South Africa

We hit Cape Town for the brothers’ 30th birthday and the achievement of placing foot on their 7th continent (May 2009). I don’t think I had one bad meal, it was all wonderful!

Barrafina, London, England
17 May 2009

Tapas:

Tuna Tartar

Octopus with Capers

Gambas al Ajíllo

Grilled Quail with Al-i-Oli

Fried Artichokes

Chips with Brava Sauce

Razor Clams

Prawn Special

Selection of Spanish Cheeses

Tasca
18 May 2009

Appetizer: Selection of seafood goodies.

Main: Grilled sole with piri piri sauce.

Bo-Kaap Kombuis
Lunch, 19May 2009

Appetizer:

Savoury Platter of samosas with dip, spring rolls and dalchies

Mains:

Malay Boboti

Sosati Chops

Denning Vleis

Headquarters
19 May 2009

Appetizer: Salad

Main: Sirloin and chips <– This place has one thing and one thing only. You’d think it’s odd, but they do a GREAT job of it. Also had this fantastic drink there made with passionfruit (with gin I think) and was called Passion8.

Africa Cafe
Communal Feast Winter 2009, 20 May 2009

Appetizer: Cassava bread baked with cheese and yoghurt, Mozambican piri piri dip, Ethiopian Yashimbra Assa (chickpea crispy chips), Basmati rice Malawi Mbatata cheese and Sim Sim balls (sweet potato and cheese balls rolled in sesame seeds), Xhosa Imifino patties (spinach and mealie meal patties), Ethiopian Zambossa (spicy curried mince in fine pastry), Ethiopian Iab (white curd cheese with fresh herbs)

Mains: Egyptian Koshery (layers of rice, lentils and noodles topped with a tomato gravy), Cape Malay Mussel Curry, Malawi Chicken Macadamia, Congo Salad and Jungle Dressing, Bhayela grilled vegetables (sweet potato, potato and butternut), Botswana Seswaa Masala (ostrich curry), East African Mchicha Wa Nazi (spinach cooked in a coconut milk sauce)

Dessert: Poppy seed cake served with vanilla ice cream, Rooibus tea

Wijnhuis, Stellenbosch
Lunch, 21 May 2009

Appetizer: This was THE best fried calamari I have EVER had. The breading was crispy, the calamari tender and delicate and it seemed to just melt on your tongue when you placed it in your mouth. The spicy mayo was a great little flavor kick to the entire experience. We kept trying to replicate this experience in every subsequent meal and failed to reach the perfection that was created at Wijnhuis.

Fried Calamari with Spicy Mayonnaise

Mains:

Linefish with Malay Curry Sauce

Lemon Butter Sole

Ostrich Wijnhuis with mushroom sauce & home-made tomato pesto

Warwick Trilogy 2006

Desserts:

Creme Brulee

Chocolate Cake

Malva Pudding

Baia
21 May 2009

Appetizers:

Creamy Seafood Bisque served with Langoustine Tails

Seared Tuna on a tomato and lime salsa topped with sprout and crab salad and a spicy wasabi sauce

Shark and Octopus Carpaccio served with tomato, lemon grass, red pepper, garlic and chili dressing

Mains:

Kingklip Fillet Pan-fried with fresh ginger, garlic, coriander and lemon grass, served with a lime and olive oil dressing

Grilled Line Fish with squid and prawn tails in a salsa of pepperdews, capers and chili

Pan fried Norweigen Salmon and Crayfish tail on a bed of potato parmentier, peas, carrots and cauliflower, with a coconut

La Colombe, Constantia
Lunch, 22 May 2009

Amuse Bouche:

Puff Pastry Delight

Appetizers:

Quail with Prawns

Duck Confit

Kudu Tartare

Mains: This was probably THE best fillet of beef I’ve had in a long time. It was cooked to perfection: medium rare. Not too rare for my tastebuds yet not too overdone. What made this THE best fillet was the truffle sauce. When I wasn’t drooling over it, I was savoring every last drop of the delicious concoction.

Grilled Fillet of Beef in a black pepper and truffle "cafe au lait"

Springbok with foie gras.

Kingklip du jour

Palate Cleanser:

Celery and Lemon Sorbet

Desserts:

Raspberry and Lemon Tart

Mousse

Selection of Coffee and Infusion Petit Fours

Harbor House
Lunch, 23 May 2009

Appetizer: These champagne oysters were the best I have EVER had. They literally melted on your tongue and in your mouth. All we did was squeeze a bit of lemon and added a dash of Tabasco. I was amazed at how good these were considering how often I try to eat oysters back home.

Even the bread was pretty...

Champagne Oysters

Fried Calamari

Scallops

Mains:

Prawns with Charmoula Sauce

Kingclip with herb mushroom sauce, baby potatoes, truffle oil and fennel sauce

Seafood Platter

Paradyskloof Pinot Noir 2005

Desserts:

Almond Creme Brulee

Caramelized Lemon and Lime Tart

Frozen Berries with White Chocolate and Orange Zest Sauce

Belthazaar
Lunch, 24 May 2009

Appetizers:

Prawn and Avocado Salad

Grilled Squid with chili and garlic

Fried Calamari

Mains: (Iona Sauvignon Blanc)

Seafood Platter with piri piri sauce

Pepper crusted Sirloin with Mozambikan prawns and Patagonian calamari.

Kingclip with lemon butter