Tag Archives: Karl Lambour

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 8 August

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   It’s Women’s Day tomorrow, and Franschhoek is celebrating!   Hildegard von Arnim, co-owner of Haute Cabriere, will conduct the Cellar Master’s Tour with a sabrage tomorrow.  Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa is offering a High Tea from 11h00 onwards, at R135/R165 with bubbly.  (received via newsletter from Franschhoek Wine Valley)

*   Cape Town Fringe is an inaugural festival running from 25 September to 5 October, with 89 music, theatre, art, and comedy productions, created by the City of Cape Town in conjunction with the National Arts Festival.  Some of the performances were recently staged in Grahamstown.   The City Hall will be the ‘hub’ of the festival.

*   SAA is offering flights to our country from the USA at the unbelievable low price of Continue reading →

Cape Town & Winelands Winter Restaurant specials 2014 (and winter closures)!

Restaurant fireplaceThe Winter 2014 specials for more than 90 Cape Town and Winelands restaurants follow below, and are updated continuously. We welcome information about new specials, and the feedback about your meals at these restaurants:

Cape Town

*   Umi in Camps Bay: 3 course set menu R260, 5 courses R360, both include a shared bottle of Warwick First Lady. Order 3 meals off a la carte menu, get the 4th free.  Slow cooked shortrib R110, Karan beef sirloin R95, Japanese beer marinated Karan beef fillet R120, pork belly R90, warm salmon and black bean R120, and fish & fries R85.  Tel (021) 437-1802 (added 10/5/14)

*   Pepenero in Mouille Point : Order 3 meals and get 4th (cheapest) free; Sirloin R89, Rump R89, Lamb cutlets R99, Seafood platter R149, Sushi platter R129, Crayfish tails R169, Veal schnitzel R95, Soup of day R40,  Prawn platter R139, Oxtail R110, and Osso Buco R89.  Half price sushi (selected items) all day. Daily. Tel (021) 439-9027 (updated 10/5/14)

*    5 Rooms, Alphen Boutique Hotel: 2 courses R170; 2 courses with bottle of Warwick First Lady (shared between two) R220; 3 courses R 220; 3 courses plus bottle of Warwick First Lady (shared between two) R 270. Sirloin R95, Baby chicken R95, Braised oxtail R110, Seafood bouillabaisse R135, Grilled Prawn R99, Slow braised lamb shank R115. Tel (021) 795-6313 (updated 10/5/14)

*   Zenzero, Camps Bay:    2 courses R160; 2 courses with bottle of Warwick First Lady (shared between two) R210;  3 courses Continue reading →

Noma back as top World’s 50 Best Restaurants! The Test Kitchen Best in Africa and ranked 48th!

World's 50 Best Restaurants logoThe eagerly awaited 12th The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards was held last night at The Guildhall in London, and the Top 50 Restaurants were announced. Restaurants ranked 51st – 100th were listed on the Awards website, which crashed just after the Awards ceremony!

The initiative of Restaurant magazine in the UK, and using 900 judges from around the world, a total of 6552 votes were cast to vote for the world’s best restaurants.  The world was divided into 26 regions, chaired by an expert for that region.  Tamsin Snyman heads the Africa panel of 36 members, who had to eat at 4 local as well as at 3 international restaurants to cast their vote.  No score is required – the vote is purely for the best restaurants they ate at, and must be presented in ranked order.  Every year 10 panelists step down per region, to be replaced by new ones.   For the first time in seven years Snyman did not attend, for family reasons.

The biggest surprise was that Noma in Copenhagen went back to its number one Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 20 March

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Comair has placed an order for 8 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, to the value of $830 million, and the first such order from an African airline.

*   The City of Cape Town has launched a large scale Substance Abuse campaign, to address one of the City’s most severe problems, and to communicate that Drugs are every Capetonian’s problem.  Radio, tabloids, and billboards/bus stops are to be used for the campaign.  It affects family lives, and can lead to crime and gangsterism. The Anti-Drug advertising campaign uses spokespersons Ian Bredenkamp of Kfm, former rugby player Chester Williams, dancer Mamela Nyamza, and Mayor Patricia de Lille.  Each of the campaign endorsers says in the advertisements: ‘My name is …… and I have a drug problem. I don’t use them, but they still affect me. If you have a drug problem or know someone that needs help, call now: 24HR helpline: 0800 435748’.

*   Camps Bay is the 24th most popular beach in the world, according to TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards 2014, with Clifton, Boulder’s Beach in Simonstown, Blouberg, Grotto Beach in Hermanus, Buffalo Bay in Knysna, and Brenton-on-Sea in Knysna also performing well on the top Africa beach list.

*   The House of Mandela, established by the late Nelson Mandela’s daughter Makwizi and granddaughter  Tukwini, has launched its Thembu Collection of wines in The Netherlands, using that country as a springboard into the European market.  Their winemaker is Erlank Erasmus, and they only use grapes from Fairtrade certified wine estates.

*   Grande Provence is introducing the Gourmand Food & Wine Experience in its wine cellar, an 8 course meal prepared for 8 guests Continue reading →