The 50% Rule

by Tara-Zee

So, this one time, Mr T-Z and I decided that celebrating Valentine’s Day by going out for dinner on the 14^th of February is just not worth it. Mr T-Z likes to call it his 50% rule … restaurants give you 50% less choice for meals, 50% worse service and charge you 50% more than they would on an ordinary night, in addition to squeezing 50% more people into the same space. Now that’s not to say that we haven’t had some winner V-day dinners; that one at The Cradle restaurant was a stunning evening, made even better by good food, a beautiful view and a foot massage between mains and dessert; and there was that time at Linger Longer where the meal and service were great (I won’t dwell on the couple at the table next to ours who did not say a word to each other all evening, or the one across the way where the man told his partner that he’d always felt like more of a father than a lover to her – awkward). But those were exceptions to the 50% rule.

This year, we spent Valentine’s at home, with our favourite pizzas from Col’Cacchio (the Erincella and the Moghul), a bottle of Eikendal chardonnay and a DVD – The A Team. It was a perfect night in. And by Friday, we were ready to brave restaurants once more and enjoy a date night.

Mr T-Z booked at the newly-opened HQ at Central 24 in Sandton. Another one of Mr T-Z’s theories has something to do with the number of choices on the menu and the quality of the food being indirectly proportional. If that’s anything to go by, HQ should be the best new restaurant. Their concept is that you can enjoy any starter and main for R155 per person … that is, as long as the starter is a salad (mmm, iceberg lettuce, parmesan and pine nuts with an addictive vinaigrette) and the main is a 250 g sirloin (or “sirlion” as appears on my receipt) prepared to your liking (rare for me, of course) in a café de Paris butter and served with fries. Their wine list is pretty pricey, but has some novelty options, from The Parlotones Giant Mistake to Schalk Burger No. 6. We went for a bottle of the Idiom Sangiovese to share. The dessert menu also has a lot of variety and we found that the chocolate fondant and lemon tart complimented each other.

The hostess was polite, but could perhaps spend a little less time on the couch chatting to a friend. The manager was friendly and eager to talk to us about the new endeavor and the waitering staff was attentive, but can go ahead and top up my wine without asking. This novelty restaurant seems to have taken off in Cape Town. Here’s hoping that Jo’burg has the staying power.

Arts on Main and The Attic

by Tara-Zee

So, this one time, my Sunday morning started with a 10 km race (remember, Tilly and I are still training for that little half marathon in April). My running partner for the day (let’s call him Mr Snookychooks) was great – he stuck with me when I was struggling, encouraged me when I managed to breathe instead of wheeze, and didn’t even mock my playlist, well not too much. And he was happy to share some yoghurt, muesli and mango juice with me and Mr T-Z after the race. (Unfortunately there was no coffee or greasy fry-up, as our electricity was down.)

Then Mr T-Z and I decided to head out and the day turned into a perfect date. We started at the Market on Main at Arts on Main (check it out: http://marketonmain.co.za/). My passion for The Drum Decade was reignited as we looked at old Drum covers; memories of the World Cup came floating back as went through some commemorative posters; and the pottery made me wish I had a bigger home and a bookshelf to fill with beautiful bowls. Aaah – and then the food. Such elegant cupcakes, chocolate brownies made by Miss Poppysocks (you can buy your own mixes to take home and impress your friends with your great baking … or, better yet, give them as presents so your friends can bake for you!), fresh veggies, a variety of cheeses and great breads (including my favourite – the summer rye … samurai). We tasted, took in our surrounds and then popped through to Parkhurst for lunch.

Now, you see, Mr T-Z and I love eating out (obviously). But, one of our resolutions for the year was to eat more home-cooked meals. And our success rate has been really good (and when I say “our”, I mean Mr T-Z’s – he has become a pro at planning and preparing dinner and lunches – but that’s for another story). So it was fun for us to go through to one of our favourite restaurants, The Attic. We were seated at a table out of the way enough to give you some privacy, but also good for people spotting. We shared a bottle of the Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc (perfect for a sunny summer’s afternoon) and started with the chilli-salt squid and the duck dim sum – yum! Mr T-Z went for the Sunday roast (lamb, crispy potatoes and summer veggies), which was rich and tasty. I went for the mussels, which filled my craving for a taste of the sea. And although I have a weak spot for pudding, I was perfectly full, and we chose instead to do more window shopping.

A lazy afternoon on the couch was followed by a platter of delicious things from the morning’s market and the chance to relive a lovely day in the city. 

Byzance and the lone hill

I know what they were thinking. They were thinking “what could possibly be so nice all the way out there in Lonehill?”

Well, let’s just say that I told them so.

You see, I actually live in Lonehill. Which, if you’re not from Johannesburg, will most likely mean nothing to you. It’s a little far from the CBD is all. TZ and Mr. TZ happen to live pretty much in the CBD. It can make dinner arrangements awkward.

I always end up driving to their side (granted, I usually also crash in their guest room). So when I once suggested that they join me for dinner at Byzance, a classy Greek restaurant in Lonehill, I was immediately met with cries of “All the way out there!? No way!” and a hint of “Can’t be that great if it’s in Lonehill.” Snobs.

So, fine. I went with another friend. We’ll call her Barbie, shall we?

Barbie and I love Byzance. She lives even further out than I do, so it’s a great halfway meeting point (okay, it’s close for me).

To get to Byzance, you need to descend stone steps that are flanked by a trinkling waterfall (well, “watertrickle” made no sense). You feel as though you’re walking into the wine cellar of a castle in Europe.

In winter, there are cosy fires (in fireplaces obviously). The interior section of the restaurant is arranged in circular booths that fit up to 8 people at a bit of a squish. Each booth has its own chandelier and they are separated by discreet screens for privacy.

You could also choose to sit at a table in the bar, which is a bit noisier and warm in Winter.

In summer, they throw open the doors to the lake view. (Yip, there’s even a small lake. Take that, non-believers!)

Barbie and I love to meet just before sunset and sit outside on the stone patio overlooking the lake and the lone hill (the suburb had to be named after something). We sip Buitenverwachting Buiten Blanc and munch on deliciously hot triangles of pita bread and Aegean Tapenade (olives, capers and garlic – yum).

We then either get very hungry and order the Souvlaki, or we just order from their extensive Meze menu. My personal favourite is the beef ravioli thingys that we had last time. OMG. It was so good, I try not to think about it too much (too much drool).

As for TZ and Mr TZ: TZ saw a couple of photos and their menu online recently and is keen to do lunch there… Well, it’s a step toward dinner.

PS. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was my crème brulee. But that’s because there wasn’t enough of it!

Table Mountain Café (and how we got there)

by Tara-Zee

So, this one time, Tilly, Mr T-Z and I were in Cape Town for a few days of work followed by more days of holiday. Cape Town is special to me and Mr T-Z – we spent two weeks on honeymoon travelling around the Western Cape and we always enjoy going back there together and being there with friends.

Weeks (possibly even months) before the three of us had even left the comforts of Jozi, the itinerary had been planned to the last detail (you see, we’re all a little fanatical when it comes to planning trips – in fact, I may be the least prepared, and I’m the Virgo!). Things went better than according to plan. On the designated day, we woke up by 6:30, had a quick breakfast and headed to a convenience store where Mr T-Z stocked up on water, energy drinks and loads of chocolates and snacks to share, in case we were stranded in bad weather conditions (it happens).

We arrived at the start of our hike (the Platteklip Gorge route, which starts at the lower cable station) as the sun was rising over Cape Town. It was one of those moments where you hold your breath and try to take lots of pictures so that you can capture it for always (well, that was what I was doing; Tilly and Mr T-Z wanted to start tackling the mountain – and for me to give the camera a break).

We climbed that mountain. And for some reason I couldn’t get the soundtrack from The Sound of Music out of my head, especially when I spotted what I thought was a ferocious wild animal, which turned out to be a mountain goat (“Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo”). There was a moment when Tilly and I fretted (when Mr T-Z lost his footing and we thought that we’d lose the most level-headed of the three of us … and all those snacks), and there were a few times when we sat down to admire the view (and recover from the giant steps we needed to take to cover distance).

But nothing beat that feeling as we reached the top and were able to admire the spectacular view of Cape Town. Well, nothing except for the breakfast at the Table Mountain Cafe. I enjoyed the options available for the breakfast buffet (charged per 100 g, which I like) – pity that the queue to pay meant that our food was lukewarm by the time we got to our table outside … and that which was still warm soon went cold in the breeze. We quickly gobbled down our mushrooms, mince, flame-grilled boerewors, Spanish omelettes, grilled tomato and toast; we had to before the birds stole it. As far as settings go, this was a good one (especially on a Friday morning when everyone else you know is at work!).

FYI – there is alcohol available at the restaurant, but even we couldn’t stomach any after our three-and-a-bit hours of hiking. And anyway, there was a better way to reward ourselves: the cable-car ride down (which took mere minutes after our long hike up!).