Category Archives: Services of interest

Lily-white winter bodies don’t need to be… thanks to Glow Cape Town

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photo-7Last Thu eve, some girlfriends and I decided to throw a little spray tan party.

The aim was to try out the mobile tanning services of the lovely Tamryn Jefferies from Glow Cape Town – Spray tan & Make Up.

Get this:  For only R250, Tam will come to your place and give you an awesome golden glow in the comfort & privacy of your own home.  Pure awesome.

AND if you get some friends together (like we did), the price gets even better.  With 4 – 6 guests the price goes down to R200 per person and with 7 to 10 guests, it’s only R150.  Over and above all that awesomeness, the party host will also get her (or his – boys can do this too you know) spray tan FOR FREE.

Armed with Smirnoff boxtails (which were gifted to Leigh to do a review) and the cutest bikini cupcakes, thanks to Tam (who fyi, is a total creative queen), we were ready to roll.

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And she was all like… ah, sorry guys, didn’t have much time, so just whipped these up. Really? I wouldn’t be able to do that if you gave me a bloody month. Oh and on the boxtails front – I quite liked the apple, lemon & pomegranate one.

Now I will admit that I was se-ri-as-ly nervous going into this.  I’m certainly not a spray tan or self tan regular.  I guess it’s because I’ve always worried that I’m going to end up looking like the bloody Oros man or even worse… Paris Hilton… ;)  But Tam’s a total pro and she set my mind at ease.  She even rocks her own tan, so you can see how natural the colour is (she’s trained her hubby to do hers, how’s that’s for love).

The only setup requirement Tam has is a little space to pop up her mobile tanning booth:

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It’s just like those pop out tents which take like 30 seconds to set up.

And then she’s ready to go.  You can decide how dark you want to go and the actual spraying process takes less than 5 min.  The result?  Well feast your eyes on this:

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Not too shabby for 5min hey…

It takes just a few minutes to dry and then you can pop on some loose fitting, dark clothes and relax.  For 6 – 8 hours you can’t wash it off, but I just went home, got into bed and had a shower the next morning.  Easy peasy.  The smell of the product really wasn’t that noticeable at all, and obviously once you’ve showered, there’s zero smell to worry about.

Tam says if you look after your tan (i.e. keep you skin moisturised, gentle exfoliation, etc), your tan can last up to 5 or 6 days.  For me it’s now 4 days in and I’m still looking golden.  So I’m very impressed, that’s for sure.

Wanna make your own booking? (and I know you do) – contact Tamryn on:

  • Tel: 021 683 0109
  • Cell: 084 316 2381
  • Email: tamryn@glowcapetown.co.za

She also does spray tanning from her home in the Southern Suburbs.  If you opt for a spray tan at Glow, you will only pay R150.  Oh and she does loyalty cards where for every 10 tans you do, the 10th session is on the house.

Other services Tam offers are bridal make up (trial R300 – on the day make up @ R800), make up lessons, and special occasion make up (R300) or even special effects make up. Check out some of her work:

glow_makeup

So she’s definitely a pretty great person to know all-round.

Tam, to you I say, thank you so so much for opening my eyes to the amazing world of spray tanning.  I have you on speed dial now lady. :)

xxx

Grazia’s BIG Christmas issue is filled with some awesome things

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Well just look at what Santa dropped off for little ol’ me at my office today:

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Cause I’ve been a good girl! (maybe… at some point… I think… aaargh, can’t quite remember now)

And just like that my productivity totally died only dipped ever so slightly, I promise. ;)

But ja, the folks at Grazia magazine have put together a jam-packed-bigger-than-usual Christmas issue aimed to keep you busy for two weeks (instead of their usual weekly schedule) while they to take a little silly season break too.

As usual they’ve got you covered on all the hot celeb gossip and on the fashion & beauty front they show you all the latest trends, but with a festive twist.  Like what look to rock at the Christmas party and what loose pants options you have to get you through Christmas lunch. (OK OK, I might have made that last one up, but you get the idea, hehe)

If like me you’ve been procrastinating big time on the gift shopping front, you’ll love their “BIG Grazia Gift List” feature.  It’s packed with great ideas for anybody & everybody, even your favourite pampered pet, with options which work for a variety of budgets.  My only problem was that instead of focusing on what I could get for others, I zoned in on all the things I want for myself… Like under their “drop heavy hints” section, I soooo want this Louis Vuitton weekender bag:

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To my family & friends reading this – this is me dropping a heavy hint OK

And this giant porcelain cupcake does come filled with actual cupcakes, right?

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Come on, it does right??

The idea of cupcakes then drew my eyes to this baby:

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Isn’t it pretty? I don’t even know how to bake,  but I figure it will still look really nice on my kitchen counter & impress my guests (then disappoint them again when they realise I don’t even know how to switch it on)

Ooh then I have no clue what these are or what exactly you do with them.  All I do know is that my soul definitely needs them, like definitely:

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Hello cuties

If you’ve been totally organised and you’ve done all your shopping already, you might be feeling a little broke…  No worries, because you can even win a whopping R20 000 shopping spree:

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Woohoo! Come on Santa, bring this baby home to me!

If you’re looking for a travel companion these holidays or just something which allows you to take a well deserved break from your crazy family, at only R20, you certainly won’t be doing too badly with this baby.

xxx

The League of Beers vs The Extraordinary League of Beer Tasters

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A few weeks back I was lucky enough to be gifted an awesome case of 12 very special craft beers from the guys at League of Beers.

League of Beers is a company with a crazy love for craft beer and a strong passion for helping to grow the craft beer industry in SA.

Based in Cape Town, but servicing the whole of SA, these guys carefully select only the best craft beers to share with other passionate beer connoisseurs.  They stock a really great range of beers from the top South African micro-breweries as well as a selection of German, Belgian, Irish and Asian beers, so there’s definitely something for everybody.

Every month they put together mixed cases – some with a theme, others just a mix of all the most popular beers at the time.  For example at the moment they have a &Union brewers mixed case for only R340.  And then you can also sign up for their Beer of the Month club where you get a different case of craft beers every month at only R360 per month if you sign up for 12 months (that’s a 10% discount – normal price for their mixed cases is R400).  Otherwise you can just select your own brew and order a case.  All cases come standard with 12 bottles and prices will vary depending on the ale you have chosen.  And get this, all deliveries are FREE and you’ll get your “bundle of joy” within 5 working days.

So what was in my case? Well let me show you…

Yeah baby…

Top (left to right):

  • Steph Wiess from &Union – a Bavarian style Weiss
  • Valley Brewing London Ale – an English style beer
  • First Light from Devils Peak – a light golden ale
  • Darling Silver Back – a black wheat styled beer

Middle (left to right):

  • Jack Black Lager – a classic lager
  • Kaizer Karel Rouge – a Belgian style red (a sweet beer)
  • Triggerfish Sweet Lips Blonde – a light golden ale
  • Silvertree Saison from Devils Peak – a Belgian style blonde ale

Bottom (left to right)

  • Real Cider by James MItchell – a light & fruity apple cider
  • Liefman’s Kriek – a strawberry beer
  • Quills Namaqua blond – a dry hopped blonde
  • Johnny Gold from Boston – a Weiss beer

Now clearly there’s a few in the mix there specifically included because I’m a girly girl and relatively new to the world of serious beer drinking. ;)   But even so, there was a lot of beer to get through here and I figured I needed to assemble a team of tasters and make an evening of it…

This is how Darryn, Kenneth, Jon, Kim, Allezandro and Leigh (who shame was really battling with flu and could only stay for a little bit) came over to my house last week Wednesday for an evening of beer, laughs & boerie rolls.  Yup, the last part was because we figured we might as well throw a little food pairing into the mix as well.  I’ve been hearing alot of good things about Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants – so we got some seriously tasty chorizo sausage from them & then just some extra Darling cheese grillers (from Spar – cause I was having a serious cheese griller craving) to make some kick ass rolls to enjoy with our kick ass beer.

A BIG thank you to Darryn for doing the cooking. With my dodgy cooking skills, I might just have burnt the place down. Haha.

Food sorted, we started the incredibly tough job of tasting all those beers.  The League of Beers guys had kindly given us some Tasting Notes sheet to do a proper job – with rating scales for appearance, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel, finish & overall impression.

Jon taking this very seriously…

It was fun to really think about the beer in this way, but I think we only got through about 2 like this before the “lets just get down to the drinking!!!” urge became just toooooo strong.  Nevertheless there was still A LOT of heated debate about each beer and although they were each quite special in their own way, this is how they racked up with our panel from a “this is a beer I’ll drink regularly” perspective:

Most popular ones to the right.

It was really interesting to hear the different opinions each person had about each beer.  It became clear to me that beer preferences are as unique and intricate as wine preferences.  Therefore I’m sure if there was another group of people working their way through this same batch of beers, the lineup would have looked totally different.  But to us, that Silvertree Saison beauty from Devils Peak was a clear favourite all round:

I also gave it extra points for the very pretty lable. Because I’m a girl and I love all things pretty OK.

To my gang of extraordinary tasters, I have to say a big thank you.  This was certainly one of the most interesting Wednesdays I’ve had in ages!

Love you guys!

And to the League of Beers team – Rob, Nzeka & Manie – I say thank you very very much kind sirs and here’s a big cheers to the craft beer revolution! :)

Go check out www.leagueofbeers.com for all their amazing beer options.  And if you have any questions, just pop them a mail at info@leagueofbeers.com.  They’re a really friendly bunch, so ask away.

xxx

Putting Monk’s Chinese to the test

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I’ve recently heard quite a lot of hype about a Chinese spot called Monk’s Chinese.

They work on a delivery only basis, with free delivery to the CBD and surrounding areas.  I couldn’t find any details about their physical address online, seems it’s a well guarded secret, but to me that just added to the intrigue…

I figured I should try them out for myself to see if 1. it matched up to the hype; and 2. to see how it compared to my favourite Cape Town chinese spot over in Sea Point, Mr Chan.

So last Wed eve I made the call…  Pricing wise I thought it was pretty good with sides at R10, standards mains at R55 for medium portion and R65 for a large and then some great week day deals:  The Beijing – R100 for 2 medium meals + side and the Shanghai – R120 for 2 large meals + side.  Knowing that Chinese servings are usually quite big, I stuck to the medium sized meals and I tried to get something chicken, something beef & something pork to get a good idea of their offerings.

My order arrived only 35min after placing the order which was a really big surprise as I’m so used to waiting forever and ever and ever for Mr Delivery to finally pitch up.  And the other nice thing is that they also have a handheld POS machine, so you can swipe your credit/debit card upon delivery.  Then the food is packaged in those regte egte white boxes like you see in American TV shows, with chopsticks and all.  So cool.

From top left, clockwise: egg fried rice, sweet & sour chicken, crispy beef with BBQ sauce & shredded pork with garlic, ginger & chilli

The egg fried rice is really good and my favourite dish was the sweet & sour chicken.  The other two were good as well, I’m just very very fond of anything sweet & sour.  Did it beat Mr Chan?  Nooooot quite.  But I’d say it came a close second.  Plus the convenience factor and free delivery make it awesome for different reasons.

The medium serving is quite a lot of food.  Bjorn and I each had plenty to eat, then still had enough left over for lunch the next day.  If you have a BIIIG appetite though, opt for the large.  At least Chinese food still tastes equally awesome the next day.

Now I have to also note that I had some girlfriends over on the Fri eve for movies & wine and we decided to go for Monk’s again.  The delivery that time round took about 1 hr 25min.  BUT in their defence it was storming outside & a Fri eve, the perfect conditions for everyone in Cape Town to not want to head outside and rather opt to have their food delivered.  Also, they felt really bad, apologised and before I really even had to say anything, told us that the food was on them.  I respect that.  Everyone has the odd crappy night, but the fact that they were willing to make up for it was a-okay in my book.

So ja – if you’ve got a craving for Chinese and you don’t want to leave your couch, check out the menu on their website and give them a call on 021 424 9162.  It’s tasty, the service is good and you’ll be smiling just like the chubby monk on their logo, I’m sure of it. :)

xxx

Summer in the City at I ♥ My Laundry

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Last Thu eve I popped into my much loved local laundromat come dim sum bar slash art exhibition space & wine club, I ♥ My Laundry. (Yes that’s right - all that stuff happens in one awesome space – if you’ve missed my previous post about it and therefore don’t have the background info, you can check it out over here)

The evening was a bit of a bloggers “do” to celebrate Summer, which is almost almost here (like every few days we get a teensy glimpse of it), and also to discover some great products which will have us looking & feeling great this season.

The first was some tasty creations by Jorgensen’s Distillery.  We had a selection of mini cocktails containing their Primitiv Vodka, their Naked Lemon Limoncello (I loooove Limoncello btw) and then a spicy little number that is their chilli infused vodka – it had quite a bite, but I actually really liked that about it. ;)   I also had a small taste of their Field of Dreams Absinthe which is not something for the faint-hearted, that I can guarantee you.  Sjoe!

Perfect for warm weather sipping…

To snack on, we were treated to yummy muesli & yoghurt servings with fresh toppings like ginger, Turkish delight, gooseberries and dried fruits.  This might seem like a weird choice for canapes, but you see this is because I ♥ My Laundry is launching a muesli bar for summer which will be open from 7am every morning.  You will be able to build your very own muesli bowl from a wide variety of options at the bar and it will make for the perfect quick snack when you drop off your laundry before work.  This is of course in addition to their already popular dim sum special (8 pieces of dim sum with either a coffee or a glass of wine for only R40) which will still be ongoing.

I actually love breakfast foods all day long. And I can vouch for it all being really really good.

Right, so some other cool products we got to learn about were:Clockwise from top left:

  • Europa Art‘s new summer shoe collection.  Loved those soft pink peep-toe heels… even more than the cake pops next to them… and believe me, that’s quite an achievement with me being a total sugar addict and all.
  • Pretty, girly “dreamwear” by La Ninna Nanna – the name means “lullaby” in Italian. Love that.  Check out their website www.sleepinme.com for more.
  • Yummy organic choccie from Cocoa Fair - they are Africa’s only organic bean-to-bar chocolate factory founded on social entrepreneurship and you can check out their factory at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock.
  • Then we learnt all about Bellabaci cups for both your body & face.  I was immediately intrigued when we were told about the great cellulite busting benefits as well as it’s anti-aging and deep cleansing benefits for your face.  I’m definitely going to be putting these babies to the test over the next few weeks.  Cup away!
  • Beautifully pampered tootsies are obviously a must with your sexy summer sandals.  And for that, Medi-Heel totally has your back. Medi-heel is a spa exclusive range of products which is used at all the Camelot & Life Day Spas.  If you go for a Medi-Heel pedi you won’t have a therapist hacking at your dry skin for ages, intead their products acts like a little chemical peel for your feet, doing all the hard work while you just sit back & relax.  We each got a bottle of their Rejuvenating Gold Spritz to take home.  This baby adds a beautiful sparkle to your feet & legs which means you’ll have even more reason to show them off.
  • Last, but certainly not least, we were introduced to Bisousoleil sun & bronzing products.  Their tanning products work in a way that simply adds to your natual pigment which ensures that you get a very natural look.  They’ve also added a little summin’ extra in the form of toning & anti-cellulite ingredients to help you looking your best.  We got a cute little hydrating eye gel to take home – perfect to use after a long day at the beach I think.

There were some really great prizes up for grabs as well.  I won some La Ninna Lanna sleepwear thanks to having the “most sriking neck piece”…  I immediately blurted out that it was a cheapie from Mr P which apparently isn’t something I was supposed to admit to. Haha. But I blame it on my PE roots.  It’s common knowledge that PE folks love a good deal AND love bragging about it to everyone even more. :)   ALSO, the lovely Ritza – the fabulous lady of Elrico from Luxo blog – was rocking the exact same Mr P find:

Clearly a case of double good taste…

But she had already won a prize for having the most fabulous shoes:

They’re Louboutin just so you know…

A huge thanks to Clayton, Mico & Susan – aka the I ♥ Love My Laundry team – for always being so incredibly warm & welcoming.  Love you guys.  Then also to the lovely Jeanne Cupido from Stiletto Adventures who organised the evening.

Mwah! you gorgeous lady

Another successful laundry party done & dusted.

xxx

Celebrate spring by hopping on a Marine EcoTour with OceanAdventurer

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As part of their spring tourism campaign, I was invited by the V&A Waterfront to enjoy a leisurely boat trip this past Sunday.  Luckily the weather cleared up just in time and it turned out to be the perfect day to fill my lungs with some fresh sea air.

On the cards was a 90min Marine EcoTour on a 40 foot, custom-built, environmentally friendly catamaran run by the lovely folks of OceanAdventurer who’s created a really cool partnership with the Two Oceans
Aquarium who now trains all their on-board guides (who already are marine biologists) to make sure they’re like walking Wikipedia pages for the Western Cape waters. 

My partner in crime for the trip was my friend Darryn who not only is a great boat companion but also happens to be a great photographer.  I knew he would be the guy to get the best shot in case we saw free Willy or something. ;)

Ready to roll… or should I say sail?

Our mode of transportation, quite the sporty looking honey, was actually originally designed as a high-performance sailing catamaran, but it’s since been modified to minimise its environmental impact and to also be nice and comfy for passengers…

Photo credit: Darryn van der Walt – http://www.darryvanderwalt.co.za

Yes, that’s me on my phone above… Tweeting pics and such of course.  All in a day’s work, so it’s totally acceptable.  :)  

Our marine eco-expert was Jared – he took his time to carefully explain things like the Benguela current, the oceanic food web, our kelp forests and some interesting facts about the ocean wildlife we were likely to see.

Jared doing his thing

Heading out from the Clock Tower you get to take in a really nice view of the V&A.  One your don’t normally get to appreciate as (if you’re like me) you’re power walking from one shop to the other with short refueling breaks at coffee shops in between.

Photo credit: Darryn van der Walt – http://www.darrynvanderwalt.co.za

I got slightly nervous when I spotted a pirate ship following us…

But luckily they were party boat pirates… the best kind! Woohoo!  I feel a bday party idea coming on…

Then as you leave the V&A harbour, you look back at the most beautiful view of Cape Town – best showcased by this photo Darryn snapped with his pro camera (me & my little “click and go” which I’ve dropped on several occasions just had no chance in hell to compete):

Photo credit: Darryn van der Walt – http://www.darrynvanderwalt.co.za

Pretty soon into our journey we spotted some dolphins!  They came up quite close to the boat, but they’re sneaky buggers and move way too fast for you to get a decent shot.

My best attempt…

But Darryn luckily got a great shot of one of them breaching:

Photo credit: Darryn van der Walt – http://www.darrynvanderwalt.co.za

These guys are called Heaviside’s dolphins and they are only found off the Namibian and Cape West coasts.  They are quite small, with blunt heads and their bodies are a mix of dark & light grey with cute little white underbellies.  They were very pretty up close and also very playful.  Showing off and stuff… the ocean’s version of a show diva I’d say.

We also saw some Cape Fur Seals, penguins and various sea birds.  But these guys really don’t know how to schmodel, they just wouldn’t sit still. Sooooo unprofessional… ;)   Unlike me, who’s a total pro by now:

See now that’s how it’s done…  Photo credit: Darryn van der Walt – http://www.darrynvanderwalt.co.za

The only great animal pic I got was of this big stinky boy as we docked again:

He smelled really really bad, but he’s still beautiful OK. Just look at that pose. So hot daaahling.

This was really such a great way to get out, get some fresh air, do something different and also learn a few things.  I guess if you’re a Capetonian, you might see this as more of a “touristy thing”.  Yeah, tourists will love this I’m sure, but I don’t think we as locals should shut ourselves off from seeing our city through tourist eyes.  It’s kinda like having a great sea view at home.  You see it every single day and after a while you barely notice it anymore.  Then someone comes over to visit and is all “Oh my word, you are so lucky, this view is insane”.  All of a sudden you look at it with fresh eyes again.  That’s kinda how I felt on this outing and I think that’s pretty damn cool.

Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty:

  • Cost:  R180 for adults, R90 for kids under 12 yrs
  • 3 Marine EcoTours a day:  11am, 13:30 & 16:00
  • All tours last 90min
  • They depart from the jetty in front of the Clock Tower (also used by the Robben Island ferry), but tickets are sold on the Pierhead side (just on the other side of the swing bridge).  You can also do group/individual bookings in advance if you contact David de Villiers on 021 421 5565 / 073 216 6447 / david@ocean-adventurer.com
  • There is a cash bar on board with beers, soft drinks & snacks
  • They can also do sunset tours (R220 for adults & R110 for kids under 12 yrs) as well as special rates for school groups.
  • Oh and ladies:  wear flat, comfy shoes and bring something warm.  The sea air gets a bit chilly.

ALSO they have been spotting whales recently, so if you can’t make the trip to Hermanus, this might be a much easier option. :)  

xxx

Box framing for your prints

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Citymob, my favourite group buying site because they sell the coolest stuff, has been doing a lot of sales on great prints lately, for example these two which are currently still active:

They feature some amazing designs which will look seriously hot on your wall.  The only downside is that you then still have to get it framed or something.  If you’re like me, that puts you off because it just sounds like such a mission.

Luckily I’ve discovered that Blanc Canvass in Gardens Shopping Centre does really nice box framing at a very reasonable price…  They also sell all kinds of art supplies if that’s your thing.

I recently bought these two Keep Calm and Carry On A3 size posters from them (I think they were R95 each – and they also had a selection of other designs):

Then they box framed them for me at R180 each:

Turned out pretty cool right?  You can also opt for a glossy finish, but my posters were already quite shiny, so I didn’t bother with that.

As I’m not an expert on framing and such, I thought this was a pretty cool find.  And I figured I’d share and maybe someone else who’s just as clueless as me in this regard will also find it useful. ;)

xxx

Table magic really seems to be magic

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My friend Darryn has been using this site called Table Magic for a while now to make all his restaurant reservations.  I didn’t pay too much attention to it to be honest.  But all that changed when we got to dinner the other night and found a free bottle of wine waiting for him on our table…

Courtesy of the Table Magic team…

And check out the cute note they attached:

Come on… how awesome is that?

Immediately I was like “right, where do I sign up???”  Then I proceeded to drill Darryn for the inside scoop…

Turns out Table Magic does way more than just help you with making bookings.  They also have an extensive directory of restaurants which you can browse through and use to discover new dining spots.  You can also read user reviews and check out specials happening in your area.  Then Darryn says they usually confirm your booking within minutes and if the restaurant happens to be full, they will even email you back with alternative suggestions which do have availability.  I think that’s pretty damn cool.

But how did Darryn score that free bottle of wine?  Easy peasy.  With every booking you do you can earn what they call “Star Rewards”.  Well that is if you take some time to tell them about your experience afterwards.  One quick review based on a predefined set of criteria = 100 Star rewards.  Then:

  • 700 points will get you a free bottle of Remhoogte Chenin Blanc.
  • 1 000 points will get you a free bottle of Remhoogte Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or their acclaimed Estate Wine.
  • And 2 000 points will get you a free main course and a bottle of Remhoogte Chenin Blanc or Aigle Noir.

** Some fine print:  You can only cash in your Star Rewards at a restaurant which is part of the Star Rewards programme.  Some of the restaurants featured on the site don’t carry the Star Rewards logo – look out for it, cause that’s how you know who’s in and who’s out.

So yeah, I’m definitely keen to give them a test drive with my next restaurant booking.  That free main meal & bottle of vino is sooooo mine! :)

xxx

PS.  I see they also have a Table Magic service in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and good ol’ PE.