5 for change – the night that was

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Karisa

Shoes – Zoom, dress – YDE, headband – Woolies, cuff – Lovelee in Kloof st, clutch – Accessorize

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.

xxx

My brandy love affair thanks to Van Ryn’s

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Karisa

(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.

To the whole team at Van Ryn’s, Brink our fantastic guide, and all the girls – @Brandslut_, @kaylivee, @missemmajude, @natalieroos, @the_foodfox & @KaminiPather - thank you so so much for an amazing day.

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.

I’m thirsty now… is it happy hour yet?

xxx

A great night with Cape Royale’s Bistro 1800˚ Menu Launch

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Karisa

Photo credit: Justin Davis

Last week Thursday I attended the new menu launch of Bistro 1800˚ which is situated at the beautifully elegant Cape Royale Hotel & Spa over in Green Point.

Now as far as launches and events go, this one was certainly a goodie. Think flowing drinks all night long thanks to the folks at Nitida Wines, mini massages thanks to the Equinox Spa team (click on the link for my review of their spa), oysters and canapes at the VIP Sky Bar, followed by a 3 course sit down dinner, and out the door with a goodie bag filled with lots of little treats like some TRIBE Coffee and more (TRIBE has recently partnered with Bistro 1800˚, just so you know). Oh AND they also threw in a grand tour of the hotel, including their luxurious suites…

It was a jam packed evening, filled with great folks and great conversation and I woke up the next morning with a glorious hangover. Let’s just say Friday at the office was loooooooong & painful, but all worth it of course.

Now let me share my evening with you in pictures (and some words).

First we have one of their 2 bedroom suites. The place is bigger than my apartment, the kitchen is kitted out with anything you might need (including a dish washer) and on your first night, you’re treated to the most special turn down service I think I’ve ever seen:

That’s right folks. A monkey… a freakin’ monkey made out of a bath towel! (If I got one of those, I’d be the happiest chappy ever)

Then we moved up to the VIP sky bar where we watched the sunset while enjoying some bubbly, those mini massages I mentioned earlier and even some live music.

Photo credit: Justin Davis

Photo credit: Justin Davis

Then we headed back down to Bistro 1800˚ where we got to sample a selection of dishes from the new menu:

Cape Royale MD, Johann du Plessis, with (top) Chef Jonathan Gargan and (bottom) Food & Beverage manager, George Sakulias – Photo credit: Justin Davis

My favourite things were the chicken salad, both meat dishes and that orange infused chocolate mousse.

Jonathan & George say they set out to create a menu that is hearty with lots of comfort food options and dishes which are authentic, homely & uncomplicated. They’ve always been known for their steaks and the new menu still has lots of succulent options to choose from. Actually on that note, just an interesting little titbit – the bistro gets its name from their signature New York style grill, which cooks your steak perfectly at exactly 1800 degrees fahrenheit. So now you know. The new dishes include things like grilled loin of lamb (R135); phyllo baked Atlantic salmon (R139); Kingklip en papilote (R125) and slow roasted breast of duck (R125).

Find them at 47 Main Road, Green Point. And to make reservations, you can make use of the following contact details:

Bistro 1800˚: 021 430 0506 or info@18hundreddegrees.co.za

I’m also just going to leave you with some specials currently running which are definitely worth a mention:

VIP Sky Bar cocktail special: R30 a cocktail every day from 3pm – 6pm (just in case you weren’t sure – this bar is open to the public, it’s not only for hotel guests)
Equinox Spa Mother’s Day Special: For the whole month of May – book any facial, body treatment or spa package and receive a free 30min back neck & shoulder massage or 30min petite manicure.
Corporate lunch special at Bistro 1800˚: Two-course lunch starting at R99.00

Thanks to everyone at Cape Royale and Bistro 1800˚ as well as Jade, Aneeqa & Leozette from Red Carpet Concepts for an amazing night out. High 5s all round guys & girls…

Me with Leozette from Red Carpet Concepts – Photo credit: Justin Davis

xxx

** All pics my own unless specified otherwise.

Twitterati party vibes with the fine folks at La Mouette

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Karisa

Last Fri eve I visited one of my Cape Town favourites, La Mouette (over in Sea Point) for their bi-annual Twitterati party.

Having followed the action of previous Twitterati parties on Twitter and suffering from serious FOMO, I had decided that this time round I would beg, borrow and steal (if I had to), to secure one of the sought after spots for their latest bash… Did I have to? Well my lips are sealed… All I’m sayin’ is, I made it there, OK.

Basically the idea behind these events is to get some of their Twitter fans together for a night of mingling, eating, drinking and general awesomeness. A usual highlight is trying to consume your own body weight of their legendary truffle and cheese croquettes – something which I can tell you, once you’ve tasted, will haunt your soul continuously until you get your next fix. It’s that #amazing.

Armed with my name tag reflecting my Twitter handle – @CTmylove – I was ready to roll. I must say, it was really cool to put real faces to those Twitter handles I’ve seen many a times, maybe interacted with, befriended even, but had never actually met. Our social interactions are getting crazier and crazier, that’s for sure…

Very important to note is that this Twitterati party also coincided with La Mouette’s 3rd birthday party. That meant we had an extra special reason to celebrate. It also meant we had the perfect opportunity to indulge in extra special birthday red velvet cupcakes (another favourite of mine) amongst the other tasty canapes on the lineup for the evening. Here’s just a little sample of what we had:

Top left: those famous crocquettes; Top right: some yummy butternut soup; Bottom left: salt & pepper prawns; Bottom right: Happy birthday!

To wash down all that goodness, we had flowing Graham Beck wines to enjoy, making it a little tougher as the evening progressed to ensure that those tweets of yours still made sense…

There was also a lucky draw with some great prizes up for grabs. Things like a pro Tax Return, a dinner for two at La Mouette, a Graham Beck Brut NV Magnum, Ernst Gouws & Co wines, and more.

Now I was sitting next to my friend Darryn, who we refer to as a “Professional Winner”. Seriously, this guy wins e-ve-ry-thing. So I had made peace with the fact that I’d have to put on a fake happy face as he went up to snatch up whatever incredible prize the universe had in store for him. BUT THEN… just like that… I won that Magnum! (oh and Darryn won a standard size bottle of bubbly, but it was hard to notice that next to my MAGNUM)

That is the face of victory folks…

Now just to really emphasise how big my magnum is, here it is compare to a regular bottle:

The perfect single serving, don’t you think? Shame, I kinda feel bad for that other bottle…

And things didn’t stop there folks. Oh no. We all left with goodie bags… not the type filled with pamphlets, lanyards & other stuff I’m never ever gonna care about, but the kind that is true to the term “goodie”, filled with things I’d actually use & love.

Each bag contained an infinity scarf from August1983.com (which is launching online sometime in May just so you know) as well a mini bottle of Graham Beck bubbly:

I’m embarrased to admit that I’ve pretty much worn that scarf every day since. It’s just so soft dammit… and my mini bottle of bubbly is going to make for an awesome updated version of the traditional hip flask. Hell yeah.

Want to be part of the next Twitterati party? Of course you do. Just make sure you follow La Mouette on Twitter @teamlamouette and keep those eyes peeled. The next one should be happening closer to summer, which means chillin’ in their beautiful courtyard as well, so you won’t want to miss out. Expect to pay around R200 pp, but as you can see, it’s totally worth every cent. Oh and spots are limited, so you’ll have to act fast.

A HUGE thanks to Chef Henry, Mari and Gerrit for yet another memorable evening at their beautiful restaurant. They have a life long fan in this lady…

You can check out the La Mouette Facebook page over here for all the official pics from the party.

xxx

Say farewell to St Yves with one last bash (plus a ticket giveaway)

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Karisa

So St Yves Beach Club has been there for the Cape Town party scene for the last 4 years, bringing folks top DJs, great parties and really one of the best views in town:

Photo credit: taken from the St Yves website – styves.co.za

Now sadly, the venue has been taken over for hotel development, and therefore they are planning one last big bash, going out in true St Yves style on Saturday 4 May before they have to close those doors…

And with that, the St Yves team (Jack, Dale & Shaun) invites everyone to come and party with them one last time as they say au revoir to this beautiful lady.

Important details to take note of:

Date: 04 May 2013
Time: 10pm – 4am
Address : St Yves Beach Club – The Promenade, Victoria Road, Camps Bay
Cost: R100.00 at the door
Dress Code: No effort, no entry
Event page: http://on.fb.me/ZztyB1
For more information you can contact Leozette at leozette@redcarpetconcepts.co.za or for table bookings, just contact Kim at kim@styves.co.za.

BUT listen up now guys & girls. There’s going to be an invite only VIP pre-party from 8pm to 10pm and I’ve got 4 tickets to giveaway to one lucky reader. VIP includes welcome drinks and cheese platters, and of course total bragging rights, because these VIP tickets cannot be purchased. Also you’ll save on that R100 entry. Sweet!

All you have to do is send the following tweet:

Hey @CTmylove I’d love to say au revoir to @styvesbeachclub in style this Saturday #LoveStYvesWin

Or if you’re not on twitter: just copy & paste this tweet into a comment below – just make sure you provide your email address as well so I can contact you if you win.

Terms & Conditions:

This competition is only open to people who will be in Cape Town on Sat, 4 May 2013.
Only one entry per person.
Competition closes Thu, 2 May at 5pm.
Winner will be determined by lucky draw & announced here on my blog and on Twitter Thu evening (before midnight)
You have to be ready to provide the names of your 3 guests by 2pm on Fri, 3 May

Good luck everyone. It’s always hard to say goodbye… but a big ass party sure as hell helps soften the blow.

xxx

Traffic Live Winter fashion show @ Shimmy Beach Club (with video)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Karisa

Last Monday eve I got to attend Cape Town based label, Traffic Live‘s Winter Fashion Show which was held at Shimmy Beach Club
in the Waterfront in association with BlackBerry.

Traffic Live has been around since 2004 and specialises in edgy Cape Town street fashion for both men & women. With this show, Traffic Live also launched a new logo and rebranding plan which will be rolled out across all Traffic Live stores this year. They also announced a new branch which will be opening at the V&A Waterfront as well as a Traffic Live e-commerce store which should be launching in September.

Before the show kicked off, we got to take in the beautiful view, have a look at the Traffic Live pop-up store, mingle & enjoy some bubbly and snacks. No complaints here.

Now I’m not just going to do the standard thing and show you some pics from the show, I thought it would be more fun to see the clothing in action. So I decided to do a little video instead, compressing all the fashion awesomeness down to just under 2min of highlights. But before we have a look at that – here’s some extra info on the show:

Makeup by: MAC Cosmetics headed by Michele Collins
Hair by: Hairstylist and FHI Heat Brand Ambassador Shaun Amey (they used the FHI stylers on the models as well)
Jewellery: Lovisa
Shoes: Madison Footwear
Bags: Blackcherry bags
Styling: A Fashion Friend

Now here goes:

The key looks you would’ve spotted there were: Utility, berrylicious, new nudes, sport luxe, embellished and black & gold. There were quite a few things I loved, but my ultimate favourites was that first look with the studded blouse and light denims, then that hot leather jacket & long floral dress combo and I really must have the denim jacket with the spikes…

Saw anything you liked? Then pay them a visit at either their flagship store at 197 Long Street or their other stores in Canal Walk and Cavendish. For any enquiries you can also contact them on 021 424 2250 or info@trafficshop.co.za.

Here’s to winter and the fun fashion it brings…

xxx

5 Gum brings The Kooks to Cape Town

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Karisa

So the folks at 5 Gum SA decided to throw another one of their legendary FREE “experiences”… (I also attended their Terror Island party which took place in Nov last year. If you missed that post – you can still check it out over here)

As usual, tickets could not be purchased. They could only be won through online campaigns and such. And the location was once again totally secret…

All we knew beforehand was that we needed to meet at the Maitland Secondary School in Station Rd, Maitland from 19:00 on Sat 20 Apr. Shuttles would then transport you further from there.

We parked our car on the school sports fields, along with rows and rows of other cars, and then queued for a bus (which didn’t take long cause there were guys coordinating everything quite well). After a short 5min bus drive, we landed in an industrial area, walking down a dark path which lead to… dun dun dun… the Salt River Studios:

A ha!

Interesting thing about these studios is that there’s a giraffe coming through the bloody wall:

All the proof Americans needed to show that wild animals really do roam anywhere & everywhere in Africa… hehe.

And ag shame man, there was a girl standing outside offering a free hug for a ticket:

A lot of people stole free hugs without any ticket in return. Sies… That’s just not right…

Once inside you realised how huge these studios are. The perfect warehouse space for an epic night, that’s for sure. We unfortunately missed the first band which was Beach Party, but got there just in time to still see Pretoria based band December Streets do their thing:

They rocked btw…

And at around 23:30, it was finally time for The Kooks! If you’re going “huh, who the hell are these kooky dudes anyways??” – you know them, trust me. Even if the name doesn’t quite ring a bell right now…

Just have a listen to their hit, Naive (which you wouldn’t heard on 5FM like a lot) over here and you’ll see:

Right, now that that’s settled. Let’s get on with what went down. And for this, it’s gonna be one of those “let the pictures do the talking” moments. So let’s do it:

Love this pic. Not only cause Vo & D are clearly having an awesome time. But also because of that chick to the right… how p’d off is that woman!? I’m guessing the boyfriend said something not so bright at the time which warranted “the look”.

The Kooks were amazing – I’m so glad I got to see them live and didn’t even have to go over to cold-as-ballz England to do so… A huge thanks to 5Gum for bringing them to our beautiful city. I really do appreciate it, like lots and lots.

I was however quite miffed when it was time to go home and I was faced with this:

Photo credits: top – http://www.zombie-guide.com; bottom left – http://www.ibtimes.com; bottom right – http://www.demotix.com

Ja… what do you get when you mix thousands of people, all dying to get back home with only 3 busses (which had to keep doing return trips between the venue & the school parking), oh and nobody around keeping control of anything… you guessed it folks… a zombie apocalypse scene like the above. Not ideal. Not ideal at all…

Luckily after quite a bit of crowd carnage & general confusion, one of our group had escaped the craziness, got back to our car and picked us up on the side of the road. We then decided to calm our nerves at the 24 hour Steers in Woodstock and shoved our faces with chips and burgers. And just like that, the world was at peace once again.

xxx

PS. A special thanks to Gadija from DDB who gifted me two of her tickets (because I had gotten totally side tracked with other stuffs and didn’t manage to enter & win any of my own)

Rockabilly vibes with the Dusty Rebels & the Bombshells

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Karisa

Yesterday afternoon I popped in at The Old German Club (105B Hope Str, Gardens) for the Dusty Rebels and the Bombshells Rockabilly culture mini pre-fest. I say “mini pre-fest” because this event was actually just a little teaser of what’s to come later this year in November when the first ever full blown festival of its kind will take place at the Ostrich Ranch on the N7 West Coast.

It’s a celebration of all things rockabilly with lots of rocking & rolling, vintage cars & petrol heads, blue jeans & leather, tattooed arms & red lips, polkadot skirts & victory rolls (that’s a hairstyle just so you know, not some kind of weird gymnastics ).

And with Table Mountain as your backdrop, you really can’t ask for a better setting than this, now can you… #perfection

I’m a bit of a petrol head myself, so was quite drawn to the hot ladies on display:

I think my favourite one was that bright yellow beauty top left.

And doesn’t the rusty one look like it’s just rolled off the set of Cars? It’s got so much character, even though it’s not all pretty & shiny…

Now to get you into the rockabilly swing of things, they were serving up some put-some-hair-on-your-chest coke floats:

Love the not-so-secret special ingredient…

Along with some freshly popped popcorn, candy floss, hot dogs, El Burro mobile mexicano, Deluxe Coffee and other poisons to quench that mighty thirst…

Then you could settle in to watch an intense match of (what I’m calling) poor man’s polo, also known as Bike Polo:

This to me was an awesome example of that Afrikaans saying “a boer maak ‘n plan”. You don’t have a horse? No problem man… this seemed like way more fun in any case.

You could also catch a bowling match at Cape Town’s (and I’m guessing probably also the whole of SA, surely) oldest bowling alley:

Nothing beats old-school…

Or you could getz your hairz done 1950s style, thanks to the lovely ladies & gents from Scar Hair:

Seeing as my biking & bowling skills aren’t too great, I figured I would sit down for the latter. I mean what girl doesn’t love getting her hair done up?

Yeah, looks cute…

But once I got into some better light, I realised that I looked like… well… lemme rather show you:

The love child of Mickey Mouse & Marge Simpson!!

Ja hey, clearly the victory roll is not for me… I blame the fact that I have way too much hair PLUS that it was freshly washed and probably way too soft to style, oh yes and then my freakishly large head.

We got to check out the Cape Town Roller Girls do their thing for a bit:

Before having to head off to the 5Gum event (more on that tomorrow). So sadly we missed out on the selection of live acts planned for the evening. The lineup included the gorgeous ladies from Les Blondes as well as:

Lady Magnolia’s Bevy of Beauties
Th’ Damned Crows
Them Tornado’s
The Pits
DJ Fred Spider

I’m sure I missed out on a lot of toot, snoot ’n hooting, boot scuffin’, hip swingin’ and all that good stuff. But I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the main event which is planned for 9 November. And for that one, I’m gonna go all out, make a big effort and rock up in my best Rockabilly gear (sans crazy hair of course).

xxx

Space Ibiza is coming to Cape Town (and I’m gifting some tickets too)

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Karisa

It’s time to get your dancin’ shoes on folks… Space Ibiza is coming:

What does this mean exactly? Well… maybe this little teaser video will fill in the gaps:

Hell yeah! Get’s me all excited. You see, I’m actually going to be in regte egte Ibiza in July of this year (ooooh, just thinking about that makes my insides tingle), so this will be the perfect prequel to the big show…

(Photo credit: http://www.spaceibiza.com/)

I’m coming for you Space… just about 3 months to go… I’ll probably end up being squashed between big okes with bad body odour, tripping off their ballz, but I can’t freakin’ wait! (Photo credit: http://www.spaceibiza.com/)

But enough about that and back to this party that’s going to be hitting the Mother City on the 26th of April.

Space Ibiza, which btw has been voted as the World’s Best Club, will be bringing down some incredible DJs for your enjoyment. DJs like this guy, Camilo Franco:

He’s quite the hottie, don’t you think? (Photo credit: provided by One-Eyed Jack)

Camilo’s CV is pretty impressive. Not only is he a resident DJ at Space, but he’s also one of the most well known international Spanish DJs out there. He started his career at the tender age of 15 and only a few years later he was hitting it hard at some of the best clubs in Spain and abroad. During his career he’s been nominated for several awards and in 2010 Deejaymags announced him as the Best Resident Club DJ in Ibiza. Today you will find Camilo playing all over the world, working with various artists producing music and pretty much getting everyone hooked on his trademark house sound.

Sounds good to me. Can’t wait to see him in action… The rest of the lineup for the evening looks like this:

21:00 to 23:00	Dean Fuel (representing SA!)
23:00 to 0:30	Camilo Franco
00:30 to 2:00	Roger Sanchez
2:00 to 4:00	Danny Marquez

And the other important detail you need to know are as follows:

When? Fri, 26 Apr 2013
Where? Shimmy Beach Club, V&A Waterfront
How much? R280 standard, R500 VIP
Where do I get tickets from? Computicket, right over here.

But listen up folks, I’ve got two tickets to giveaway to one lucky party freak and all you have to do to be eligible is send the following tweet:

Hey @CTmylove please hook me up with some tickets to #SpaceIbiza on 26 Apr #LoveSpaceWin

Terms & Conditions:

Tickets are standard – value R280 each.
This competition is only open to people who will be in Cape Town on 26 April 2013
Only one entry per person.
Competition closes Friday 19 Apr at midnight.
Winner will be determined by lucky draw & announced here on my blog and on Twitter Saturday, 20 Apr.

Good luck party people. And I hope to see you guys there.

xxx

Bacardi Legacy 2013, The Alchemist Says & The Tourist makes for an awesome mix

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Karisa

Do you know the secret password?

Last week Wednesday Bjorn and I hopped across the street to visit the Kimberley Hotel…

Now this is not a usual hangout for me, that’s for sure. Just because it’s walking distance from my apartment block, doesn’t mean it’s my local drinking hole of choice. But what I can tell you is that it certainly is the drinking hole of choice to quite a lot of people who inevitably end up staying until the wee wee hours of the morning.

I know this because the sound travels quite nicely up to my building, and after midnight I can very clearly hear people’s every last word.

The most entertaining moments are when people have had one too many and then decide to pick a fight with their girlfriend/boyfriend. OR they get into that over sharing mode, saying things they’ll probably totally regret if they have any memory of it the next morning… To all those folks I have one small message: Careful now, I’m listening.

Anyways, this historical landmark on the corner of Roeland & Buitenkant St which dates back to 1895 and was once actually a brothel, has an upstairs area that isn’t usually open to the public (well not as far as I know at least). But on this particular night this quirky little space played host to the Bacardi Lecacy 2013 SA finals where 4 bartenders faced each other in one last epic battle to earn the right to represent SA on a global stage.

The evening had a bit of a 1920s speakeasy theme and there were amazing cocktails flowing all night long… #happiness.

The Bacardi Legacy’s aim was to find that person who was able to create a cocktail which would stand the test of time just like the legendary Daiquiri or Cosmopolitan has been able to do.

As I mentioned above, they had whittled it down to 4 guys with 4 amazing creations. But we were there in support of one person and one person only - Nick Koumbarakis aka The Alchemist Says:

Nick the man…

I mean, in my book he had already won just based on his totally slick style. Just look at this attention to detail people:

Love it…

The competition was tough though. With only a few minutes each, the 4 guys had to make their signature creations from scratch, while explaining the inspiration behind them, showing some flair and impressing the tough judging panel all at the same time.

Clockwise from top left: Ryan from Durban who did a new take on the classic daiquiri ; Travis from CT with his “wish” cocktail; Anil also from CT made a “smoking fairy”; and then Nick with his cocktail named “The Tourist”

Now these guys made sure they pulled out all the stops. Travis even mad a genie come out of a magic lamp:

OK, well kinda. But it certainly made for a pretty impressive element to his drink…

The judges had an extremely challenging job deciding who would be the ultimate bartender… Just look at the intense concentration on those faces:

From left to right: Andy Fenner, Brad Armitage & Richard Irwin. The 4th judge was Kevin Snyman (the Bacardi SA brand ambassador – he’s not in this pic though)

While we let the judges deliberate, it was cool to catch up with Cosmo’s Hottest bartender 2013, Johnny Bezuidenhout. He’s such an absolute sweetheart. Can just picture the ladies queuing all the way around the corner at Cape Caprice to get their hands on a cocktail served by this boy.

Was nice chatting to you Johnny…

Soon it was time… time to announce the ultimate winner… with his drink “The Tourist” – dedicated to the bartender of today & inspired by the memory of his father drinking a cup of strong black coffee whilst reading the morning paper – our man Nick walked away with top honours.

Nick here with Kevin Snyman (the Bacardi brand ambassador)

And with Bjorn… we were sooooo proud!

Nick’s goal was to create a drink which anybody could make at home (with a bit of concentration of course). So why not wow your friends & family by showing off your cocktail making skills? Get Nick’s full recipe for his winning cocktail over here. And the slideshow over here will give you some extra help to make sure you’re getting it just right.

Nick will now be heading off to Puerto Rico to represent SA in the international leg of the contest. To keep up to date with his movements , do give him a follow on Twitter at @alchemist_says. Good luck Nick! I just know you’re going to rock it.

Oh FYI – Kimberley Hotel – 48 Roeland St, 021 461 2160

xxx

My Love Affair with Cape Town…

Just random fun in my mother city

Category Archives: Events

5 for change – the night that was

My brandy love affair thanks to Van Ryn’s

A great night with Cape Royale’s Bistro 1800˚ Menu Launch

Twitterati party vibes with the fine folks at La Mouette

Say farewell to St Yves with one last bash (plus a ticket giveaway)

Traffic Live Winter fashion show @ Shimmy Beach Club (with video)

5 Gum brings The Kooks to Cape Town

Rockabilly vibes with the Dusty Rebels & the Bombshells

Space Ibiza is coming to Cape Town (and I’m gifting some tickets too)

Bacardi Legacy 2013, The Alchemist Says & The Tourist makes for an awesome mix

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