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.