A Quick Adventure

I have just returned from an amazing and exciting mini adventure. It’s really strange because living and working in the city you absolutely forget just how beautiful our country is and also that a few short hours out of the city a very different world exist’s. For this mini tour my husband and I took a road trip down to the Drakensberg and the north coast in Durban.

The Drakensberg is a mountain range that spans over 1000km and across and through 3 countries including Lesotho, Swaziland and of course South Africa. It play’s host to some of the highest peaks in the country and makes for some beautiful scenery. While we were there we stayed in a beautiful mountain lodge and were totally incommunicado with the rest of the world. It’s weird that a few days with no phone and no internet can be so freeing!

After our lost days in the berg we headed to the coast, sadly we got pretty grey and depressing weather which limited beach time, but allowed us to spend more time finding great restaurants and new places in Durban.

I’m going to go into way more detail about the places we visited, activities and restaurants but for now I thought I’d share some of the pictures of post’s to come.

Mini Road Trip

Mission: Find the Perfect Brownie

I have been dreaming of a brownie, a dense, chocolaty, fudgy, maybe a little cakey, thick, yummy brownie. I have to confess that I have a favourite and go to recipe for almost every dessert or cake but I don’t have one for the humble brownie.

Don’t get me wrong I have made some pretty tasty, delicious brownies but I am yet to find the one that I can give my whole heart to.  And so I have embarked on a mission to find that brownie that can fill this gaping hole and I’m going to chronicle this little mission. Let the brownie games begin!

Attempt no. 1: I found a well recommended recipe on Pinterest (No Pics…) and it did prove to be chocolaty and fudgy and richly delicious. It just wasn’t what I’m looking for.

Attempt no. 2: I found this recipe through the Brown Eyed Baker website, in fact there are a few recipes on there. Again this made amazing rich, fudgy, chocolaty  pieces of brownie heaven and everyone was pretty happy. Needless to say these didn’t last very long, they were pretty much wiped out as a testament to the tastiness.

These were epic, delicious and like a warm chocolaty hug, however still not the brownie I’m looking for. The top was cracked and inviting and the brownie itself was thick, fudge richness. I used this French Chocolate Brownie recipe and I would definately recommend it to anyone! In fact it will probably make an appearance here soon!

So if anyone out there has a great brownie recipe for me to try leave a comment. Also I want to add that going on a mission to find the perfect brownie is a great idea, even if I don’t find what I’m looking for I still get delicious brownies to console me.

 

 

Review – Crafters Rooftop Bar @ The Factory on Grant

Beverages – Crafters Bar

Ok so I went M.I.A again,  I have been somewhat crazy busy baking and cooking and visiting new things and places however no great pics came of it so no blog post.

It’s really strange or even difficult to hold off a group of people or hungry family when you’re trying to take a pic of dinner. So some of the things I made this past week includes:

• Brownies
• Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Doughnuts
• Sundried Tomato Stuffed steak and…
• Dorito Enchilda Casserole

to name some of the more exciting dinners and treats. I also managed a pleasant brunch at Dobbs at the Val Bonne Country Estate in the Modderfontein Nature Reserve. Which is actually an amazing little oasis of nature in the midst of Johannesburg. It’s super popular with cyclists, I didn’t even know about it but I think I’ll definately be going back at some point. Alas no pics of brunch either I was too involved with friends and food and the beauty.

Bar

Crafters Rooftop Bar View

I did however manage to chronicle a great rooftop bar in my neighbourhood of Norwood. It’s called Crafter’s and sits at the very top of the Factory on Grant. It’s a very simple, unpretentious bar with great views across the Northern suburbs, it’s also a good place to catch a chilled drink with friends on a Sunday afternoon.

Rooftop Bar

Crafters has a small bar with a variety of cocktails, drinks and craft beer draughts on offer. The Vovo Telo caters you all your food, meal or snack needs, although since there’s multiple levels in between it does mean a bit of a wait and there’s no quick orders.

Burger with sweet potato fries – Vovo Telo

None the less, I am really happy to have an easy, relaxed place to go right around the corner. The great view is a total bonus!

Greece – Part 2 Paros

The second leg of our trip through Greece took us through Paros. Paros is an island in the Cyclades and a major port for most ferries through the Cyclades and onto other islands.

A lot of times when you travel to exotic or dream destinations you have an idea or an image of what that place should be. Many times that image is a very small tourism marketing picture. Paros and Greece on the whole proved that that’s not always the case. When you imagine Greece with the whitewashed houses and blue balconies overlooking a beautiful beach and a lulled Mediterranean, it pretty much is exactly what you get. Paros and Naoussa in particular makes that image a reality. What makes it even better is that it’s not a specific area or a singular spot its the whole town.

 

The Main city in Paros is Parikia, which plays host to the port on Paros and is also a central point for activities on the island. The main road that runs along the port is lined with a variety of little stores and restaurants.

Another town on Paros and our base is Naoussa, like most cycladic towns Naoussa is full of character with small cobbled alley ways, whitewashed buildings and shades of blue trim making a simple walk through almost magical.

The town of Naoussa is quaint and beautiful, it sits on a small harbour with boats that take you to different beaches on the island. The cute little town has a wide variety of restaurants and boutique stores. The loukomades from the store in Naoussa is unparalleled and highly recommended. Every meal and meze we had on Paros island was beautiful and fresh, I think the best advice is to try everything.

The best Loukomades…with ice cream…& Chocolate sauce

The local bars and clubs are located at the end of the harbour and are stylish and very popular with both Greeks and tourists. We were there towards the end of August which is towards the end of the summer high season, however we were told that during the busy summer months Naoussa can be absolutely packed.

We stayed at a friends apartment on the island however, there is an endless variety of accommodation options available in Naoussa. Travel and getting around the island is also very easy, a public bus runs between major points throughout the day. There are numerous rental places that offer a variety of vehicles from mopeds to mini SUV’s and four wheelers.

There are fantastic beaches around every corner in Paros. Golden beach has a collection of beach clubs and bars that line the beach. The straight between Paros and AntiParos is absolutely stunning and is famous for watersports such as kitesurfing. In all honesty with such a variety of options it’s one of those islands where you can find your own personal favourite spot and make it special.

Secret Cliff Diving spot

 

Paros and Naoussa in particular is a trip that shouldn’t be missed!

Joburg Market : 1 Fox – The Sheds

One of the latest additions to Joburg’s Market scene is 1 Fox – it’s a new market and event space that is wonderfully located along the western edge of Johannesburg CBD.

The Market venue is within a group of original industrial warehouse spaces that date back to the 1920’s. The history and story of the buildings is really great and plays such a valuable role in the presence of the shed. In fact it is a character on it’s own, it’s a great space to spend some time in. You can read more about the History on the 1 Fox website.

I am a huge sucker for Johannesburg CBD, I love anything that happens within the CBD and I happily jump at the opportunity to visit exciting new places. I have to be honest I am thrilled about the nodal revival that is happening in Johannesburg. I hope that the people who visit the markets love and enjoy the experience and keep coming back. It’s a huge nerdy dream of mine that there’ll be a day where Johannesburg CBD will one day be a fun, friendly place again.

1 Fox is a market and event venue, the market itself is open from Fridays – Sundays and the Good Luck Bar (Which also has a rich history with the area) is open from Thursday night to Sunday. The bar has a wonderful stock of craft beers. The Shed also plays host to live music events and private functions.

The market has a great space within the shed, there is ample seating and an entertainment area for kids. The vendors at the market range from design and goods to artisan bakers. The food market is well represented with a large variety of food on offer, including the popular Balkan Burger and Black Sam. There is such a great variety it’s actually a little difficult to decide where to start, between the food, tarts, desserts and drinks it may require more than one visit.

The live music happens every Thursday night from 16:00 – 21:30 and the act’s change every week. To keep informed about all music events and exciting things happening at 1 Fox, follow them on Facebook or check the website.

Make a turn at 1 Fox with the family or some friends its really a great space with wonderful atmosphere for all. If you do give it a visit let me know what you thought.

 

Lenin’s Vodka Bar

Lenin’s Vodka Bar

Lenin’s Vodka Bar is in the Maboneng district in Joannesburg CBD. This bar is crazy cool for a few reasons:

1. It’s laid back and chilled – the small courtyard is slightly sheltered from the outside world by the container contained cycling store making the space feel very intimate yet relaxed.
2. Vodka, Vodka and more Vodka – If you are a Vodka fan then this bar is a definate must visit! Think a variety of Vodka’s from every corner of the globe with a little bit of background and an almost endless variety of Vodka inspired cocktails.
3. Half Price Happy Hour  – That’s right cocktails at half price from 5pm- 7pm (I think…) need we say more?
4. Selection of tasty foods such as sweet potato fries and Cajun Fried Calamari.

Lenin’s Vodka Bar – Courtyard

Lenin’s Vodka Bar – Courtyard

Lenin’s Vodka Bar – Lemon Drop

Lenin’s Vodka Bar – Menu

Lenin’s Vodka Bar – Inner working

So do the right thing and captilise on a warm sunny weekend afternoon with some comrades and the best of mother Russia.

Vietnamese Clams in lemongrass and Ginger Broth – Con Nghêu Hấp

Ok I confess this post is a little bit of a throwback! Just over a year ago I visited Vietnam with my husband and a friend of ours.

 

 

 

 

Vietnam was truly a land of wonder, history and beauty; it was a great experience and a wonderful trip! (And it deserves it own Blog post or maybe a few…) When I think back one of the best or most memorable parts are the little plastic tables and chairs…

All through Asia small street vendors that sell a variety and some of the best food on offer, do so with stalls and an array of plastic chairs and tables, in alleys, on sidewalks pretty much anywhere they can sell food. The plastic chairs and tables in Vietnam felt way smaller than anywhere else, like tiny kindergarten sized. The size of the tables and chairs proved to be pretty endearing and also I now associate some of the best food moments I had with the little chairs and tables.

This recipe came about after we stumbled into some tiny plastic tables and chairs on a busy Hanoi street on chilly Christmas eve. There was a cute Vietnamese family that ran the place. Large steaming bowls of clams kept coming to the little tables accompanied with mounds of fresh Vietnamese herbs and sauces.

Ingredients

So I came home and had to atleast give it a try, try to reclaim the glory of clams on a sidewalk in the cold. My attempt at Clams was a success , but it lacked some magic though probably since we didn’t eat on tiny plastic chairs on a sidewalk.

If you enjoy the recipes that I post please let me know by leaving a comment or follow to make sure you don’t miss any.

 

Recipe: Vietnamese Clams in lemongrass and Ginger Broth – Con Nghêu Hấp  

Ingredients:

2 kg small clams
2-3 stalks lemongrass, sliced thinly
5 slices ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
2 red chilli ,
1/4 cup  fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar

Method:

Soak Clams in water for about an hour. Put 1 lt of water into a large pot and bring to the boil. Steam clams for about 5 or 10 minutes until clams are fully open. Discard any clams that do not open.

Remove all clams and set aside. Add all the remaining ingredients to the water and let the broth reduce for a further 15 or 20 minutes.

Place all clams back into the broth and let cook for a further minute.

Serve hot with a generous helping of Vietnamese/Asian herbs such as Thai Basil and mint also known as a “Rau sống” and Vietnamese spicy fish sauce.

Vietnamese Clams in Ginger and lemongrass broth with spicy fish sauce

Vietnamese Spicy Fish Sauce Recipe – Nuoc Cham

Ingredients:

• 2 spicy red chillies sliced
• 2 tspns Minced Garlic
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1 Tblspn sugar
• 1 Tblspn lemon juice
• 1 cup water

Method:

Combine all ingredients into a bowl, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Greece – Part 1 Athens

The Acropolis overlooks Athens

I was very lucky to spend a few weeks in Greece last August. It was our first visit to Greece, which is somewhat weird since we have a lot of Greek friends who are very welcoming.

We spent a total of 3 weeks in Greece travelling between 3 major islands Paros, Naxos and Santorini and visiting attractions, beaches and restaurants along the way. For this blog post I’m going to start at the beginning and probably where everyone’s journey through Greece starts…In Athens!!

Sprawling Athens

Athens is the Capital of Greece and is a very large city that plays host to the International airport and the port Piraeus that inevitably takes you to all the exciting islands. Athens and Greece are famous throughout history for Art, philosophy and some of the greatest legends. Just a few relatively well known such as…Plato, Aristotle & Socrates to name a few. Greece and Athens in particular is a modern European country that is meshed intrinsically with a rich and deep history.

We had a basic list of must do’s and sights in Athens. We stayed in the Plaka district which is basically the old town of Athens, it sits at the base of the Acropolis and is basically central to most major attractions in Athens. Plaka is beautiful, it is the quintessential small cobblestone alleys dotted with restaurants and homes. For anyone visiting Athens, Plaka and it’s surrounds is the place to stay. We stayed at hostel since we figured we’d be adventuring most of the time before we made our way to the islands. Our hostel was the Student and Travellers Inn it was relatively cheap, accommodations were basic but location was prime.

Plaka older Buildings

Plaka Streets

We managed to visit all the major sites in Athens in one walking day, thanks to our great and central location we walked from site to site, if you start your tour at the Acropolis (or really at any site along the major site list) you can purchase an all inclusive tickets for 12 Euro’s that basically get’s you into every attraction, including all Acropolis, Hadrians Arch and the ancient Agora to name a few.

Acropolis – Athens

Acropolis – Athens

We were there in August so we missed the major Summer rush, however I doubt that places like the Acropolis get quiet. It’s also very hot, so dress appropriately.

Monastiraki

Monastiraki is the major shopping and market area in Athens. The market is most popular with tourists where you can find a multitude of curios, food, clothing and leather sandals stores. It is also a major subway station stop with a large variety of connections. I can definately recommend Thanassis for a greek gyro in the market. Cross the major road into a shopping mecca with all the popular stores from Mango & Zara to Nike. All the while walking from, towards or within a range of historical sites.

Athens Flea Market – Monastiraki

Food in Greece is typical Mediterranean, meze is a very popular way to eat and gives you an opportunity to try a variety of dishes. Gyro’s are a typical Greek fast food and are found everywhere at a relatively cheap price.

Lampshades light the way

We spent a few days exploring Athens and visiting the sites before we left for the Islands, on our return leg we spent more time in Athens. We rented a magnificent apartment off Airbnb again right next to the Plaka district very close to the Acropolis Museum and spent our time hanging out, visiting the surrounding restaurants and bars and enjoying the great weather.

Alpha Beer – Greece

Coming up very soon…Greece – Part 2  Paros

Read Everyday – Karin Slaughter

I love to read!!! I am the quintessential internet meme on reading. There is no better feeling than to get absolutely absorbed into a story, live in a far away place, be friends with the characters…to be fully lost in a book. Better yet, a set of books!!

I am also not fussy about the types of books I read, I’m pretty keen on most genre’s and I find I go through phases so I get through quite a variety. In the last month I’ve read a murder/crime thriller, the maze runner series including the prequel, a drama about a family with secrets and I have just started the Roald Dahl book set for a trip into childhood with The BFG.

This blog post though is to highlight a particular author. I think crime thriller’s are generally an easy read and are definately very popular. If I walk into my local bookstore the range is almost overwhelming. So it can be difficult to find a stand out book. I at some point, a few years ago stumbled across Karin Slaughter, I bought one of her older books and came home, I started and finished that book the same day. I naturally went back the next day to get any of her other books and ended up placing an order for all the books they didn’t have. Over the past few years I have read and re-read almost all of her books, both from The Grant County series and the Will Trent series and the books that didn’t fall into a series.

Her writing style and her ability to tell a story through the characters is something special. The language and stories themselves draw you in and keep you with every page and every chapter. The quality of her writing is consistent with every book. Honestly at no point have I struggled to finish a Karin Slaughter book.

My best Karin Slaughter book was part of the Will Trent series. Criminal, this book was so well written, it really brought together the characters with a detailed history, whilst simultaneously entertained with a somewhat disturbing murderer that comes a bit to close to home. I’m not going to review the book right now but I do suggest that if you haven’t read a Karin Slaughter book, you do so as soon as possible!!

What brought this blog post on, is that Karin Slaughter recently announced that her new book “pretty girls” will be released (in the UK…) mid July, which means I just need to hold out until mid August for it to be released here in Johannesburg. I almost cannot contain myself. I just would like to make it known that for roughly 24 hours in approximately mid-August I will be hidden somewhere with a new Karin Slaughter book!!

Lemon Blueberry Cake

January and February is a month of birthdays, anniversaries and other general celebrations. This mean’s one thing, festive cake is pretty much in order every week for atleast the first two months of the year. It’s definately one way to start every year!

For my Husbands birthday this year I made him a scrumptious lemon and blueberry cake with lemon cream cheesed frosting. Blueberries are really only becoming popular in South Africa recently and they are really expensive. It is really hard to resist using all the colorful berries when they’re in season but the price is a huge turn off. A birthday however is a perfect excuse to go all out on fresh berries.

This cake is really moist and tasty, the lemon flavour isn’t overwhelming but gives the cake a great citrus flavour and the general rule is the more berries the better!

The flavour combination of lemon and blueberry is timeless and can we all agree that cream cheese frosting is the future of everything.

All I can say is that this cake is definately worth the time, it’s light and refreshing. On a totally seperate side note, holding off on eating dessert and cakes in order to take pics for the blog is way harder than you’d think.

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Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure lemon juice

2 cups fresh blueberries

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
250g cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 cups icing sugar

For Filling between layers:
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180C and make sure th erack is centred. Butter two 9 x 2 inch/ 23 x 5cm round cake pans and make sure to line the bottom of each pan with a round of greased baking or wax paper.
2. For the Cake:

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites in a seperate bowl.

Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub the lemon zest into the sugar until it releases a citrus scent and the sugar is moist.  Add butter to the sugar and lemon mix and then using a hand mixer or paddle attachment, beat until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the lemon juice.

Combine all ingredients: add one third of the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture whilst still beating on medium speed. Then add half of the milk-egg mixture, Continue this process untill all the remaining ingredients have been incorporated. The batter should be smooth and creamy. Give the batter a final mix to ensure that it is mixed well. Add the two cups of blueberries and gently fold into the mixed batter with a spatula. Divide the batter between the greased pans and tap the pans on a surface so the batter levels out.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cakes have risen and a knife comes out clean.

Place the cakes on cooling racks and cool for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, and remove cakes from tins, peel off baking or parchment paper. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting

3. Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, butter and lemon zest. Beat on medium until creamy, light and fluffy. Gradually add 3 cups sifted icing sugar. Mix until frosting is light and creamy.

4. Assembling the cake:

Using a large serrated knife cut the slight domes off the top of each cake round. A great alternate option at this point would be to split each cake round in half and make a 4 layer cake, I however went with two substantial cake layers. Seperate, 3/4 cup of cream cheese frosting into a small bowl. Warm raspberry jam for 30 sec in a microwave until warm but not hot. Mix the warm jam into the 3/4 cup of cream cheese. Use this mixture as the filling between layers of the cake. Place bottom layer of cake onto a plate and then scoop the filling mix onto the top of the cake spread until even. Place second cake round on top. Ensure cake is level on top. Then spread or frost the cake using the cream cheese frosting. Decorate cake with leftover blueberries (that you haven’t eaten whilst baking…)