Relax with Dax

22/8/2011 – Please be sure to check the comments below my reviews because I update the reviews there. Many reviews are from years ago but I have updated them in the comments section when I have returned.

11/4/2010 – A lot of people seem to miss the search feature of the site. If you’re looking for a specific restaurant or topic, use the search bar at the top right hand of the page.

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

• #SaveTheDate Encounters Documentary Festival at Nu Metro V&A, 10th – 24th June. Choose the ones you want to see http://t.co/XHrYRunw #
• De Grendel wine estate now has a restaurant. Another nice addition to the Durbanville wine route http://t.co/CYyikr5N #
• RT @petegw: Only 3 more days tıll The Canteen opens for lunch. Chılled daıly changıng bıstro gear. 22 Brıckfıeld Rd. 0214482433 #
• #SaveTheDate Franschhoek Literary Festival, 11-13 May http://t.co/McEYdhuQ #
• Settling in at #NetProphet and the music is getting us quite amped! # [Read the rest of this entry...]

The Olive Festival is always appealing to me for 2 reasons, I love olives and Riebeek Kasteel is one of my favourite small towns. Despite the appeal of the Olive Festival, I haven’t managed to go for the last few years due to calendar clashes. So I was pleased to be able to make it this year.

It hasn’t changed much from the last time I went. The ‘passport‘ is a new development. Modelled on the Wacky Wine Weekend passport, you pay R80 and get a wine tasting glass and tokens which give you entry to the various (7) official stations or venues.  I say official, because there are other places like the Olive Boutique where you don’t need a token for access.

We started at Kloovenburg, which is probably the biggest olive producer in the area and they sell a big range of olive products as well as wine. In addition to their own products on offer, they have a little market selling things like cheese and things to eat like pancakes, sandwiches etc. After tasting various things and picking up some olive oil and wine, we moved onto the 2nd venue which was the Emporium tent in town.

That was actually a mistake, we should have gone to other spots then ended at the Emporium. We met up with friends at the Emporium and got stuck there. We found ourselves a shady table (it was a sunny day) and bought some wine and it was impossible to get the group to move to another venue as they were too comfortable. The Emporium was basically a big open space with  stalls around the perimeter. There was also a beer tent which was showing the rugby and had a great selection of craft beers. I quickly acquired a pint of Pumpkin Ale from Boston Breweries which I have grown quite partial to. There was also an alcoholic ginger beer called, Dragon,  which was so awesome that I had to make a concious decision to stop drinking it.

One thing that disappointed me at the Emporium was finding some olive products that were imported. I don’t think it’s  right to be selling imported olive oils, etc at a festival where we are trying to support the local producers which make a much better quality product than the international stuff that gets dumped on us.

I eventually convinced a mate to come on a walk about with me to check out the other venues. So we jumped on the cool tractor taxi and popped into [Read the rest of this entry...]

• They will refund you but won’t respond to your tweet RT @mothercitylivin: 2nd time not able to redeem a Groupon because business has closed. #
• It’s the last day of the Cheese Festival. If you’re heading there, check out my top tips for things you should try/buy http://t.co/d2tDWCcB #
• #CurrentlyReading Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference http://t.co/hW6lNNrZ #
• Did you know Lonesome Dave Ferguson is in town and has a bunch of gigs lined up? Here are the details http://t.co/htKIhWsG #
• Recently got an 8ta data contract. 10GB per month for R199. Best value deal out there, I’m loving the freedom http://t.co/MlIpEQFL # [Read the rest of this entry...]

This year South Africa continues it’s slide down and off the World’s top restaurants list. Last year we had 3 in the top 100 with 1 (Le Quartier Francaise) being in the top 50. This year we have only 2 in the top 100, Le Quartier Francaise at position 57 and for the first time, The Test Kitchen at position 74.

La Colombe has left the list entirely, after dropping to position 82 last year.

Spain and USA dominate the top 10 with 3 positions each, while Noma in Denmark takes 1st place as it has for the last few years.

The full list is below. You can read more about the awards at the website.

1 Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
2 El Celler De Can Roca, Girona, Spain
3 Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
4 D.o.m., Sao Paulo, Brazil
5 Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
6 Per Se, New York, USA
7 Alinea, Chicago, USA
8 Arzak San Sebastian Spain
9 Dinner, Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental London, UK
10 Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA [Read the rest of this entry...]

• Peeps, do your tastebuds a flavour and get hold of this danya chutney by Quality Pickles. I’m putting it on everything! http://t.co/oP9uEmCe #
• Oops, yesterday was Earth Day and I totally missed it http://t.co/37Hf5MBb #
• 1 reader commented that Taste of CT was a waste of money, another argued that it’s a great festival. What do you think? http://t.co/5SGW4PGP #
• RT @foodbarn: This week, lunches, monday to thursday, 50% off the a la carte menu. It’s just awesome to see people enjoying this deal. #
• I recently heard that out of approximately 140 ‘Save the Rhino’ charities, only 20 could produce a set of accounts on request #Dodgy # [Read the rest of this entry...]

The popularity of the cheese festival hasn’t taken a knock with the move to the new venue last year. Driving there this morning I saw the familiar “Sold Out” signs and heard the usual stories of people arriving and not being able to get in. There were many thousands of people there, it was vibing. Big time.

It’s pretty much the same experience as last year. I didn’t really notice anything radically new. I didn’t buy much cheese as I didn’t see the kind of cheese I like (gorgonzola), but I did buy a bunch of other cool stuff. Here’s the stuff I bought, my tips for you…

Thought it would be a good idea to start with some cheese, seeing as it was a cheese festival and all… This blue cheese Danish feta from Arista Dairy was awesome. So smooth and creamy but with a not too subtle blue cheese taste.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

The Top 100 SA wines for 2012 were announced on Thursday evening. This year they had nearly 400 entries, substantial growth from last year. You have the opportunity to taste the winning wines at the One & Only hotel on the 10th of May. Tickets available from Webtickets.

More information on the Top 100 SA wines is available on the website.

Here are the winning wines:

MCC
Bon Courage Cap Classique Jacques Bruere Brut Res 2007
Boschendal Grande Cuvee Brut 2007
Longridge Brut 2008
Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel 2007

[Read the rest of this entry...]

• I must say that the fact that ragging Gingers has become acceptable, even trendy, is very disturbing. #
• Received a PR release about how PET plastic can be fully recycled. They neglect to mention that 99% of plastic does not get recycled anyway. #
• Getting my geek on at the Google conference today. Follow the action with this hash tag #GoogleEngage #
• Sorry, the correct hash tag to follow the Google Engage conference is #EngageCT #
• Oh boy! I have the list of the Vineyard Hotel’s winter wine evenings. These are good value & some top wines http://t.co/xSx5IPxG #
• Excited to see my face on one of the slides in a presentation at #EngageCT – fame at last! #
• #SaveTheDate Riebeek Valley Olive Festival, 5 & 6 May http://t.co/GcVk5rPD # [Read the rest of this entry...]

Here are the menus for Taste of Cape Town this year. Leave a comment on which dishes you’ve tried and how you rate them so we can see which are the ones to avoid and which ones we must try…

Find out more about the festival at the Taste of CT website.

The 2nd page of the menu is after the jump…
[Read the rest of this entry...]

• #GrammarTip Former and latter can only be used when presenting 2 options, more options require specific reference eg. First, 2nd, last, etc. #
• I’m noticing a distressing trend of upmarket restaurants putting poor quality olive oil on their tables. Really detracts from the experience #
• Flip, a lot of wine estates are closed on Monday and/or public holidays! Found a table at Roca on Dieu Donne in Franschhoek. #
• Settling in for a wine tasting at Leopard’s Leap. First visit since the launch. #
• The shiraz at Leopard’s leap is really good value at R42. We bought a case. Now for lunch at Roca, a most amazing view! # [Read the rest of this entry...]

• About 10 full page ads by big banks in the Sunday Times re fees. Meanwhile, I’ve saved over R5000 in fees in 2 years by moving to Capitec. #
• The amount I save in bank fees with Capitec in 1 year is more than my Outbonus after 3 years with Outsurance #Perspective #
• Gourmet meat free monday at Catharina’s on Steenberg tonight with Slow Food Mother City. Also keen to see the new champagne bar… #
• Free Stellenbosch Wi Fi now live http://t.co/tZBqOCFV #
• Love the new Graham Beck champagne bar at Steenberg. Look at these canapes for the pairing! http://t.co/WnPZN2q3 # [Read the rest of this entry...]

• Reminder: Vitality members with a Discovery credit card are getting double cash back rewards at Nando’s for March if they spend over R150. #
• Only just learned that perogative is actually spelled and pronounced prerogative. I suppose you all knew this already? http://t.co/fUDGDRMs #
• Here are my thoughts on the 2012 Eat In Awards along with the results http://t.co/3EHBt8kZ #
• Maybe 1 less caffeine-rush today? Every mug of coffee uses up to 140ℓ of water to produce! #CloseTheTap http://t.co/N3mXYFlv cc @IsobelSeed #
• #JustHeard that Oona’s Kitchen (ex Crush) in Wembley Square has closed. # [Read the rest of this entry...]

It was only recently that I started to understand the value of good quality cookware and kitchen utensils. Having grown tired of trying to dice and slice things with stupid, blunt little steak knives, I purchased some Global knives. It changed my life. Whereas before I cooked only seldom, cooking became such a pleasure that I started cooking regularly, once a month.

Just kidding, it really made cooking a pleasure. The next high quality item I purchased for my kitchen was a hand blender from Yuppiechef, with all the accessories. It can whisk, blend, chop and more and at different speeds. I don’t know how I lived without it.

Then, came the non stick pan. A Scanpan, also from Yuppiechef. It’s amazing, cooking in it is a pleasure but I actually enjoy cleaning it too, because no matter what I cook in it, it’s clean in microseconds.

I love my Scanpan. But the truth is I wanted the Le Creuset pan. Le Creuset cookware is the ultimate, not only in quality but in looks too. When people see you cooking with Le Creuset cookware, they immediately give you maximum respect and admiration. They secretly wish you would adopt them. [Read the rest of this entry...]

I need to share this video with you because it’s really awesome. It reminds me of one of the first X Factors when that cellphone salesman who looks unimpressive suddenly starts singing awesome Opera and everyone falls off their chairs. Same sort of vibe here. I love these sorts of videos.

But I also want to use this video to illustrate a point. I recently used my review of Phantom of the Opera to complain about people who give standing ovations to every performance of every show they go and see. I find this frustrating because it means when you really want to express that you have been really moved and impressed by a performance, you have no way of demonstrating that because even the most basic of performances are receiving standing ovations.

You can read more of my thoughts on the matter by clicking through to my Phantom review but now to the point, this video demonstrates what a standing ovation really is. When people are so moved by a performance that they stand up involuntarily, an unconscious reaction to an outstanding performance. Enjoy.

We can’t all be Masterchefs, but thanks to Nomu I got the chance to be a HalfArsed-a Chef along with a bunch of other fun quasi celebrities. We had great fun competing against each other in the various challenges. Certainly the normal rules of cooking did not apply and as for the unwritten rules of kitchen etiquette and fair competition, well, you judge for yourself!

The first challenge was to build a tower of boerewors. We won this challenge thanks to brilliant ‘outside the wors‘ thinking of chef Neil Anthony (yes – it did help having a real chef on my team! Follow him on Twitter as @neiLLanthony) as well as my other team mate Liezel van der Westhuizen (follow her on Twitter as @Liezelv). It may well have been the only edible entry!

So here we go, in all it’s glory and in the spirit of not taking ourselves too seriously, the first episode of HalfArsed-a Chef: [Read the rest of this entry...]