Yes, I’m 32 now. Yes, I had a wonderful day and yes, I feel old and even though I had the day off work, it’s been a very long week. Maybe some of the pics below will help explain why…
Saturday, 13 February 2016: Frittatas, waffles and pulled pork burgers
Saturday dawned bright and early, and we had plans to breakfast with mum and dad. And breakfast we did, at La Rocca in Canal Walk. This was dad’s super-strong flat white. I had the regular-strength version.Mum was thrilled with her frittata – t’was so large Husband had to help her finish.Dad and I chose waffles. That’s his Bananarama on the left, and my Rocky Road on the right. Both finished every mouthful!Later that afternoon we headed out to Pitmasters on Woodbridge Island. Husband had a draught, as he does…We shared a pulled pork burger and fries drenched in sriracha sauce. This is all that was left by the time I remembered to snap a shot.T’was a misty, cloudy day. This is the view from Woodbridge Island that afternoon, with Table Mountain hidden by cloud.
Sunday, 14 February 2016: Non-Valentine’s Valentine’s Day
We don’t do Valentine’s Day like the rest of the world as it’s my birthday the very next day – but that doesn’t mean we miss out on all the lovey-dovey things. As we were heading to Newlands to fill up water bottles at the natural spring there, we breakfasted at nearby Cafeen. Husband had this lovely breakfast.This is what my French toast looked like once I’d smeared on lemon curd, grilled banana, bacon, syrup and cinnamon-sugar. Very yum.It’s not often that Husband goes for a coffee, so I snapped him sipping on his creme brulee latte as proof that it happened.The Cafeen cats were a big attraction to all the kiddies seated with their families – we couldn’t resist either, as they were very sweet and wound their tails around our chair legs.The non-Valentine’s-y table Mum set for lupper that afternoon.And the very Valentine’s-y tiramisu she created. It was amazing.
Monday, 15 February 2016: My 32nd birthday
I’d taken the day off work but Husband did not – at least he made me a cuppa coffee to get the day off to a good start before he left, in this pretty new mug. The doggies were interested.Mum had the spicy orange rooibos, which came with the ‘ant crawler’ tea cup set I so enjoy.Dad and I both opted for the banana-bread French toast, with bacon, strawberries and syrup. Delicious.Once Husband got home that eve we set off for my birthday dins at Catch 22. You can just see Table Mountain showing off through the plastic window beside him.As I so enjoyed their gingerbread milkshake last time we visited, I knew I would love the gingerbread latte. It was possibly the best coffee drink ever.We had the jalapeno poppers starter to share, then I went for the burger topped with bacon and cheese, while Husband conquered this solo platter with a baked potato on the side.We headed home after a quick beach walk and just remembered to take the standard ‘birthday-hatted kiss on cheek’ photo – forgot about Husband’s one this year, oops 🙂
Workweek highlights
On Tuesday, one of my favourite PR agencies arranged a ‘Charly’s Bakery drop-off’ – personalised cupcakes! SO pretty, and they tasted amazing.Have you ever seen a Chinese guava? My colleague brought these in to work as they grow on her tree. Look at how little it is. Tastes just like the regular, pinker version I’m used to.And then, Thursday was my day to attend Design Indaba. There was so much to take in, as always. Click here if you missed my coverage.The Artscape theatre was decked out with all sorts of design goodies.This year’s delegate tag and bag.Simple. Complex. Beautiful.Afternoon tea at Design Indaba is usually a surprise/pop-up experience of sorts. This year I dressed my sample of Woolworth’s sriracha sorbet (orange) with sriracha drizzle and lime sherbet, while the pink rose sorbet got rose jelly cubes and coconut marshmallow blobs.On Friday I attended an event at the new Century City Conference Centre, which is right by Ratanga Junction. Hadn’t noticed these cute ‘follow me footprints’ the last time we visited.
And that’s all, folks! We’ve finally had a spot of rain in Cape Town and I have the most dreadful head cold at the moment, so expect the next update to be focused on relaxing and doing things indoors…
“Hello, I’m Rambling Litchi and I have a milkshake addiction.”
That’s probably no surprise if you’ve been following my blog over the past 4 years 🙂 And if you follow me on the social medias, you’ll likely have already seen the amazing milkshake my parents treated me to as a pre-birthday surprise earlier today. T’was such a monster that it came topped with its own ice-cream cone and donut fritter balanced on top. It’s definitely up in the top three of my ‘super large’ milkshake experiences – click here for a reminder of the salted caramel-cheesecake dessert version we tried at Craft in Parktown earlier this year, and here to see the chocolatey brownie deliciousness at My Sugar in Sea Point. As it’s my birthday weekend (yes, that’s why I’m on leave) I predict another sweet treat or two will make an appearance in next week’s blog.
But for now, here are the past week’s highlights…
Saturday, 6 February 2016: Sleepy doggies, Village Square brekkie
My littles looked so sleepy when we woke on Saturday morning I had to snap their sweetness.Awww. So cute we smooshed them together for hugs. They didn’t protest too much.I was fairly sleepy myself so needed to get coffee down my gullet, stat. One of the closest options was Village Place Cafe in West Coast Village – it’s technically walking distance but we went by car as had to do groceries and the like thereafter. This was a delicious cappuccino with toffee flavouring. And of course a little heart-shaped shortbread nugget in the saucer to make me smile.For Husband – the salmon eggs ben, and a large Cola. Kept him full for most of the day.For me, the granola, berry, banana jar – with a bowl to toss it all into and mix properly.Husband suspended the bike from the garage ceiling to get off the front wheel so we could replace the wheel bearings. Quite the mission!
Sunday, 7 February 2016: Wimpy brekkie, Catch 22 drinks and doggie photo fail
This was my Sunday breakfast – Wimpy mega coffee and toasted cheese on a stick. I think I ended up with more chips than toast on the plate!Yes yes, another milkshake. Shhh. This was the gingerbread version at Catch22, a treat for spending a good few hours on Husband’s web dev stuff earlier in the day.For Husband, a Long Island Ice Tea – they no longer make the Robben Island version that came with vanilla Coke/toffee liqueur flavour. Sob.The doggies were VERY excited to get to their Granny’s house later that evening. Bertie hardly ever climbs onto my lap like this and just look at Miss Bassie tilting her head out the window!The doggies were sitting so nicely on the couch when we got home, just like little bookends, so Husband tried to snap the three of us. Of course Bertie jumped up right then to look out the doggie door and Bassie decided to sneak away. Sigh…
Midweek work highlights
On Wednesday a colleague and I took a little road trip for a meeting. This is the pretty reception area at Primedia Broadcasting in Sea Point. Loved all the bright colours.Thursday was a busier day than usual as I knew I’d be off Friday and Monday. It was also the day my trusty box of oats ran empty, so I trotted downstairs to the coffee shop for this chocolatey croissant, stat as we all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Dangerously good at just R12…
Friday, 12 February 2016: Monster milkshakes at Festive Underground Eatery (FUE) in Marine Circle
Finally, the day of my birthday long weekend leave had arrived! Unfortunately Husband had to head off to the office, but I was still most entertained – mainly by my funny doggies who sat on the back of the couch just like cats for a good half hour or so after Husband left. Look at them being all nonchalant as though they’re saying: “Yes mommy, this is what we do all day when you’re at work”.Soon thereafter the parents arrived with treats for the doggies and an early birthday present for me (a new computer connecty cord so I no longer have to delay the weekly blog update, lol!) We set off for the Festive Underground Eatery that’s only open during the week. Dad was most intrigued by the sound of a ‘cruffin’ (it’s a croissant-muffin, much like the doughsant/cronut I tried at Jason Bakery last Winter.) This one had lemon curd filling and was warm and fresh. We shared it between the three of us.They warned us. “It’s 1,3 litres”, said our waiter. “It costs R72”, said the chalkboard menu. And still we ordered them. This was Dad’s banana-peanut butter bomb version, topped with caramel popcorn, a fresh sweet fritter and a full icecream cone, filled with ice cream, upended on top. Look at how happy he is 🙂Mom was smart. She ordered the ‘small’ version – chocolate peppermint Aero flavour.You can see my cocopine version’s little ice cream cone hat here and piece of passion-fruity pie. Somehow we managed them. All delicious. All highly recommended. I will try their berry blast and coffee flavours at some stage…Yes yes, ice cream is a core component of milkshake, but this here is literally a full ice cream cone to pull out of the shake and eat before continuing with the milkshake slurping. What will they think of next?!This is Panda, the very friendly doggy one of FUE’s regulars brought with on his breakfast run.Mom loved Panda. Panda loved Mom. So much that he came and gazed adoringly at her – or at the milkshake/ice cream.Love that the mirrors on the wall mean you can see exactly where Dad stood to capture this snap.
I am still full. Probably no more milkshakes for me this weekend… but never say never.
If your memory is better than that of a goldfish, you’ll recall that last Friday was Husband’s 36th birthday. Here’s how we celebrated, all weekend long…
Friday, 29 January 2016: Husband’s birthday cocktails at Rafiki’s & free Table Mountain cable car trip
We presented Husband with his birthday present as soon as he opened his eyes. Bertie was very excited and wanted to help with the unwrapping process.Husband fetched me on the bike after what seemed like an endless day of work. We popped into Rafiki’s on Kloofnek to celebrate the start of the weekend – here is Husband with a Long Island ice tea. Rafiki’s is closing in a few weeks so we’re glad we had the chance to try them out.I tried the most pina colada-sounding drink on the menu, complete with coconut milk, orange juice and pineapple.Cocktails glugged, we set off up Kloofnek to Table Mountain. On presenting his ID, Husband’s return cable car ticket was printed for free – and as we waiting until after 6 for mine, I got it at half-price – R120 (the Sunset Special runs in Summer – we took advantage of the same deal on my 30th, click here for a reminder).Husband and Lion’s Head, two of my favourite things in the whole of the Cape, pictured while waiting at the lower cable station.Funny that the first thing you do once you reach the top of the mountain is look down! This was on the Camp’s Bay/Sea Point side. Lots of railings to ensure no-one slips down.Finally taller than Lion’s Head, between us…Lucky thing we saved on the cable car fare as the meals on top are certainly priced for tourists. Husband’s plate of curry came to R110 and his Castle Lite was R44. He loved it though and ate every grain of rice from the biodegradable plate…My super-large pizza slice was only R38, much more reasonable. One of the best spots to eat in the city, just looks at the pretty cloudy mountains behind me.Admiring the sunset is a must if you’ve bought a ‘Sunset special’ ticket!Me, the setting sun and the calmest sea.As we came down the cable car, the lights were turning on across the city below. T’was a magical sight.
Once Bassie’s had her breakfast each morning she slows sulks her way to supper. I caught her in action here.With such sunny weather we wanted to eat with a view of the sea so settled on News Cafe in Blouberg. As we’d ordered by 10am I got my muesli jar at the ‘early bird’ price of R25, saving us R30 on the usual R55 value. Worth getting up early for.For his first meal of the day, Husband decided on the ‘Big Ben’ at News Cafe – it’s your typical eggs benedict, surrounded by cherry tomatoes and atop mushrooms. The rest of the day was spent on weekend admin things that I didn’t capture, so let’s move along to Sunday…
Sunday, 31 January 2016: Doodles buffet breakfast, beach visit & cocktails at Saint’s
As Doodles only offers their buffet, triple-decker sandwiches and pizzas for weekend breakfast, we went for the buffet. I mixed all the cereal options with strawberry yoghurt for my first course……And filled a second plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, baked beans, toast and flapjacks. Yummy. Husband’s plate looked similar and we were full until lupper at Mum’s that eve.As it was a super steamy day, a beach visit was definitely on the cards. Here is Husband, towelling off after a long swim in the Atlantic – that’s about the warmest I’ve felt the sea, our side, and it was still too cold for me to venture into more than knee-deep.Following some resting and housework Husband had his second Long Island ice tea of the weekend – this time at Saint’s, Eden on the Bay. I tried the Insomniac milkshake – chocolate, Nachtmusik and Amarula, very yummy but not pictured.Mum baked her famous carrot cake with pineapple chunks just for Husband. We all sang to him, again.
Mid-week office cake treats
On Monday, Husband started his highly-practical four-week web development course with Shaw Academy. He’s already completed three of the ten lessons and is soaking up the knowledge.T’was a busy week birthday-wise at work. On Thursday I was treated to this lovely chocolate cake, custard danish and assorted crispsToday I had this tiny but absolutely delicious red velvet cupcake from Woolies.
A delicious, heart-happy week all in all – here’s to another weekend that’s filled with good things!
Tomorrow is husband’s 36th birthday, so I am posting this now as shall surely be spending quality time with him at the usual ‘blog post creation’ time of the week.
Hard to believe it’s already the end of January, 1/12 of the year has flown by in the blink of an eye.
Here are highlights of the past week…
Saturday, 23 January 2016: Breakfast at Saint’s, pretending to be on the cover of National Geographic
Saturday was a hot, lazy day, Mine got off to a good start with this cappuccino at Saint’s in Big Bay.Husband had the salmon eggs ben and a Cola, of course. The logo next to his face proves we were at Saint’s. I had the feta-scrambled eggs with toast, unpictured.This photo frame is 10 steps from Saint’s so we walked across and Husband happily snapped away.Zoomed in, without the frame. Click here for a reminder of our Winter version of this photo.As Mum and Dad were off to Shelley Point on Sunday we visited for lupper on Saturday this week. Bassie loves being carried on her grampa’s shoulder like this, as she’s then technically the tallest person in the room.Bertie was happy to sit on a comfy chair and watch his sister parade around on grampa.
Sunday, 24 January 2016: Breakfast at On the Rocks, sightseeing along the coast
On Sunday morning we decided to breakfast at On the Rocks, right on the beachfront, where we had celebrated Dad’s birthday a few years ago. Note my slight sunburn from the day before.Here is my berry-and-ice cream French toast. Very yummy.Husband had the ‘breakfast pan’.It was set to be an adventure/explore day, so off we headed for Hout Bay and walked all the way from the one harbour to the other.A solitary gull at the greeny sea.Always most amusing to see the sea lions sprawled of their own accord on the ‘Seal Alert sea rescue’ boat.This guy looked – and smelled – like he needed a bit of a rescue…Continuing on our road trip, we had to stop and pat the camels at Imhoff Farm.Me doing the exact same thing.Then we repeated the process at Slangkop Lighthouse. Here is Husband’s version…And here is mine. Pretty as a picture!Look at this absolutely ridiculous sea colour near Scarborough. No photo filters, promise.Rounding out the trip we stopped at Dixies near Simon’s Town/Fish Hoek for a refreshment break. Here is Husband’s Amstel draught – I opted for a coffee shake.We shared this Mexicana – completely doused in Tabasco sauce, of course.
Tuesday, 26 January 2016: Punjab Express
On Tuesday we stopped at the recently opened Punjab Express after work to try their tikka chicken. Was very tasty, and I loved this chair.
That’s all, folks! Look forward to Husband’s birthday celebrations in my next update. 🙂
Wowee. Second work week of the year done and dusted, and it feels like two months rather than two weeks since we were on leave. It’s a combination of intense heat, slow internet and sheer hard work. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have any highlights to share – view our latest batch below…
Saturday, 16 January 2016: Panama Jacks lunch, swimming in the icy Atlantic
We do love lunching at Panama Jacks in the harbour. Always a treat to be served rolls before the food arrives…We each went with the fettuccini mains. Mine is the verde (green, R40) – asparagus, parmesan cheese, thin slivers of baby marrow. Husband had the marinara, (R50) with a mussel chowder starter (R25). He finished his, I had to bring mine home for dins!You’re not to admire my shiny forehead in this photo but just how well I twirled the fettuccini on my fork. Teehee.On the lazy ride home we had to stop at the beach. T’was like a postcard!And of course, Husband wasn’t content just to look at it. Here he is, frollicking in the waves.Much, much later, once the temperature had dropped a little, we took the doggies for a walk around the suburb. Bertie loves chasing things in the shrubs.
Sunday, 17 January 2016: Brunch at Steenberg’s Bistro Sixteen82
On Sunday we woke late and couldn’t decide on a suitable spot to break our 12-hour fast. We eventually ended up at Steenberg Wine Estate and decided to treat ourselves to brunch at Bistro Sixteen82, known for its pork belly-bacon.This colourful chandelier is quite something to see in person.Of course I started with a flat white. T’was delicious. Look at the gorgeous scenery behind me – all that green was very soothing on the eyes.What a lovely surprise. While waiting for our pork belly-bacon eggs benedicts, we were served hot, fresh honey brioche.Of course Husband had an oyster starter. For breakfast…And then, the eggs benedict arrived. Oh. My. Goodness, was it delicious. The pork belly-bacon is amazing, the little tomatoes were steamy and the Hollandaise was just right. Plus they’re served on potato rosti instead of stodgy English muffins. At R72, that’s not bad at all!As we were already pretty far from home we decided to revisit Simon’s Town. These are some of the dinky little boats right at the harbour’s edge.Can’t visit Simon’s Town and miss taking a photo with the statue of Just Nuisance. Though he seems to have been moved somewhat since the last time we were there…Husband is one of the little ‘people dots’ floating in the sea. I sat on the beach with my book and a sugar cone instead.Bassie insisted on sitting on her Granny’s lap when we visited for lupper. Both grinned.As it was so hot, we had Do-It-Yourself burgers for dins. Husband placed his onion slices in pleasingly concentric circles on his patty.
Wednesday, 20 January 2016: Midweek sunset
I caught the very end of the sunset – much more spectacular in real life!
That’s all, folks. Sounds like we’re in for a spot of rain this weekend, will bring welcome relief from the incessant heat!
Ramblings, rumblings and random ruminations. Also reviews, recommendations and alliteration. Based on living the good life in the fairest Cape. This is not a food blog.
Rambling Litchi 