Food
21 April 2008 | Cape Town
April 19 20008
"You become what you think. You are what you eat."
Barbara Cartland
Let's talk about food: one of Donna's favorite subjects, and a source of nourishment and recreation for her.
Yesterday we were at the V&A waterfront and scheduled for high tea at the prestigious Table view Hotel. Donna was so excited we arrived a half hour before tea started; needless to say we had the best seats, overlooking the harbor, Table view mountain and the dessert buffet table.
The first course (along with several pots of Earl Grey tea) started with a complimentary glass of Champagne (somehow we ended up with three glasses each) finger sandwiches and quiches. The second course is one of my personal favorites; scones with lemon curd, clotted cream and jam. For the third course we were shown to the dessert table and a long description of the items began: there were at least thirty desserts ranging from fruit to pastry, cakes, cr�me Brule, tarts and rice pudding. There were different sauces available to ladle over each choice: custard, butterscotch mango, papaya and orange. I personally felt that there were a few too many chocolate selections, but seemed to be the only non-chocoholic present. Donna insists that I mention here that she did not try every single dessert.
After hours of impeccable service we departed both satiated and giddy. The price for two with everything including tip was 270 Rand, approximately $34.00 total.
Today we went to the Cape Town City harvest festival at the Mandela Rhodes Place downtown. Although I knew this was a wine tasting, I did not expect too much; I was wrong. The display of wine and food covered three floors of the high rise building and a large area outside. Many of the South African vineyards attended and the displays were beautiful. We tasted a lot of wine and bought some to put on the boat (if it lasts that long).
We eventually made our way to the seventh floor to a wonderful restaurant named Synergy on 7. We were greeted with Champagne (again) and were invited by the hostess to look around and find just the right table for us. We found one overlooking the pool area, the kitchen activity and the dining room as a whole. We were presented with an amuse bouch� prepared by Chef Charl out in the pool area. This first offering consisted of: deep fried prawn with a sweet chili sauce, marinated beef skewers, Banana Fritters with a Carmel sauce and a vegetable spring roll; all wonderfully prepared. This is where things became even more interesting as Donna began to spend more time with Chef Charl than with me. It turns out that the Chef had previously been aboard the Queen Mary and was pleased to speak with Donna about food recipes etc. We decided to stay for the set menu lunch (quote of the day "I'll have more Champagne if you will) which was excellent. The lunch was fabulous from appetizer to dessert and the service was as well.
I was making some notes for the blog, and the staff must have thought we were food critics from the NY Times as two more glasses of Champagne appeared. This is definitely a must do lunch and we will go back before leaving Cape Town. The cost for two with tip was 300 Rand or approximately $38.00.
I don't know if we can emphasize enough how good the food is here in South Africa and how nice the people are.
It is so much fun doing these things with my best friend.