Tag Archives: Fivestar PR

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 11 July

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Mercedes-Benz South Africa will be taken for a ride by the V&A Waterfront for the next 12 months,  as a member of the V&A Waterfront Partners Programme, which comes with a number of exclusive rights to connect with the V&A’s visitors, including receiving their e-mail addresses, using their venue for events, outdoor advertising, and business to business campaigns.  The V&A sees the advantage as being increased footfall, which it overclaims at 23 million per year!   For Mercedes-Benz the deal is an opportunity to become ‘visualised at the V&A Waterfront to aspirational consumers‘.

*   Fodor’s Travel has written a comprehensive article entitled ‘Wine Lover’s Guide to South Africa‘, praising our country for its excellent terroir suited to wine farming, and becoming ‘world-renowned’, especially our indigenous Pinotage.  Linking food and wine, the Western Cape is becoming increasingly associated with food excellence too. Wine tasting in Stellenbosch is recommended, at Kanonkop, Tokara, and Waterford Estate, while Indochine, Delaire Graff Restaurant, and Jordan are recommended restaurants.   In Franschhoek La Petite Ferme, Haute Cabrière, Môreson, and the unique Franschhoek Wine Tram are recommended.  The Tasting Room and Bread & Wine are recommended restaurants. In Paarl KWV is recommended, with Bosman’s Restaurant, which is overpraised as ‘one of the best restaurants not only in South Africa, but in the world’ (sic)!  Groot Constantia is mentioned as being the oldest wine estate, and La Colombe and The Greenhouse are recommended restaurants.

*   A clever and cheeky reply to EFF Commissar Andile Mngxitama, who wrote to Sir Richard Branson, saying that the Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 25 June

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*  Locals as well as tourists may find it interesting to explore Cape Town underground as opposed to looking at its beautiful oceans and mountains!  Tours of Cape Town’s underground water canals are offered for small groups of up to fifteen persons, commencing at the Castle of Good Hope, with a one hour tour of the Castle, and another one hour section of the tour showing one the fresh running water coming from Table Mountain and running into the sea.  The canals were built by the Dutch in the 17th century, and were called ‘Little Amsterdam‘ at one stage.

*   After ten years of participating in his Kitchen Nightmare TV series, Chef Gordon Ramsay has closed the door to this popular program which advised struggling restaurant owners in the UK and USA in how to save their businesses.  More than 120 episodes were filmed over 12 seasons, and were sold to 150 countries, to have been seen by tens of millions of viewers.

*   Actor Sean Penn was seen having lunch at Truth on Buitenkant Street yesterday, being in pre-production for his new movie ‘The Last Face’, which will star Charlize Theron.

*   2011 MasterChef Australia contestant Hayden Quinn, and cook, writer, and presenter,  is coming to South Africa to film ‘Hayden Quinn South Africa‘, a 13-episode series which will be broadcast on Continue reading →

‘Astronomy Gastronomy’ a star at The Cafe Grill at Twelve Apostles!

12 Apostles Astronomy Gastronomy Poster Whale Cottage PortfolioWhat a clever idea of the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa to combine its special location at the foot of the Twelve Apostles and its starlit sky with a special dinner, calling it strikingly ‘Astronomy Gastronomy‘!  

I had invited my friend Bettie Coetzee Lambrecht to join me, and by luck we had chosen the perfect evening for the stargazing, having been offered a choice of two dates by FIVESTAR PR, from whom we had received the invitation on behalf of the Twelve Apostles.  The dinner was held at The Café Grill, but with a special reduced menu for the evening having been compiled from the Azure menu, and having been prepared by Executive Chef Christo Pretorius and his deputy Chef  Chris Mare.  We were welcomed with a glass of Nederburg Brut NV, and 12 Apostles Astronomy Gastronomy interior Cafe Grill Whale Cottage Portfoliosoon Kechil Kirkham, one of our astronomy guides came to greet us, being one of two partners of Over the Moon Astronomy Tours, with Chris de Coning.  Kechil is a presenter on FMR on Fridays at 18h00, talking about astronomy, Bettie shared, listening to her program regularly. Michael Nel, the new General Manager of the hotel after Horst Frehse was promoted to Executive Director of the Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 30 April/1 May

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Table Mountain National Park is offering South African residents free entry to its Silvermine, Oudekraal, Perdekloof, and Newlands Forest picnic spots today, in celebration of its 16th anniversary.

*   SAA has announced that its three weekly flights to Beijing are departing at a more passenger-friendly time of 20h35 from today, four hours earlier than in the past, for the 15 hour flight from Johannesburg to China.

*   Only 40% of British men would order a bottle of wine in a pub, compared to 90% of them enjoying wine in their homes, for fear of being ridiculed by their mates.   Half of male drinkers would order wine in a restaurant. Male hosts to dinner parties at home would be more likely to choose a wine that could be a talking point to serve their guests, while women hosts are very unlikely to choose such a wine.

*   Chef Chantel Dartnall of Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient up north is a magnificent plater and creative Continue reading →