Relax with Dax

15/12/09 – Don’t forget that Relax with Dax is optimised for mobiles too. When you visit the site from your mobile it automatically shows you just the list of posts (no graphics and layout) and there is a search facility at the bottom so you can easily find the review you are looking for. Just browse to the normal URL www.relax-with-dax.co.za

15/8/09 – I’ve added two widgets to the sidebar, one shows the most popular posts currently and the other shows random posts. Both will be of interest to readers when browsing the site.

3/6/09 – It’s taken me a while to understand what value Twitter could add to Relax with Dax. I think I have an idea now, so feel free to follow Relax with Dax and I hope to make it worth your while! twitter.com/relaxwithdax

 

This morning I went on a Slow Food Mother City outing to visit the biodynamic chicken farm at Spier, which was extremely interesting. I’ll write about the visit in more detail in another post but I want to share one of the most revealing comments of the day. The chickens they sell are quite a bit larger than the chickens you would normally find on the supermarket shelf even though they are of similar age (6 weeks), so I asked why don’t they just kill them earlier as it would be cheaper. The response was that they would only have one week in which to enjoy sunshine and the outdoors, and that it just doesn’t seem right to give them so little time. I liked that answer, totally ignoring the economics for the sake of giving the chickens a better life. With that sort of attitude, you know everything they do is going to be ethical.

After the farm visit I thought it would be a good idea to try out Eight at Spier as they source the chickens and veggies from the farm we had just visited. Their whole philosophy is oriented toward fresh, local and organic ingredients. This extract from their website explains it in more detail:

Eight is a pioneering farm-to-table eating experience. Like its name, the restaurant is an expression of balance, cycles, harmony, infinity and abundance. The produce used at Eight is either grown on the farm or sourced from nearby farmers. Natural and organic ingredients are preferred and combined to create nourishing, healthy, and delicious food, which diners can enjoy in a beautiful setting next to the Eerste River.

That’s definitely my vibe, so I thought it was very fitting for me to have lunch there after the farm visit. It was fairly quiet which suited me fine because it meant we could have a table outside under the trees. It was a Saturday lunch time so I was surprised by how quiet it was, but I think most people head to Moyo or take advantage of the Deli at Spier. Eight is tucked away around the corner so if you’re not looking for it you could easily miss it.

The menu is just a blackboard, allowing them to change it each day as the menu changes to fit the available ingredients. There are very few options, [Read the rest of this entry...]

• Book of the week: No Logo by Naomi Klein. Widely regarded as the activists bible, it certainly got me started http://bit.ly/9ZD1XE #
• What are the best 5 restaurants at the Waterfront? Here's my selection http://bit.ly/b6VSXh #
• RT @rudimentals: We're performing this weekend, 6th March, at Dunes in Hout Bay with Tidal Waves and Rockafellas http://bit.ly/9FpYFp #
• Don't forget about the Taste of Cape Town ticket giveaway, save yourself R160 http://bit.ly/cgdfK6 #
• New option for Fri drinks: Pool party at the One & Only with DJ Nick Matthews, all welcome from 4:30pm RSVP poolparty@oneandonlycapetown.com #
• Slow Food committee meeting has ended up at La Boheme for dinner. Awesome. #
• George Monbiot's thoughts on the ultra rich who dedicate themselves to avoiding paying taxes http://bit.ly/9tITB2 #
• ECCR report suggests that Shell could reduce community opposition in Nigeria if it just cleaned up after itself http://bit.ly/aABi7y #
• RT @michelle_matt: Interesting graphic showing the strength of evidence for certain health supplements http://ow.ly/1dBaa (via @seedmag) #
• Col'cacchio launches their new Celebrity Chef's pizzas this afternoon. I will be there to taste them and meet the chefs http://bit.ly/95Zh0C #
• RT @RossouwsRstrnts: Another artisan roaster worth a look is Deluxe Coffeeworks on Church St Cape Town at MandelaRhodes. #
• Yum, Col'cacchio's celebrity chef pizzas are tasty. Better than last year I reckon. R5 per pizza goes to Red Cross Children's hospital. #
• Skype has released the full version for Symbian phones, which means you can run it on your Nokia. Download it from the Ovi store. #
• I think headlines that play on words are a bit 2009, some of the newspaper article headings don't even make sense anymore. #
• Toasted cheese & raw onion, a close second to toasted bacon & egg as my no. 1 mid morning snack. #NotSoHealthy #
• Oblivion's permanent special 2 for 1 cocktails 5-7pm everyday + Sun & Tues 2x standard size pizzas & a bottle of house wine for R99 #
• Only 5 spaces left for the Slow Food Mother City visit to the biodynamic chicken farm at Spier on Saturday http://ow.ly/1e85g #
• Telkom has reduced calls to cellphones by 22%, mostly it's now cheaper to phone a cell from a land line than from another cell. #
• Goldfish at Kirstenbosch on sunday is sold out. But you could check out The Rudimentals at Dunes on Sat, 3pm http://bit.ly/9FpYFp #
• Learn more about Cape Town's Green Goal project, in place to help us host a responsible World Cup. Very informative site http://ow.ly/1ekqC #
• RT @matthewbuckland: what the average family on various countries of the world eat – a photo essay http://ow.ly/1etLV #
• Everything you like I liked 5 years ago – saw that on a T-shirt. It made me laugh. Not sure why. #
• Classified German government report indicates that efforts by the UN & the EU to clean up our oceans have failed entirely http://ow.ly/1ewRU #
• This morning I'm off to the biodynamic chicken farm at Spier with Slow Food Mother City http://ow.ly/1eV7F #
• Al fresco lunch at Eight at Spier. Nothing wrong. #
• Food at 8 is simple but good. I ordered the roast chicken and salad, source from the farm we visited next door. #
• Awesome evening in Cape Town, just had a good game of tennis & a swim at the gym. Now going to test out Casa Nostra up the road. #
• Casa Nostra couldn't serve us pizza because they ran out of dough. Not ideal. #

A lot of people assume that I don’t enjoy eating at the V&A Waterfront because it’s a mall and it’s always packed with tourists. This is not in fact true, the Waterfront may be a mall and it may be packed with tourists, but I do eat there often. There are several reasons I eat there: The view is amazing from some of the restaurants, it’s conveniently located, parking is easy and I actually like having tourists around (I love seeing people enjoying Cape Town). But the main reason I eat at the Waterfront is that there are actually some decent restaurants there. Here is my top 5 restaurants in the Waterfront (in no specific order): [Read the rest of this entry...]

• Food Lovers Market (opp McDonalds in Claremont/Cavendish), half price sushi – Monday – Thursday from 5pm – 10pm #
• Enjoying the MAN series? (even if you're not) Visit the website for interesting posts by & interviews with the cast http://bit.ly/ah6LNw #
• Don't forget Relax with Dax is giving away 5 double tickets to Taste of CT. Save yourself R160, details here http://bit.ly/cgdfK6 #
• Book of the week: Sticking with Michael Pollan, his new book is Food Rules, which gives simple advice 4 healthy eating http://bit.ly/c110iW #
• A little birdie told me that Madame Zingara will soon be resurrected. Question is, are we talking tent or restaurant? Anybody know more? #
• RT @CapeTownMag: off to Beleza for quick cocktail (half price between 4-6) and Rafiki's for a pizza (2 for 1) #
• RT @WYWS_CT: Don't forget to book for tonight's screening of You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: 021 424 5927 http://tinyurl.com/mgoudo #
• You may not know that the Table Bay is my favourite hotel. I'm stoked to be invited to a special evening there tonight http://bit.ly/9FwB4H #
• Finally the Cape Town Stadium Visitor's Centre reopens http://bit.ly/da9nLR #
• SA overtakes France in UK wine market http://bit.ly/9voNuy #
• Vaudeville, it's not quite the Zingara Tent of Dreams but still well worth a visit. My review http://bit.ly/cAj3L4 #
• I've put a new poll up on Relax with Dax. Help me choose a tag line http://bit.ly/cDr86 #
• RT @DavidDonde: RT @TRUTHcoffee: we open TRUTH. coffeecult officially tomorrow morning… at last! yeah! #
• Just checked into the Table Bay hotel, feeling like a larney. These slippers are so coming home. Expected at the bar in 10. #
• Kitchen time was interesting, happy to be sitting around a table at the Atlantic Grill Room with an awesome menu #
• RT @slowmothercity: Beer & food pairing at @andUnion was fantastic. Artisan beers, seasonal food and bucketloads of passion! #
• RT @slowmothercity: Some SA names (Stellar, Du Toitskloof) get the nod in this Guardian story on best Fair Trade wines http://bit.ly/92IZ0W #
• I received a Yuppie Chef gift voucher recently, what a great gift. I can't decide how 2 spend it, everything is so cool http://bit.ly/a2bCMk #
• RT @CapeTown_2010: Cape Town's Integrated Transport Plan online for easy viewing http://bit.ly/975jj9 – very interesting #
• Slow Food Mother City is visiting a biodynamic chicken farm on 06/03, see how it should be done (event is kid friendly) http://bit.ly/d8YfcX #
• Looking for decent Italian? You may be surprised to find it at the Waterfront. My review of Meloncino http://bit.ly/bTM8sj #
• RT @TasteofCT: Tickets on sale at Computicket- limited tickets available so book early to avoid disappointment! #
• Off to &Union to host 2nd Slow Food Mothercity event. #
• Feel like something different this weekend? Why not check out the polo tournament at Val de Vie, it will be a good jol http://bit.ly/c7csL1 #
• If you're attending the Cliff Richard or Elton John concerts at kirstenbosch, check out these pre order picnic baskets http://bit.ly/afboMI #
• RT @CapeTownMag: RT @tajcapetown: Our restaurants Mint and Bombay Brasserie are open, The Twankey to open soon http://bit.ly/bZGNhL #
• Prime Circle + Kirstenbosch + nice weather = 1 x awesome Sunday afternoon. That's this Sunday http://bit.ly/33Odry #
• Catch the Design Indaba Expo this weekend and expose yourself to some cutting edge stuff http://bit.ly/bnUUES #
• RT @TheRoundhouseCT: Tonight is the last Sunset Grooves at The Roundhouse for this summer! Will you be there? Book your tbl on 021 778 6807! #
• Another option this weekend is the Constantia Fresh festival where you can taste some lovely Sauvignon Blancs http://bit.ly/bvtNxK #
• RT @michelle_matt: RT @afairweather: The Hummer is finally dead. Good riddance to it I say http://bit.ly/bK62rq #
• RT @winecoza: New Italian restaurant in Franschhoek http://bit.ly/aN2Vi6 #
• Cape Town produced the most stunning evening for us to appreciate at The Roundhouse, pity that was the last sunset session there this summer #
• The Design Indaba expo is impressive #
• ok, so I need 2 tickets for Kirstenbosch tomorrow. Anyone…? #
• RT @Royale_Eatery: New deluxe shake made with Patron Coffee Tequila. Delicate espresso flavour, a touch of toffee liqueur,& vanilla icecream #
• I'm still looking for 2 tickets to Kirstenbosch this afternoon, if anybody knows anybody… #
• Prime Circle are actually damn good and Kirstenbosch never disappoints #LoveCT #

There are so many restaurants in the Waterfront and being a local, I don’t eat in the Waterfront that often. This is why it has taken me so long to get to Meloncino (they have been open two years now) even though I have heard many good reports. I decided on my most recent visit to skip Sevruga for a change and try out Meloncino which is on the upper level (old Sports Cafe). The view from up there is stunning, we sat on the balcony but it’s very open so you can see the beautiful view of the mountain from almost anywhere in the restaurant.

Meloncino is authentic Italian. I had a quick chat with one of the owners, Paulo, and he informed me that his parents are restaurateurs in Italy so I shouldn’t have been surprised. The menu items are in Italian with English explanations, I’ll just give you the English. For starter, we shared the mozzarella, rocket and pine nuts wrapped in
cured beef, sliced and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, black pepper and vintage balsamic (R75). It was a lovely light starter, not huge wedges of cheese but rather delicate slices. They also brought a little selection of breads which we devoured with the starter and some extra olive oil and balsamic. We actually got charged R12 for bread but I don’t know if that was for the bread they brought at the beginning (which we did not completely consume) or the bread we asked for later on to mop up some sauce.

For mains, I had the slices of grilled sirloin steak topped with fresh rocket, cherry tomatoes, lemon, oregano and shavings of Parmesan (R135). My dining partner had the home made potato and spinach gnocchi in a cream and Gorgonzola sauce (R79), but he requested Napoletana sauce instead of the gorgonzola which they happily arranged. Conversation was sparse once the mains arrived because [Read the rest of this entry...]

If you have limited knowledge of the history of theatre, then like me you won’t now what Vaudeville means. But these days, we need not be ignorant for long. Google and Wikipedia come to the rescue again and provide us with the following definition:

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill. Types of acts included popular and classical musicians, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, female and male impersonators, acrobats, illustrated songs, jugglers, one-act plays or scenes from plays, athletes, lecturing celebrities, minstrels, and movies. 

That is exactly what you can expect when you visit Vaudeville in Mechau Street, just off Buitengracht. I’m sure that Vaudeville will not be happy about me drawing comparisons between it and the Madame Zingara Tent of Dreams, but I have to. They are basically the same concept, so the Tent of Dreams is the most appropriate point of reference.

If you went to the Tent of Dreams, then you will know what to expect. A three course meal and a variety show to entertain you from beginning to end. I would say that Vaudeville is about 85% what the Tent of Dreams was, which means that it’s definitely worth a visit. I’ve been twice, once under invitation and again with a group of friends and the experience was fairly consistent.

The show is definitely more of an attraction than the food. [Read the rest of this entry...]

• RT @leezl: World No 1 restaurant, El Bulli, to close permanently after sustained losses http://nyti.ms/dy17qk #
• Book of the week: Enjoy Coke? Are u aware of the atrocities Coca Cola commits around the world? Belching Out The Devil http://bit.ly/aATR5g #
• I've found a gem of breakfast & lunch option. Please don't read this review otherwise the place will become crowded http://bit.ly/bJPm9q #
• Slow Food Mother City is presenting at Southern Suburbs Green Drinks at Josephine's Mill tonight http://bit.ly/aCvUzp #
• RT @CapeTown @duncandrennan wildlife photographer of the year exhibition at Iziko is worth the visit http://bit.ly/8V4pBK – tnx for reminder #
• Tao Yuan in Seapoint Beach Road is now offering half price sushi all day. Welcome to the club guys, a bit late really http://bit.ly/alMszc #
• Bad with money? Or not sure how to invest what you have? Check out these excellent financial management short courses http://bit.ly/a0Dvwn #
• For the vegetarians: Learn to cook some awesome, easy dishes at the vegetarian evening at Sense of Taste cooking school http://bit.ly/ard0P4 #
• Backsberg, Dr Paul Cluver & Inge Kotze (of BWI) all win awards in the Drinks Business Green Awards http://bit.ly/9qZ5Xf #
• Catch the documentary You Can't be Neutral on a Moving Train – a tribute to Howard Zinn. 22nd Feb at the artscape http://bit.ly/cwAJLB #
• Old Mac Daddy reveals the winners who have been chosen to decorate the trailers in Elgin http://bit.ly/ca4U55 #
• Just Jinjer is at Kirstenbosch this Sunday, I have a feeling the tickets will go fast. They were on sale from today http://bit.ly/33Odry #
• Not being allowed to use your cellphone in offline mode to listen to music on the plane is idiotic & irritating. Get with the times, people. #
• RT @slowmothercity: Artisan Beer & Food Pairing at @andUnion is now FULL on both nights! http://ow.ly/16joa #
• Wow, Durban is flopping hot and humid. Renting a car without aircon was a mistake! #
• Let me help you. Click this link to see how you can win double tickets to Taste of Cape Town, saving R160 http://bit.ly/cgdfK6 #
• You'll be surprised at how many requests for restaurant recommendations I receive. I usually respond but sometimes… http://bit.ly/avhvqq #
• Attending a conference at the Karkloof Spa and Game Farm, very nice. It's way better than the website, that's for sure http://bit.ly/aQgneY #
• Get yourself to the Natural & Organic expo at the ICC this weekend http://bit.ly/bPC2t2 #
• RT @TasteofCT: 19 restaurants on board. See if your favourite is at this years festival http://bit.ly/9kbgwb #
• My rant about restaurant recommendations seems to be making me some enemies http://bit.ly/avhvqq #
• My response to the restaurant recommendations debate. Will the readers love me again? http://bit.ly/didr7f #
• I attended a presentation by the sustainability manager at Woolworths. Very interesting, read my thoughts here http://bit.ly/aSu5VK #
• I had dinner last night at a restaurant in Durban called The Market. Nice place, great food but they brought me '07 when wine list said '05 #
• RT @spitorswallow: Spit or Swallow currently shows @hautespoir as top rated wine farm! Congrats! http://wyn.cc/8rfs8 #
• RT @arnoldsonkloof: All Day. starting soon : LMG Full English Special incl Cappuccino R29 ….starting Feb 26th till end March #
• Returning to CT now. Will check out the Natural & Organics expo (http://bit.ly/bPC2t2), then catch Just Jinjer at Kirstenbosch later #LoveCT #

The other day I attended the Atlantic Seaboard Green Drinks. They happen every month but I was particularly keen to attend this one because the presenter was the sustainability manager at Woolworths, Justin Smith.

Woolworths always gets a hard time about their packaging, but I know that they are actually doing some really good work in the sustainability direction. I had heard a little about this at a previous event I attended, so was eager to hear more.

As I listened to the presentation, the questions asked and the answers given, I realised something. For each issue that people raised, Woolworths had already done research and put in place a strategy to address it. Many of the strategies involve fairly long time frames with targets to meet along the way. This is why we often don’t see the changes because they are subtle.

Most people go on about the packaging at Woolworths and Woolworths is aware of this issue. They have measured the [Read the rest of this entry...]

You will not believe how many emails and text messages I get every week asking me to recommend a restaurant. Now I don’t mind occasionally helping out with a recommendation but it’s kind of annoying when I am given no criteria. This is my worst, which I received today (and hopefully the sender reads this and sends me a better request):

“I’m looking for a restaurant reccomendation for the Cape Town city bowl area – nothing tooo fancy but good food and worth going to.”

So, there are plenty of great restaurants in the city bowl. You don’t want it too fancy, does that mean it must be fancy but not too fancy? Good food? I’d take that as a given, and worth going to as well. Basically the only restaurants you have knocked off the list are Ocean Basket and Spur and even the Ocean Basket might fit the criteria.

These are the things I need to know: [Read the rest of this entry...]

We did a giveaway with Cloof wines a few months ago and that was very successful, except that one of the winners was in the USA as we forgot to specify SA only! Anyway, Cloof were very accommodating and have made a plan to get her some wine.

We have another great giveaway (for Capetonians, unless you’re happy to get yourself to Cape Town). Taste of Cape Town is happening on the 24th to 28th March 2010 at Rhodes High School in Mowbray. I attended Taste of Cape Town last year and enjoyed it. I do love tasting lots of different dishes so it was pretty exciting to cruise around and taste dishes from some of the top restaurants in Cape Town. Read my review from last year here.

There is no denying that it can be an expensive day, with the R80 entrance fee and approximately R30 a taster. So that’s where I come to the rescue. I have five double tickets to giveaway to five lucky readers.

If you would like to have a go at winning these tickets, this is what you need to do: [Read the rest of this entry...]

I recently reviewed Voila and Lazari on the Cape Quarter. These are pretty cool breakfast options if you’re happy to wait for a table and pay a fortune for your breakfast. Walking distance from the Cape Quarter (up the road and right along Waterkant street) is a little gem called Cafe Max, hidden on a quiet road you would not normally traverse.

Peaceful, no queue for tables, friendly and good value. This place really is a gem. I opted to sit in the al fresco area which is a similar size to inside (about 5 or 6 tables) and enjoyed the peaceful sound of the water fountain next to me. I ordered a glass of orange juice (R14) while I checked out the menu. There is the usual selection of breakfasts: Health (R35), eggs benedict (R42 with bacon, R50 with salmon), omlette (R49) and the option I went for, which was the sunshine breakfast (R29) which included coffee.

Now, let me tell you what’s in the sunshine breakfast: Two eggs, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, baked beans and toast. It was all a very generous portion and it was well prepared and served nice and hot. Let’s take a minute to compare value… [Read the rest of this entry...]

• Book of the week: The follow up to the Everyday Economist, The Logic of Life by Tim Harford http://bit.ly/dlR3Xf #
• I popped into Gourmet Burger in Cavendish for lunch yesterday, not bad but not great . Read my full comments here http://bit.ly/aqObRG #
• The American Dialect Society has voted 'Tweet' as word of the year for 2009. 'Fail' was voted most useful word http://bit.ly/9ftXkI #
• Kubo's Little Japan in town has reopened as Sushi Master. New owner, similar vibe. Which means good value, no frills http://bit.ly/9CxSPb #
• Best Ugly (ex 0932) in Greenpoint is undergoing hectic renovations. New owner? New place? Anybody know anything? #
• Good article in the Business Day re how the new Companies Act will make company directors personally liable for environmental crimes #Win #
• 1800 at the Cape Royale is running a special offer during Feb, R99 for 200g rib-eye steak and a glass of wine. #
• I'm very much looking forward to Ultimate Frisbee on the beach a little later. It's the best way to exercise. #
• D7 on the rooftop of the Grand Daddy hotel tomorrow, 6pm. I saw this acapella band perform recently, they are fantastic http://bit.ly/5mTlFm #
• Wow, it seems my ticket applications were all unsuccessful. I am currently the proud owner of 0 tickets for the World Cup. Awesome. #
• RT @andUnion Just unpacked @AndUnion – 7 day hung, Chalmar Beef Biltong!! http://twitpic.com/12740z – I need some of that! #
• Re the rib eye steak special at 1800 that everyone is retweeting, it does not include a starter, only an amuse bouche. #ManagingExpectations #
• I hear that Big Concerts has decided to move the Elton John concert from Hell de Vie (wise), to Kirstenbosch (Not convinced). #
• 4 of the 6 discs in the CD changer in my car are SA bands. What's your ratio? #ProudlySA #
• Atlantic Seaboard Green Drinks happening at La Vie in Seapoint at 6:30pm. Guest speaker is head of sustainability at Woolworths. All welcome #
• The new SAFeAGE website is looking great. Go check out the good work they do trying to protect us from GM foods http://bit.ly/bNVpBh #
• I need to be able to accept credit card payments for a short term shop, traditional bank setup not an option. Suggestions? #
• RT @DanniiMinogue: New fab restaurant in Cape Town The Duchess of Wisbeach. Try the Sticky Apricot Pudding and Courgette Fritters! #
• Green Drinks at La Vie was good. Head of sustainability at Woolworths gave an interesting presentation, they have some good stuff going on. #
• RT @arnoldsonkloof Share the Love: Smkd Salmon, Red Wine Lambshank, Choc Mousse, 2 Cuppcino R200 (for 2) all weekend till sold out #
• RT @arnoldsonkloof Tomatoes, some of the greens and mushrooms are now organic…. on request of Dax, now sourced! #
• My Kleine Zalze wines have arrived. Right in the middle of #Detox month. My task is to share them & write about it http://bit.ly/bphKDE #
• Apparently Blowfish restaurant has had a serious fire. #
• Mandela's release was a historic moment. Did you know that u will soon be able to buy a piece of the original Robben Island fence. #Memento #
• One thing I like about Google Buzz is that you can put friends into groups and then you can select certain groups to see a specific update #
• Also, Buzz updates appear in your All Mail folder so you can search across updates and mail at the same time. I like integration. #
• RT @Franschhoek_SA: Excellent advice on which restaurants in Franschhoek to go to http://bit.ly/dzMYAe #
• I'm easily pleased but hard to impress. Waterkloof estate restaurant impressed me http://bit.ly/aw0AXj #
• RT @granddaddyhotel The Cafe has a new menu and the only @vidaecaffe to be open until 10:30pm! Amazing new salad bar coming soon… #
• Sultan's Schwarma has opened in Long St, where The Quarter used to be next to the Grand Daddy hotel. I wonder if it's a late night option? #
• RT @pizzaclub_hb: from today we serve &UNION beers (www.gabrielcollective.com) at the Pizza Club – Very nice! #
• The Breakfast Hunt took me to the secret Cafe Max in Greenpoint. What a great find, review Monday http://bit.ly/chLXLa #
• Anybody else using Google Buzz? I need some people to follow. Find me at relaxwithdax[@]gmail.com #
• Some quick sushi at Beluga before heading to the Artscape for the Sterling EQ concert and VIP afterparty. Shame. #
• Sterling EQ putting on excellent performance at the Artscape. #
• Happy Valentines to all. I'm off to Buitenverwachting to share a Valentines picnic with a beautiful lady. #

Some people have a picture in their mind of what a wine estate should look like. That picture normally involves lots of big trees, long driveways and Cape Dutch style homesteads. A lot of wine farms do look like that, but they are normally the older ones. Newer wine farms get to choose their own style, some may try and emulate the traditional style, but others are keen to be unique and even functional in taking advantage of elements of the estate. Waterkloof Estate is a relatively new estate with the oldest vines being around 17 years old. This estate has very little in common with the typical traditional wine farm, even though it does border on Vergelegen, one of the oldest estates around.

The main building is a very contemporary structure of concrete and glass. It is situated right on top of the hill to take advantage of the amazing vistas. From the outside, it’s an imposing edifice but as you walk in it transforms into a gentle and welcoming space. On entry you walk along a passage with leads you to the centre of a room which is enormous. Not only is it triple volume, but you can see all the different elements of the estate offering. To your right is the open kitchen where you can see the chefs in action preparing the food, next to that is the wine sales desk and the space in front of the desk and kitchen is the wine tasting area with a fireplace which steals your attention as you walk in.

Past the wine tasting section is the top floor of the winery, which is walled with glass so you can see the fermenting tanks and when we were there we could also see people going about their work (in this case bottling the rosé). Then to your left is the restaurant with it’s stunning views. The main building is situated high up on the hill and to the one side is a view of the vineyards, the other side looks out over False Bay. To take advantage of these truly stunning views, the restaurant is made from glass so that whichever way you look, you are spoilt. Obviously a concrete and steel building with a glass box on the side is not everyone’s cup of tea, I personally don’t mind it and quite enjoy seeing something different when visiting a wine estate.

We started with a wine tasting. Waterkloof has three ranges of wine [Read the rest of this entry...]

• Good morning and welcome to #Detox February. I just did some press ups. #
• Book of the week: If you enjoyed Freakonomics, you'll love The Undercover Economist: The economics of everyday life http://bit.ly/9zWh40 #
• An interesting article for those who say that eating meat is bad for the environment. It depends on how it was reared http://bit.ly/cthfcX #
• Finally, my review of Jardine. Perhaps not much use at this point but here it is anyway http://bit.ly/dvy5mz #
• That cool song I heard the other day (Afrikaans by Dans Republic http://bit.ly/cqNQJL) is available for free download http://bit.ly/d9lj8j #
• I'm off to see Avatar in 3D tonight. Mainly because I want people to stop telling me to go see it. #
• Petrol price increases tomorrow so don't forget to fill up today #recession #
• Avatar was amazing and watching things in 3D is rad. How do they do that? #
• Sundowners at The Roundhouse this friday cancelled due to private function, but back to normal next week. #
• I need to get this on record: the Apple iTouch was a waste of time. The iPad is a giant iTouch, therefore the iPad is a giant waste of time #
• Picking up takeaway sushi from Beluga. Watching all the tables of diners makes me want to stay 4 dinner. Glad nobody is here to twist my arm #
• The parking lot at the Point Virgin Active is now a maze and it seems I can only leave in the direction of Greenpoint. I live in Seapoint. #
• The official RWD art consultant has been accepted as an exhibitor at the 2010 Design Indaba. We only use the best http://bit.ly/97Q5RV #
• More screenings of A Sea Change have been organised because the others were sold out. Labia, 8th & 9th of Feb, 6pm. http://bit.ly/cQFWbT #
• RT @TasteofCT: The Greenhouse, Overture & Societi Bistro – some of the restaurants at Taste of CT this year, full list: http://bit.ly/9kbgwb #
• The Madame Zingara crowd have sprinkled their magic dust over the Sidewalk Cafe in Vredehoek. Read my review http://bit.ly/cIO117 #
• Jardine review corrected and updated with a link to my previous review of the Jardine bakery http://bit.ly/dvy5mz #
• RT @PeteGW: Wild Woods is up & running – Our fab new bistro in Hout Bay – No nonsense home from home food http://bit.ly/cnbge8 #
• Slow Food Mother City has started a blog on Food24.com http://bit.ly/dA2sZz #
• Do your good deed for the week. Vote to help a musician friend of mine win an opportunity to perform & boost her career http://bit.ly/9TSd7p #
• Apparently Lance Armstrong will be riding the Argus in March. We should have the wind again, really put him to the test. #
• FIFA has done authorisations on my credit card, so looks like I have some tickets but judging from the amounts, only group stage *sigh* #
• The Thurs 7:30am spin class at the Point gym is awesome. The Tues 7:30am spin class is less awesome. But Fri 5:30pm 90min class is the best. #
• RT @underinfluence South Africa's top Chenin Blancs being tasted at the Roundhouse tonight – join in! http://tinyurl.com/ycspnpn #
• RT @ColCacchio: Receiving the recipes for Celebrity Chef Series. Six top SA chefs, six gourmet pizzas – can I attend the tasting session? #
• A new sushi lounge bar called Knoxville has opened above the Ocean Basket in Kloof St. Open Wed to Sat, 8pm to 2am. DJs all night. #
• Good weekend ahead, Vaudeville (http://bit.ly/cnHe4k) tonight and then WaterKloof restaurant again for Saturday lunch (http://bit.ly/9227rt) #
• And this time at Waterkloof I'm definitely trying the koeksister icecream as well as the tequila sorbet! #
• RT @mothercitylivin: RT @the_ecologist: Cancer and pesticides: the legal floodgates have opened http://bit.ly/bEKZsP #
• On the 1st Sat of every month &Union is serving grilled lobster with their famous weiss beer for only R180 http://bit.ly/aYbi5n – tomorrow! #
• RT @DombeyaWine Busy trying to get the restaurant fit out finished. By the way, it will be called "Long Table". Opening in March. #
• Everyone must read this! Release yourself from the chains of ignorance & simultaneously save yrself from the charlatans http://bit.ly/9BUzDo #
• Looking for something different to do this Fri evening, why not check out Aperitivo Fridays at La Bottega? http://bit.ly/bHK7wv #
• It seems strange that Ricoffy's tag line is 'fresh percolated taste' – I can't imagine it could taste any less like fresh percolated coffee. #
• #RandomFact I'm finding Fair Cape milk goes off before the date but Darling milk lasts well past the date. Anyone else? #
• Global Carbon Exchange has created a very useful recycling directory for SA. Find out where to take everything http://bit.ly/9zT6Lk #
• Just had my gym bag stolen from my locker at the Point Virgin Active. Epic #Fail #
• 2nd time at Vaudeville confirms it is great. Review Monday. #
• Lunch at Waterkloof estate today was superb. The restaurant is top & the views are breath taking. Wine is good too! http://bit.ly/9227rt #
• At Game replacing my stolen gear, and buying a lock! Just spotted cool table tennis bats. I miss playing table tennis. #

My name is Dax and I am a cynic. I do not trust people, and I really do not trust corporations. I do not trust newspapers or TV, in fact I don’t trust most media. I guess if I think about it, I don’t trust people much too. Some people tell me I’m a cynic, as if it’s a bad thing. I’m quite happy being a cynic; the sad thing is that I’m seldom wrong. What I like about it is that I am never disappointed, but on the odd occasion I am pleasantly surprised. This book should be read by everyone, and once everyone has read it I think there will be a lot more cynics around.

We seem eager to buy and buy into all sorts of products, remedies and theories. Magazines and newspapers are forever telling us about some new ‘development’ and we assume the science behind it is 100% because they wouldn’t lie. They may not be lying, but they are often stretching the truth or even twisting it.

Do you recognise any of these topics?

• Homeopathy
• Patrick Holford
• Antioxidants
• Matthias Rath
• Measles, mumps & rubella (MMR) vaccination

These along with many others are dealt with in this book. To take one as an example, we are told over and over that [Read the rest of this entry...]