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 →
On Sunday I attended a Langtafel lunch in Langebaan, invited by The Good Life food truck owner Adele Maartens, at the Duinhuis home of Isabella Niehaus, food stylist and food and beverage market organizer. She organizes a Langtafel lunch once a month, and on Sunday the lunch was paired with Cederberg wines and beers. 
Whereas Koekedoor Season 2 episode eight was focused on the ‘Manne’ in that baking with beer was its focus, episode ten on Thursday evening focused on women, and the milestone events for which they bake and enjoy cakes, such as baby showers, kitchen teas, and honeymoons. The four remaining contestants were lucky that none of them were eliminated in the episode. 