My 32nd birthday brunches, fancy dins, sriracha splashes & design delights

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…

UPDATE: THIS BLOG IS FULL, ALAS – FOLLOW MY NEW BLOG AT https://ramblinglitchii.wordpress.com/

Sleepy doggies, pre-birthday cruffins & messy monster shakes

“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.

That’s all, folks. Happy Valentine’s weekend ❤

Charly’s Bakery, Argus cyclists and the many faces of Bassie Andrews

This past week? Whoosh. A blur. Can’t believe (but thanking my lucky stars) that it’s Friday again. To get you and me in the mood for the next weekend that’s just inches away, let’s have a quick recap of what I’ve been up to in the past week…

Saturday, 7 March 2015: Mugg n Bean coffee, Charly’s Bakery, parental beach visit, Catch22 dins

The easy cappuccino at Mugg n Bean always goes down a treat for me as it’s extra milky. That side biscuit was a treat.

Definitely, coffee saucer saying. I agree.

Finally got to visit Charly’s Bakery with fellow Joburg-transplant Kat, to see what all the fuss is about…

Look at the pretty heart-embellished seats! Look at the delicious cupcakes! We had a lovely time, and can cross that off our ‘Cape must-visits’ list…

Then we went to the beach with the visitors. Stepping out of the wave’s path, just in the nick of time

Husband and his dad took a LONG walk across the beach

Haha! Here is dad-in-law blowing his nose on his towel post-swim, me holding his Argus 2015 race shirt, and racing friend taking in the view

Ha. Love these three so. Husband is tired of posing for photos, Bassie is wary, and Bertie is distracted by the telly, as usual

What Husband ate at Catch22 – super jumbo oysters (R25 each) and the Calypso’s Catch salad, positively brimming with all sorts of goodies from the sea

I opted for the deceptively plain-sounding Buccaneer beef burger, which comes topped with bacon and cheese, as well as a side of skinny fries and huge onion rings

Sunday, 8 March 2015: Doggy beach walk, family braai at ours

Love the pink orchid decorating the eating area at our local Foodlover’s Market. And Husband, obviously.

If you take me for breakfast where the running special is a slice of cake and a cappuccino for R28, that’s what I’ll have.

Bassie is very cross with mommy for some reason…

Another beach visit, this time with the dear doglets. Bertie had a long paddle, even Bassie was tempted in

See how she’s gazing off contentedly?

Oh my goodness this is a funny sandy face! Looks like the Phteven underbite dog

Then I noticed Bertie was waiting for his photo to be taken. First he made a solemn face…

Then he grinned widely to show how much he loved going to the beach. Such a sweetheart.

When we got home, Husband finally had time to hang my hammock chair. Bertie was then coaxed onto my lap

Then, when Husband adjusted the height and tested it himself, Bertie sat on HIS lap, too.

Yay, the Driftwood Cafe has reopened! New management means my favourite milkshake’s off the menu but they were happy to make it for me (that’s chocolate ice cream, peanut butter and custard. Delicious)

Husband had a draught, as he does. Note the patio roofing above us, ours at home will eventually look like so

Argus medal 2015, check. Would you believe my friend Kat, who I was merrily sharing tasty cakes with the previous morning, entered the race on a whim after she met with me, as a friend of hers had a spare ticket, and she completed it too? With no special training. Huh.

Bertie had a chair to himself during the braai

Bassie prefers to share a seat – here she looks pensive again

Indifferent Bassie on her Granny’s knee

Bassie telling Grampa a story while Husband tends to the meat. Rose quartz holding down tablecloth as it was that windy

Let’s eat! All enjoyed the spread – you can just make out Bassie begging at her granny’s knee

Of course Husband had to teach his dad how to play cricket on the XBox. Hmm.

Husband called me to capture these pink streaks just before they vanished

Monday, 9 March: Dins at home with the cyclists

Bit blurry but you can see the six of us – that’s my dad-in-law, his friend who came down for the Argus with him, Bassie in my arms and Bertie in his dad’s

Worried Bassie, sprawled on the bed

Thursday, 12 March 2015: Thursday cupcake

Belated birthday cake in the office is a surefire way to uplift a Thursday. These Woolies cupcakes were divine

That’s all, folks! Dad-in-law and his cycling friend are still with us this weekend, so expect a few more pics of them next week. And with that, I bid you good night…

Grand Christmas lunches, Chapman’s Peak sunsets and rainbow drinks

If your memory’s sharp – mine’s not, so I’m envious – you’ll remember we had my last office end-of-year party in January, technically celebrating Christmas 2013 in January 2014, so it seemed way too soon to have the 2014 Christmas version a week ago, but have it we did, and it was literally grand as we spent the afternoon at Grand Beach near the Waterfront.

As Mother was still on our coast visiting, there was also lots of sightseeing, such as lunch at Cousin Janet’s – she lives in the most jealousy-inspiring house in St James, remember? Seeing as we were that side of the city we took the long way home, all through Noordhoek and along Chapman’s Peak drive – click here for a reminder of last time we did this pretty trip. But, as always, there was more to fill our weekend…

Thursday, 11 December 2014: Bizcommunity end-of-year lunch at Grand Beach

Of course the first thing you do when sitting at a table on icing-sugar sand is kick off your shoes…

Delicious strawberry shake pales in comparison to the bright pink menu, but no worries – I always prefer this pale fruity variety to the brightly syruped alternative

Sharing a laugh with my desk mate

Starters are served! We had a few of these long pizzas per table, as well as a fishy salad option

Ended with a delicious coffee caramel martini before we played Bad Santa

Friday, 12 December 2014: Cloudy, rainy and cold

After the sunny sunshine of Thursday. Friday was drizzly and grey. Luckily that’s the last of the off-colour weather for a while…

Saturday, 13 December 2014: Decembraai-ing with the Cape rellies, scenic trip through Noordhoek, along Chapman’s Peak

See? Beautiful sunshine reigned supreme again on Saturday. This was taken in Janet’s garden in St James

Mother surreptitiously sipping her wine, Husband and I happy in the sunshine

Des – 91 in a few months – and Sybil, separated by a lovely lilac bloom

We try a variation of this shot each time we visit Janet’s house, lol

Can’t miss the Red Herring in Noordhoek on the way home. Sipping a very chocolatey shake

Husband opted for a beer instead, of course.

First bit of Hout Bay peering at us as we travelled along Chapman’s Peak

Such a pleasing mix of nature’s elements

Then the sun started to sink, adding a touch of magic

Sunday, 14 December 2014: Breakfast at Bread & Butter, cake at Mum

It’s a bad idea for me to start the day without coffee. Helps if there’s a heart shape in the foam

Husband can’t eat a savoury meal without Tabasco sauce. Went well with his poached egg, bacon and avo croissant

Mother was pleased with her salmon eggs benedict

Homemade carrot-pineapple cake at Mum’s. With (more) coffee, of course

Tuesday, 16 December 2014: Breakfast at Captain’s Kitchen, Big Bay; cocktails at Catch22

Proper eggs-n-bacon breakfast for once! With obligatory coffee

Much, MUCH later that day – this is the rainbow-coloured ‘Catch23’ at Catch22. Pretty, but I preferred the vanilla flavour of Husband’s Robben Island Ice Tea

And with that, we’re on the brink of the NEXT weekend already! Am not taking any leave other than the public holidays coming up, but Husband’s off for a few weeks so expect some pics of his DIY and home fixes in my next update!

A sunset so stunning even seagulls stop and stare

I love sighing at sunsets (I even have an official certificate from work to prove it. S’true). Sunrise, on the other hand, is a little harder to catch each day as I love my sleep, but I have made a concerted effort to do so before, click here for a reminder.

Still, sunsets are easier all round. And I’m by no means alone in my sunset-adoration I know, but have you ever seen a seagull astounded by the pretty colours of the sunset? We happened to catch just this sight last weekend… Yes, I know there’s no such thing as a seagull thanks to the fairly detailed eco-marine trip work treated me to earlier this year – you know what I mean though.

All in all a nice easy weekend as I was recovering from the awful head cold Mum and Dad unintentionally brought back from their Mediterranean cruise.

Saturday, 30 August 2014: Stunning sunset as we dined at Catch22, Blouberg

The seagull seemed to be asking, “Do you guys see those colours in the sky?”

Seagull, sunset-struck. So cute.

The sunset we saw

The magically-coloured mountain and me

Look at THAT! A Frangelico mocha drink to soothe my sore throat

Husband had a seafood platter. JUST finished by himself

Wondrous burger – with cheese, bacon and a delightful chutney sauce. And tasty chips and super-large onion rings. Nom nom nom

Sunday, 31 August 2014: Slow Sunday coffee and beach visit

My Sunday morning cappuccino, with dunking shortbread biscuit on the side, summery sunshine and the weekend paper. Bliss. All sold at Reload, Parklands

We went to the beach! Not sure if it helped me dry up, but the sensation of sleeping under the sun (sure, through a UV-blocking umbrella, but still) was just what I needed.

Husband also enjoyed drying off (literally, as he’d gone mussel-catching and swam in the sea)

Monday, 1 September 2014: Celebrating Spring Day with chocolatey coffee at work

This I’ll miss! Clever coffee machine at work that has a chocchiato option

There it is! Steaming mug of flavour. Mmm.

Almost time for the next weekend of tastes and experiences – starting to feel better so of course I can’t wait!