Tag Archives: La Mouette

Twitterati party vibes with the fine folks at La Mouette

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DSC07540Last 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…lamouetteparty1

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:

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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…

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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)

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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:

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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:

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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

La Mouette’s Autumn tasting menu – get it while you still can

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DSC07104Regular readers will know that I’m a huge La Mouette fan (78 Regent Road,
Sea Point) – especially when it comes to their amazing 6 course tasting menus.

On Sunday eve I popped in again to try their Autumn menu before it gets replaced by a new Winter menu early in May…  Let’s have a look at what’s on this baby:

  • # 1: Sweet potato soup  tomato harissa, yoghurt, truffle and cheese croquettes
  • # 2: Butternut and fontina raviolis  butternut purée, pickled apple, sage noisette
  • # 3: Pan fried line fish  fricassee of gnocchi, carrot emulsion, capers, aubergine puree, braised beef
    Or
    Beetroot tartare  smoked goats cheese, hazelnuts, toast
  • # 4: Roasted chicken  caramelised onions, wilted spinach, mash potato, thyme jus
    Or
    Mushroom risotto  parmesan foam, mushroom ‘caviar’ and crispy mushrooms
  • # 5: Waldorf salad   gorgonzola, celeriac puree, green apple jelly, candied walnuts, grapes
  • # 6: Chocolate orange  chocolate ganache, orange sorbet, almond finaciers, orange puree

Sounds good right?  Damn straight it does.  And this is what it looks like:

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Top: butternut soup; Bottom left: ravioli; Bottom right: I had opted for the line fish

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Top left: I went for the mushroom risotto; Top right: waldorf salad; Bottom: chocolate orange dessert

My absolute favourite dishes were the butternut and fontina raviolis, those truffle and cheese croquettes that comes paired with the soup (these are a La Mouette signature & they are soooooo good) and then that dessert.  But in true La Mouette style, everything’s really carefully prepared, beautifully displayed and packed with interesting flavours.

This menu comes at only R185 per person (R295 if you opt for wine pairing) and if you still want to catch it, get your butts over there before we hit May.

La Mouette is open 7 days a week:

  • Lunch: Sun 12:00 – 3:00 pm
  • Dinner: Mon – Sun 6:00 – 10:00 pm

And to make a reservation, call them on 021 433 0856 or drop them an email at reservations@lamouette.co.za

xxx

The La Mouette Spring tasting menu is absolutely beautiful

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I’ve raved about La Mouette and their amazing 6 course tasting menus plenty of times… why?  Cause they’re always soooooo good.  This past weekend I tried their Spring tasting menu and as usual it did not disappoint. 

This is just a quick post to try and tempt you into trying it for yourself…  cause I’m evil like that. ;)

We kicked off with:

  • Pea soup mint oil, confit onion, yoghurt, cheese and truffle croquettes (below left)
  • Salt and pepper prawns artichoke puree, brioche croutons, rocket, pecorino, tomato and truffle dressing (below bottom)
  • Pan-fried line fish char-grilled green beans, dry roasted hazelnuts, ricotta, hollandaise (below right)

Then moved on to:

  • Moroccan style lamb confit shoulder, crispy pastilla, smoked aubergine puree, tomato harissa (below top left)
  • Apple and custard custard panacotta, green apple foam, warm cinnamon doughnut  (below right)
  • Lemon meringue pie lemon curd, marshmallows, short bread, lemon grass and lime leaf ice cream (below bottom left)

Of course as always, they have a vegetarian menu as well.  So for courses 2, 3 & 4 you’d swap out for the following:

  • Jerusalem artichoke salad salt and pepper Artichoke, puree, crisps, brioche croutons, rocket, pecorino
  • Beans & ricotta char-grilled green beans, dry roasted hazelnuts, ricotta, hollandaise
  • Butternut squash risotto brioche croutons and smoked onion foam

Every dish was like a beautiful little piece of art and the flavours were insanely good.  So for that, this menu gets a Miss K Kiss-o-Meter rating of:

Loved every crumb and wanted to lick my plate clean!  There’s certainly a damn good reason why this restaurant remains one of my favourites.  The Spring menu only costs R185, so it’s a really really good deal and to make a reservation, you can just call them on  021 433 0856.

xxx

And the winner is…

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So the La Mouette dinner for two competition came to an end at 9am today.  Firstly I have to say a HUGE thank you again to the La Mouette team for offering up this amazing prize.  Then also to everyone who entered or retweeted.  It was very very cool to follow all the activity on Twitter. :)

Now let’s get down to it.  This is how the winner was determined:

  1. I printed out all the Twitter entries and cut them into little strips, like so:

    Quite an impressive pile… so much for Capetonians being lazy huh!

  2. Then I dug out this awesome red velvety Top Hat which I wore to a Mad Hatter’s tea party once.  Why?  Because it’s fabulous and I wanted to pull a name out of a fabulous hat OK. ;)

    Oooooh…

  3. Then I carefully folded up each entry, popped it into the hat and gave it a really good shuffle:

    Who will it be??? Who will it be???

All that was left was to pull the lucky name…  I asked the BF, Bjorn, to do it for me.  I felt it would be more neutral that way, didn’t want any of my vibes interfering with the universe on this one. hehe.

So drumroll please…

The winner is… Melissa Leitner! (@MelloryL) and her choice was:

Caramelized onion soup! Perfect warmer-upper for chilly winter days & reminds me of Paris <3 <3 #AugustMenuComp

Congratulations!  I have a voucher waiting for you.  Just email me at: karisanic@gmail.com

So hungry now.  Must book my own visit to try that August menu. :)

xxx

Win a dinner for two @ La Mouette

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If you’re a regular reader, you should know that La Mouette in Sea Point is one of my most loved Cape Town dining spots.  My favourite thing of theirs is the 6 course tasting menu they do for R165 which changes on a monthly basis.  It is always the most amazing food journey you can imagine and it’s one thing that keeps me going back again and again to see what suprises the next menu will hold.

Now get this:  One lucky My Love Affair with Cape Town reader will win the following:

  • 2 x R165 August tasting menus
  • A bottle of wine (selected by the La Mouette team for you on the night)

How amazing is that!?  But wait, you don’t even know what the August tasting menu looks like:

  • Truffle and cheese croquettes roasted garlic aioli
  • Caramelized onion soup thyme beurre noisette and grilled garlic croute
  • Herb crusted line fish Waldorf salad, grapes, radish, apple jelly, celery puree
    ** Vegetarian option: Winter vegetable salad citrus jelly, walnuts, beetroot and goats cheese ‘ravioli’
  • Confit lamb shoulder butternut squash risotto, brioche croutons and smoked onion foam
    ** Vegetarian option: Butternut squash risotto brioche croutons and smoked onion foam
  • Coffee crème caramel caramel jelly, praline and hazelnut foam
  • White chocolate and macha green tea macaroon passion fruit gel, coconut sorbet, lime leaf cream

Sounds sooooooo good right? :)

All you have to do is send a tweet on Twitter, make sure you include both myself (@ctmylove) and La Mouette (@teamlamouette) and tell us which dish from the August menu you’re most looking forward to trying.  Entries will close at 9am next Friday, 10 Aug after which I will do a draw to select the winner.  The winner will be announced by 12pm on that Friday here on my blog and on Twitter.

*** Sorry forgot to add earlier:  Also use the following hashtag #AugustMenuComp.  If you’ve already entered, don’t worry – still counts!  This just makes it easier for me to identify them. ***

To get an idea of what you’re in for, go check out my review of their June tasting menu here.  I also went back to try their July tasting menu which was absolutely excellent and you can bet your ass I’m going in for the August one too.

Good luck guys!

xxx

PS.  Obviously you’ve gotta be based in Cape Town or at least plan on being in Cape Town during August to claim this prize.  And only one entry per person will count.

Another 6 courses at La Mouette

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La Mouette in Sea Point is truly one of my favourite Cape Town dining spots.  It’s beautiful, the service is always good and then they do this amazing 6 course tasting menu for only R165 (R330 if you opt for a wine pairing) which changes pretty much on a monthly basis.

These tasting menus are carefully planned to make sure you go on a taste journey you won’t forget.  And it’s something that ensures that I keep going back again and again because I fear that I will miss out on some new creation that’s gonna rock my world once more.

Last Monday I popped in to sample their June Winter menu before it’s run ended.  So let me show you guys what we got to ‘pack in’. ;)

Course # 1 was sweet potato soup with tomato harissa, spiced yogurt and lavoche:

I had to google what “lavoche” is. Turns out that’s the crispbread you see on top of the cup. You learn something new every day…

Course # 2 was a winter vegetable salad with citrus jelly, walnuts, beetroot and goats cheese ‘raviolis’:

This salad really popped with flavour. And loved the presentation as well.

Course # 3 was roasted line fish with braised lentils, crispy gnocchi, butternut puree, cauliflower and truffle foam:

Gawd I love truffle anything… foam, oil, freakin’ flakes… whatever… I would bathe in the stuff!

Course # 4 was braised shoulder of beef with glazed carrots, sage, mash, parsnip puree and mushroom powder:

Ah now you just can’t go wrong with a good piece of red meat…

Course # 5 was a modern take on an old classic.  Their version of apple crumble with green apple foam, custard panacotta and Muscadel raisins:

OK, I had to pick out the raisins, cause I hate raisins in desserts, hot meals or baked goods. Can only stomach it in chocolate and with peanuts. That’s just cause I’m weird like that. But the rest of it was fantastical.

And last but not least, course # 6 was a hazelnut latte with coffee ice cream and salted caramel macarons:

I think this was my favourite out of all 6 courses. Especially that salted caramel macaron. Absolute perfection.

The June menu scores on the Miss K Kiss-o-Meter.  Now unfortunately this menu is only running until tonight. :(   But if you hurry, you can still make it!  If you don’t however, not to worry, cause their July Winter menu kicks off tomorrow eve and it sounds totally drool-worthy:

  • Salt and pepper hake pea puree, roasted garlic aioli, pickled onions
  • Artichoke and potato soup Béarnaise relish, mushroom brioche
  • Pan-fried line fish shellfish foam , fricassee of gnocchi, ginger, baby gem
  • Beef sirloin mash, smoked onion puree, mushroom crumble, red wine ‘caviar’
  • ‘Fried egg’ and coconut doughnuts passion fruit curd, lime leaf cream
  • Carrot cake walnut ice cream, carrot puree, cream cheese frosting

Something tells me I’ll be back soon to try this one too. :)

Btw:  For some piccies of the restaurant – check out this post of mine from October last year.

xxx

The La Mouette 6 course taster menu

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On Fri eve I had dinner at La Mouette in Sea Point with some friends.  I’ve mentioned this restaurant before because Leigh and I did a dessert tasting there back in October.  You can read about that here.

It’s such a beautiful restaurant, I just had to go back to do their 6 course taster menu.  And at only R150 pp, it’s an absolute steal.

We were seated in this secluded little dining spot, perfect for a table of 8 – where you could even close the doors and have absolute privacy.  I think they saw my loud bunch coming a mile away and figured it would be safer to keep us hidden. :)

As I was still suffering through my post Deadmau5 hangover from hell, I was strictly on water and Appletizer for the evening. hehe.

Course # 1 was an onion bhaji and potato samosa with yogurt and spiced tomato chutney:

The samosa was beautifully crispy and light and when mixed with the other flavours in that bowl, it just created heaven in your mouth.

Course # 2 was a coconut broth with spring onion, butternut and black sesame seeds:

I really enjoyed this, although the choice of serving plate (or should I say cup) caused some laughter at the table. You see, my friend Grant felt it was taking to long to eat with the little spoon they provided and decided to just drink it like you would a cup of Maggie soup. Nice, real nice. ;)

Course # 3 was tuna tartare with avocado puree, toast and spiced tomato jelly:

Now I’m not a fan of tartare… The vegetarian option for this course was a marinated tomato salad with wild rocket, basil oil and goats cheese.  Most people at the table opted for that as they weren’t brave enough to face the tartare.  But not me! I figured I should at least give it a bash.  And I’m glad I did. Even though it’s not something I’m going to be eating lots of in the future, it was very interesting.  The flavours of all the little things they serve with it worked really well and I polished off my plate in the end.

Course # 4 was free-range chicken with spinach, crushed potatoes and sauce vierge:

When I saw chicken on the menu, I must admit I wasn’t too excited.  I have this rule about not ordering chicken at restaurants as it’s just so easy to have at home.  I prefer to go for a nice piece of red meat or seafood or something.  BUT, this chicken was something special.  It was really tasty, with lots of different flavour components and I especially liked the mustardy mash it came with.  I’m a total sucker for mashed potatoes, it reminds me of home.  One thing my mom could totally rock out was a mean bowl of mashed potatoes.  Mmmmmmm.

Course # 5 was strawberries and cream, but with a twist. It was actually vanilla panacotta with a strawberry foam/jelly topping:

This was sooooo yum!  I kinda wished they had given us a bigger serving.  I scoffed down that shot glass in seconds.

Course # 6 was a different take on a classic cappuccino – Coffee ice cream, milk foam and warm doughnuts:

At this stage I was totally stuffed.  So I didn’t finish it.  But the ice cream was super creamy and those little warm dougnuts were like little soft clouds. I just honestly couldn’t fit anything more into my body, so I just had a small taste of everything.  The boys at the table with the man-sized appetites did claim however that they could have gone through this entire menu once more…  Doubtful.  But I would agree that the boys would have probably preferred one more meaty option than having 2 sweet options.

So, my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter ratings for the La Mouette 6 course tasting would be:

    • Vibe: 
    • Price:
    • Food: 
    • Service: 

It’s obvious that the chef takes pride in what he puts on your plate.  I thought the menu was carefully thought out and well executed.  Sadly, this menu finished it’s run on Sunday.  But for December they’re doing a Seafood tasting menu for R295 pp.  It consists of the following courses:

  • Petite moules et frites  (had to check this on the Yahoo! Babel Fish translater and it seems to mean:  Small, fried mussels)
  • Salt and pepper prawns chorizo popcorn and sweet corn pureé
  • Open lasagne of crayfish almond crumble cauliflower and truffle foam
  • Grilled tuna Niçoise confit potatoes, green beans, tomato and sauce vierge
  • Strawberries and cream strawberry foam, panacotta and warm doughnut
  • Lemon tart burnt honey cream, honey comb and crème fraiche sorbet

Sounds delicious!  Perfect for a hot summer’s night. I might have to plan another return trip now… :)

xxx

Dessert tasting – it’s a very serious job

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So my partner in crime, Leigh, organised a dessert tasting at La Mouette on Sunday afternoon.  Because she knows that I’m a major sugar addict, she invited me along for the ride. :)

For those who haven’t heard of La Mouette, it’s a beautiful restaurant at the end of Regent Road in Sea Point.  It has a little open air courtyard with an outside dining area:

And then inside you’ll find lots of interesting different spaces, from formal dining rooms to a cosy bar and and a bright & modern chill area:

Chef and owner, Henry Vigar, keeps things interesting by creating a special 6 course tasting menu each month which you can enjoy for only R120pp.  I actually experienced one of these amazing “food journeys” about a year ago and was blown away.

But the challenge this time around was to taste some desserts…  so let’s get down to business. ;)

My dessert was their chocolate macaron with homemade hazelnut ice cream:

Beautiful right?  This baby is available on their a la carte menu all year round.  Lucky for you, because it was deliciously evil.  The macarons were bursting with flavour, but I have to say the real star of the show was that ice cream.  It was the best ice cream I’ve had in yonks.  Made me smile from ear to ear.
My Miss K Kiss-o-Meter score for my dessert would be: 

Leila went for the peanut butter macaron with coconut ice cream:

Leila absolutely loved her dessert as well.  I am just gonna have to take her word on how awesome it was, because I can’t confirm it… you see (I think I’ve mentioned this before) I hate anything peanut butter flavoured.  Just the thought of it has my brain going into an endless loop: “WRONG, WRONG, WRONG…”  I really don’t know why, because I actually really like peanut butter on its own.  I’m special, I acknowledge that. :)

Sadly this option is no longer available.  It was part of their September tasting menu and had to make way for a tempting strawberry cheese cake I hear.

So seeing as it’s a new month, I was wondering, what exactly is on offer on their October 6 course taster menu then… Just check this out:

Onion bhaji and potato samoosa

yogurt and spiced tomato chutney

_____________

Butternut squash soup

coriander lavoche, mushroom and pecorino foam

_____________

Roasted line fish Niçoise 

confit potatoes, green beans, tomato and sauce verge

______________

Confit lamb shoulder

potato gnocchi, spiced yogurt, aubergine puree, mint and peas

or

Beef sirloin (R35 supplement)

smoked short ribs, mash, wilted kale and  red onion marmelade

_______________

Sunny side up

guava, coconut espuma and chilli

_______________

‘Strawberry cheese cake’

shortbread, marshmallow and crème fraiche sorbet

Sounds amazing right!  I definitely think I need to make a plan to come and try it out.  And then in November, they will be launcing their Summer tapas menu. Here are some of the yummy things you’ll find on there:

Truffle and cheese croquetas
basil and tomato dressing

Pan-fried calamari
chorizo, tomato and rocket

Duck spring rolls
pickled cucumber, honey and soy dressing

Moroccan spiced lamb and chick pea fritter
tomato harissa and yogurt

Crispy Thai beef salad
noodles and tamarind sauce

Sweet.  I really love tapas.  There’s just something so cool about being able to taste a whole bunch of things instead of committing to just one big meal.  Yes yes, it’s true… I have commitment issues. hehe.

Anyways, this dessert tasting thing was really fun.  I would make a habit of it, but then I’d probably end up being the size of a bloody house.   Maybe I could be served desserts while running on a treadmill?  Hmmm…

xxx