Killing time with Paint Shop Pro

I've had some time on my hands, so I tried something with Paint Shop Pro X. I have seen people do this with their photos when they want to hang it up a wall, and I kinda like it. Paint Shop Pro I guess is not nearly as good as Photoshop, but I still wanted to see if I could find a way of cutting up a picture in three pieces, then put it on a backround with a dropshadow added behind each section. The framing I have done before, but I have to say that PSP don't have many frames to choose from, so I guess this one will have to do. Not my first choice, but one gets the idea. But, I think after a couple of minutes I achieved what I set out to do...

It's Friday, let's go braai...!

To those of you who are fortunate enough to stare into the eyes of your loved ones tonight this one is for you. For me, I am in Angola at the moment and don't think I will see my loved ones or even see a braai tonight. Have a nice weekend, light a fire and don't forget to keep it medium to rare...

The Creme Soda Float

Sometimes I get a craving, and it is usually for the same thing. A Creme Soda Float. I have been to many countries, but I don't think I have ever seen a Creme Soda like the ones we have in South Africa, let alone with that familiar taste. It is the best thirst quencher I know, and when it is hot there is nothing like an ice cold Creme Soda with vanilla ice cream to bring the body temperature down to accpetable levels. Last week I got off from the dinner table and before my guests could finish my wife's "adult chocolate cake" that was for desert, I was back with an ice cold Creme Soda. All I had to do was to add some vanilla ice cream and my craving was satisfied.....until the next one of course.

When you add ouzo or vodka to a Creme Soda, even cane, then it is known as a "Green Mamba". Too many of those and the next morning you will know that you've overstepped the line a little. The nice thing about Creme Soda is that many South Africans swore by it for being the best cure for hangovers. So make sure you get at least a 2-litre bottle, you can just win.

http://www.sapromo.com/sa/food-and-drink/sa-drink-brands/creme-soda-cream-soda-world-wide

It's Friday, let's go BRAAI...!

"Braaibroodjie"

Someone emailed me the other day and asked what a "braaibroodjie" is. I mentioned it in one of my Friday braai posts. I won't claim that I know exactly what the traditional braaibroodjie consisted of, but I am sure it must be white bread with tomato and onions. I think cheese and the other stuff came later. So, it is basically a sandwich that is put on a fire, and this is as common in South Africa as porridge and koeksisters. I looked on the Internet to see if I could find some recipes, or maybe what the original braaibroodjie looked like. I was amazed to see that there are even a site dedicated to the "braaibroodjie". I am sure if you would like to open an email on Yahoo or Google you will be surprized to find that "braaibroodjie" has already been taken by some very sharp South African.

So how do I like my braaibroodjie? I guess I will eat anything that comes off the fire, but if I make my own then I make sure that I use white bread for starters. My wife still believes that brown bread is a healthier option, but it just does not taste the same. Period. The rest is butter, tomato and cheese. I usually leave the onions out because it usually ends up being half cooked. I guess you do it according to your own taste.

Here are some more articles on "braaibroodjies"
http://blogs.food24.com/potjie/the-braai-broodjie
http://www.weg.co.za/kos/resep/209  (Afrikaans)

Budget Breakfast Review - Caveau

I think this place is kept hidden to preserve the exclusive feel it has. I was introduced to it by a friend and decided to go check out their breakfasts. I wasn't expecting anything in the "budget" category but decided that from now on I will not only look for budget breakfasts because breakfasts and restaurants cannot always be criticized because they do not cater for a poor soul like me. Anyway, I was rather surprized to find out that they had a rather cheap option too, but I think the atmosphere of this place would've made of for the lack of a budget option.

Located inside the Heritage Square building on Bree Street, Caveau Wine Bar and Deli is not easily spotted from the street. If you do not accidently find it or have been told by it, you can easily walk past and miss the whole opportunity to enjoy a nice cup or coffee in a very cosy tea garden inbetween other small shops selling wine and jewelery to name only a few. Their breakfast menu is also written on a black board and is carried around after the guest when they indicate that they are going to have breakfast. Basically you can get eggs on toast for R19, and then for R10 extra you can add a few other items, like bacon, mushrooms, gypsy ham or cheese. Obvioulsy R10 per item, which limits you to one or two otherwise you sit with a huge bill. Although I asked for fried eggs, it looked more like they were poached, but they tasted great. I was a bit disappointed about the three toasted slices of french loaf, but I guess eating large quantities of bread with meals is not something everyone else prefers and in a trendy place like this probably not. There are also other breakfast options like the omelets which I tought would've been a good alternative for my bacon and eggs.

This is really a nice quite little restaurant that would be good for a quick coffee and cake as well. Definitely a place to check out when you are somewhere near Bree Street. Oh, and there is parking opposite the road too. Definitely in the line with the previous two reviews, so Caveau gets an 8.

Caveau: 8

CaffeNeo: 8

Porter Estate Produce Market: 8

BICCCS: 4

BigBlu: 10

Farmyard Farmstall: 6

Chaplans: 8

Mugg & Bean: 7

Wimpy: 7

Carlucci's: 9

The Flattie

Friday evening instead of the normal braai I decided to one of my old-time favourites again. Actually my mother-in-law requested it and you never say no to your mother-in-law, especially not is she was visiting and had been cooking, cleaning and fetching your child from school for the past two weeks. A "flattie" is just a chicken that is grilled over an open fire, but flattened out. I use the same herbs and spices than what I normal do for my Weber chicken, but this time I just used salt and peri-peri. The reason why I haven't done this for a while is because I don't have the right set-up to keep the chicken approximately 40 cm above the fire. I had to make a plan and this is what I came up with.

On Friday the wind was pumping, so I had to find a spot which was a bit more protected from the wind. I have such a spot in my garden where I keep some braai wood and other garden utensils. It work fine.

Because I didn't want to make fire on the brick paving, I used my normal braai without the legs and put that on the ground. The idea is to create a little oven, so a piece of marble that was already standing there (remnants from when we redid our kitchen) was used for the back wall of the oven.

On the sides I used some left over roof tiles. Unfortunately I had nothing to put in the front, but on windless days that is not a problem. The heat will not escape. This was a windy day and I would only later find out that my fire was burning out too fast. I solved that problem with planks and extra briquettes.

Preparing the chicken is easy. Cut it open and cover it with salt and peri-peri to taste. I used to cut it open through the breast, but my wife the cook said it is easier through the back. Whatever you prefer, in the end it tastes the same, just looks a bit different. She however claims that the chicken stays more juicy if you make the cut through the back with less flesh, so I didn't argue...she still had the knife in her hand.

I made the fire with briquettes. The briquettes lasts longer than wood and charcoal, and seeing that the chicken cooks for 90 minutes or more, it is better to use the briquettes. Once the fire is ready I flattened it the coals and was ready to put the chicken on. If you find that the coals are burning out before your chicken is done, just add a few more briquettes on the fire, they will soon join in and keep the party going.

When you put the chicken on, make sure it is the inside of the chicken that is facing the fire. The chicken will cook through from this side and when you can see on the outside that the flesh is changing colour, you can just turn it around to grill the skin which gives it that good colour and taste. Cover the top of the chicken with tinfoil, this will help with the cooking and prevent heat loss. You can leave the chicken now and return an hour later if you wish, but what's the fun in that? I come and check regularly to see if the coals are still fine and to smell a delicious meal in progress.

Voila! The final product.

It's Friday, let's go BRAAI...!

Budget Breakfast Review - CaffeNeo



CaffeNeo

There are parts of Cape Town which I don't see very often. Actually there are quite a few places which I never visit, but this one is strange in the sense that it really has a nice touristy vibe and I love to hang out in Cape Town where I can feel like I am on vacation myself. I have been there recently though when I had a kiddies party at the Blue Train which is in the same vicinity close to the Mouille Point Lighthouse. Just opposite the ligthouse along Beach Road are quite a few trendy restaurants and coffee shops, much in the same fashion as Carlucci's. Only without the surfers and kite surfers. The people here seems to be a bit more classy. Not that I want to say that surfers cannot have class, but you will know what I mean when you see the sand on surfer's feet which they carry into Carlucci's.

Mouille Point Lighthouse

Outside on the deck

So, I was passing through Green Point when a sudden hunger struck me and I knew this was another opportunity for a quick budget breakfast review. I was sure that "budget" would be difficult to find here, but if you can get that in Bloubergstrand then you might be lucky here as well. I stopped at CaffeNeo which had a lovely deck outside facing the Mouille Point lighthouse. The weather was nice and I was not the least bit surprized to find all the tables on the ouside already occupied. I jumped for a table closer to the side when a lady put her cup down after her last sip of coffee. I think she is still in shock thinking that she was about to be mugged, but the outside tables seems to be much more popular than at Carlucci's where the wind cools down your breakfast before you have even reached for the salt grinder. One point in favour of CaffeNeo.

The Breakfast Sandwich

Hot Greek Breakfast

 I also wasn't really surprized to see that they didn't have "budget" breakfasts. The cheapest was a "Milky breakfast with berries" for R36, but that my wife can make for me at home for R5. Besides, if I am not doing bacon and eggs at home then I am on Oats, and that is starting to get to me. Why would I have it now? The menu is written on a black board, which compared to restaurants which have printed menus means that they can change the prices whenever they feel like it. Looking at the board I could see that there has been some wiping off where the prices were written and I am sure that the prices were altered for the tourist season. But whatever it may be, the breakfast I was looking for was rather on the expensive side as could be expected. I settled for the "Hot Greek Breakfast" with the normal stuff you usually find in the English breakfast, so I couldn't figure out why they call it "Greek". Maybe the Haloumi cheese had something to do with it because I have never seen that on my English breakfast plates before.  Well, for R55 I wasn't disappointed. The breakfast was really nice and there was quite a lot of bacon which is obviously the more expensive item on the plate. I guess the setting and the mushrooms accounted for the rest of the R55. The "Breakfast Sandwich" for R50 also looked very good. You actually get two sandwiches and I really think that if they give you a one-for-R25 option then this would've been a really good "budget breakfast" item on the menu.

So, the staff was very friendly and the service was good. The food was also good as well as the atmosphere. If CaffeNeo had a budget option, had been closer to where I live and maybe had some surfers hanging out there it could've easily toppled Carlucci's from its number one spot in Cape Town. If I had to choose though I would still go to Carlucci's, so I guess based on my criteria it would only be fair to rate it just below Carlucci's. It gets an 8. Definitely a place you can go check out of you feel trendy, drive a nice car and carry a laptop (it also has WiFi). I had none of those and didn't feel like an intruder.



Menu






CaffeNeo: 8
Porter Estate Produce Market: 8

BICCCS: 4

BigBlu: 10

Farmyard Farmstall: 6

Chaplans: 8

Mugg & Bean: 7

Wimpy: 7

Carlucci's: 9

Budget Breakfast Review - Porter Estate Produce Market

I am not a big fan of fresh produce markets...or flea markets...or anything that involves stalls and a lot of people. Needless to say I was not very keen on going to the Porter Estate Market in the Tokai forest either, but when my wife told me that they have very nice breakfasts she convinced me to go check it out. The markets basically provides the same goods that you would find in any market, and I wasn't really impressed with the bread, vegetables and the other things that you could find everywhere else. There were however some things that caught my attention, like the homemade ginger beer and the fresh fruit ice cream smoothies. And then  of course the breakfast stall. Like a typical stall you would find in a setting like this, it was rather "rugged", and I was thinking that the way it was going to be served would be in the same fashion. I was totally correct. However, the smell of the bacon on the open fire was good enough to make you want to eat it with your hands, so the polystyrene plates and wooden utensils didn't put me off at all. Eating everything with your hands under a Yellowwood tree just added to the experience.



Classic Bacon and Eggs

For R10 extra

The cheapie was the "Classic Bacon and Eggs" served on a fresh bread roll for R30. If a you add a few slices of tomato, lettuce and Hollandaise sauce for R10 extra, you get quite a nice looking meal compared to the "Classic". This is however a bit far above my allowance for a "budget breakfast", but I am realizing more and more that finding a breakfast for under R25 is getting difficult. What I liked about the bacon was that it was fried over an open coal fire, and this gives it a very nice taste compared to oven-fried and even pan-fried bacon. And being a fresh produce market where all the greenies are hanging out, the eggs are obviously free-range as well. For R10 you get cold home made ginger beer from a stall not far from the "brekkie" stall. This really went down well and I think I supported the ginger beer stall quite well in the end.



Ginger Beer, R10 a bottle



The Breakfast stall

For the people who are interested in fresh produce markets, more than in breakfasts, you should really try this one. Apparently it is open on Saturdays until 1pm. It is a bit far for me to drive there from where I live, but I am sure you can get your week's groceries there and make the outing an enjoyable one at the same time. There is even facilities for kids to play on while you do your shopping. I don't think I will go back soon, but if I do I will definitely have another breakfast and ginger beer. It is a nice place, but seeing that Carlucci's has set the standard for Cape Town, it has to get an 8.

Porter Estate Produce Market: 8
BICCCS: 4
BigBlu: 10
Farmyard Farmstall: 6
Chaplans: 8
Mugg & Bean: 7
Wimpy: 7
Carlucci's: 9

  





Eden On The Bay - A Photo Gallery

It's a pity that I never really took any pictures of Big Bay before it had been revamped to become Eden On The Bay. The people that are familiar with the "old" Big Bay would remember that it was rather a sad place to visit. There was a small cafe that didn't sell much, and I think the Traffic Department also had an office there. The grass was always dying and people never really used the place during the week. On weekends however everyone tried to have a braai with the loudest music and the place looked like as disposal site after everyone had left. Then some developers took over and there were rumours that Big Bay would be be closed for the public because only the rich who can afford apartments there would be allowed on the beach. But that was only half of the truth. Yes, only the rich can afford apartments there, but the general public also has access to the beach and to a much nicer shopping experience than what the little cafe could ever provide. And even the Traffic Department still has office there, but on the other side of the parking so that there blue marked cars don't spoil the fun of the sun-seekers. The complex now have a couple of restaurants and some shops, the life-saving club also has a huge club house and storage place for all their equipment and the place has really turned into a trendy hang-out for surfers and tourists alike.

So, instead of my usually Friday evening braai, we decided to take the in-laws for a dinner at one of the restaurants. Most of the restaurants were already packed when we got there, but fortunately we found a table at The Karoo restaurant. While my wife was ordering my food, I took my son out to play on the grass and captured a few shots that will hopefully give and indication of what the place looks like now, and the vibe that it has. Do yourself a favour and go visit the place before the winter returns....

The Karoo restaurant. A definite must when you go there. And then there are other places you also have to try of course



"As South African as it gets" See what South Africans eat. Usually it includes meat and more meat.



Some guys playing "touchies", or touch-rugby. 



The place was a buzz, and the sun only sets after 8.



Even the kites surfers were taking as much out of the day as they could. Some guys were still kiting long after 8.



My "Combo" choice, chicken and ribs. Fortunately in South Africa it is not embarrasing to ask for a "doggy-bag" and to take the left-overs home. Tonight I am having the rest.



I have to practice my black-and -white shots as well.

 

The path to the beach. OK, I won't win the prize for the best black-and-white picture ever, but I like it



It's Friday, let's go BRAAI...!

Budget Breakfast Review - BICCCS

I stopped at a rather new place in Franschhoek this morning for breakfast. After my last breakfast review where the BigBlu restaurant scored a perfect ten I was thinking that the search was finally off. A friend told me he actually reads my reviews and that I shouldn't stop writing. This made me think that if I write for one person then at least I am not totally wasting my time. So, even though my stop this morning was not for a review but rather because I was looking for something to eat, I did take some pictures and looked for the "budget" breakfast on the menu. I was actually a bit disappointed, because the breakfast items on the menu was very limited to say the least. There were actually only 3 options; muesli, scrambled eggs and croissants. There are one or two things that you could add to that, but nothing to make it a proper breakfast in the true sense of the word. Or at least not with the ingredients that I want in my breakfast. Even when an omelet was ordered we were told that it cannot be made. They can make omelets in the most basic restaurants in West Africa but they cannot make it in a fancy restaurant in Franschoek? Strange.

 

I heard a comedian on TV the other night who said that if you want to add ambiance to a restaurant, all you have to do is get rid of the poor people. The way you do that is to make the menu very expensive so that only rich people eat there and there you have created "ambiance". After this morning's breakfast I am sure there are other ways to do that as well. Apart from making the choices very expensive, you can minimize the menu to only a few items and then serve it on some kind of weird looking plate. If you can decorate the small portion of food in such a way that it looks like some kind of artistic expression, then you have your ambiance. BICCS restaurant was like that this morning. OK, the scrambled eggs did taste nice on one slice of ciabata toasts (the menu said TWO slices, but they were so small it can only go through as ONE). But I was not impressed with the way it was presented and with the choices I had. Why do some places charge so much for two eggs, while other can give you 3 or 4 eggs for the same price? Is it only because the place is situated in Franschhoek where the rich hangs out or the wealthy foreigners who believe South Africans are "very fortunate to live in a country which have the cheapest beer in the world"? I don't know, but I cannot see BICCCS restaurant score  more than 4 on my review. And they get the 4 for their location, nothing much else.

I was looking on the Internet to see if I can find out what BICCCS stand for. What I found just made me shake my head in disbelieve. It was a competition where you can "WIN A MEAL AT BICCCS!" And this comes from "EAT OUT" magazine claiming to be "The only restaurant guide you will ever need". This is how they describe the breakfast at BICCCS:

"Win a meal at BICCCS (short for Bread, Icecream, Cake, Croissant, Coffee). Breakfast won't be the same without BICCCS' creamy scrambled eggs and beautifully fresh bread. The menu is abbreviated but there's more than enough to choose from."



"Sorry Sir, no omelets"

"Abbreviated"? I agree. "More than enough to choose from"? I doubt very much, especially after my first comment when I opened the menu was "There's not much to choose from". At least I know now what "BICCCS" stands for, but believe me, the place did not make the cut at all. Which brings me to my next question. "Who does EAT OUT write reviews for? Is it for people who wants to think they have style and only eat at restaurants with "ambiance", or for plain fools who believe everything they read? But hey, why would anyone value MY opinion? Go check it out for yourself. You don't have to bypass this restaurant on your next trip to Franschhoek. If you actually like the place then you are one of the many people who have actually given this lousy menu a 5-star rating. Maybe I just don't have style and don't appreciate "ambiance", but at least I know when someone is taking me for a ride....and next time when I am in Franschhoek I will definitely ride past and try the next restaurant.

BICCCS: 4
BigBlu: 10
Farmyard Farmstall: 6
Chaplans: 8
Mugg & Bean: 7
Wimpy: 7
Carlucci's: 9