Take Me With You...: April 2015

Over the Easter holiday weekend my family said goodbye and buried my grandmother, Mary Kenney. When she passed my family and I discussed the option of my coming home but they insisted I stay and enjoy the Easter weekend. Instead of flying home, I flew to visit my friend, Ingrid, in Cape Town!

April 3^rd and 4^th are holidays here in Zambia and so on Thursday night I flew to Cape Town so that I may enjoy as much time as possible in one of my favorite destinations. Normally, Ingrid and I do the same things: wine tasting at my favorite farm, Fairview, go to the movies, find a place to dance and eat yummy food with a Dom Pedro for dessert. However, this weekend was filled with so much DIFFERENT and I loved it!

Instead of wine tasting at Fairview, Ingrid introduced me to SPICE ROUTE (http://www.spiceroute.co.za/). I loved this place! It is the perfect all day destination with family, friends or even a great date option! There is so much to do for everyone. Ingrid and I were hungry so we stopped at La Grapperia (see menu: http://www.spiceroute.co.za/wp-content/uploads/la-grapperia-menu.pdf) first to enjoy light snacks. We enjoyed a very nice spread of cheese, meats, bread – all perfectly paired with spicy Dijon mustard and sweet fig chutney. And all of this deliciousness was enjoyed with a lovely Pinotage Rose (La Capra, which is the Fairview distribution label – win win!). While enjoying our food, wine and the view, we did also note our neighbors who were eating thin crust, fire-wood pizza! What to choose?! Next time I shall have to try the pizza! After our “light” snacks we were actually quite full and ready to move to the wine tasting. On the way to wine tasting, Ingrid stopped to buy an ice cream cone. The ice cream was made with only fresh ingredients and the flavors offered: strawberry (ripe strawberries and cream), chocolate (chocolate from Ghana), vanilla (beans from Madagascar) and cappuccino (locally grown coffee beans and cream). She chose a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of cappuccino. I chose to skip ice cream in favor of the calories I would consume during wine tasting (life is about balance haha)!

Spice Route

Ingrid and I

Hellllllllo Ingrid!

The tasting area was quite nice – very open with a beautiful view. There were people lying on the grass, barefoot, watching their kids play, taking photos or having light snacks. Others were lounging on long benches under an umbrella and some were gathered in large groups in the patio area. No matter where you were seated you enjoyed the magnificent weather and spectacular view. They offer several tasting options: Spice Route Wine Journey at R30 per person which includes a selection of five (5) Spice Route wines including Chakalaka; the Flagship Wine Journey at R50 per person which includes selection of five (5) of our single vineyard and flagship wines or the Wine & Charcuterie Journey at R75 per person which includes a selection of four (4) Spice Route wines paired with four (4) Richard Bosman Quality Cured Meats. I chose the Spice Route Wine Journey mainly because I wanted to try the Chakalaka. The Chakalaka was so different – spicy with a very nice finish. I could easily pair this with a nice steak! In the end I took two bottles of their Chenin Blanc and two bottles of the Chakalaka back to Zambia.

Pinotage rose with a view

Smoked italian meat platter

Cheese is SO delicious!

Me and my wine - great tasting!

On Saturday we celebrated the bride to be, Helga, by attending a hen/kitchen party... in other words a bachelorette party! It was a fabulous gathering of women that adore Helga and they really came together to throw her a magnificent day. I was lucky enough to join and in doing so found myself doing three new things in Cape Town!

The lucky bride to be - Helga :)

Ingrid, myself and Kim at The One and Only

Afternoon Tea at The One and Only. We arrived in style in a stretch hummer limo to the One and Only Resort in Cape Town (http://capetown.oneandonlyresorts.com/). Immediately we were greeted by a beautiful fountain and made our way to the entrance of the hotel on a lovely red carpet. When you walk into The One and Only you immediately notice the Vista bar / lounge area. The room is appropriately named as your eyes have no choice but to be drawn to and enjoy the amazing view of Table Mountain which is easily done because of the floor-to-ceiling wall of glass.

Afternoon tea with a view ...

Afternoon tea is enjoyed in the Vista bar / lounge area from 2:30 – 5:30pm daily at a rate of R195 (approximately $19.50) and includes a gourmet selection of teas and coffees. When I thought of ‘afternoon tea’ my mind always pictured what I read in Agatha Christie novels – tea served with sugar and milk accompanied with sweet or savory scones and cucumber sandwiches. The Afternoon tea at The One and Only is so much more! You are immediately overwhelmed with the selection so pace yourself! There is so much to try and it is ALL delicious! On the savory side, I enjoyed a beef puff pastry with a nice gravy and diced potatoes inside and a light puff pastry cup stuffed with minced beef and baked beans. On the sweet side, my favorite were the baked vanilla bean cheese cake and the gooseberry scone! I am a new fan of gooseberries! However, I also sampled limoncello macaroons, a carrot cake truffle, caramel and gold leaf éclairs and a lemon cupcake. With these small treats I was especially fond of the wild citrus black tea which was served in a small cast iron kettle. If you are ever in Cape Town I suggest you treat yourself to afternoon tea at The One and Only … it is definitely not the afternoon teas you read about in your favorite novels!

Happy Easter weekend from Cape Town!

Welcome to The One and Only High Tea

Tea was amazing!

SO delicious!

This cheesecake was AMAZING!

My savory plate

The View at Signal Hill. After leaving The One and Only, we took a long drive up to Signal Hill (http://www.capetown.travel/attractions/entry/Signal_Hill_and_the_Noon_Gun). Now, this drive is gorgeous! Pay attention! If you are the passenger, take a moment to simply enjoy the ride up to Signal Hill. Approximately 1100 ft. up, you are promised a spectacular view! In fact, the name “Signal Hill” derived from a time when “signal flags” were used to communicate weather warnings as well as anchoring instructions to ships below. Similarly, ships could use flags to signal for assistance. Today, people flock to Signal Hill to enjoy the view with friends, a picnic, a bottle of wine or to continue and hike up Lion’s Head Mountain. This particular day was simply to take scenic photos with the bride to be, Helga. I usually venture up Table Mountain but this was a very nice new option for me!

Breathtaking view from Signal Hill

Smiles from Signal Hill!

Dancing at Decodance. No weekend with Ingrid would be complete without DANCING! After the obligatory bachelorette party games, shots, glasses of champagne and sunset photos, we piled back into the stretch hummer limo and made our now quite tipsy way to Decodance Nightclub (http://decodance.co.za/). We arrived a bit early at 9:30pm but within an hour the club was packed! The music… let me say I AM A FAN! They played classics from the 60s,70s and 80s! When we walked in they were playing power ballad, November Rain by Guns N’ Roses (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SbUC-UaAxE)! They even played CLASSIC PRINCE, The Ballad of Dorothy Parker (http://www.wat.tv/video/prince-ballad-of-dorothy-parker-5xxnr_2hztv_.html). You have to be fan to know the song they played and when it came on I was not the only person jumping up and down, singing every word! Later in the night they played fun dance hits from the 90s as well! It was crowded but a lot of room to dance which was great! We danced the night away until 2:30am. There are two dance areas. The larger area is a smoking area but I was not overly consumed with cigarette fumes. I even barely noticed the smell on my clothes. In the bigger room there is also a stage … and a pole on that stage…just in case you feel a bit naughty! #judgementfreezone The smaller dance area is non-smoking and was a bit quiet. The bar is easier to get to in that room so get your drinks there and then I suggest making your way back into the larger dance area. Leave your credit cards at home because the club only accepts cash at the bar. Usually Ingrid and I love to dance at an Irish pub when I am in Cape Town but this place was magical! I would definitely return to the dance floor at Decodance!

I return home in June for training and while home I will have a chance to show my respect and say my final goodbye to my grandmother. I admit I am glad I took the advice of my parents as well as a close friend and chose to spend my Easter weekend in Cape Town, spending time with my good friend who I knew would ensure I kept a smile on my face and wine in my glass!

I am in Cape Town? Then Happy Phoebe!

If you are ever in Cape Town I encourage you to do the things I have mentioned in previous blog posts as well as the three mentioned in this particular post. Whatever you choose to do, you will have a magnificent time because there is no place in the world quite like Cape Town, South Africa!