Constantia Gift Fair

The Constantia Gift Fair is on this week. After a crazy morning I thought some time out shopping and sunshine was a good idea, so we headed out to the market.

It's held every year at the South African Disabled Stables, which in essense is a big piece of land in Constantia. It's set under the amazing back of Table Mountain, and with the good weather we had today made it even better.

There's plenty of tables around or grass space if you can't find a table, live music, wine and good food.

There was a selection of crafty type goods, clothing and surprisingly lots of baby stuff. The first section is stalls manned by staff and the second section is consignment goods. So cash is more of the currency in the first section, whereas you can use your card in the second section.

There were some pretty interesting things this year but with all markets there was also stuff you see everywhere.

After walking around for a bit we grabbed a table and a selection of eats and of course the optional glass of wine. We decided on a rose from Constantia Glen, which was really good. In between the wine there was some asian food and pf course the yummy ice-cream from ......

Ice-cream and wine on a warm summer's day, what more can you ask for?

We may not have come away with much but all in all it was a good day out. We got some Christmas gift ideas and had a girly chat about boys ☺.

The Company Garden's Restaurant

I had the opportunity to go for lunch at the Company Garden’s Restaurant last week.  The restaurant is owned by the same people as Madam Zingara’s, however it isn’t over the top or extravagant. I've been planning on going to the restaurant for ages but it hasn't happened yet.  I landed up going with some colleagues from work.

I’ve heard that the restaurant gets really busy over weekends, but they do take reservations, so I’m sure if you plan ahead you’ll get a table.  It was fairly quiet, with a light lunch crowd.  Normally when I go to the gardens I actually walk through the gardens and then out.  However, it was a “quick” lunch so we walked around the outside of the gardens directly in the entrance closest to the restaurant, into the restaurant and sat down at our table.

The restaurant is in an ideal spot within the gardens, it seems to have been built into a section where the trees look old and there’s green everywhere.  You have the option of sitting inside or outside, definitely choose outside.  One section is in the sun whereas another section is under the trees.  So if you’re like me that can’t handle the sun for too long, find a spot under some amazing trees.

Their lunch special for the day was salmon with veg and a vegetarian asian salad.  Half our table had the salmon, which they say was delicious.  I’m not a fish fan so that option didn’t appeal to me.  The asian salad sounded interesting but I was weary of the chilli, so I landed up having the Beef Asian Salad from the menu.  It was similar to the special, except with a bit of a variation to the sauce and veggies.  It was delicious :) The prices weren’t too bad, what you would expect from a popular spot.

I plan on going to the restaurant again, however this time it will definitely be with friends and more of a relaxed atmosphere.  Maybe take a blanket with and chill on the grass afterwards with the squirrels and Egyptian geese.

Rugby at Fat Harry's

I have to admit that I'm not a rugby fan. The most I watch is if I'm at home and my brothers are playing but otherwise I don't purposely watch it.

I've been invited a few times to watch the rugby at Fat Harry's, but have always turned the invite down.

This Saturday was different, and I'm not talking about it being the final of the World Cup, I have a friend relocating overseas in a weeks time and this may be the last time I see her for a while.

So I said yes to the invite and made my way to Fat Harry's. I'm not sure what a typical Saturday night is like there but this one was packed. We booked a table in advance and it was a good thing we did.

We received a message that since it's Halloween they're doing a bit of a dress up. Most of the waiters were dressed up in some way, not over the top but just a bit extra.

Gem squash lantern

The service is pretty good, the vibe is cheerful and sporty, and the deco is different. There's a really cool chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, beer light shades and kegs everywhere. The only downside was that the food wasn't amazing. Yes, it's pub fare but it should still be decent.  The onion rings were too oily, and my pattie seemed to fall apart.

They apparently have live music on a Saturday night. Not sure what the acts are going to be like but tonight was an older gentleman singing with a guitar.

I guess I would say that I enjoyed everything about Fat Harries except for the food, so in future I'll try the snack foods and just enjoy the vibe.

Adventures in Blouberg

We decided to try something different this last weekend, and went out to Blouberg.  My friends and I hardly venture to that side of Cape Town, which I think is a shame.  This part of Cape Town is beautiful with some amazing restaurants so close to the ocean.

We started our adventures with Blue Peter, only to realise that it wasn’t a good time and there were no tables available.  We decided on our next option which was Saints Burgers.  I have to say this place is amazing. It surpassed all my expectations.

Saints Burgers do really good gourmet burgers, however they have a wide range of other dishes.  There cocktail menu is quite extensive and so yummy.  Saints have a rock and roll theme, from the music, to the decor and the names of their dishes.  They have inside and outside seating with a well placed Cape Town yellow picture frame to capture the stunning view of Table Mountain.  

The service and food was really good.  Their burgers come with a variety of sides and sauces, and makes for a very filling meal.

Pimps Juice, Saints Burgers

Lamb burger with tomato salad and sweet potato fries

From Saints we headed back to Blue Peter thinking we would have a cocktail on the grass.  Even though the sun was out, the wind was pumping and as we were all chilled we decided on hot chocolate instead.  We got some strange looks since we weren’t drinking alcohol but their hot chocolate was pretty good.

Blue Peter is pretty chilled, with kids and dogs running around on the grass.  It’s got more of a pub vibe with a pretty good view.  However, we were disappointed in the service we received.

All in all it was a pretty good day out, having some new experiences and kicking off summer in a good way.   

Christmas Markets in Cape Town

Crazily enough Christmas decorations have gone up in shops around Cape Town over the weekend.  With decorations comes Christmas markets – I love attending markets in any event but I thoroughly enjoy the Christmas markets. 

When I was searching to see what markets looked interesting this festive season, I was amazed to see that there are many markets that already started on 21 October.  To me this is super early.  My festive season normally starts with a bang in the form of the Constantia Gift Fair, which is on from Wednesday, 4 November to Sunday, 8 November.  I’ve attended this market the last two years and have enjoyed it both times.  The weather is normally pretty decent, so you can sit out in the sunshine and enjoy some good food. 

The gift fair is a little different as there aren’t the typical stalls you normally find at markets, it’s set up as one big stall.  As you go along you choose things you want and you pay for your items right at the end.  Beware of the tills, as I found last year there are some cute items right at the tills and I got swept up in the hype and bought more than I was anticipating.

The Cape Markets website is a really good tool for finding markets, they have a list of all the markets around Cape Town throughout the year.

Some of the markets that look interesting this year are:

·         Stellenberg Market – held Monday to Saturday until 7 November in Durbanville

·         Constantia Gift Fair – 4 to 8 November in Constantia

·         Stellenbosch Kersmark – 25 November to 5 December in Stellenbosch

·         Made in the Cape Festive Fair – 1 to 6 December in Cavendish Square

·         Noel French Market – 5 December in Sea Point

·         Simply South Gift and Craft Fair – 7 to 22 December at the NG Kerk on Ladies Mile

·         Pineland Craft and Gift Fair – 7 to 22 December in Pinelands

·         Lourensford Christmas Market – 10 to 12 December on the Lourensford Estate

·         Fab Ideas Christmas Market – 11 to 16 December in Kommetjie

      Enjoy the run up to the Festive Season :)

Strawberry Picking

This is something that I’ve been wanting to do for years but have never been able to organise, I’m hoping that this is the year we finally go.

The Western Cape has some amazing strawberry farms around, which means that there’s a wide variety of options. Strawberry picking season is from October to December, this means that there’s limited time to make a trip out to one of the farms. 

Some of the popular strawberry farms are:

·         Polkadraai – between Stellenbosch and Kuilsriver, they’re open daily from 9am to 4pm

·         Mooiberge – I’m sure everyone knows this spot near Stellenbosch, they have a wide range of wines in their farm stall.  They’re open from 9:30am to 4:30pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.

·         Mountain Breeze Farm Stall – Stellenbosch, open daily from 9am to 4:30pm.

·         Helderberg Farm – Stellenbosch, open daily from 8am to 6pm

With these many options available it makes choosing the right spot pretty tough.  The other thing to look out for is cost, each farm has their own measurement of cost.  Some farms weigh your container, while at others you pay an entrance fee and are able to pick and eat as much as you want.  So look at your options carefully before choosing the right one for you, it would be terrible to get a shock after a wonderful day out.  The suggestion is that you phone ahead of time to check that there are still fruit in the fields.

The Western Cape has many other fruit picking options including cherry picking (Klondyke Cherry Farm) and fig picking (Hoogwater Fresh Figs).  With summer around the corner, this sounds like a pretty good day out J

The Galileo

The Galileo was started a few years ago, and “airs” during the Cape Town summer months i.e. October to April, or at least the months that should be our summer.

The Galileo is kind of like the old drive in venues, without the cars though J So everyone grabs picnic blankets or “chairs”, chills on the grass and watches a movie on the big screen.

Over the years additional venues and dates have been added with this year being bigger and better than ever.

Movies are screened on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and select Saturday evenings.  Friday night screenings are on a rotating venue basis and Saturdays are out in the winelands.

In previous years I’ve attended screenings at Hillcrest Quarry, Kirstenbosch Gardens and V&A Waterfront.  I can’t say I have a favourite venue as they all so different.

Typically the doors open at 6pm with the movie starting when the sun goes down.  If you get there early enough you get to enjoy the stunning sunset while sipping a glass of wine. 

There are food and drinks vendors but you’re welcome to bring your own picnics.  It does get a bit chilly so a blanket is a good idea.

Tickets can be bought through webtickets.  You can buy tickets for the whole season, so book your tickets as soon as possible.  I see that there are a few screenings already sold out.

Spier Events

Spier Werf Market:

Up until a few weeks ago I wasn't aware that there was even a thing as the Spier Secret Festival.  

The event is being held from 29 to 31 October at the recently restored Spier Werf at the Spier Wine Estate in Stellenbosch.  The Spier website states that this event is for anyone who enjoys good wine and food.  

It seems that this year is going to be bigger and better, with a bakery and cafe, a farmer's market and a boutique wine cellar.  

The festival features a conference, pop-up dinner series and food bazaar.  Tickets need to be pre-booked for the conference and dinner series but the food bazaar is more on line with a food and wine market. 

The market is family-friendly with a petting zoo to entertain the little ones, while adults can enjoy free-range, organic goods and produce.

Festival of White Lights:

Spier starts off the festive season each year by hosting the Festival of White Lights, this is a sparkling display of lights and a collection of artistic performances. 

The evening starts off with award-winning Spier wines and a picnic on the lawns, while listening to gospel and Christmas songs. 

You then go on a trip across the estate, led by an “Angel of Light” and a penny-whistler – I’m not sure what a penny-whistler is but I’m sure I’ll find out once I attend the event J

The trip across the farm reveals light installations, including a dance piece choreographed by Jay Pather, a burning sculpture and a display by fire-dancers. 

Along the way, participants are given a balloon with a light inside and a piece of paper tied to it.  Participants are encouraged to write a message of goodwill and all the balloons are released together and makes you think of a new year’s movie sceen .

Tickets sell out quickly as I found out last year, so book on webtickets as soon as possible.

About me

Hi, I'm a transplant Capetonian, I've only lived here for 6 years but have loved every minute of it. I'm lucky in that I have a great group of friends that enjoy trying new things.

My blog is about interesting upcoming events in and around the Cape Town area, reviews of things I do and a little bit on travel.

I'm not a writer, photography or journalist, I actually work in the financial sector, so please excuse any mistakes that you find :) I'd like to try keep this as much me as possible, so I'll only be posting my opinions and photographs.