Relax with Dax

As you would expect, this year’s Platter’s Wine Guide is bigger than ever with over 900 producers and over 7000 wines listed. There is no other guide that is this comprehensive. I attended the launch of the new guide this week at the Vineyard hotel. The 5 star wines were all available for tasting, which [...]

Sake House is hidden away down a dead end road in Claremont. It’s the Old Stanhope Road, just before the big intersection which connects to Landsdowne Road as you head toward Kenilworth along Main Road. The restaurant has a modern streetfront, well lit and with big glass doors which show off the appealing interior. When [...]

The recipe for Pinotage on Tap hasn’t changed much. Last year I did a full review and linked to my previous reviews as well, but this time I’m just going to point out a few of the good and bad things. What I’ve realised about Pinotage on Tap is that it’s a really friendly event. [...]

I recently attended the Sunday Times Food Awards at the Foodcorp Innovation Centre in Black River Park. The awards are designed to recognise individuals within all areas of the food industry. There are awards for Chef of the Year, Young Chef of the Year and Stalwart of the Kitchen. As well as an award for [...]

Here’s the line up for this summer of Kirstenbosch concerts. Some really great ones there. The prices seem to have standardised at R100 except for Parlotones at R125 and a couple that are below R100. Carols by Candelight are R60 and the new year’s eve party with Prime Circle is R250. Details about how you [...]

It was interesting attending two very different beer festivals on the same weekend. I attended the craft beer festival on the Friday night (read my review here) and Oktober Bierfest on the Sunday afternoon. Many people think this is the SAB Oktober fest but actually SAB is just a sponsor. They made the village green [...]

Toro Wine bar is at the back of the old Cape Quarter, outside on Waterkant Street. It’s  a small place, but quite easy to spot due to the large glass frontage which allows one to see inside. What you’ll see, if you do happen to look inside, is an appealing looking restaurant. But it’s not [...]

I heard about Symphonic Rocks last year but didn’t get to the actual concert. The whole idea really appeals to me, I love orchestras. When I watch a show at the Artscape I always sit in the gallery so I have a clear view of the orchestra. Watching each section or instrument coming in at [...]

I’m a big fan of the We Love Real Beer craft beer festival, you can read my rave reviews on the previous two here and here. But unfortunately this most recent one was really not enjoyable at all. All the ingredients were there for a great festival. A selection of fine craft beers, some good [...]

I think there is definitely a gap that the Toffie Food Festival fills. A festival which celebrates not just food but all the things around it. Design, community, creativity, invention, passion, and more. It’s very Cape Town. It’s a pity then, that most of the elements were executed badly. This is the first year for [...]

  I went to the matinee showing of Fiddler on the Roof at the Artscape yesterday. It was practically sold out, great to see Cape Town being so supportive its arts. I also chatted to the lead ballerina for the recent Swan Lake at Artscape and she said every night of Swan Lake was sold [...]

This event held special interest for me, not because it was Meerlust wine, nor because I would be staying over in the lovely vineyard hotel, but because I had assisted with the development of the pairings. This is the first time I have had the opportunity to do this and I found it really interesting. [...]

I’m embarrassed to admit that I have only visited the National Gallery about four times in the ten or so years I have been living in Cape Town. The first couple of visits happened within the first few years of my arrival in Cape Town, they are a distant memory. But the most recent visits [...]

I’ll start with my conclusion. If next year’s Stellenbosch Wine Festival is anything like this year’s, I’m not going. It was not an enjoyable experience. The festival is just way too crowded and while there was every description of people there, it was mostly young students everywhere you looked. It was almost impossible to get [...]

For a long time Carlyle’s was the only decent place to eat in Vredehoek. But now, Sidewalk Cafe has become popular since it was taken over by Madame Zingara and there is also another awesome spot, Woodlands Eatery. It is where Yum used to be, on Deer Park Drive. Yum was a double space, but [...]