Sunday 9 December 2016
In December
we woke up one Sunday and thought ... let’s go by Gautrain from Sandton to
Hatfield Square and enjoy breakfast there. Had a lovely time on the
train, arrived at Hatfield station and first couldn’t figure out exactly what
direction to walk ... and then found out that Hatfield Square is no more ...
they’re changing it into flats. Oh boy. So we started to
walk. This is already after 8am, sun is quite hot and we walk ... and
walk ... all the way to Brooklyn square.
Found this
cute little coffee shop Ginger and Fig. http://www.gingerandfig.co.za/ I was so hot when we arrived there, that
I ordered a tall cold coffee drink. It was yum.
I had French toast
with banana, bacon and syrup. It was deelicious. Hein had bacon,
mushrooms and egg with homemade bread.
Their coffee is lovely and
strong. On the counter as you walk in the door, they have all kinds of
delectable tarts and goodies! After breakfast I refused to walk all the
way back to the Hatfield Gautrain station ... there were Uber cars around but then
we spotted a bus stop for the Gautrain bus. What a pleasure! There
were only 2 guys on the bus and they wanted to go to CSIR. So we sat back
and enjoyed the ride. Clean bus, a different outlook on the streets.
Rainbow
cake: for a while
it was all the rage. I’ve never tasted one, cause I didn’t want to be
disappointed by a dry cake, but it looked spectacular. But then I saw
this ... a Rainbow cheesecake - http://www.kraftcanada.com/recipes/rainbow-cheesecake-181727 - my goodness, this looks
amazing!!! And of course the basis is cheesecake with added
colourings. If you’re a purist, use natural colourings eg beetroot, etc.
Thursday 13 December 2016
Old Town
Italy –A new little
square opened up in Menlyn – Menlyn on Maine (http://www.menlynmaine.co.za/) and we visited the Old Town Italy.
A
lovely big restaurant with a few different seating areas. Their breads
are homemade and they have these glass display cases FILLED with the most
delectable goodies ... cronuts, pastries, cakes, mousse, etc etc. They
also have a small ice cream ‘bar’ with interesting flavors.
Imported
cold meats / cheeses and a fabulous variety of imported sweets, eg Turkish
delights (but in the most amazing flavours ... not just rosewater.) The
next moment I saw these GIGANTIC slabs of chocolate - 1 kg chocolate slab
– R699.
How I found
this recipe ... I don’t know but it’s gorgeous!!!! I also really
really like the jelly tot version (will give it after this one)
3
ingredient Peanut butter banana cacao brownies
2 ripe
bananas (about 350 g with skin on)
½ cup peanut
butter (smooth or crunchy) (or any other nut butter)
3
tablespoons cacao
Preheat
oven to 180 oC. Pulp everything together. (I’ve smoothed my bananas
first in a bowl with a fork, then mixed in the rest). It will be a sticky
mixture. Spoon it into muffin holes or cupcake wrappers.
(makes 6). It won’t rise, so fill it to the top. Bake for 20
minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes in pan. Remove and let cool.
Cut into 4. Place into container with lid and keep in fridge. (You can
sift icing sugar on top.)
3
ingredient Peanut butter banana jelly tot blondies
2 ripe
bananas (about 350 g with skin on)
½ cup
peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) (or any other nut butter)
100 g jelly
tots
Preheat
oven to 180 oC. Smooth the bananas first in a bowl with a fork, then
mixed in the peanut butter and stir well. Stir in the jelly tots.
It will be a sticky mixture. Spoon it into muffin holes or cupcake
wrappers. (makes 6). It won’t rise, so fill it to the top. Bake for
20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes in pan. Remove and let
cool. Cut into 4 (or keep whole). Place into container with lid and
keep in fridge.
Alma
Pretorius’s adapted recipe from http://www.rsg.co.za/resepte_kuik.asp?id=3397
Christmas
in Clarens: Here are all our food pictures with the name of
restaurant. Drool away.
Friday 23 December 2016
We left Joburg and drove via Vereeniging, Sasolburg, Heilbron (a
stunning church with a lovely pulpit), Petrus Steyn. After 11 am we
arrived in Reitz and found this absolutely amazing little coffeeshop, called
Chocolat. (https://poelanies.co.za/?p=2169) This is also a
guesthouse. A few years ago while the owners were away, the whole place
burnt down. Walking down the path towards the coffeeshop, you actually
walk through a burn door frame ...
Onwards
through Bethlehem and arrived just before 1pm in Clarens. We stayed in the
Ash River Lodge B&B. (http://www.wheretostay.co.za/ashriverlodge-bed-and-breakfast-clarens) It was really lovely!
They are wheelchair friendly and the rooms are lovely. We were in room 4
and walked out through sliding doors onto a covered patio, overlooking the
mountains. It has a huuuuge Jetmaster braai/fireplace in the center of
the patio.
I had freshly fried chips with a cheese-garlic sauce and
Hein had steak, egg & chips. Delicious.
Since we
stayed in the B&B, we had 2 breakfasts in the guesthouse, the rest of the
meals mostly in different places.
Dinner on
Friday 23/12/2016 was at Vito’s, also next to the grass town square.
It’s
a lovely restaurant decorated with movie stars. We sat outside on the
patio and enjoyed watching people and fashion.
Saturday 24 December 2016
Breakfast
in the guesthouse ... a variety of cereals, yogurt,
tinned fruit are all on a table. There were bacon, 2 kinds of mini
sausages, baked beans, scrambled eggs and bread.
Lunch on
Saturday was at the Clarens Brewery, also on the grass town
square.
Wow, besides the fact that this place has some serious craft
beers (at a VERY REASONABLE price), they have craft beer tastings (in small
glasses) and their food is absolutely smashing!!!!! We shared a ‘warm
platter’.
A cute smallish barrel filled with cut ‘russian-type’ sausages,
a few cheeses, olives, gherkins, peppadews, jalapeno, bread, butter and few
dips. It was about R150 and soooooooooooooooooooo yummy!!!!
Before we
came on this holiday, I didn’t book any dinner for xmas eve and xmas day ... so
after this delightful platter, Hein was nursing a cold beer and I walked down
the street. And saw that the Portuguese restaurant advertised live music
for that evening! I promptly walked in, booked a table for 2 and that was
xmas eve settled.
I walked
down to the Purple Onion ... ooohhh, this place is serious! All kinds of
different flavored chocs on display to choose, knick-knacks of all sorts,
small braais, sweets, curry powders, etc etc.
There’s a
supermarket run by an Eastern family and let me tell you ... they make big
bucks!!!! We bought a disposable braai there (R50) for the next
day.
I also walked to The Posthouse restaurant and ordered a mini berry
cheesecake, a slice of Black Forest cake and a mini apple tart.
Dinner at
Gosto Portuguese restaurant for xmas eve. Oh my goodness!!!!
Warm
decor, 1 guy playing the guitar and singing at a real good level ... not
shouting, not whispering. Old familiar songs. It was a stunning
evening, so when Hein ordered a beer, I started with a black coffee and a
pasteis de nata (custard tart). Deeeelish!!!
A calamari starter was
next – although the calamari was super super soft and juicy and yum, it was
white as snow!! They could have just put a few griddle marks on it.
Also some freshly steamed asparagus with butter .... we just looooooooove
asparagus, pity they are just soo expensive most of the times!
For mains,
we shared a whole peri-peri chicken (in pieces) (although Hein said it probably
was a really small chicken) and it was absolutely delicious, served with crispy
salad and delicious fried chips.
Sunday 25 December 2016
Breakfast
on Xmas morning in guesthouse again. Weather not good, raining and wind
quite strong.
We’ve bought some boerewors and wanted to use the disposable
braai, but it was difficult with the wind. So I had the brainwave that
Hein must use the fireplace/braai on the patio. It’s one of those that
has the glass sides all around. So Hein opened up the door, put the
disposable braai inside, lit it and closed the door. Voila!
This
disposable braai is sooooooooo handy! It even has little legs to stand
on! And you literally just need matches / lighter. So our xmas
lunch was boerewors and onions in butter. Hein made a little container
out of double layers of foil with sides ... melted the butter in there and then
sliced onions. It was deeeelicious!!!!!! Our dessert were the
cheesecake, black forest cake and mini apple tart.
Drove
around a bit the afternoon and there was only 1 restaurant open in Clarens
(except the hotels) ... Coffeeshop 278. That’s the name. We stopped
for a coffee and asked about dinner. The owner said its on a ‘first come,
first served’ basis and it will be ‘leftovers’. Around 6pm xmas day we
arrived back at Coffeeshop 278. Wow, what a spread.
For R80 per
person, you got a freshly baked ciabatta roll with a choice of leftover cold
meats, turkey, chicken and quite a few scrumptious salads!!! It was
great! We saw a couple that absolutely LOADED their plates ... The decor is also lots of red with splashes of mosaic and
gold. The restaurant was filled, since no other place was open. For
dessert (that was extra costs), we shared a choc mousse in glass with cream on
top and a slice of fruitcake! HEAVEN!!!
After every
meal we had in a restaurant in Clarens, Hein and I walked around the center
grass town square .... made us feel a little bit less guilty!
Monday 26 December 2016
By now we were tired of the guesthouse breakfast. Not that
it was bad – we just wanted something different. The Artist’s Cafe
(directly opposite the Protea Hotel - https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Restaurant_Review-g734479-d2433935-Reviews-Artist_s_Cafe-Clarens_Free_State.html) is an absolute must to visit!
They were
smashing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crispy from the griddle on outside,
fluffy inside! With jam and cheese. Breakfast for a queen!!!
Hein had stywe pap, boerewors, bacon, eggs and cheese with tomato relish.
Absolutely divine.
For lunch
we drove to Fordsburg. It’s a small little town, but with the most
incredible sandstone houses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are however 3
restaurants, although only 1 was open on the 26th Dec. Di
Plaasstoep. It’s a lovely restaurant with an inside seating area, outside
on the wrap-around covered porch and on a lower level outside under
umbrellas. A bird cage with ‘love birds’ kept us company. Hein saw
another table with a jam jar and when asked what it was? Banana
milkshake.
I had a cappu. Hein ordered a cheese burger with fries and salad (I could have thrown the fries on the floor and roll in them ... they were sooooooooooooo delicious!!!!)
Our last
meal in Clarens .... late afternoon on 26th Dec we walked around,
looking for a new place to dine at. But most places were still closed.
In the end we walked into the pizzeria Mosaic. Walked to an inside table
right at a window ... where a gorgeous marmalade cat was having a nap (on the
table, yes). Ordered some drinks, opened the window and the next moment
the cat came to sit on my lap. Right opposite us is the famous
Clementine’s restaurant ... fine dining at its best. Normally they’re
closed on Mondays. When I see movement there, I quickly phoned them (yes
I could have walked across, but I had a cat on my lap) and yes, they were open
and we made a booking for a fine dining dinner.
I looked
out the window and what??? There’s my lovely hairdresser Chantal and her
partner Steve. They decided on a last minute weekend away ... and Chantal
hasn’t ever been to Clarens. Chatted a bit and then we walked over to
Clementine’s. (https://www.clementines.co.za/)
I wanted something different, so I settled on Angel hair
pasta with seafood and chilies.
Hein had grilled pork chops with veg,
mash, mustard sauce and crackling.
I had a taste and it was all
yummy. The shrimp and calamari was a bit chewy and frankly I could have
just eaten the pasta. The flavours were off the charts!!!!!!!
Now this is a real fine dining restaurant, but behind us was a long table
(about 8 people) with 3 young children. And boy, were they noisy!
Tuesday 27 December 2016
We woke up at 5am, didn’t even bother to make plunger
coffee, showered, packed and left Clarens just after 6am.
Clarens is
a lovely little town ... there are sooooooo many little shops with leather
articles, clothes, furniture, bric-and-brac, food, etc. If you drive out
to the Golden Gate Park, the mountains on the way is just breathtaking!!!
And there’s also a little place called ‘Alma’.
Driving to Fordsburg
is worth it and of course, to Ficksburg for cherries (when in season – around
November.)
So by now,
your eyes must be tired, your mug/glass empty and your snack plate finished.
No comments:
Post a Comment