Home sweet home...

October month came with a big wintry sigh...echoing how we are feeling. So we decided to make a date and stay at home. With a cold front blowing in from the sea and everyone except Peet stuck in traffic, we had no other choice but to almost finish a bottle of pink bubbles on our own. We opted for Groote Post's "Old Man Sparkle" whilst Merle selected Pink Graham Beck and Pierre Jordan...

 

Here is a write up:

 

"The Old Man’s Sparkle Brut Rosé is an elegant salmon-hued Cap Classique with a fine creamy mousse, gorgeous notes of crushed strawberries and raspberries and a silky smoothness on the palate. The Old Man’s Sparkle was crafted according to the age-old tradition of a second fermentation in the bottle, which lends a classic yeast and biscuit flavour that lingers on the palate. It was hand-riddled in wooden riddling racks, before disgorging and dosage. Two years in the bottle before release adds complexity and structure to the wine. The Groote Post Old Man’s Sparkle Brut Rosé retails for around R97."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The theme was "Pink Sundowners" so I tried to have something pink in every dish...



 

Waiting for Caren to join us....

 

Peet and I had an hour to drink to...everything before the rest of the Goddesses arrived.

Pink rose quarts for love....

We had garlic mushrooms with cranberry (pink!) Roquefort cheese to start...

Followed by pink vodka penne with pink salmon fritters...

A
nd to finish, a pink pomegranate yogurt mousse tart.....all of a sudden I feel a bit peckish :)

Always such a pleasure to see the girls and to top it off, I received this mail from my dearest during dinner...sending love to the Goddess Circle!

 

Till next time - love indeed xx

Scrumptious Saigon...

We tried to squeeze a date in between critically ill family members, overseas travel plans and an upcoming birthday. Although it was bitter-sweet without Peet, it was such a pleasure to see each other again. We chose Saigon, as it won the Eat Out award this year for the best Asian restaurant in Cape Town. We were not disappointed. This stalwart still has the pizazz to get a nod from the harshest critics.

We had a calamari salad and their pepper mushroom dumplings with Villieria Brut to start with - divine....

We tried the Tamarind Prawns, the Teriyaki Salmon and the Beef Chili Hot Plate for mains. All agreed that the Salmon took the honours, although the starters stole the show for me.

 

 

Then last, but definitely worth a revisit, the deep-fried Vanilla Ice-Cream...wow, with peanuts and honey it was absolutely spot-on and a winner!

 



 

As usual, this evening was not so much about the food, albeit it is highly recommended. We have been through a very rough year and there is no doubt that this monthly ritual is a saving grace. Peet lost her dad a few hours later, but was in our thoughts and our hearts on this special night.

 

Om namah shivaya...

Till net month xxx

 

Polished Pepenero's!

Our monthly special fix - yay!!!

Merle advised that we would be meeting at Pepenero in Mouille Point. Definitely not new to the neighbourhood, yet for some reason overlooked...and we were pleasantly surprised. The interior has an elegant yet cosy feel, blending era's effortlessly. The food was excellent, the wine (and sparking wine - thanks Peet!) very quaffable, and the company....just awesome!

We had a Butternut & Feta table salad to start, which disappeared with a few gratified noises. The mains was all about Seafood: Caren and Merle had the Seafood platters and I had a whole baby Kingklip. Peet decided on Prawns in homage to Oliver. We could not fault a single thing...

Obviously the best was saved for last. Caren had the chocolate fondant, Merle, Peppermint Crisp tart and Peet the Creme Brulee with a dessert wine. I ended with an Irish Coffee, which paled in comparison :)

 

 

 

 

 

As always - a beautiful evening with amazing women.

Till next month - Salut!

xxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Society Bistro

So Peet saw the menu from Society Bistro and promptly booked a table for us. The Goddesses together again, after a month of absence - mainly due to Caren's roaming around in China!

In we walked, one by one, all looking a bit travel-weary. Merle's Chinese massage may have had something to do with her look, as for the rest of us, we just needed a bit of feminine energy!
(This is almost starting to sound like a Chinese theme evening, which, barring the beautiful bags and chop stix we all received from Caren, it definitely was not!)

On to the Society Bistro: Cosy, with a log fire burning. As small, but well put together menu. We were not disappointed...

Le Menu!

Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rose...

Cheers Caren!

And Peet spreads the love...

Merle and Anne-marie - happiness!

And thanks to our very own Sommelier, Stephan, we had the most exquisite Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir!

Butternut salad - very good!

Beetroot carpaccio...tasted as good as it looked.

Merle and Caren had the Lamb Shank...and left the plates clean, which says it all!

I had the mushroom risotto, which I can highly recommend.

Peet had a boerewors and something pasta, whcih looked divine.

Caren & Peet...

Anne-marie & Caren....

Fresh cheesecake, heavenly :)

Chocolate Nemesis - indeed!

Lemon Tart...njammelam!

 

Unfortunately Merle's lemon sorbet looked like it tasted when I imported the pictures -

White round objects on a white plate, which was no representation of the perfect taste!

 

 

The Gourmet Goddesses - Namaste, until next month!

One sultry summer's evening...

This month, the Goddesses were invited to Caren's "sex in the city" apartment, at the foot of Table Mountain. And nature pulled out all the stops! Not a breeze in the air, balmy light and later, a near full-moon...



How beautiful is this?!



And the mountain in the background...



Just as beautiful inside as outside...



Festive and spread with love...



Our goddess hostess in action!



And Merle arrives - bearing gifts :)



And Peet - very happy to see us :))

Let me get started on the food:

We had scrumptious Natchos...and this was all that was left!



The evidence left after 3 minutes says it all!



Finger licking good...

Oh, and a real classic bubbly, Pierre Jordan was enjoyed by all!




Njammelam!!



Merle hangs on to the glass :)

And the main was lovely salads and a quiche:




Beautiful, healthy and perfect for the weather...



Basil, pesto, baby tomato and buffalo moz salad - divine!



Pear, butternut, walnut and blue cheese salad - yum!

And for dessert - an ongoing celebration of my birthday (a month ago!) I was surprised by beautiful gifts and a red velvet cake with butter icing...thank you Caren, Peet & Merle.
Love you to the moon & back :)



So special!



Wishes for abundance for all!



Again - evidence of scrumptuousness!

Till next month - L'hiem and chag sameach!




Love!