M-Net is slowly rolling out details about its MasterChef Season 4, set to air on 28 February for the first time, at 18h00, on Mondays – Thursdays.
We know the names of the three new judges and we know the name of the new venue at which the filming took place.
Now we are introduced to the 20 home cooks who made the finals.
I cannot resist writing a story about Chef Bertus Basson’s latest TV series, ‘In die Sop: Restaurant Evolusie’ on kykNet, a Gordon Ramsay-style ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ reality TV series in which restaurants are given 72 hours in which to be transformed. It is aired on Wednesdays on KykNet at 20h00, the first episode airing last week. The title of the series ‘In die Sop’ refers to restaurants being in trouble.
The irony is that Basson himself has been no expert in restaurant design when one considers his ‘crap’ Spek & Bone off Dorp Street (one of the most widely read reviews on my Blog), and De Vrije Burger on Plein Street, both in Stellenbosch. Surprisingly, Basson admits to his restaurant faults: ‘I’ve achieved great success, but I’ve also made a lot of mistakes and learned lessons that have cost me dearly. I want to share these insights with other restaurant owners.’! His admission should lead him to unban me from his restaurants! Continue reading →
There is only one way to get back to South Africa from South America, and that is from São Paulo in Brazil. I decided to grant myself a little rest break in Rio de Janeiro, while I was in the country, rather than visit São Paulo, at the end of a three-month trip in Cuba and in South America. I visited the top tourist attractions and restaurants in this city. Continue reading →
On Saturday evening I was invited by Chef Matt Manning to attend the One Ingredient dinner, each of the magical five courses containing mushrooms, and each course paired with Vondeling wines. The highlight was the use of porcini in the dessert! Continue reading →
Today I attended the launch of Food Network‘s ‘Private Chef’ Season 1, which will be broadcast internationally at 20h00 from 7 April. The TV series is presented by Chef Neil Anthony Vaughn, who is a Private Chef operating in Cape Town. Continue reading →
Last June, whilst on holiday in Europe, I made the spontaneous decision to fly from Munich via Dusseldorf to Nice, for a lunch. The lunch at JAN Restaurant was the highlight of my eating career to date. Today JAN Restaurant, Continue reading →
I enjoyed seeing ‘Burnt’, a movie about an American chef chasing the third Michelin star for his London restaurant, but I was as anxious as his staff about winning the additional star! It provides an excellent perspective on what happens in top restaurant kitchens and dining rooms, and how Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news
* Actor and comedian Russell Brand is making a second attempt to visit our country, after having previously been denied entry when his passport did not have the required number of empty pages, reports the Weekend Argus. He will perform at Grandwest on 3 October.
* Facebook has opened its first office in Africa, located in Johannesburg, reports pctech Magazine. The continent already has Continue reading →
Almost a year after leaving Camphors at Vergelegen as an Eat Out Top 10 restaurant, Chef PJ Vadas has announced that he is setting up The Hog House on the Werf craft Bakery and Café in the more than two hundred year old Jonkershuis building at Spier in October.
The media release received from Spier states that Chef PJ will be baking breads and pastries in the custom-built wood-fired oven, and offer a light menu for breakfast and lunch. Continue reading →
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Pop-up restaurants are here to stay, and are increasingly supported by food lovers who are prepared to pay a premium to attend such a restaurant. They give young chefs an opportunity to try their hand in running their own mini-restaurant.
* Cape Town’s Tourism Big Six has grown to the Big Seven, with the addition of the Cape Town City Walk, a new service which is to be launched on Saturday 18 April, a walk covering the Company’s Garden, the Fan Walk, St George’s Mall, Waterkant Continue reading →