That Blog

Last year, I started That Blog with my first post of the fab Winter Specials Restaurant List happening in and around Cape Town. The list does the rounds every year and generally offers some GREAT specials at some fantastic restaurants. This year is no different…

There are a couple of lists doing the rounds this year…but I really like this one and think I should point it out to you too. It covers the whole country…although, can safely say that the best specials are available to the lucky peeps in Cape Town…and you are able to click on each restaurant name and be taken to a link that has reader reviews and details of the restaurant. What a great idea!!

Click on the pic below to go and see the great work that the clever foodies at Eat Out have done for you!!

Link to the great Winter Specials list on Eat Out site

Thanks so much to Katharine Jacobs and Jana Cilliers for the great work!!

And for some Winter Special reviews, keep an eye on Batonage and even post some reviews there too to help all out!!

Happy dining!

It is not a closely guarded secret that I do enjoy the finer things in life…so, I need to tell you about my most recent discovery- just incase you too have a penchant for these things! 

Anything that has the tag line “eat + drink + enjoy + celebrate” is going to be close to my heart…so when I saw these words in an e-mail a little while ago, I knew I was on to a good thing! Winestyle magazine launched a few months back and the second edition, arrived in my postbox (the actual thing, not my inbox) yesterday. I can’t wait to kick back, relax and read it this weekend…hopefully, whilst sipping a nice glass of wine and enjoying the last bits of summer! (more…)

So girls, are you secretly hoping that your man finds his way into a shopping mall over the next few days and purchases you something a little racy and gorgeous this Christmas? Perhaps, you are hoping he will spice up your underwear drawer a bit and give you a bit more to choose from other than those unexciting, but ever so practical Woolies bras??

Well, perhaps you want to point him in the direction of this little video clip…I have a sneaky suspicion that once he has seen these gorgeous girls, he will be high-tailing it off to La Senza faster than you can say “Ding, Dong, Merrily on High” and your underwear drawer will be looking fab by Boxing Day!

The ‘Cup Size Choir’ is made up of seven models dressed in just their bra and knickers singing a note from A to G based on their cup size in cheeky ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’.

A few years ago, my family discovered the amazing meal that just keeps on giving…The Tur-duck-en. For those of you that don’t know what that is, it is a  deboned turkey, stuffed with a (deboned) chicken, stuffed with a (deboned) duck, stuffed with stuffing…or if you find it easier to say, Tur-duck-en. (I prefer to hyphenate the word, as it seems that some people are a little put off at the thought of eating something that has the word Turd in the name.)

So, as you can well imagine, this is a gargantuan amount of bird to get through and if your family is as small as mine, not even a post-Christmas Turkey Curry buffet will save you from Turkey/Duck/Chicken sandwiches for days to come!

So, if you aren’t up for putting together the old traditional Christmas feast and can’t be bothered with constantly having to peer into a hot oven to see if that little red thing has popped out the Turkey’s rear, why not get the good peeps at the Mount Nelson to do it all for you.

Check out the variety of Christmas meals they are hosting…

CHRISTMAS EVE

Planet Restaurant
Date: 24 December 2010
Time: 19h00 onwards
Price: R890 per person. We regret – no children under the age of 12
Menu: Festive 5-course Table d’ Hôte Menu
Dress: Elegant

Oasis Restaurant
Date: 24 December 2010
Time: 18h00
Price: R495 per adult / R195 per child under the age of 12
Menu: Extensive Festive Buffet Selection
Dress: Casual
Entertainment: J Russel Instrumental Jazz Duo

Join the choir for Christmas carols around the fountain from 18h30 to 19h30.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Oasis Restaurant
Date: 25 December 2010
Time: 12h30 onwards
Price: R695 per adult / R220 per child under the age of 12
Menu: Extensive Festive Buffet Selection
Dress: Casual
Entertainment: Enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the company of the B3 Jazz Duo.

Planet Restaurant
Date: 25 December 2010
Time: 12h30 onwards
Price: R730 per person. We regret, no children under the age of 12
Menu: Festive 5-course Table d’ Hôte Menu
Dress: Smart casual

The Ballroom
Date: 25 December 2010
Time: 12h30 onwards
Price: R730 per adult / R280 per child under the age of 12
Menu: Extensive Festive Buffet Selection
Dress: Smart casual
Entertainment: Mike Perry’s 4-piece band

Good news is that the Planet Bar will open on 25 December from 12h00 onwards for festive pre-lunch and dinner drinks…to ensure you get the whole family in the Christmas spirit, or is that drinking the Christmas spirit?

They will also give you a complimentary sparkling wine and Pimm’s on arrival!

If you are looking for something completely different to do on Christmas day, what about…

Afternoon Tea in the Lounge
Date: 25 December 2010
Time: 14h30 onwards
Price: R185 per person / R95 per child under the age of 12
Menu: Festive-inspired Afternoon Tea buffet
Dress: Casual
Entertainment: Resident pianist

No need to slog away preparing that massive Christmas lunch/dinner in Cape Town this year (and dealing with the mess afterwards)…the Old Mount Nelson can do it all for you! Although, I can’t guarantee that they will have Tur-Duck-en on the menu,

By the way, these prices are inclusive of festive novelties and service charge.

For reservations, contact restaurantreservations@mountnelson.co.za or +27 (0) 21 483 1948

www.mountnelson.co.za

Yes, that’s right!! That Blogger is back and hopefully here to stay! I know a few of you have commented on my absence, but the good news is that I am back and if my new corporate employer can tone down a little on the deranged work hours, I will be blogging a little more often that I have been!

So much has happened since I last wrote…not sure where to start….

I returned from a lengthy 4 months on the mud island and started work in Jozi…I am still in denial about the fact that I am not spending my week days in Cape Town, so like to think of this as a very temporary measure and if anyone asks where I live, I still answer Cape Town. I have to admit that this does get the occasional side wards glance from people who see me at work every day in the heart of Sandton…but so what. In my mind, my return to Cape Town is imminent…so why let anyone else think differently!

I will do my best to keep you updated on the exciting happenings and news from both cities for now!

Not that dissimilar to an Atlantic Seaboard sunset is it?

Jozi girls, do I have a treat for you…

One of my favourite boutiques in Cape Town, Habits,  is making their bi-annual trip up country and you need to get there…I know that when I lived in JHB,  I always used to get VERY carried away at the Habits Trunk Shows, but if you think that you are saving yourself the cost of an airticket to Cape Town, then you are actually saving by spending!! Makes sense doesn’t it??

They will be bringing some great crushed linen numbers for summer, 7’s jeans (oooh, we love those!!!), the core travel wardrobe (because being the international jet setters we are, we all need a core travel wardrobe), a new safari story, all the brights, stripes and and and… 
Check out the website www.habits.co.za to see what other little treats they are packing into their trunks for their trip to Jozi or email joburg@habits.co.za for an invitation to this one and a half day affair

Where:  The Wanderer Club, Illovo
When:  Wednesday 15th September (07h30 – 17h30)
                Thursday 16th September (07h30 – 12h00)

Happy shopping Girls!! Tell them that That Blogger sent you!!

That Blogger has the interests of her peeps in Cape Town at heart and knows that one of those interests is definitely vino! So…when I saw this little advert pop into my mailbox, I knew it had to be shared with you.

This is a great opportunity to stock up your wine supplies with some amazing wines at AWESOME prices.

Wine from really good wine estates for less than R20 a bottle is not something to sneeze at!!!

So girls, we have spoken about the dire state of the Manscape and deliberated over the best techniques to lure the Eligible Single Bloke into our lives…and I think we have found the answer. Take up pole dancing!

She looks like she is having fun and has a hot bod...it must work!!

Honestly, it is fun, it supposed to be an awesome way to tone your bod, lose those winter centimeters and improve your fitness. I have never heard a bloke complain about a fat pole dancer at Mavericks, so it must work…so maybe it is worth a try!! Not to mention what images it will conjure up in the minds of ANY bloke when you casually throw into conversation that you can’t do drinks on Tuesday evening because you have pole dancing lessons !!!! I don’t think the Manscape will be barren for much longer if you can throw that little line around a few times!!

“That is a brilliant idea!!” I hear you say. “Where do I sign up for it??”

Well…Do you remember I told you a while back about Twangoo (The Great Introduction)…those clever people that source AWESOME specials and you can sign up for them and if enough people sign up, the offer kicks in and you all save? Well, guess what? They have a special on Pole Dancing lessons…get a lesson for R50 instead of the usual R100!!

All you need to do is head to their site (Click on the link Twangoo) as soon as possible and sign up. The special is limited…so you need to get there quickly to sign up! Although, if you do miss it, R100 is not a lot of money to add a VERY valuable arrow to your quiver (so to speak )

So, I have come to realise that there are actually those that are not quite as fortunate as I am…i.e. they will not be doing their shopping on Regent’s Street this weekend and instead will be trawling the malls of Sunny South Africa for their retail therapy. If you are one of those less fortunate peeps and happen to be living in Jozi…there is a little treat install for you that should make your feel a little better about your lot in life. The International Fashion Sale is on again at the Coca Cola Dome from the 29th of July to the 1st of August. Admittedly, the Northgate is not as well known as the fashion and shopping meccas of London, New York, Rome and Paris…but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t a whole heap of new brands and exciting purchases to be made. So…if you are looking for somewhere to spend your hard earned loot this weekend, why not make your way to the Dome.

I did spot this picture advertising the sale and have only one thing to say…even if you are young, gorgeous, have a good bod and are wearing precious little…you still cannot get away with wearing black shoes and white socks EVER!!!

Fashion Help Needed too...

Anyway, hopefully, if you spot this young man, please will take him under your wing at the Fashion Sale and help him out a bit…

To read up for on the sale check out their website www.internationalfashionsale.co.za

So, a little bird tells me that it is all happening at the Big Pink thing behing the Labia…you know…the Mount Nelson!

Yip, the legendary restaurant, Cape Colony , will be closing at the end of July, and something brand new and VERY exciting shall open in its place on 1 November 2010. They will be doing an overhaul of the original dining hall and turning it into something slick and stylish…hope someone makes me slick and stylish when I am over 100 years old!!

Anyway, the Executive Chef Rudi Liebenberg and his team of specialist chefs are in the process of testing recipes which will form the basis of the new restaurant menu, and the hotel’s Food and Beverage team is compiling a new wine list to complement it.  This sounds very exciting and I certainly hope that the barren manscape has changed to feature a few suitors that might like to entertain me at the Cape Colony!!

Don’t forget that the Winter Special of a 5 Course meal for R200 per person is still running at the Cape Colony until the end of July…so get there quickly before the overhaul begins!!

Visit the website http://www.mountnelson.co.za/web/ocap/cape_colony_restaurant.jsp for more information.

Dedicated That Blogger fans, I owe you a massive apology!! I assure you that whilst I have not been writing to you daily, it does not mean I haven’t been thinking of you loads!!

I am still here on the Not So Muddy Island and still loving it. Unfortuantely I have been spending my weeks working, but have definitely made the most of the weekends!! I have been shopping up a storm, dining at fine restaurants and enjoying the best of English summer. Although, am nervous to say that my phone has been ringing about as often as Big Ben chimes…not from friends and family phoning for a chat, nope…Standard Bank card division are fairly convinced that my credit card has been stolen and being frantically abused by a deranged shopper in London. Despite my persistent assurances otherwise, they still seem to think it necessary to call for a chat whenever a new flurry of shopping starts up…bless, only my best interests at heart!! But really…the sales are on and what is a girl to do but make the most of it!!

As yet, my return date to Wintery SA has not been confirmed, but I can say that it is pretty likely that my luggage scenario may look a little like the Rooney family returning from their holiday in Barbados!!!

A flurry of porters off load the Rooney loot

One x Massive white van and a series of porters required to transport all the luggage. I fear that even with the expanda zip and the fact that my numerous pairs of new shoes are all very small…it is going to be a tight squeeze!

Will keep you posted on how that goes. Perhaps I should alert the kind soul collecting me from the airport that they should start recruiting for porters!

Please send news from Sunny SA! I miss you all terribly!

Hiya (I have picked that up since I got here…not quite the same ring as “Howzit”). How you all doing back in SA? I hope you have all been Keeping the Flags flying and none of you have been plunged into post-World Cup Depression. What is life like after the World Cup? I miss it terribly!!!

Well, the first few days in Londontown have been fab. I arrived on Saturday and navigated myself to the little South African enclave known as Putney. The sun was shining and I could have sworn that Putney High Street was the direct route to the beach. The girls were wearing very little and bikini’s tops seem to have taken over as the underwear of choice for summer!! I felt decidedly overdressed in my t-shirt and shorts!!

It would appear that my initial referrals to the Mud Island are somewhat misplaced…this place looks like it hasn’t had a drop of rain in months. The normally lush green parks look something like what I recall school hockey fields looking like in mid-winter!! Unbelievable!!!

So far, all has been good…I have learnt to very important lessons early on and hopefully not too many more to come

1) Don’t wear high heel shoes to walk anywhere other than in the office. Nobody else does and if you do, you WILL be in a WORLD of pain. We are not trained to cover such distances in high heels back home and boy do you feel it!!!

2) Do not leave home without an umbrella. Even though the place looks like it hasn’t seen a drop of rain since the Reign of Henry the 8th, that is a misnomer and it WILL rain on your walk to/from the office/tube station. Hair + rain = disaster.

Hoping to hit some sales this weekend…so will report on High Street fashion and attempts at Celeb spotting!!

Miss ya!!

Happy Friday to all of you!!! Hope the week has not been too brutal and the slow weaning process from the mania of Soccer World Cup 2010 has been alright for you. I have to say that I was left at a bit of a loss as what to do with my evenings when I had free TV viewing time between 4:30 and 10:30pm! What did we do in the evenings before SWC? I guess it is a bit like the question “What did we do before cellphones?” The answer…we didn’t know any better and so just managed!!!

Why have I stuck a random picture of Picadilly Circus in this post you may well ask?? Well, as the heading of this article suggests…That Blogger is going on an adventure. After a brief work hiatus, I am venturing back into the world of gainful employment (am very sad to say that blogging is not quite paying the rent) and in a brilliant turn of events, my gainful employment (more…)

Way back in the early days of That Blog, I gave you the heads-up about an awesome new on-line shopping site that was about to launch in sunny SA…do you remember? Or maybe it was before your time. Anyway, click here for a little refresher…

So…that amazing new on-line shopping site has now launched and there are some pretty exciting things going on there. It is called Twangoo and it is a really interesting approach to buying services and stuff on-line

Let me give you a quick run down of how things work there…the clever blokes at Twangoo have been frantically sourcing deals from loads of different shops and service providers. They will then run a deals for 24 or 48 hours…you will read about it on their site or if you follow them on twitter or facebook. If you like the deal, you will sign up for it…you then need to persuade your mates to sign up for the deal too. The reason for this, is that every deal has a critical tipping point and so only kicks in when a certain amount of people have signed up to it…so if it is something you really like, you need to make sure it hits the tipping point. Pretty cool idea isn’t it??

The launch special is a pretty awesome one…basically, if the deal hits tipping point and you have signed up for it, you can get 3 of the following spa treatments at Suntra Spa 15 on Orange Hotel for just R670.00

• massage,
• scalp therapy,
• reflexology,
• facial,
• body polish,
• Guinot technispa slimming / firming treatment,
• pedicure or manicure

Have you been for a spa treatment recently? If you have, you will know that this is a VERY good price for 3 treatments!! Imagine…total pampering for 2.5 hours. WHAT BLISS!!! This is such good value, why don’t you treat your Mum or even your best friend to this amazing experience

So…all you need to do is head to Twangoo and sign up for the deal and then get your girl posse to do the same…the deal tips and hey presto, everyone’s a winner!!!

Happy shopping Gals!!

Remember I told you about the awesome weekend away for That Blogger and friends to the Agulhas Wine Festival? Well, it looks like it is time for another out-of-town adventure to go and do some Whale Spotting at the De Hoop Collection Whale Weekend.

You may not know this, but That Blogger was part of the semigration from Gotham City (aka Jozi), so the sight and novelty factor of a real Whale that isn’t disguised as a Metro policewoman and is actually splashing about in the ocean is truly exciting one!!

Metro Cops...Closest thing to a Whale in Jozi

We were lucky enough to spot 3 whales when we where there for the Wine Festival, but by all accounts, the whales have arrived en masse and it is a sight to behold. I can only assume it is because the Whales knew that the Whale Festival was taking place this weekend and so made sure their travel arrangements got them to De Hoop in time. Whales…they are clever like that you know?!

If the weather isn’t ideal for sitting on beach for too long, fear not…there are awesome log fires in the cottages that lend themselves perfectly to red wine and a good book and if you feel like learning a bit, there will be a leading whale authority staying there this weekend who will happily share expertise and stories.

Come on…you know you want a weekend away…so why not head to De Hoop Nature Reserve. There is everything from tight budget accomodation to some pretty luxurious spots (check it out here) and if you head there during June and July, you will get 25% off your booking (Tell them That Blog sent you). Come on…get booking!! I will tell the Whales to hang around for a while longer if you can’t make it this weekend

Call 0861 33 4667 or e-mail info@dehoopcollection.co.za for bookings.

The clever gals at Habits have come up with a Soccer shirt with a difference and That Blogger will definitely be sporting one of these little numbers for the next game. Don’t you just love the jumbled letters…a bit like some of the game results of this World Cup!!

Get yours from Habits in Claremont or available on-line at www.habits.co.za

Incidentally, if you are concerned that your shopping might interfere with game viewing…fear not, Habits is screening the games on a flatscreen TV and will be serving De Grendel wine to calm your nerves.

I was sent a link to this great music video the other day and have subsequently seen it on a couple of other fab Cape Town blogs.

I just love this video and thought that just in case you hadn’t seen it yet, you might want to check it out…

Doesn’t it just make you want to live in Cape Town??? Oh wait, I do…Lucky Me!!! Long may that last!!!

That Blogger and friends managed to tear themselves away from the Soccer for an evening and headed off to the Chef’s Warehouse & Cookery School for an evening with the unbelievably talented, award winning Luke Dale-Roberts from La Colombe. May I remind you that La Colombe has just been voted 12th out of the top 50 restaurants in the world by the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. I think you can safely say that Luke knows his way around the kitchen!!!

I do enjoy cooking and eating A LOT, but have to say that I realised fairly early on in the demonstration that I was probably just there to watch a Master at work rather than pick up any menu ideas for my next dinner party. Food that Luke prepares is an absolute taste sensation, as well as a total visual treat…and I am not sure I have the patience or the time to try and pull that off on my own!! I suspect that it might be INFINITELY less stressful and possibly even cheaper to go and enjoy the meal at La Colombe rather than try and prepare it myself (especially if the Winter Special is on!!) Nevertheless, it was a wonderful evening and on the off chance I ever want to dedicate many hours of my life to preparing something spectacular for friends or family…I do have the recipes!

These were the culinary delights that we were treated to through the evening:

Carpaccio and Seared tartare of Springbok or Venison, Black Pickled Celeriac, Semi Dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Baby Marrow Cannelloni, Basil Mayo, Pine nut and Lemon Thyme Gremolata.

Next up was a Tiger Prawn and Grapefruit Salad with warm Vanilla and Parsnip Puree.

and then to finish off it was the unbelievable medley of desserts…Chocolate Collar filled with Vanilla Creme Catalana and Caramel Foam, Mini Apple Tart Tartin and Salted Caramel Popcorn.

Each course was paired with an amazing wine and so it really was a true epicurean experience. My only complaint about the evening was that the portions were really not very big and so some of the group were still a little peckish by the end of the evening. Other than that, it was incredible…such wonderful food and wine and learning something too!!

Chef’s Warehouse have a few other courses that they will be running and they look awesome. There is the Artisan Baking Course that runs for 6 weeks, then the Imported Wine tasting evening and the Champagne evening. Click on the links to read more about them. These really do sound awesome and I think the wine and champagne evenings would be a great thing to do with a bunch of friends. Book now!!!

So, first there was designer glasses frames and now we have gone one step past that, to designer eyes. Now, you can get contact lenses with the ‘CD’ logo etched in alongside gold flakes…because everyone knows nothing brings out your inner vampire like unnatural eye colors!!

The contacts have a ‘CD’ logo etched on the left side and a gold strip covering the entire right side. There’s also what appears to be a black rim surrounding the circumference of the contact. Am hoping that the wearing of designer contact lenses doesn’t limit you to mascara that makes your eyelashes go all clumpy like that though…not a GREAT look!!

That Blogger is not completely sold on this new fashion item to be honest…We are all for non-permanent ways of playing around with your look, but branding your eye ball? Is that not taking things just a smidgen too far. Can’t wait to see what the designers at Louis Vuitton and Gucci can do to improve on this…LV is not known for making things subtle and understated, so the Battle of the Eyeball is bound to be an interesting one!!

That Blogger has returned from an awesome weekend up country. The Opening Game is something that I will remember forever…in fact, probably, for many years after I have lost the full function of my sense of hearing as a result of the amazing sound of all those vuvuzelas gathered in one place! Well worth it though, the day was incredible!

Anyway, I was told about these beautiful art prints and thought you might be interested in buying something really special to remind you of this awesome time in our country. Obviously, that furry soccer ball hat that you bought outside the Stadium will always remind of you this special time, but perhaps you are looking for something a little more classy…or that you can have out on display ALL the time! A selection of local and international artists were invited to create works that celebrated art and soccer. Each print is numbered and come with a signed certificate of authenticity. (Click on the pics to see them enlarged)

There are loads more beautiful pictures that can be viewed on the FIFA™ Website, but these were just some of my favourite ones.

You can chat to Suzie Copperthwaite on +27 83 468 0363 or e-mail suzie@artlogic.co.za if you want more info about the artworks.