, don’t be stupid, break the habit. But book in advance, as they are fully booked mostly a month or 2 in advance.

 

Happy Friday to all, until we eat again…

Dukes Burgers, Greenside - More than a mouthfull

I have been a big fan of Dukes Burgers in Greenside since this quaint restaurant’s opening – the fact that I knew the chef at that time might have something to do with this  . However, after this chef took flight, the food and quality stayed the same offering luscious gourmet burgers with a selection of sides.

In my never ending search for new restaurants, I had to take some time away from Dukes, and have not been there for at least 7 months. The craving spoke, and I had to answer, so I kidnapped a friend new to JHB for lunch today.

As a vegetarian I was happy to see that all the wide variety of meat-free burger were still available.  We opted for the Lady Marmalade (rosemary roasted butternut and halumi with red onion marmalade) and the Mushroom Mafia (grilled mushroom steak and avo) as these have always been my favourites.

The Lady Marmalade had an entire butternut (true story) on the bun – perhaps a little overkill, one can only eat so much butternut!! And the Mushroom Mafia changed from being 2 beautiful juicy mushroom steaks to chopped up creamy button mushrooms, which takes away much of the gorgeous mushroom flavor that put this on my favourite burger list. However, the service is still friendly and the ambiance great as well as the choice of side accompanying the burgers.  They also offer a good variety of nice wines by the glass.