CTG attends launch of Madame Zingara Theatre of Dreams

09 Jun 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in CTG recommends, cape town, food, lifestyle, restaurants, 4 Comments

An enormous red heart in the centre of Victoria

Finally – a restaurant that combines my 2 favourite things: eating delicious food and watching rad things. In a massive, sparkly ‘mirror tent’. That is called ‘Victoria’.  And waiters that shimmy around you topping up your glasses and being generally very pleasant. It’s so much fun. If Madame Zingara is anything it’s that, and you can’t help but get all caught up in it.

5StarRich and a very sexy belly dancer

@5starrich, @francessauvage, @tallyshaw and myself were seated at the same table as @BeingBrazen @JamieWhoSA and @RelaxwithDax – totally twitteriffic in every way. FOOD: We ploughed through kitka breads and mini mojitos, and devoured the flavourful starter - butternut soup with breadsticks and mozarella and beetroot and fig salad and a preserve tartlet thing that was delicious. We then were treated to a creamy artichoke ‘primi’ pasta, which was as rich as it sounds.

I ordered the signature Chocolate Chilli mains and was beyond not sorry in any way. Imagine a perfectly tender fillet drenched in black, chocolate saucey goodness. What freaking great idea. The ’side veg’ – sweetish butternut and potato were just divine too.

We got 3 little desserts – a chocolate tart (rich but good), a strawberry mousse which was light and awesome, and a creme brulee that was made perfectly – too good!

A butterfly lady.

The show itself is so much better than you expect. And that is true even if you expect it to be good. I half imagined that the performers would be more on the entertaining than on the skilled side, but they were actually so incredibly, mindblowingly skilled that I had to collect my jaw from where it had fallen from my mouth onto the floor every few minutes. Highlights for me included the siamese acrobat twins, the russian acrobat twins, hula girl and those unbelievably sassy divas who held the show together with their renditions of old favourites.

These girls... they do this thing, where they form this pose (pictured) and then they open their mouths, baring their tongues, almost like a challenge. It's super hot.

Hula girl - you've never seen a woman handle so many hula hoops so dexterously. And so gracefully.

The antics of the mad drunken dwarf woman broke a whole lotta ice!

The Zingara Divas. Utterly wonderful.

And there’s so much more. The shebeen drinks area outside gave the smokers somewhere to congregate, and there are stalls you can have your face painted at, and an array of props and hats and glasses you can buy to add some carnival flavour to your outfit. Don’t go to MZ with the intention of a quiet evening out. Go with a bunch of friends and the intent to be entertained and stuff yourself with great food. We were served by a waiter called Alfie, whose charm and chattiness was as much a part of the show as the show itself. He, for example, encouraged us to yell ‘Nastarovya!’ after the Russian twins performed, and suggested dishes, and spoke us through who the performers are and gave us a glimpse of their stories. It was wonderful!

Am going to shut up now before I sound like the crazed drunken dwarf lady, but I can’t recommend MZ highly enough as a dinner experience. Just go. Click here to book yourself a table. Oh, and you can follow Madame Zingara on twitter as Victoria goes on her Love Magic Tour through Cape Town, Joburg and Durban. Should be fun!

CTG

Get Wired for Good.

07 Jun 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in CTG, a good cause, blogs, cape town, fashion, sponsors, 0 Comments

Guys, do you ever feel empty for no reason? Kinda like something is wrong, but you don’t know what it is? Your life is great, but you feel dissatisfied? Even after you’ve eaten an entire box of macarons from Cassis? That empty feeling comes from a massive HOLE in your SOUL that exists because you’re not doing something to give back to your community / people less fortunate / the planet / etc. Seriously, I’m not joking. This sounds quite deep but really what I’m doing here in explaining the human condition in 100 words or less. You can thank me later.

And if you don’t have the occasional hole in your soul you’re probably a psychopath.. (miss you Pat Bateman).

Anyway, I would like to bring to your attention an easy way to plug that hole, at least for a while. Sunglass Hut have commissioned the social development project Streetwires to produce 1 000 beaded wayfarer sunglasses in the colours of selected teams’ flags. Each pair are uniquely numbered and signed by the person who made them, so handing over a mere R150 in exchange for a pair seems like a small thing to ask. R70 of each pair sold will be donated to OneSight, a charity that supplies basic eyecare to thousands in need. Vision seems a strange thing to think about, but the reality is a lot of people in this world need some kind of visual aid, and for most people, a pair of glasses costs more than a month’s salary. So any contributions to this campaign will benefit somebody in some way. You’ll find the glasses in Sunglass Hut stores across the country.

I’ll be attending the launch of the Totally Wired range on Wednesday night 9 June (that’s this Wednesday, to you), where the hilarious Nic Rabinowitz be hosting a fundraiser auction where some special edition Totally Wired sunglasses will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. All the money raised will go to Onesight. If you’d like to attend the auction, send a mail to info@pressstick.co.za. You should, if only to get a glimpse of CTG in her totally rad totally wired shades. For more information, go here.

Life in pictures

07 Jun 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in BFFs, CTG recommends, Coffee Club, cape town, lifestyle, weekends, 1 Comments

Because the words don’t always do it justice. Spent Saturday morning by the seaside at Cafe Neo for a friend’s birthday:

Did you know that Green Point Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in South Africa?

Miss Jennifer in the sunshine

Miss Madeleine in the sunshine

Went shopping at the Waterfront, which is bursting with tourists. Saw Madi’s jewellery line in store at Carol Boyes.

Madi's jewellery line, aptly titled, Madi.

Bought some leather pumps. Had post-shopping drinks at the harbour.

Mmm lovely spot for a glass of crisp white.

Last week I chatted to Lark singer Inge Beckman for a project I’m working on. She was thoroughly enchanting:

Ms Beckman

Attended the mindblowing opening night of the relaunch of Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams and the opening of their LOVE MAGIC tour, but a more detailed post about that to come a bit later:

Richard gets charmed by the belly dancer at the door of Madame Zingara

It was Christan’s last week before he heads to Barcelona for the World Cup month, far from the madding crowd. I held a mini farewell party for him by making him pose in his new Tom Ford Aviators (rather dashing)

Christan. Super stylish, as ever.

Took this pic of Cape Town nightclub icon The Shack on a grey day. What a great building.

Austere. Love.

Spent a lazy Sunday afternoon with the newspaper at Vida on Kloof, after the crowds had left

I always get my lattes in takeaway cups. Even when I have them to stay.

In short, I had a very lovely weekend. And this week?

I’ll be drawing 2 winners of the Limited Edition World Cup Dolce & Gabbana’s on Friday, so get your entries in quick quick.

Have you posed with CTG at the Engen on Orange yet? You should, because you could win a ridiculous spread of prizes just for sending me your pic.

Happy Monday. x

one for the new car shortlist

03 Jun 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in CTG, cape town, cars, lifestyle, 0 Comments

What do we think? Do y’all approve? Actually spotted this a while ago, and then saw it again yesterday morning, and I still like it. It’s like the tattoo test. If you want a tattoo, wait 10 years, and if you still want it, get it. Okay so it’s nothing like the tattoo test. But it’s a very very pretty car… also love that it’s parked in front of a NO PARKING sign.

Kloof Street Morning

03 Jun 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in cape town, lifestyle, restaurants, south africa, 0 Comments

Pretty Mountain

Breakfast at Buzz Cafe.

the run diaries: getting proper shades

01 Jun 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in CTG recommends, cape town, lifestyle, sponsors, sport, 1 Comments

I have long resisted getting myself a proper pair of running glasses. I run in Bvlgari’s, sweethearts. I also run in skintight, shiny leggings, a La Senza push-up bra, and white vests from Country Road. I’ve just never been the type for sporting gear. It generally just seems quite tacky and ’small town’. And sporty. See, sport is not my life. Being able to drink wine, eat steak and potatoes followed by malva pudding and still wear a size 34, that is my life.

Vida Lindt Cupcakes. More of my life.

So generally benefits aimed at meeting the needs of athletes, such as ‘polarized lenses’, have little-to-no-meaning in my world.
Whereas ‘medium rare with mash on the side’ carries lots of weight with me.
(Pity that’s not a direct benefit of any kind of sporting gear that I am aware of)
So was with trepidation that I got myself this fun pair of Oakley’s ladies running shades from Sunglass Hut.

The Oakley's Commit in pink

I went for pink because oh my god, is there ANY other colour for glasses like this? And I took my shades down to the promenade for a chilled 8km trot by the sea. And this is the truth: the lightness meant it felt like I wasn’t wearing glasses. The polarized lenses meant it seemed like I wasn’t wearing glasses, except the world was just better. I didn’t have to push them back up my face, once. I didn’t get nose bridge dents. And the glasses weren’t fighting the sweat for ground. I won’t go on here. In short, am sold. Really - you need only to try running with proper glasses once to see that this is the only way to run. I’ll be saving the Bulgari’s for the post-run breakfast. See you on the prom y’all.

Pose with CTG and win all a Cape Town Girl could ever want

01 Jun 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in CTG, advertising, cape town, competitions, fashion, food, lifestyle, sponsors, 4 Comments

In the wake of the hilarious Nomu 2oceansvibe ‘Touch me on my poster’ competition, CTG presents the Nomu ‘Storm in a sweet rub’ competition, which works in the same way. To enter, you pose with the poster below, to be located at a certain 24-hour petrol station in the middle of Cape Town. You then send your pic to editor@capetowngirl.com, and in return you could win a really awesome bunch of prizes that pretty much makes up a day in CTG’s life.

Just loungin' around in a kimono on a giant tin o' sweet rub.

You will win:

A 5-star dinner 7-course for two, drinks included, at The Roundhouse Restaurant

A free image consultation with Lipstick Spin, glamour lifestyle and wardrobe consultants (if you need an outfor for that occasion, these are the ladies to go to, trust me)

A huge hamper of NoMU baking and cooking products - including the Sweet Rub

A 6-month subscription to Cosmopolitan Magazine

2 pairs of designer shades from Sunglass Hut

and of course, a ridiculous pastry box filled with goodies such as macarons from Cassis - the small bakery in Gardens Centre where CTG first discovered macarons.

Could one really ask for more? Looking most forward to seeing your poses. Have fun with this, ya hear. Do you like my pink kimono? Don’t say I didn’t try to make it fun now. The deadline is WEDNESDAY the 31 JUNE.

CTG

PS. Before this post even went up, this came in. Good times!

HarryReginald talks Dinner for 6

31 May 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in BFFs, CTG, Parties, bloggers, cape town, characters, food, wine, 0 Comments

You all got Frances Sauvage’s take on Dinner for 7 million. Believe it or not, the purpose of Dinner For 6 is actually to try and set up some sort of wine pairing adventure. The trick to this is to not open the wine before the guests come, take my word for it. Also try not to drink up most of the wine while the dinner is being prepared. That would be the second trick. So anyway, we did the best with what we had left and I hand over to to CTG’s Wine Expert and No 1 Independent Wine Blogger in SA, Harry Reginald, to spew forth his opinion on the evening…

Firstly, let me tell you what was on the menu, bearing in mind the theme was celebrity:

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Starter:     Antonio ‘Gazpacho’ Banderas

Mains:     Milla ‘Chicken Kiev’ Jovovich

Dessert:     Queen Elizabeth ‘Strawberry Drop Scone’ the Second

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Writes Harry: “There was a challenge to my pairing with KWV’s 2009 Mentors Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend whose attractive grassiness – it was suggested – could be a good partner to the fresh green soup. Alas, the wine was like a big fat kid sitting on the skinny computer nerd in the class. The soup was smothered by the almost aggressive acidity and green flavours of the KWV wine. Without the soup it was a very pleasant wine, with the Sauvignon Blanc leading the blend whilst the Semillon adds to texture and mouth feel more than anything else.

The KWV Mentor Range

The KWV Orchestra – a blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cab Franc and Shiraz - after having been decanted, was supposed to go with the main course but its freshness and sheer drinkability made all of us keep going back for more. We savoured the tobacco, spice, and bright raspberry fruits, until it was all gone (about 10 minutes). So without the Orchestra we turned to the bigger boned KWV Mentors Shiraz for some help. Not quite as clean and fresh as the orchestra, it flexed its muscle with some serious oak, deep dense fruits with dash of black pepper, and a decently elongated finish. This however didn’t pair so well with the wine trampling all over Frances’s more delicate chicken Kiev.

The newly launched Fairview La Capra range

We also tried a bunch of Fairview’s new brand La Capra. A fun range whose labels show more  concern for how many horn blowers can you balance on top of a cheese at the end of a fork supported by a cello resting on an atlas atop of some barrels that are being carried by a goat, than how many angels you can balance on the head of a pin. Very wise. The wines were all easy going. A fresh and fruity Chenin, that should be consumed in the sun whilst sitting on a hay bale with a sexy gypsy. The Chardonnay is gently oaked with a crisp lemon and lime finish. The Viognier impressed as it offered a fragrant nose of orange peel and furry peach skin, with a vibrant acidity that keeps the wine from being goupy. This wine balanced well with the chicken Kiev, light enough not to overpower the dish, but with enough fruit and oak and acidity to stand up to some of the bigger flavours like the bacon and parmesan. The dessert, strawberry drop scones with jam and cream, while delicious was not able to be paired with anything very successfully. If we hadn’t quaffed all the Genie that might have worked.

A closer look at the fabulous La Capra labels

So with the food gone all that was left to do was drink. And drink we did. We gave the KWV Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 a go. It was typical, easy going and full of cassis and blackberry with relaxed tannins. Good, but not exciting. The KWV rose was, well  . . . . we also tasted the La Capra reds. Their Shiraz is a safe bet to take to parties – anything with a balancing goat is good for parties. Quite plump fruit with a softish palate spiced up by some peppery notes. The Merlot was fair, with stewed prune vibe and plush texture. Good for having with your gypsy in front of the fire when you are done with the Chenin and hay bale.  I think I also drank some sauvignon Blanc, some Pinotage perhaps, and then with nothing left turned back to the KWV rose and it was, well ….. We finished with a splash of 30yr Famous Grouse, which was peaty, and quite dainty, like a peaty fragrant doily.” – Harry

The end-of-the-night Salti-Crax

Just a note: biggest thanks must go to Frances Sauvage, who opened her home, her kitchen and her cats to us, as well as Harry Reginald for being so on top of the wine. An even bigger thanks to our sponsors, KWV and La Capra, for kindly supplying us with their wine for review. We’ll be doing more of Dinner for 6, but we’re going to modify it slightly to make it easier on the host, preferably by making it Wine Farm Adventure For 6, or something similar. Drop me a mail if you love wine and would like to be invited to the ‘dinners’.

Autumn Afternoons

31 May 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in CTG recommends, cape town, lifestyle, south africa, 1 Comments

in Cape Town. Hello Lion’s Head.

Food Interrupted Chapter 4: Dinner Don’ts

28 May 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in BFFs, CTG, Parties, cape town, characters, food, food interrupted, s1mz, sponsors, wine, 5 Comments

Bloody hell.
Darlings, in many of our conversations I talk about what we MUST do.
“Do this darlings, bloody do this and that and don’t forget this and what about that other thing, here darlings smoke this and drink that and oh look there’s a cat on your back” and on and on bloody ad bloody infinitum. But darlings, this past week I have been thinking very little about the myriad of things that we bloody must NEVER do my darlings, never! And what brought on this meaningless drivel most interesting insight? Why the monumentally poor decision of honour of hosting the first Dinner for Six of course!

Mummy with her breasts and her James. Yes darlings.

Let’s start at the very middle darlings, the very beginning makes me nervous, reminds me of my real age vast experience and in any case I’ve run out of sedatives energy. You MUST NOT call the party Dinner for 6, set the table for six, arrange glasses for six, cook Gazpacho and Cheddar Paprika Cheese Straws for starters, Chicken Kiev on Asparagus and Tomato Jus for mains and Strawberry Drop Scones and Cream for dessert for six, and then invite seven. You MUST NOT leave preparations to the last minute. You MUST NOT meet your guests at the door with a toilet brush behind one ear, a hand up a chicken’s bum and a wild look of terror on your face, drunk.

The La Capra selection of wine for the evening. The real guests of this whole Dinner Debarcle. The ones who caused all the nonsense.

You MUST NOT at, any point, consider inviting anyone even mildly interesting or remotely attractive. Specifically if you were too drunk busy to prep most of the courses the night before. The reason being my darlings, is that the funnier, smarter or sexier they are, the more time you’re going to spend sitting outside smoking a piece of your own hair, bouncing on someone’s knee with a bottle of KWV Orchestra pressed to your bosom like your first born.

CTG and S1mz, being smart, funny, interesting and attractive, causing Frances to smoke her hair outside.

The KWV Mentors range. They brought dignity to the gathering. And they took ours.

You MUST NOT pretend that anything is serious. You MUST NOT have real, meaningful conversations. You MUST NOT engage with anyone on any kind of authentic level. This real waste of time will only result in quiet, sophisticated exchanges and delicate phrasing and things like people’s needs and feelings and consideration and other boring fuckwittage rewarding experiences that may or may not cause the host of Dinner for 75 to pass out face forward into the wine spittoon.

Frances puts on a brave face for you darlings while CTG demonstrates how she 'has Frances's back'.

You MUST NOT ever let a man through the front door carrying a bottle of 30 year old Famous Grouse. This is non-negotiable. Regardless of how innocent this man looks, if he is in the company of the Grouse you must barricade yourself inside and switch off all the lights so that he cannot see you are at home. But should you make the fatal error of allowing him entrance, do not be surprised if you find yourself, a good EIGHT HOURS LATER, propped up at the dining room table like the cadaver in all the Weekend at Bernie’s films, both elbows in a puddle of Gazpacho, rolling tea bags for cigarettes and speaking like Groucho Marx.

Mains: Milla 'Chicken Kiev' Jovovich on asparagus, darlings.

You MUST NEVER do anything that involves any of the above on a weeknight. HAH! You think you know that? You think, “Frances is a bloody fool darling for having Dinner for Six Hundred Thousand on a Thursday night, I on the other hand darling would never do such a thing darling me? Never. Me? Never. Me? Never. Me….” Sorry darlings, got a little carried away – but you’re thinking it aren’t you? You bastards clever little things.

Do you like mummy's knife darling's?

Well even if you aren’t, what you MUST NOT DO is make all of the above mistakes, because if you do, I can guarantee you will find yourself walking the streets of Cape Town in the orange smoggy light of dawn like a lone survivor of the Rage Virus, bare, bloodied feet stumbling, Ferragamo dress stained red with La Capra and feathered with tobacco, confused, scared and alone, plaintively asking for directions back to Tamborskloof and normality, all the while a lone Cheddar and Paprika straw clings to the back of your 100% wool Gerard Darel pea coat – a tacit reminder of a once civilized world.

It sounds like a GREAT deal of fun doesn’t it? But after the merriment of trawling the streets like a gin-soaked loony has passed, you have to come home and …
WASH UP.
Tonight darlings, I ask you all very graciously to fuck off and leave me alone.
I’m doing Wine for One.
A shadow of the foodie formerly known as Frances
xxx