The all new Tribe Coffee in Woodstock deserves a visit for sure

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Karisa

Last Thu eve I paid The Woodstock Foundry a visit once again.. I was there last year for their “open house” and it was amazing to see all the creatives which have found a home there. This time I was there for the launch of TRIBE Coffee Roasting‘s all new, uber trendy, café and roastery.

Who is TRIBE? Founded back in Oct 2010, they started with loads of passion for a great cuppa and a dream of giving people a true coffee experience. They’ve come from pretty humble beginnings, renting time on other roasters and blending & packaging in the aparment they lived in, and they’ve developed & grown to now being able to open this beautiful space in Woodstock.

Jake Easton, Bradley Juter and Kate Nero are the “trailblazers” behind TRIBE Coffee. They have a shared passion for great coffee, ethical sourcing, customer service & design, and they also just seem like a really nice bunch (as you can see from this piccie over here):

Bradley Juter, Jake Easton, Kate Nero-1200

From left to right: Bradley Juter, Jake Easton & Kate Nero. (Photo credit: photo provided by Red Carpet Concepts)

Their Foundry space was designed by Rivets and Rockets with bamboo recycled set pieces from MBA Architect Design and other weird and wonderful treats for the eye. Lemme give you a quick tour:

Photo credit: these 3 pics were done before the evening launch, by photographer Stanislaw Trzebinkski. And I’m so thankful, cause my click-and-go camera just didn’t quite capture the awesomeness of the furniture on the night.

For the launch, they invited a whole bunch of coffee lovin’ folks to come and experience the space, try their coffee, enjoy some live music, drink way too many cocktails and stuff our faces with amazing treats from Munch Box. Life’s soooo tough sometimes hey…

tribe_foodanddrinks
I really loved their interesting art installation style wall outside:

Look closely… you’ll start spotting some amazing hidden treasures between those bricks…

And that we got to watch this awesome graffiti artist dude do his thing:

Ooooh and also the Lindt chocolate and coffee pairing… Hello there chocolate samples, get into my bag!
tribe_chocolatepairing

And of course, not forgetting meeting the lovely Bertha, their beautiful coffee roasting machine:

Lookin’ good lady… lookin’ good…

Now let me share some more facts about the coffee:

They use locally roasted & locally sourced coffee beans, with the raw green bean being unique in single origin coffees from all over the world.
You will be able to discover up to nine different coffee beans from around the world including: Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Indonesia, India, Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia, Guatemala & El Salvador.
They will grind the beans for whichever way you drink your coffee.
Their coffee is available in 250g, 500g and 1 kg re-sealable bags.
And to give you an idea of pricing:
TRIBE Espresso Blend – 250g bag R55
Guatemala Chocolate Block – 250g bag R55
TRIBE Organic DECAF – 250g bag R55
TRIBE Filter Blend – 250g bag R55
Malawi Gold – 250g bag R55

TRIBE Café & Roastery’s physical address is 170 Albert Rd, The Foundry, Woodstock and they’ll be open from 7am to 4pm Mon – Fri as well as 9am to 1pm on Sat. So do go pop in and say howzit if you’re in the area. You’ll love it there.

A huge thanks to the TRIBE team as well as the team from Red Carpet Concepts for an awesome evening out in the city, and for letting me join in on all the fun & excitement.

Me with Bjorn & Jasna from Fashionjazz.co.za (Photo credit: Fiona Milligan)

And I can’t wait to tuck into my little prezzie:

I would’ve already if it wasn’t so damn pretty… it’s currently just looking great, sitting on my coffee table as is.

xxx

PS, if you’re into art, do also check out the little art space in the back:

Photographic exhibition at Post

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Karisa

Last Thu eve I popped into Post (a post production facility) at The Old Castle Brewery.

I was there to check out a photographic exhibition by a certain Norwegian/French photographer who for the last 12 years has worked all over the UK, Spain & Germany, but had now found a new home here in Cape Town.

I know what you’re thinking, of course she would, I mean everyone knows that Cape Town is the most beautiful city to live in, and that’s exactly why people come here and just can’t leave again.

But before I tell you more about her work. I have to just ooh and aah about the venue. Post is such an incredible space. I could picture myself living there quite happily in my warehouse style, double volume, loft. Life would be good…

Amazing right? Other amazing things on the scene were the food & drinks… yes please! Now I know why people are always going on about how cool exhibitions are.

That shot glass with fruit on the top left packed quite a punch because that’s filled with Cruz vodka folks. Jikes. I also overdid it with the Mountain Shadows olive oil, balsamic & bread combo and spilt some oil all over my jeans. Fail. This was however before that shot of vodka, I promise.

So back to the actual exhibition. Linn Flammier is a freelance fashion photographer and film maker who used to be based in Hamburg, Germany. She’s worked mainly commercially in fashion and advertising, but has also exhibited under Paris Photo. And this particular exhibition was actually her 3rd here in Cape Town.

I really loved her cinematic style. Every photo told a story – but not just any story, an interesting film plot with lots of twists & turns. Also loved how she framed her images in light. But enough talking, let me show you what I mean:

My absolute favourite photo from her collection was this one:

Love. Love. Love

Upstairs we also got to see the work of two Cape Town guys. Dylan Culhane is an artist, photographer and director. He loves experimentation and I loved his use of colour and his mix of different photography elements. The pics below don’t really do his work justice at all because the light was reflecting on the glass too much. So please do go check out his website (link is above), it’s really quite great.

Tarquin Wyeth began making & developing photographs from the tender age of 7 (impressive…). He studied multi-media design at City Varsity in 2000 and he’s now director of Imago Visual. His set of photographs on display had a “this is my hood & the surprises you’ll find there” kind of feel (well to me in any case).

I have to say thanks you so so much to Linn, Dylan & Tarquin for sharing their amazing work with us. And then to Heidi Finestone for the invite and for putting together such a lovely evening. I had a blast and I also picked up a few great arty jargon which I’ll be sure to flash around in front of my friends to make it sound like I’m actually quite knowledgeable on the topic… I’m sneaky like that.

Some people on the scene… Top left: Luxo blog’s Elrico & his lovely girlfriend, Ritza; Top right: Me with Dylan Culhane; Bottom: Heidi Finestone (who organised the event) with Linn Flammier

xxx

The launch of new creative space – Atelier AHA

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Karisa

According to Wikipedia (my trusty source of all things random and/or specific), the word “atelier” is a French word for “workshop”.

It is used in English typically to refer to the workshop of an artist working in fine or decorative arts and it would usually be a place where a principal master and a number of assistants, students & apprentices would work together to produce pieces that would go out in the master’s name…

All righty then. So what’s that got to do with the launch of a new venue over in Woodstock? Well, Atelier AHA is aiming to be a creative/artist workshop, a performing centre of sorts, a place to show support for South African artists of all kinds.

It is the brainchild of world-renowned artist & New Yorker, Andrew Hart Adler and he says for him, this space presents endless possibilities… He sees it as being a collaborative space, a space that’s completely flexible and a space where the artists & audiences are encouraged to use in it new, exciting ways.

Andrew here with MC for the evening, actress Natalie Becker

But before I tell you more about the space and what we got to experience for the launch, I have to give you some more background on Mr Adler here. The guy is quite interesting I tell you. Firstly, he is the son of late Tony Award winning Broadway songwriter, Richard Adler and as a young artist he was assistant to several well known artists, including the late, Willem de Kooning (the Dutch-American artist known for his abstract expressionist work – I particularly love his piece called “Excavation”, Google it, it’s amazing). Then in 1975, Andrew then only in his early twenties, had his first one man exhibit in NY city and today his work can be found in several museums as well as many corporate & private collections across the globe.

He’s lived all over the world in places like Paris, Munich and the Côte d’Azur. But now he’s decided to move to the best city of all, Cape Town of course. And I’m thinking we’re very lucky to have him here…

Now back to the venue. It’s got a great New York studio feel. A big open space on one side with some of Andrew’s art pieces on the walls. And a little kitchen and upstairs area on the other side, which is Andrew’s actual living space as well. atelierAHA2

He welcomed us into his space and spoilt us with wine, snacks & Lindt balls (ah the way to my heart)…

For the launch, we were in for quite a treat. A great lineup of various types of entertainment, from a performance by iKapa Dance Theatre to magic & comedy by Charles Tertiens, live dramatic readings and a performance by legendary Cape jazz guitarist, Errol Dyers with his Errol Dyers Quartet. It was basically a showcase to give us an idea of the various types of people Andrew will be working with. Other great acts included:

Greengrassgrow – loved their sound.

Sexy belly dancing queen, Kash Athanatos

And South African journo/musician, Roger Lucey

I do see why Andrew says the opportunities are endless. It’s a great space to host all kinds of creative things, and I think it will do really well. Andrew also noted that Atelier AHA plans on offering a subscription with different levels of membership for private patrons and artists and they are also hoping to find sponsors interested in advancing South African talent.

Want to get involved? Here’s how:

Contact Andrew on: 076 721 3616 or ahaforpeace@gmail.com
Address: Armadale Road (off Ravenscraig Road), Woodstock
Also check out the Atelier AHA Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @Atelier_AHA to keep up to date with their happenings.

xxx

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

Tempting treats at Ma Mére Maison

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Karisa

Olive oil and roasted almond nougat, honey & vanilla bean mashmallows coated in roasted coconut, soft white chocolate and stem ginger fudge…

These are only some of the amazing things you will be able to sink your teeth into at French style confectioner, Ma Mére Maison. Hidden away in the Salt Circle Arcade in Salt River, to me it seemed like this just has to be of Cape Town’s best kept secrets.

Their home borders Woodstock and is not too far away from the Old Biscuit Mill. Salt Circle Arcade is on the opposite side of the road and very close to the big traffic circle that takes you into Salt river. If you enter from Albert Rd, you pass through a little alleyway of shops, then a courtyard and into the next building’s foyer which is filled with a pretty fountain, some greenery & some water features.

Then look to your left and you’ve arrived:

I was already very very excited at this point…

Ma Mére Maison in French mean’s “my mother’s kitchen” and you certainly feel that welcoming, cosy feel of a family kitchen as you step into their workshop.

Owner, Lexi Bechet & partner, Di Spicer, are both passionate about crafting beautiful handmade treats and Lexi spends a lot of time in that kitchen coming up with wonderful new creations.

Heaven… I’m in heaven… (good luck with getting that song outta your heads now)

I got so sample some of their hottest sellers. First up their Parisian macarons:

How beautiful is that selection? And I can tell you, they taste equally good. And at only R6 per macaron if you buy a box of six (even less if you buy large quantities), it’s an absolute steal. These totally matched up to my favourite babies from Cassis, and that’s never happened before…

Next was their signature salted macadamia nut brittle:

Brittle. Is. So. Addictive.

And their salted macadamia nut, sea salt & honey nougat:

Mmmmm… love at first bite…

That whole salty & sweet thing has become huge hasn’t it? And for good reason. It’s absolutely delicious. I made the mistake of telling the boyfriend about my loot… and my brittle & nougat mysteriously disappeaded… but luckily he only got to it after I had already managed to basically inhale those macarons.

Oh and get this, they also do red velvet cake pops. I love cake pops and I love red velvet, so to me this just sounded too good to be true. Sadly they didn’t have any for sampling as they do them on special request. But they were nice enough to send me this piccie to drool over:

I’m feeling a little Valentine’s day gift from me to me coming on (OK not so little, I’m thinking about 2 dosen should be enough. hehe).

You can purchase Ma Mére Maison’s exquisite goodies directly from their shop or from a variety of wine farms and delis around the Western Cape. But most of their time is spent working on orders for weddings and special events. I mean just imagine how happy your guests will be with a little Ma Mere Maison party box, or even better, a tower of macarons! But before you go and call them up for an order, please also make sure I’m on the guest list… pretty please.

Find Ma Mére Maison at:

Unit G3, Salt Circle Arcade, 19 Kent Road, Salt River (opposite the Old Biscuit Mill)

Or contact them on:

info@mamere.co.za / 082 445 2091

Also show them some love by giving them a “Like”on their Facebook page or following them on Twitter (@_mamere).

Here’s to sweet Ma Mére Maison dreams for everyone…

xxx

Neighbourgoods Market at the Biscuit Mill is still where it’s at I see

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Karisa

In keeping with my rediscovery theme of yesterday… I also popped into the Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill again last weekend. I haven’t been to this particular market in a very very looooooong time thanks to all the new markets which have popped up in and around the Mother City which needed to be explored. But from the massive crowd of people there it was clear to me that this one was this very much a Capetonian favourite. I had actually forgotten what a pretty market this one is and how much there is to see, sample & buy. It’s a little piece of retail heaven I tell ya.

The Neighbourgoods market has some of the most tempting food around, so it’s not really a diet friendly kind of place. This is where you leave your bikini plans at the door and just eat with abandon! Everything from cupcakes, tarts & macarons to freshly baked breads, homemade pies, paella (made in the biggest paella pans I’ve ever seen), flammkuchen (one of my favourite things on the planet), designer dogs, fragrant Asian dishes and much much more. You think it, they’ve got it.

Yum, yum and more yum…

A nice addition (this might give you a hint at exactly how long ago I actually last visited this market) is the craft market area outside. This wasn’t there the last time I was there, but everyone else was like “it’s been here like forever dumb ass”. OK, geeze. Or maybe it was there and I’m just really really unobservant. Also a strong possibility… hehe. Regardless, I loved it. There are lots of beautiful handmade things to check out, so it makes for a great gift shopping spot for sure.

Right, onto some NB market info:

Opening Hours: Every Saturday 9:00 – 14:00 (doesn’t even matter if it’s raining, cause the market is safely under cover)
Address: The Old Biscuit Mill, 373 Albert Road, Woodstock

This time round I certainly won’t take so long to do a return visit. Especially because I spotted a few new places nearby that I also want to check out. So this will be where I get my “exploration fuel” from.

See you there?

xxx

Weird & wonderful things at REcreate

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Karisa

Another really great Woodstock find was a store called REcreate. REcreate actually shares the same address with Vamp Furniture, but I guess you can say they sit at the front of the property and Vamp is at the back. If that makes any sense…

I really love their business description: “Extraordinary Repurposed Furniture” because well, what you’ll see inside really is exactly that. Extraordinary, unique & very special.

Owner Katie Thompson (also super lovely – these Woodstock folks seem to be so chilled) takes things some might consider as junk and gives it a new life, but in a totally different form. That sounds weird, right? I know. It is weird, but it’s also really interesting & very cool. Katie’s store also has that magical feel to it, like a treasure chest just waiting to be discovered…

Here are some of the things I loved and they’re all great examples of this “one thing becomes another” technique of Katie’s:

Old pot lids are now kitchen clocks – R230 each

Antique teacups become a beatiful lamp – R1600 (excl shade)

Rustic milk cans become handy seating – R1990 for the big one in front

Oh and she also has a really awesome collection of old suitcases. She turns them into other things, but you can also just buy them as is. I’ve seen them used as decor pieces and they just look so cool. Prices vary but you’re looking at R120 for a little one up to approx. R500 for a big one.

Here’s one example of what she does with the old suitcases. She turns them into chairs! R5900

Or what about using it as a little medicine cabinet – leather suitcase cubboard R1980

Have you ever thought: I wonder what happens to old keyboards? Well Katie turns their keys into fun fridge magnets. Genius. R2 each or R250 for a whole jar.

This was my favourite suitcase chair, covered with natural linen R7950

And it has a really beautiful matching sink bath ottoman for R5950. But the really cool thing is that you can open it up and use it for storage as well.

Some more stools, but this time made out of old oil tins R2930 (those are real leather seats)

And then last, but certainly not least – this suitcase side table for R2800. I’m really trying to work out how I could use this piece in my space at home. Just love it. But love the fact that you can store things inside even more…

Doesn’t all these amazing creations just put a totally fantastic spin on recycling? Not just the boring process of separating your paper & plastic anymore. Now a whole new world of possibilities!

Do go check this out for yourselves, you’ll be entranced. The address is 368 Albert Rd, Woodstock (across the road from the Old Biscuit Mill). Or contact Karie on katie@recreate.za.net / 021 447 0007 / 076 989 0871.

xxx

It’s time to Vamp up your living space

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Karisa

This past weekend I decided to do a bit of Woodstock wandering. One place I’ve been dying to check out for ages is Vamp Furniture. You see I’ve been subscribed to their weekly newsletter for a while, so every Friday I get inboxed with all their latest finds & creations… it’s torture really, because I usually want at least 80% of what I see.

The Vamp Furniture store is situated in Albert Rd kinda opposite to the Old Biscuit Mill. You’ll see their Vamp sign from the road and then you just need to follow a little side path to get to their front door. Entering the store gives you that Alice in Wonderland feeling. There’s just sooooo many cool things, bright colours and fun displays. It’s a sensory overload, but in a really great way.

Owner Paula van Niekerk (who is absolutely lovely btw) brings together retro kitchenalia, vintage collectables, revamped furniture as well as modern designs into one awesome space. My brain totally froze for a while as it tried to figure out where the hell to start. There’s really so many great things to discover here and they get new stock weekly! I could easily blog about this for days…

But instead, let me just share with you some of the things I really loved:

People bowls by local designer Sessi Bee. How cute is this Fantastic Mr Fox looking guy? Cost R275.

Ballerina table R1850 – according to Paula, ballerina themed stuff was huge at one point back in the day…

Maple sideboard R3650

Colourful desk R1950

Italian Cafe Cosies chairs (circa 1984) R5000 each

Sorry – didn’t get a price for this chair. But doesn’t it look comfy?

J.H. Lynch “Woodland Goddess” R1100 – they have lots of these old school pictures & mirrors. I think in the right space it will look really great.

Grey and white vintage kitchen unit R3750 – this kinda makes me sad that I’ve gone all modern with my kitchen renovation…

You see, soooo many things I was lusting after. I’d really love to work some of the bigger pieces into my apartment, I just have to figure out how exactly I’m going to go about it. So in the meantime, just to feed my soul with a little retail fix, I went home with a few small goodies:

I bet you you’re gonna have that Lionel Ritchie song stuck in your head ALL DAY now. hehe. This print is from Essie Letterpress btw.

These are actual medicine bottles from a 1950s pharmacy… so cool.

And then let me introduce you to Francis (the fish) and Bob (the bunny). The boyfriend HATES Francis for some reason. But how? He’s so freakin’ awesome!? Whatevs… I love him and he’s staying… Bjorn will just have to sit in the other room then. ha!

To keep up to date with all their new stock, pop on over to their website and sign up for their weekly newsletter. Paula also updates their Facebook page regularly with the smaller things. The exact store address is 368 Albert Rd, Woodstock. And you can contact Paula either on email (paula@vampfurniture.co.za) or just give her a ring on 021 448 2755 / 083 961 5522.

xxx

Checkin’ out Superette in Woodstock

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Karisa

** Please note: Superette has moved to The Woodstock Exchange at 66 Albert Rd **

According to Wikipedia, a Superette, is a compact food market “convenience store” or “mini-mart”.

Our very own Woodstock area, which has become quite the trendy spot to be for interesting little cafes, shops and all things creative, got it’s own version of a Superette a while back and I’ve been dying to check it out. Brought to you by the creators of the very successful Neighbourgoods Market, I just knew it had to be a goodie.

Superette is a dining spot which prides itself on being a “farm-to-table” setup. They work with local food & design guys and girls to bring you some yummy treats which you can purchase as well as things like gorgeous handmade tableware.

As I knew we were heading into a heavy “hipster” area, I wanted to make sure I would blend in. So I decided my hipster reindeer jersey which I purchased from my favourite online store, Forever21, would be perfect:

It’s hipster cause it’s totally nerdy and a bit “ironic” – I mean it’s like a xmas themed jersey, but you’re not wearing it at xmas. You see?

Paired with some red skinny jeans, I was like one of the gang… Don’t know what a hipster is? Have a look at this Youtube clip I posted back in Aug last year: Poking fun at “hipsters” – it should clarify things. And don’t get me wrong, I love hipsters. Without them, Cape Town just wouldn’t be the same. But I have to admit, they are quite an “intriguing breed”.

Now back to Superette. The interior has a bit of a retro feel, using a grey & white setting with little pops of colour, like vibrant yellow, orange & pink. It’s funky and fresh and I asolutely loved it.

Food wise the menu covers a good variety of tasty breakfast options, designer sandwiches and some lunch things like bangers & mash, the Superette burger and a salad plate. Then I hear they also do a supper club, usually twice a month, but you have to keep an eye out on their website for details.

We were there for brekkie, so we went for the “All day breakfast sandwich” (R55) with scrambled eggs on sourdough rye with roasted baby tomatoes and crispy bacon:

Boom! Now that is what I call a sandwich. It was DE-LIC-IOUS.

I think I would give Superette a well-rounded on the Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale. The service was friendly & fast. The place is beautiful. And the food is good. Also important to note is that they have free Wifi. Everybody loves free Wifi. And it’s great for hipster spotting of course – a favourite Cape Town pastime.

So do pop on over to 218 Albert Road to check it out for yourself. I’m sure you’re going to love it just as much as I did.

xxx

Madame Zingara reintroduces Don Pedro’s to Woodstock

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Karisa

Last week I joined a few friends of mine for dinner at the newly revamped – Don Pedro’s in Woodstock.

Apparently Don Pedro’s before was a bit of a dodgy spot, but now the Madame Zingara folks have given it new life with a renovation true to their usual fabulous style, focusing this time on transporting you back to the 70s.

Just FYI: they add R20 pp to the bill to cover the piano man. But he’s totally cool.

Lots of odd pieces, from vintage lamps to interesting old pictures… really loved it.

The menu is also 70s inspired, so think avo ritz, duck a l’orange and other classics. For starters, almost everyone at the table went for the squid heads starter (didn’t get the price):

I had a small taste and immediately had serious starter envy…

I on the other hand went for the Avocado Ritz Marie Rose (R56.35) – not that I’m a huge avo ritz fan in general, but it just felt like it was the right thing to go for to really get into that 70s vibe. The presentation was certainly one of a kind:

And you can keep the Barbie doll (if that’s your thing)

I was really glad we sorted ourselves with starters though. Because the wait for our mains turned out to be a loooooooooong one.

My friend Shell wasn’t that hungy – so she actually decided to go for a 2nd starter – Duck & Dumpling soup (R45.65) instead of a main.

The problem with this was that it actually first arrived without any dumplings. When we asked the waitress about it, her answer was simply “oh whoops”. I was really suprised that they had managed to miss one of the two key elements of the dish. I mean really now…

More waiting followed… then all of a sudden this serving of Duck Egg Ravioli (R75) was put down on our table:

None of us ordered it. So we sent it back. But about 5min later it came back again and we were told we might as well have it cause they don’t know who’s it is. OK then, free is free! We each got a little taste, but out of the 6 of us there were no real fans. We considered feeding it to the doggie who was eyeing it out:

But we figured it probably wouldn’t be good for his diet… sorry my boy!

Myself, Lara & Lauren all ordered the Rissotto a la Melanzane (R71.65) – Risotto cakes topped with aubergine parcels – as our mains. The presentation was quite flamboyant. Check it out:

But sadly it arrived cold… We asked them to just zap it in the micro for a bit, figured that would be the quickest option. 3 plates left… and quite some time later… only 2 plates returned. Seemed they had misplaced the third. Hmmmm. It eventually reappeared, but by that point I think all of us were seriously over this dish.

The correct option for mains it seems was Mike’s choice, the French Fooked Fillet (R129.95):

He was nice enough to give me a bite and I have to say it was truly delicious. I was kicking myself for not sticking to my natural instinct of going for the red meat option. But noooo, Karisa had to be all fancy pants and went for the bloody risotto balls. Stupid stupid girl.

Another fairly good option was Johan’s – the Funghi al Pesto (R74.65), which is basically a whole bunch of good stuff served with spinach & ricotta filled ravioli:

All ‘n all I think the food was a bit hit or miss and the service could best be described as lekker loskop. We didn’t make it to dessert. I think we were just feeling a bit fed up by that stage…

So instead of just giving you guys my rating for Don Pedro’s (because I had mixed feelings), I thought I’d do things slightly differently this time round. I went round the table and asked everyone to give Don Pedro’s a rating out of 5 for the food, ambience & service respectively. This is how they scored:

So if you average that out, the Miss K Kiss-o-Meter ratings work out as follows:

Food:
Ambience:
Service:

It’s clear from that outcome that the look & feel of the place is their winning point. It really is a fun atmosphere. I think because of that, I’d be willing to give them another bash… but next time obviously going straight for the steak baby!

xxx

My Love Affair with Cape Town…

Just random fun in my mother city

Tag Archives: Woodstock