Even though I’ve been to Café Chic (7 Breda Street, Gardens) several times since they opened back towards the end of 2009, I have never actually sat down for a meal…
That’s because I always end up over there for someone’s bithday celebration, engagement party, hell even a corporate function or two, thanks to their popular event hire options. They have several rooms which you can rent out for private functions and they say on their website that they don’t even charge a venue hire fee (I’m guessing that’s as long as you run a bar and maybe organise some canapes, not sure though). One thing I can however assure you of is that I’ve busted out well over my fair share of dodgy dance moves up in there.
Come on in… the party’s this way…
When a friend then suggested we try their new tapas tasting menu special, I figured hey, that sounds like a nice cheap & cheerful way to give their dining room a test drive. A dining room which I have to say, is quite a good lookin’ one:
The tapas tasting menu works like so – for R99 you get:
An amuse bouche
Soup of the day
Vegetable springroll with sweet chilli sauce
Duo of squid – deep fried cajun calamari tentacles & grilled calamari tubes with garlic, lemon & a hint of chilli
Grilled beef rump strips with the Chef’s secret sauce & potato wedges
Left: the beef stips & wedges; Top right: duo of squid; Bottom right: bread & butter pudding
Overall I really enjoyed this menu. I had two minor issues – one with the deep fried cajun calamari tentacles, because it was a bit too hard and a little dry (maybe just fried for too long). And my bread & butter pudding was a little bit burnt on the top, but tasty otherwise. My favourite out of the 6 dishes was definitely the beef strips which comes in a finger-lickin-good sauce.
On my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale, I’d give this menu a and I’d add that I think it’s pretty good value for what you’re paying.
They do this tasting menu Tue – Thu by reservation only and to book your spot, you can contact them on 021 465 7218 or info@cafechic.co.za.
Photo credit: Full Moon Drive-In Cinema Facebook page (photo by Devin Herd)
Short & Sweet are planning another Full Moon Drive-In this Saturday. For those who haven’t caught on to the Short & Sweet movement yet, one question: What the hell??
So what are you in for:
8 hand selected short films which will be screened on Cape Town’s largest outdoor inflatable screen… framed by Lion’s head and the Atlantic Ocean – come on, what can possibly beat that?
Old school drive-in vibes with everything from ushers to popcorn, so expect an all-round nostalgic evening out.
NB details to take note of:
When: Sat 25 May – doors open at 6pm, films start at 8pm.
Where: Maiden’s Cove, Camps Bay (sports field positioned below Bungalow)
Tickets: R60 pp and can be purchased from Tickets Quicket over here.
Numbers: Only 250 parking bays available and parking preference will be given to vehicles with 4 or more passengers. However, first come, first parked folks.
What to bring: Picnic blankets, cushions and deck chairs if you’d prefer to sit on the grass in front of the screen. (or if the parking spots run out)
No alcohol will be on sale (but if you go early, you can have sundowners at The Bungalow – now that’s an idea hey). No under 16s please (films not appropriate for the young ones). All types of 4 wheeled vehicles welcome, just no motorcycles please, but bicycles are totally welcome too.
In case of very bad weather, the the even will be postponed.
They have a WestinWORKOUT Gym, where you can burn off some of that buffet breakfast while enjoying some amazing views. They have super fancy equipment which even allows you to browse the web while you’re exercising. Facebook, Twitter, you name it. Just be careful not to lose track of your feet. You don’t want to be flung of the treadmill and end up on a massively popular Youtube clip.
The gym’s equipped with free weights, a TechnoGym circuit, treadmills, stationary bikes, swiss balls and a power plate machine, rowing machine and stairclimber. There’s also some disposable headphones for you to use (in case you forgot yours) and a personal trainer is on duty from Mon to Fri who is available (upon request) and for a complimentary fitness assessment and consultation.
Another pretty cool thing is their Pack Light Stay Fit initiative where they’ve partnered with New Balance to provide hotel guest with athletics shoes during their stay. For only R50 you can rent a freshly cleaned pair of trainers for use while you’re there. They’ll also throw in a new pair of socks, which you can keep afterwards. I personally love this idea. Trainers take up so much space in your bag and it’s just a mission lugging them around. This way there’s more space for your holiday shopping! #perfect
Now let’s talk about the Arabella Spa. Firstly, it’s absolutely beautiful. Secondly, they’re nicely kitted out. They’ve for 15 treatments rooms, a heated infity lap pool, a jacuzzi, a steam room & sauna and a really nice relaxation area where you can chill & take in the view. But let me show you around…
Here’s the reception and relaxation areas:
And this my friends, is probably the coolest indoor pool I’ve ever seen:
The jacuzzi is so much fun, there’s even an emergy shut-off switch in case you just can’t take the awesomeness any longer:
And the sauna might give you a bit of vertigo, but it’s well worth the risk:
Ooooh and then my favourite room was their “Sea of Dreams” sleep room. Here you’ll find 4 rather unique heated water beds for your enjoyment. Once tucked in here, I guarantee you, you will never ever want to leave again:
Just looking at this photo again makes me feel all happy and warm…
To pay them a visit, contact the Arabella Spa on 021 412 8200/01 or 01445.arabellaspa@westin.com – bookings are essential.
You might also want to abuse some of these special offers:
Soul Food Autumn Special
Join them for a delicious & healthy spa lunch, a glass of bubbly and your choice of Dermalogica Microzone Treatment, all for only R280.00 per person.
Heavenly dinner & spa
A 3 course dinner for two in the Westin Executive Club plus a 45 minute treatment each at Arabella Spa at R1050 per couple. (available Mon to Sun from 17:30 to 19:00)
- Dinner selection: Choose from their Dinner with a View menu.
- Spa selection: 45 min back, neck & shoulder massage, 45 min facial, or a 45 min manicure/pedicure.
Secret lunch hour
For R500 (Mon – Sun) – choose 1 luxurious treatment & 2 delicious courses from their special menu at the Westin Executive Club, and they guarantee that within 90 minutes you’ll be back at your desk looking and feeling fantastic. Or earn serious brownie points by treating your partner to a surprise ‘rendezvous for two’ at only R950.
- Lunch Selection - 2 courses, one starter and one main or one main and one dessert.
- Spa Selection: 45 min back, neck & shoulder massage, 45 min facial, or 45 min manicure/pedicure.
I know what you’re thinking… why am I not there right now?? My feelings exactly.
Check out their full spa brochure & price list over here.
Another thing I loved is that on your way out, you can even get you hair spruced up at the hotel’s Cut Above hair salon (also on the 19th floor):
How about an awesome blow dry to go with that massage & facial hey?
Two weekends ago I was invited by the lovely folks at The Westin to come and experience the ultimate luxury they have to offer… yes, yes, I know, life as me can be really tough some times.
The Westin is connected to the CTICC and therefore they service quite a lot of conference/business travellers. But something I didn’t know going into this visit, was that they also have some amazing dining options (not just for the guests) and an incredible spa, high up on the 19th floor (but that deserves it’s own post – hence this being a part 1 post).
We’ll kick things off with a mini tour of the hotel:
Sit outside, grab a light snack and enjoy the sunshine…
There are incredible local art pieces all over the hotel. In fact, they are so into their art, there’s a whole book dedicated to all the different pieces on show (which I’ll admit, I haven’t read through just yet)
The elegant entrance hall.
They have their own wine shop. Got a last minute birthday party to attend and have no gift? No worries, they’ll package something up for you. Want to send some wine back overseas? No stress, let them take care of all the details.
Thirty7 is their French brasserie style restaurant on the ground level.
Louis B’s & Terrace is a little jazz bar for those who enjoy some soothing sounds.
This is the Raleigh’s Cigar Bar which offers a wide selection of cognacs, whiskies and the finest cigars.
The Raleigh’s Cigar Bar lounge
They have conference rooms a plenty. And they’re quite stunning as far as usually boring business spaces go.
We stayed in one of their deluxe rooms, all the way up on the 17th floor, which meant we had a pretty insane view of the city:
The room itself was really great. Fresh colours, lots of space, fully equipped – and when I mean fully, I mean fully… for example, the room came with it’s own ironing board & iron (love that! My clothes are always super wrinkled, even if I use that stupid rolling-of-the- clothes tecnique, which so does not work) and it also came with a printer/scanner/fax machine in case you needed to get down to some serious business.
Oh and possibly most importantly, the room comes with a fully stocked mini bar:
Woohoo!
Just before we headed out to dinner, we got a little sweet surprise with our turndown service:
Mmmmmm… I think we were supposed to keep it until bed time, but that didn’t happen.
Dinner was up on the 19th floor, at the Westin Executive Club Restaurant. This restaurant boasts some amazing panoramic views of Cape Town and I have to say has quite a romantic atmosphere. (And that was before any wine…)
The food was quite a taste experience. A lot of attention to detail, complex flavours & fresh ingredients. I really couldn’t ask for anything more and can highly recommend this spot for your next date night (just make sure you ask for a window seat).
Price wise you’re looking at about R210 for 2 courses and R260 for 3 courses.
Clockwise from top left: Marinated goats cheese croquettes, Springbok nicoise, neck of lamb on sun dried tomato risotto & braised and grilled rib eye of beef.
Delice Aux Chocolate – Triple choc chip biscuit, warm chocolate pudding, petit champagne truffles and chocolate Bavarian crème, espressotini and confit Brazilian nuts…
Their executive chef, Johann Breedt, is actually currently competing on kykNET’s KOKKEDOOR cooking show. So you can see him in action there as well.
With full & happy bellies, Bjorn and I headed back to our room, where our Heavenly bed totally sucked us in (these beds are specially made for the hotel and they are true to their name). Waking up the next morning to this, I have to say, was pretty damn cool:
Breakfast was yet another bad-for-your-bum experience. But oh so good for your soul.
Just check this buffet which has pretty much everything your heart could ever desire, even oysters & sushi and just about every fresh fruit juice on the planet:
For only R160, you too can experience this treat. That price includes free rein over that buffet, plus a glass of bubbly AND your choice of hot breakfast. Hell, I didn’t even make it that far. So I advise arriving wearing stretchy pants.
Now I’m going to share with you a little hidden gem not a lot of people have seen… I got to go up to their rooftop garden where they farm all their own fresh herbs and stuff. Check it out:
How cool is that? City living at it’s best…
We had an absolutely amazing stay and I left there feeling totally relaxed and weighing in at about 5kgs heavier. But it was so worth it.
If you know of someone who’s coming to Cape Town and looking for a luxurious treat (or if you are that someone), here are some current accommodation specials that I can share with you:
ENJOY UP TO 30% OFF WHEN YOU BOOK IN ADVANCE Book by August 24, 2013, for stays up to August 31, 2013.
Stay 3 nights and save 20%
Stay 5 nights and save 30%
10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY – BOOK OUR RATES FROM 10 YEARS AGO Book your room with rates from 10 years ago when we opened our doors the first time for you. For just R1350 single or double occupancy, book your Deluxe Room early and receive:
- Upgrade to Westin Executive Club Room (based upon availability)
- Bottle of Bubbly in the room upon arrival
- Breakfast included
- Offer only valid for August
DO YOU NEED A BREAK? DISCOVER CAPE TOWN Explore the city’s attractions and landmarks at your own pace from the comforts of the Hop-on Hop-off City. Our package includes: - Rates from R2360 per double room (Deluxe Room)
- Daily breakfast buffet per person
- One Day ticket for two to utilize on the Hop-on Hop-off bus
ROOM WITH A VIEW You’ll witness the city of Cape Town awaken, come to life, and gracefully retire for the night from your very own room, accompanied by views of the beautiful Cape Town Stadium, Robben Island, the famous V&A Waterfront and the Cape Town Harbour.
Guarantee your view – Rates start from ZAR 1,940 per room per night.
GOURMET GETAWAY FROM R2800 PER DOUBLE ROOM Relax, escape and indulge during a 3 course dinner at The Westin Executive Club on the 19th floor. Your package includes:
- Deluxe Room
- Daily breakfast buffet per person
- 3 course dinner with a glass of wine at The Westin Executive Club for two
Or if you’re concidering something to eat (or drink) at the Westin Executive Club to experience that view, there’s also a few restaurant specials to take note of (booking is essential):
The Sunset Sushi Special
Every Wed, Thu & Fri between 3pm and 7pm: Sushi and a complimentary glass of bubbly. Platters include Sashimi, Nigiri, California rolls, Maki, Fashion sandwiches and Salmon roses for only R125 for 16 pieces.
The Sun downer
Every Thu &Fri between 5pm and 7pm: Enjoy a variety of canapés and a glass of local wine for only R75.
Dinner and Wine
Every Wed, Sat & Sun for dinner: 3 course dinner (from their Dinner with a View set menu) and a complimentary glass of wine per course for only R260 per person.
The Business Lunch
Mon to Thu: 2 course meal with a non-alcoholic cocktail or soft drink for R195. This will be served within 45 minutes. They offer free secure underground parking and complimentary bottled mineral water for the table.
For reservations, contact The Westin Cape Town on 021 412 9999 or 01445.info@westin.com.
Their physical address: Convention Square, Lower Long Street
Thank you so much to the team at The Westin for making us feel so incredibly welcome. Any chance there’s a spot for me there permanently? I’ll be very quiet and won’t eat too much, I promise…
Wow, Saturday eve I partied like I was still twenty two-oo-o-oooo (sorry, but that damn song is so freakin’ catchy)… then I woke up the next morning, reality hit, and felt like I was 100 and bloody 50.
But hey, nobody said partying for a great cause was going to be easy on the body. All I can say is that I loved every minute, and therefore the pain afterwards was totally worth it.
5 for change pulled off another amazingly successful event & I now get why everyone was raving about last year’s bash for ages after. This will definitely be something I make sure I have on my calendar for next year.
I’ve been a little swamped of late, which meant I had to do a very last minute scramble to sort out my Great Gatsby look (I heard there was going to be a prize for best dressed, and my competitve side was all “yeah, bring it”). Thankfully a little shiny number from YDE caught my eye on Friday eve, followed by a cute little feather & diamante headband from Woolies. Then the rest just kinda fell into place from my wardrobe.
To complete the look however, I needed my Mr Gatsby, right? Unfortunately the boyfriend was working, but his friend, actor & general great guy Francis Chouler graciously stood in as his stunt double for the evening:
Thanks again Francis! Lookin’ very dapper indeed.
The event took place at our very elegant Cape Town City Hall. This was in fact my very first time inside this historic landmark and I was totally blown away by how incredible it is. Let me give you a quick tour:
Upon arrival we were treated to a Patron & Appletiser cocktail, followed by some really yummy capanes (of which I have no photos because they jumped into my mouth to quickly – apologies). My poison of choice for the rest of the evening was a not-so-bright mix of Graham Beck bubbly and coffee Patron shots. (now you’re starting to understand why I felt like total death the following day)
Besties Leigh & Clouds were also rocking their best Daisy flapper looks. Together we kinda looked like we could’ve been a sultry singing trio from the 20s (but you certainly don’t want to here me sing – we would’ve needed some serious Milli Vanilli magic, that’s for sure):
Clouds was lucky enough to be wearing a gorgeous creation by Cape Town based designer, Jacques Lagrange.
But of course, the evening was all about the 5 amazing initiatives we were there to support. We got to chat to the inspiring people behind them and learn more about what they do and what they need.
I briefly discussed them in my pre-party post last week. But let’s recap:
Waves for Change: They use surfing as a tool to create an alternative learning environment for children and young adults who are identified by their schools and communities as ‘at-risk’. You’ll see from the pic here above that they say 80% of the surfers in the programme have dropped out of gangs since joining. It’s truly amazing that something so simple can have such a big impact on someone’s life…
Ilizwi Photo Club: A youth development initiative that works with young people in under-resourced communities by encouraging creative self expression through photography and multimedia. A slightly different variant to the Waves for Change initiative, but with similar goals. Giving people a creative outlet, a sence of belonging, as well as a support structure…
Iyeza Express: An affordable delivery service for prescription medication to residents of Khayelitsha. Iyeza Express was founded by Khayelitsha community member Sizwe Nzima in 2011. He started out by doing deliveries for 3 family members, and it’s grown in leaps and bounds since then. I was really impressed by Sizwe’s energy & passion. They’re achieving so much with very little resources. This is certainly a guy to watch…
See-Saw-Do: They focus on the physical transformation of the spaces in which children develop, as well as on the production and distribution of mother-tongue reading material to these facilities. We had the opportunity to write little messages to some of the kids from the schools they are involved in, which really made you stop & reflect. Kids need love & support and a safe learning environment, which makes what See-Saw-Do are doing so important…
Trashback: An incentivised recycling project where participants bring in recyclable materials and are rewarded with vouchers for their efforts, which can then be exchanged at local community stores. They are currently only based in Hout Bay, but have plans to move into the city. Oh and anybody’s welcome to bring their recycling in, as you can also opt to donate your vouchers to someone in need…
I loved this little bin they had on display which shows you how many recycling items had been collected:
That’s a good start, let’s keep ‘em coming!
Other opportunities to show some support was a raffle at R50 a ticket where you could win anything from designer wear to holidays and such. As well as a big auction where they had some extra special items, like a signed rugby jersey & some custom jewels.
It was great to see everyone whip out those wallets and get involved, after which we were treated to some great live performances by The Rudimentals & Goldfish.
I missed the best dressed announcement. All I know is it wasn’t me. (What?? I demand a recount??) And somehow, Leigh & I lost our dates towards the end of the evening…
But we partied like rock stars till the very end, then still continued on to have some crazy adventures over in Long St (which I’m not going to elaborate on), before finally settling in at my 2nd home – the Steers at the 24hr Woolies/Engen in Gardens. #bliss
I don’t even remember us taking this pic… oi…
A big thanks to Kirsten Hopwood from Prestige Communications for a really great event. And to the guys at 5 for change and everyone involved with the initiatives above, thanks for doing the incredible work you are doing.
We all fell in love with the idea of being able to enjoy live music while sitting down for a meal because let’s face it, there’s not a lot of those kinds of places around. The only other place I can think off of the top of my head is Pigalle over in Green Point. But Pigalle hurts the wallet a bit, so it’s not really the type of place I would frequent regularly, it’s more of a special occasion spot in my book.
The Crypt sits beneath the St. George’s Cathedral and dates all the way back to 1898. Today it is an important Cape Town landmark as well as a museum… and of course now also a very cool jazz spot. Let me show you around:
You have to admit, that’s pretty damn cool hey?
The menu is quite simple – it starts off with some tapas style options and for mains you can choose between items like prawns, steak, battered fish, linguini, chicken stew and a gourmet beef burger. There’s also some pears poached in red wine, chocolate mousse or lemon mousse, if you want to finish your night off with a little bit of sugar.
To kick things off we opted for some dips & bread – Chicken liver pate, Hummus guacamole & Roasted red pepper and olive (R28 each) – served with choice of tortilla, bruschetta or pita bread. And then for mains I opted for the Grilled steak special with fries (R110). Other dishes at the table included the battered fish & beef burger.
Left: the 3 dips & bread; Top right: Traditional beer battered fish, chips & aioli (R85); Bottom right: my steak
The food, I have to admit, was very average. It made me think of the Spur, but just not at Spur prices. I can however really recommend this great Chardonnay from Glenwood Vineyards:
But listen, I kinda feel like the vibe of the place makes up for the food. So what I will say is, don’t go expecting the best meal of your life, but if you appreciate jazz and want to experience something a little out of the ordinary, then do give this place a try.
They are open: Tue to Sat 12h00 – 24h00 serving lunch, light snacks & dinner
They can seat up to 80 people & sometimes people might need to share tables (but just double check this when you make your reservation – we had our own table)
They add an extra R45 Live Jazz cover charge to your bill for each person. And you can expect to enjoy live music on Tue to Thur from 19:00 to 22:00 as well as Fri & Sat from 20:00 to 23:00.
Address: 1 Wale Street, Cape Town CBD
Contact them on: 079 683 4658 or thecryptjazz@gmail.com
(From my Instagram feed – follow me there: CTmylove)
Last Saturday was one of those days where I set out on a mini adventure, not quite sure what to expect…
After battling with that very serious dilemma of “what shoe is going to be appropriate today? Heels, flats or wedge…” (I went with the latter), I headed off to Stellenbosch to join a group of gorgeous ladies for a brandy blending experience at Van Ryn’s.
The week before I had to endure quite a few brandy related jokes about how I needed to be careful of the karate water kick and all that. But after a fantastic day of learning new things, I can now say to those folks, karate water se gat. There were no Coca-Cola mix vibes here my friend. We were there to experience the true art behind a fine brandy – something which should be savored and appreciated, much like you would with a great bottle of wine.
Now I will admit, I was certainly no brandy drinker going into this. And I won’t say it’s now taken over the place of wine in my life. But what was really great was that I left there being able to tell a great brandy from a not-so-great brandy and knowing what to look out for if I for example wanted to purchase someone a nice bottle as a gift. Also, if I was presented with the option of a brandy on ice in future, I would now be more inclined to go, why yes, that sounds lovely.
Before I go on, a special mention has to go to Nico Gründlingh from Image Solutions Photography. Nico followed us around on the day and captured the most amazing moments way better than I could ever dream of with my click-and-go, or even with all those fancy filters on Instagram. So below you’ll be seeing his photographs rather than my own (unless otherwise specified).
Right, let’s go. Firstly, the Van Ryn’s property is absolutely beautiful. Let me show you what I mean:
We were welcomed with brandy cocktails and brandy infused canapes (which was certainly a great way to kick-start our day), after which we moved on to a tour of Van Ryn’s with brandy expert, Brink, who took us through all the intricate details of the brandy making process...
Just look at that intense concentration…
We learnt so many interesting things – like the term “Angel share” which is what they call the brandy that is lost through evaporation throughout the maturation process. Basically the saying goes that the missing brandy has gone up to the angels as a gift. Isn’t that lovely?
We also learnt that South Africa has been making brandy for nearly 3 1/2 centuries and is currently the 6th largest producer of brandy in the world. The French call it Cognac, which is very much the same as that whole Champagne thing where we can’t use the same term and have to go with MCC, but Cognac is a variety of brandy nonetheless.
South Africa also produces award-winning brandy, like the Van Ryn’s Collection Reserve 12 Year Old, which has won the title of ‘Worldwide Best Brandy’ a whopping four times. Take that Frenchies!
To get a detailed breakdown of the brandy making process, do check out this page called What is Brandy? via the SA Brandy website - they explain the finer details a lot better than I’m going to be able to.
The part of the tour I found most interesting was checking out the Cooperage. This is where coopers still perform the age-old skill of handmaking the French Oak barrels used to mature brandy. At Van Ryn’s, very little mechanisation is used in this process, and they train up a few new coopers every year to make sure this skill is not something that is lost over time.
Abie was there to give us a demonstration of the very skillful process. He’s been a cooper for 39 years and makes it look very easy, but I can assure you, it’s certainly not. They use only handmade tools, in fact, during their apprenticeship, they have to make their own set of tools, and coopers also mark their barrels, so that you can tell exactly know who made each one.
When a cooper completes his apprenticeship, he also has to come up with his own unique song. Abie was kind enough to share his with us:
So cool… After the tour it was time for our inner scientists to shine. We took our seats in the Paradise Room where Brink explained how we were going to go about blending our very own brandy. I didn’t actually know this before, but a brandy is blended from various brandy “building blocks”. It’s not a single barrel process like you’d find in the whiskey world for example, which makes it quite an intricate process.
We were each given 8 brandy building blocks to play with (38% alcohol each). Brink explained that each building block was a typical main component in different types of well known brandies, each with its own very unique aroma & taste. For example nr1 was quite fruity with a vanilla & honey taste and is the main building block in Fish Eagle brandy. Nr3 had a wooded aroma with a spicy, biscuity taste and is the main building block in the Van Ryn’s 10 yr old. And so forth…
The process of then coming up with our very own blend involved a lot of smelling, tasting, planning, brainstorming, mixing and creating.
The blend I settled on was 60% nr2 (main building block for Klipdrift Premium), 30% nr6 (main building block for Van Ryn’s 15 yr old) & 10% nr8 (main building block for 10 yr old Hanepoot). I set out to create a fruity, sweet & perfumy brandy with a smooth & creamy taste, and Brink noted after tasting mine, that I had created the perfect “ladies brandy” – success! I called it “The Love Affair”… (of course)
Ta da… (Pic my own)
With our new titles of Master Brandy Blender under our belts, we settled in for a late lunch prepared by Chef Laurent from Bizerca Bistro.
He had prepared a bit of a brandy-meets-tartare taste journey for us, kicking off with some yellowtail and moving on to some ostrich, beef & venison – all carefully paired with a particular Van Ryn’s brandy.
The yellowtail (top left) was my absolute favourite… (Food piccies my own)
Prizes were also handed out for best brandy blend of the day, which went to Misha (aka @Brandslut_) for her cinnamon, apple pie inspired blend. And best name, which went to Kayli (aka @kaylivee) for her blend called Dark Angels’ (she used the Angel share concept explained above as her inspiration behind the name). Nicely done ladies.
If you want to experience some of the Van Ryn’s awesomeness for yourself. They offer the following great activities:
Brandy tours: Mon – Fri 10:00, 11:30 & 15:00, Sat & Public holidays 10:00, 11:30 & 13:00, Sun – no cellar tours
Tastings – opening hours: Mon – Fri 9:00 to 16:30, Sat 9:30 to 15:30 and Sun 11:00 to 16:00
Pairings: Brandy, coffee & chocolate pairing and a Florentine tasting (those yummy Tuscan biscuits)
Or just try their Angel’s share cocktail – Van Ryn’s 5 year old Viceroy, coffee & caramel, garnished with chocolate shavings.
Just contact them on 021 881 3875. And also check out the Fine Brand by Design website for more info on how to properly taste brandies, some cocktail ideas & also food pairing tips.
The tapas tasting menu works like so – for R99 you get:
and I’d add that I think it’s pretty good value for what you’re paying.
