Societi Bistro plans to take you on a Tour Through Italy

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Karisa

If you ever saw out my first blog, My Love Affair with Italy, you’ll know that my number one activity while touring through that incredibly beautiful country was definitely: eating. Italians love their food and it’s therefore a big part of their culture. (along with family, fast cars & fashionable dressing of course)

So no surprise then that I was super excited to hear about Societi Bistro‘s 2013 Tour Through Italy! (some of you might remember their 2012 Tour Through France).

They’re planning 10 weeks of Italian cuising, each week dedicated to a different Italian region with a different menu & carefully selected wine. I sadly missed out on their latest menu tasting session which took place this past Saturday (as I already had another commitment), but I’m definitely going to be paying them a visit for the full Italiano esperienza…

Things kick off this Wed, 15 May and will run until the week of 17 Jul. This is what’s waiting there for you each week:

Region 1 Sicilia- Wed 15 May to Tue 21 May
Pasta alla Norma R55
aubergine, tomato and ricotta
Cape fish of the day served with Caponata R115
traditional agro-dolce aubergine dish
Cannoli alla Siciliana R40
Sicilian ricotta pastries served with vanilla ice cream, citrus syrup
Suggested Wine: Flat Roof Manor Pinot Grigio
Region 2 Calabria & Basilicata - Wed 22 May to Tue 28 May
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca R42
Spaghetti with tomato, anchovy, olives, capers & basil
Melanzane Parmigiana R70
aubergine, pomodoro, Grana Padano bake
Chilli Infused Gelato R10 per scoop
Honey
Suggested Wine: OBiKWA Moscato
Region 3 Puglia - Wed 29 May to Tue 4 June
Orecchiette con Broccoli R50
“little ears” pasta with broccoli, garlic & chilli
Braciole al Sugo con Polpette R90
fresh mussels steamed with tomato, white wine, garlic, chilli and finished with olive oil
Bitter Chocolate & Cherry Gelato R10 per scoop
Suggested Wine: Thelema Muscat de Frontignan
Region 4 Campania - Wed 5 June to Tue 11 June
Mozzarella in Carrozza R25
deep fried mozzarella sandwich, dressed rocket
Braciola di Maiale Pizzaiola R89
pork chop with Pizzaiola sauce
Chocolate & Almond Gelato R10 per scoop
Suggested Wine: Idiom Bianco di Stellenbosch Pinot Grigio
Region 5 Molise, Abruzzo & Marche - Wed 12 June to Tue 18 June
Spaghetti all’ Aglio Olio e Peperoncino R42
spaghetti with garlic, olive oil & chilli
Cape Fish served with Inzimino & Salsa Verde R115
traditional chickpea, swiss chard & tomato stew with green sauce
Salame di Fichi Gelato R22
fig, almond & walnut ‘salami’ crumbled into Gelato served with an espresso
Suggested Wine: Idiom Sangiovese
Region 6 Lazio & Umbria - Wed 19 June to Tue 25 June
Lenticchie Con Salsicce R45
lentil stew with sausages
Saltimbocca R118
veal escalope, Prosciutto, sage
Gelato al Espresso R15
espresso flavoured ice cream
Suggested Wine: Idiom Rosso di Stellenbosch
Region 7 Tuscany & Liguiria - Wed 26 June to Tue 2 July
La Ribollita R38
hearty Tuscan bean soup
Bistecca alla Fiorentina R145
grilled 500g T-bone steak, fresh lemon
Candied Fruit Gelato R10 per scoop
Suggested Wine: Terra del Capo Sangiovese
Region 8 Emilia – Romagna - Wed 3 July to Tue 9 July
Chicken Broth with Tortellini Bolognese R52
pasta filled with pork loin, Prosciutto & Mortadella stuffing, floating in a rich chicken broth
Lasagnia al Forno R80
oven-baked lasagnia with Ragù alla Bolognese
Grappa Gelato R10 per scoop
Suggested Wine: La Vierge Satyricon
Region 9 North Western Italy - Wed 10 July to Tue 16 July
Canederli R45
broth, bread dumplings
Osso Bucco alla Milanese R130
veal shin, bone marrow & saffron risotto, Gremolata
Chocolate & Hazelnut Gelato R10 per scoop
Suggested Wine: Steenberg Nebbiolo
Region 10 Veneto & Fruili, Venezia Guilia - Wed 17 July to Tue 23 July
La Jota Triestina R42
rich bean soup from Trieste with bacon
Fegato alla Veneziana R89
sautéed calf ’s liver, caramalised onion, soft polenta
Tiramisu R40
Suggested Wine: De Grendel Pinot Gris

Mmmmm… they had me at Gelato… (OK and many many other things) To make your reservation, give them a shout on: 021 42 42 100.

And then their address for those who are new to Societi Bistro: 50 Orange St, Gardens

Ciao ciao for now signore e signori! (that’s my last Italian reference, I promise - at least you can’t see my hand gestures from where you’re sitting. I mean we all know the Italians can’t speak without their hands )

xxx

PS. Check out the Tour Through Italy page for more info on the regions & the different wines.

Pull up a chair at Field Office

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Karisa

My friend Darryn’s lucky enough to be able to work from home sometimes. When he does, he always raves about this Field Office place in Barrack St where he goes to do his thing (and I’ll admit I’ve been very VERY jealous).

Being relatively close to my apartment building, I had gone round there only to longingly press my face up against the glass… you see they’re only open Mon – Fri and because I work out in the Northerns, I’m only around town after hours & weekends.

So early Feb I decided to hell with it. I’m taking a day off and I’m going to finally check this place out. I to wanted to be part of the cool crowd who whipped out their Mac books (gifted myself with one for xmas last year), got their creative juices flowing and enjoyed the free Wifi while sipping on a great cuppa, dammit! And this was exactly what I was going to do.

Firstly I have to say, this typically “not so great part of town”, close to the not-so-awesome home affairs offices, has been seeing new life bit-by-bit with places like Field Office, Truth Coffee and The Blend all becoming part of the neighourhood. It’s the beginnings of a new creative hub, and it’s definitely very exciting…

Field Office is the brainchild of Luke Pedersen and James Lennard, the guys behind furniture brand, Pedersen & Lennard. So it makes sense then that aesthetically, this place is very interesting.

The space doubles up as a showroom for their amazingly unique & beautiful furniture pieces and everything you see is for sale. (wait wait, I get to shop as well? How’s that for multi-tasking.) They also showcase designs, art and other products by local creatives and they partnered up with Creative Cape Town to help us win that 2014 World Design Capital bid.

The cafe menu is small, but has some great snacking options. Sandwiches (R30), assorted cakes (R20), pastries (R15), apple danishes & muffins (R12). Then they also do smoothies, Deluxe Coffee and a variety of teas & fruit juices.

How pretty is my Earl grey tea & muffin setup? So much attention to detail…

Field Office is a welcoming, light & airy space. It’s also very trainquil. I can see how you could easily get sucked in and spend your whole day there. Another cool thing is that it’s also a great place for people to come together and share ideas, and I really love that. Like Vanilla Ice always said, we must “stop, collaborate and listen… ice ice baby…”.

If like my friend Darryn, you are able to give your regular office a skip at times, do pay them a visit. Just be warned, going back to your regular stale office or cubicle will be seriously tough.

NB info:

Address: 37 Barrack St (cnr of Barrack & Harrington St)
Opening Hours: Weekdays 7am – 4pm
Contact them on: 021 461 4599
They also have a store in The Woodstock Exchange:
- 66 Albert Road, Woodstock
- Tel: 021 447 2020
- Open weekdays 7:30am – 4:30pm

xxx

Cute new coffee spot – The Blend

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Karisa

My gorgeous friend, Julie, and her business partner has just opened the cutest little coffee spot in Roeland St, just a hop, skip & jump away from my place. Happiness.

It’s called The Blend and it’s got such a lovely cosy feel to it. The kind of place which has already become the favourite local hangout. I mean yesterday for example, I popped in there again for a quick coffee and the place was humming. That’s pretty impressive seeing as they’ve only been open for about 2 weeks…

The menu consists of easy comfort foods, like yummy breakfast options (even a bowl of Coco Pops if you like!) and gourmet sandwiches. The bacon, brie & fig and the Prosciutto & pickled apples are two sandwiches calling my name at the moment.

They also serve a mean cuppa and you can choose between Deluxe, Tribe & Kupa at present, but soon they will also be adding Bean There & Origin to their list of options.

Important things to know:

Address: 79 Roeland St, Gardens
FREE WiFi.
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 7am to 4pm, Sat 8am – 2pm. BUT from 1 Nov they will be staying open in the evenings until around 1am in the morning. Can you say “late night snack?”

I’m sooo excited to have this amazing spot so close to home. I hope they won’t mind me moseying over there in my PJs for breakfast.

xxx

The new Deluxe coffee: a sneaky, awesome surprise

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Karisa

The Dog’s Bollock alley… first time I saw it in daylight. Still love it.

There’s a new Deluxe Coffeeworks in town people… and it’s hiding behind my favourite burger spot, The Dog’s Bollocks over in Roodehek St.

Now you won’t see it from the street. It’s a sneaky little “you gotta be in the know” setup. But luckily for me (and you), I’m always in the know.

So here’s how it works. You enter the Dog’s Bollocks alley, walk past the tables & chairs and the burger station, aaaall the way to the back. Look right and there you go!

Here awesome coffee meets biker chic with some serious attitude. The space just oozes pure cool and I love it. But lemme show you what I mean:

The most important thing of course is that they make a mean cuppa…

Perfection right there

The other cool thing is that The Dog’s Bollocks is now also open for breakfast & lunch (they used to only be open from 5pm – 10pm). This means you can grab some brekkie with your coffee or pop in for an afternoon burger fix followed by a quick espresso to help you make it through the rest of the day. I think that’s pretty sweet.

Just FYI:

Opening hours: 7am – 5pm during the week and 9:30am to 2pm on Sat.
Address: 6 Roodehek St, Gardens. If you’re heading up Buitenkant St towards Gardens Centre, you turn right into Roodehek, just before the petrol station.

xxx

The 24 Woolies is back!!!

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Karisa

For the past two months I’ve been driving around Gardens… totally lost… and very hungry… why? Cause my beloved 24 hr Woolies on Orange St bloody closed down for renovations!

When I first heard the news, I almost broke down and cried. What was I going to do without my late night Woolies chicken nuggets fix? Or that quick odd hour grocery shop?? Or those legendary post party prego rolls??? It was just way too much for me to bear…

I was then forced to shop at Gardens Shopping Centre… don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Gardens Centre, but it’s a total schlep. Fighting for parking, then standing in the loooong queue at the Woolies, paying for your parking and then finally back out… a task that would take me 5min at the 24 hr Woolies now took 30min. Not cool. Plus they close at 7pm during the week. Really not cool.

But then last Friday night, my world became whole again as we drove past and realised that it was open! This mini centre is now called an Engen 1plus and not only has the Woolies section got a cool new look, but they’ve also added a Steers (my favourite guilty indulgence) and a Debonairs Pizza.

Here are some snaps:

Oooh and their bakery section also got a serious upgrade, so my ass is now at risk of expanding big time… haha.

I’m very very happy to have my 24 hr Woolies back. Someone told me that this is like the highest grossing store of it’s kind in the country. Not sure how true that is, but what I can tell you that this place is always buzzing with people, so it wouldn’t surprise me.

Please don’t ever leave me again 24 hr Woolies! My heart & stomach just can’t take it…

xxx

Dunkley square adventures

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Karisa

Last Friday eve I headed over to good old Dunkley Square, between Barnet & Wandel St in Gardens, for a surprise birthday party for an old friend (and nooooooo, that’s not a dig at his age… although it would’ve been a good one ).

The first stop for the evening was lovely Greek eatery, Maria’s. Now Maria’s has actually been around for yonks, in fact I vaguely remember going there for dinner once during my early Cape Town years. I recall it being not much to look at, but the food was well priced & tasty. I now hear that it was closed for about a two year period and then re-opened with a new, fresh look towards the beginning of 2011.

I must say, I absolutely love the new look. Beautiful fairy lights in the trees outside. Very cosy inside. An easy, welcoming space with large windows and neutral, yet warm colours. It kinda felt like we had stepped out of Cape Town and into a little European street cafe.

I loved the fact that they serve your wine in pretty glass tumblers – apparently that’s just the way they would do it over in Greece. And then these LED candles had me totally fascinated:

So kitch it's cool or a major decor no-no? Not really sure to be honest... but I kinda liked them, just a little.

Now the birthday boy is one of those people who already has everything. So buying for him is a tough job. Thank goodness for Big Blue – your one-stop shop for anything cool, weird & fun. Part of his gift was this “Maybe you touched your genitals” hand sanitiser which had everyone practically in tears:

Well... maybe you did?

Could you imagine whipping that out at the office with a straight face and asking your colleagues whether they maybe wanted to clean their hands? Awkward…

After the big S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!!!, which was a very successful one btw thanks to his girlfriend’s amazing planning skills, we got stuck into some mezes. Items like fried halloumi, tiropitakia, spanakopita, keftethes served with tzatziki and more:

All so incredibly yum! I was really blown away by these mezes. Especially that fried halloumi. Mmmmmm.

For mains we got to choose from a selection of seafood & lamb dishes. I went for the patagonian calamari, while the folks around me went for the beer battered hake & slow roasted Karoo lamb:

Apologies, I didn't really take note of prices as we had all paid a set price per person which covered you for food & drinks.

I’m not gonna lie, after those amazing mezes I was a bit underwhelmed by the mains. It wasn’t bad by any means, I just expected the flavours to pop more. It might have been partly due to us being such a big group – we filled the entire place, so trying to get that much food out at the same time can be quite challenging.

But you know, there’s really a lot to be said for a place that manages to create such a warm, welcoming atmosphere ensuring that everyone’s having an absolute blast. The food to me was a bit of a sideline cause I was having such a great time…

How do you like my new super cheese collage feature huh? Impressed much?

Theeeeen, the grand finale…dessert time! And what does every birthday boy want? A car cake of course!

Ta da bitches...

Gillian, our party planner, told me that dealing with Maria’s to put this party together was a really pleasant experience. She says the owners were lovely and very accommodating and I can personally vouch for their friendly service. So if you are looking for a venue for a party or private function, give them a call on 021 461 3333.

When Maria’s started closing up, we walked a solid 10 meters to Roxy’s Cafe, which is situated on the same side as Maria’s, but on the other end of the square. It’s quite an interesting little spot with comic books all over the walls, an toy boxes (of all things) on the ceiling…

Hmmmm.... OK OK, it's weird.... but I think I like it...

I liked the chilled vibe at Roxy’s. It’s a cool spot to have a few drinks and a laugh without having to deal with long queues to get in, scary bouncers and being squeezed in like sardines. That definitely gets bonus points in my book.

They also have this cute old typewriter on display, which actually still works. We decided to do a “This is Karisa on tik” photo…

OK I'll admit... it was way funnier at the time... you have to get the Afrikaans connection and all... but hey, everyone knows wine fuelled ideas always sound way more brilliant in the moment. haha.

Best thing of all, Dunkey Square is almost right on my doorstep. So when I ran out of steam (yes, that sometimes happens, just sometimes) my tipsy butt was only like 5min away from my comfy bed. Fantastic!

All ‘n all it was a very successful night out & about with some great friends. And that’s exactly what Friday nights should be all about.

xxx

The Dog’s Bollocks

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Karisa

I’m kinda in two minds about telling you guys about this spot… you see, it’s one of those little gems which you actually just want to keep as a secret so it doesn’t get too crowded. But then again, it’s so damn awesome, it would be soooo wrong of me not to share the love.

The Dog’s Bollocks is a no-frills-no-fuss burger joint in Roodehek St – nr 6, Gardens. If you’re going “Huh, where the hell is that?” It’s a few streets up from Roeland St, between Buitenkant & Hope St. So an easy 2min walk from mine. Sweet.

Here owner, Nigel, serves up some of the meatiest, tastiest, juiciest burgers in town (and apparently some nachos as well – but the burgers are where it’s at). He operates from what looks like a little garage and is only open Mon – Sat from 5pm to 10pm, or until he runs out of stock really. So get there early folks! For example we got there just after 7:30pm on a Wed eve and we luckily got the last 2 burgers.

The burger options start from a plain one for R40, to a basic cheese and then jumps into some more interesting waters with things like: Pepperberry blue, Chilli Chocolate Molé, Old School Mega Slider, Prego Burger and Jalepéno Cheese (all at R55).

The kitchen is small, but well equipped. And I loved the open plan vibe so you can watch Nigel do his thing from your little lawn furniture chair, as you drool with anticipation.

Drinks wise, you have one option and one option only: The U-TUBE. What is that exactly? Well ladies & gents, wine snobs look away now, but it is in fact dooswyn:

Ta da!

For R50 you get your own 1.5 liter tube. Your options are: Dry red, a lighter dry red and a dry white. There you go. It’s as simple as that. I’m happy to say that I tried the dry white and it was quite pleasant. To me it just added to the cool, unpretentious feel of the place.

Seeing as this is a one man show, the food does take a bit of time. But trust me, it’s well worth the wait and you’re gonna want to linger around there as long as you can in any case. The place really sucks you in. After much excitement, our burgers were finally ready. Check it out:

BOOM! Seriously, that burger was the size of my face. hehe. I went for the Pepperberry Blue burger.

As you’ll see, here you don’t get cutlery or plates. Your burger is wrapped in some paper and the rest is totally up to you.

It’s quite a messy challenge, but so incredibly delicious you don’t even care about the sauce all over your face and running down your arms. My top tips however (mostly for the girls out there cause I know you manne can handle anything):

If you have long hair – bring a hairband and tie it up. Trust me on this one.
Come hungry… like “I could eat a cow” hungry.
Take enough serviettes – they will be your best friend.
Do some jaw loosening exercises from about 1 week prior.

For it’s total uniqueness, fun & relaxed feel and tasty fair, my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter rating for the Dog’s Bollocks would be a top score of:

So go do some exploring in the little side streets of Gardens and check it out for yourselves. I’m sure you’ll fall in love just like I did.

xxx

Chef Papa San’s new venture

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Karisa

I used to be a huge fan of Minato – Chef Papa San’s first Cape Town sushi restaurant. It was like this little hole in the wall, just off Long St, certainly no fine dining establishment with somewhat unpredictable service and tacky decor.

When they were fully booked, you would see the following hand written sign on the front door:

“Sorry. Fully Booked. You didn’t make a reservation. Ha Ha ha!”

Brilliant! And then inside, the walls were covered with A4 pieces of paper with the “House Rules” written on them in black koki pen. Stuff like:

For any complaints please refer directly to the owner!
(Who kicks you out and asks you to leave and never return)

So I know what you’re thinking… why the hell would I love such a place!?! Well… the sushi was bloody amazing of course! The menu had very creative sushi options, stuff you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else in town, so you happily put up with all the rest of the stuff. It just didn’t seem to matter in the end. In fact, I think it all added to Minato’s charm.

Sadly Papa San sold Minato’s a couple of years back and sushi addicts were left with a little hole in their hearts…

I was therefore really excited to discover that he was back in business with his new baby, Takumi (3 Park Road, Gardens).

Upon entering the restaurant you discover that Takumi is a far departure from the old Minato. The decor is chic, modern and quite inviting:

Ooooh, so fancy...

And you have Papa San watching over you at all times:

That grin is infectious!

As you settle into your seat, you’re provided with your menu – but what’s on page one of the menu? Papa San’s house rules! Ah, it was good to see that something carried over from that little spot I loved so much…

Love the soy sauce stain for "authenticity"

The pic above only shows the first 3 rules. There’s an entire page! Sjoe, this chef sure means business.

I was with 3 of my girls and we decided to make the most of this sushi experience by ordering a bunch of options for the table – that way you get a little taste of everything. Genius!

First up was the Rocket Roll – salmon, rocket & wasabi mayo (R50):

It was sooooooo good. I love rocket, would never have thought to put it in a sushi roll though.

OK, this one we didn’t share – Shelll is a fan of Salmon roses (R55) – but the rest of us aren’t really – so she enjoyed these little babies all by herself:

They do look really yum. I was a little curious... Shell did rave about them.

Then we got a Sweet kiss roll – tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber, sweet chilli mayo & tempura shrimp (R80):

Total decadence... very rich...

Then we were super excited to try the Super crunch roll – tempura prawn, avocado, cucumber, spring onion, tempura crumbs, caviar & special sauce (R75):

Sadly it was dry and lacked flavour...

I wouldn’t recommend that one… it just didn’t work. Lastly we had the Spider roll – soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber and mayo (R85):

This was really different & slightly strange, but I did enjoy it. Was a nice way to finish off our meal.

The dessert menu didn’t really excite me. If there’s no chocolate on there, don’t even bother! haha. But Nix was really intriuged by the Green Tea Tiramisu – so she gave that a bash:

It looked really weird... so I didn't have a taste. But Nix swears it was delicious. Um OK, if you say so...

Another bummer is that they don’t serve any coffee! I’m not the biggest coffee drinker, but in winter I do enjoy a good cuppa every now and again. So that was slightly disappointing. Instead they offer a variety of herbal teas… Shell opted for the Green Tea and Jasmine:

Not a fan of green tea personally, but did love the little bowl type cup they serve it in.

It was a good evening – but the two bottles of wine and great company could have had something to do with that. My biggest complaint is that most of the sushi pieces were MASSIVE, which makes it quite uncomfortable to eat. I would definitely not recommend this for a date night – especially not a first date…

My Miss K Kiss-o-Meter ratings for Takumi would be as follows:

Vibe:
Price:
Food:
Service:

I was left still really missing Minato, but Takumi will make do as a relatively good alternative sushi spot. My heart still belongs to Willoughby’s though!

xxx

A hot & spicy Friday night

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Karisa

Fat Cactus in Gardens is a bit of an institution for my friends and I. We go there ALL THE TIME. It is in no way a fine dining establishment, but it sure as hell is always a laugh. The energy is great and if you’re in the mood for a Mexican fiesta, there’s no need to look any further. Make sure to always book a table though cause this place is usually packed…

There are 3 things that make for a successful Fat Cactus evening:

Tequila shots
Sadly we seem to always go for the cheap stuff... Cuervo Gold @ R15 a shot. BLEGH! Makes me gag every single time...
Lots and lots of frozen margarita jugs
ALWAYS ask for the Lime & Strawberry mix - R95 per jug
And last, but my no means least… Chilli poppers!!!
Cheese stuffed jalapeno chillies with mayo salsa.... Mmmmm (R35 per serving of 3) So delicious!!!

The original Fat Cactus branch is actually located in Mowbray and is still rocking the scene today. I just prefer the Gardens branch as it’s right around the corner from home, so it’s much easier to get home if you happen to overdo it on the tequila shots & margarita jugs (and trust me, that is normally the case).

On to my official Miss K Kiss-o-Meter ratings:

Vibe:
Price:
Food:
Service:

Now sadly on Friday eve I had to be a good girl – you see I had a lingerie shoot early the next morning (DO NOT WORRY… more about that later ) – so had to seriously watch what I ate & drank to avoid looking like a bloated mess the next day and I also had to make sure I got lots & lots of beauty sleep. So I ducked out relatively early, just this once. Normally at least more than one of us has to be carried out of that joint. haha. Good times, good times… I hear that this Friday night was no different, someone else still made the team proud! Nice one guys! I will be sure to make up for my poor performance really really soon…

xxx

My Love Affair with Cape Town…

Just random fun in my mother city

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