Monthly Archives: March 2015

Café Manhattan at the Cape Quarter

Café Manhattan at the Cape Quarter
Café Manhattan in De Waterkant looks less than New York, and more like some place in Texas, don't you think? That notwithstanding, this bar/restaurant is one of the gems in the Green Point. It's not just the food that's good, the vibe, staff and patrons have made this one of our go-to places if we're looking for lunch in Green Point.

The bar area gets a little rowdy in the evenings, so I wouldn't say it's family friendly. If you're looking for a slightly quieter place to hang out with a friend or four, take a seat in their lounge area - it's tucked away, near the kitchen, up a small flight of stairs.

kEda Gomes, aka Reckless-Buddah

kEda Gomes, aka Reckless-Buddah
Isn't that fantastic? This is the work of South African artist kEda Gomes, known on Deviant Art as Reckless Buddah. From her profile on that site you'll see she's open to doing commissioned work - so check out her gallery page and if you like her stuff, keep her in mind for your next project. :)

Mr Cat and the Jackal

Mr Cat and the Jackal
I couldn't get into their music when I watched a few of their music videos on YouTube, but live they were absolutely fantastic. The number of times they switched to different an eccentric musical instruments was phenomenal - the number of times musicians switched instruments between themselves, even including the drummer, was incredible. If you get the opportunity to see Mr Cat and the Jackal live, don't think twice, go. :)

Rooftop Cinema in Green Point

Rooftop Cinema in Green Point
I previously posted about the Silent Cinema that Short & Sweet hosted in Deer Park on Valentine's day. The series of short films was so fun to watch that I went along to their Rooftop Cinema at Batstone Pool on top of De Waterkant's Cape Quarter buildings.

As with the Silent Cinema, the open-air Rooftop Cinema didn't disappoint - it was plenty of fun. The film selection was brilliantly curated, and there was a fair variety of films from producers whom I'd otherwise never have heard of.

I arrived real early (to get a good spot to sit and take photos), so I have to admit that I felt like a bit of a loser sitting there alone for the longest time ever, waiting for the production to start. :) But that said, as the seating started to fill up, and I noticed that the last of the last taking their place standing behind everyone else (who were mostly seated on comfy cushions), I was kinda glad I'd arrived early. (So what I'm trying to say is: "Take a friend and get there early.")

Make a plan to visit the Rooftop Cinema, they'll run until the end of April, or otherwise check out their drive-in in Vredehoek - I imagine they'll be running that throughout winter.

For updates about their Cape Town gigs, like their Short & Sweet Cape Town page on Facebook.

Birds on the horizon

Birds on the horizon
This is one of the things that I love about the end of day on Clifton beach - the birds that flock over the horizon, resting on the large boulders about 150 meters off in the ocean. It creates such a peaceful atmosphere. :)

Let’s all ride on a yellow MTB

Let's all ride on a yellow MTB
It may not be obvious from the photo alone, but that bike indicates the start of an MTB trail on the Paul Cluver estate in Elgin. Having the bike high up on a tree stump is a pretty neat idea to mitigate it being stolen or vandalised... not that MBT enthusiasts are thieves or vandals... I'm just saying. :)

Paul Cluver – wide open space

Paul Cluver - wide open space
Wide open space like this on the Paul Cluver estate in Elgin can feel really creepy. At least in Cape Town we have plenty of mountains to break the horizon - I can't imagine how strange it would feel if there were none; if the fields, like the ocean, tapered off on the horizon.

Flower syrup at Delvera

Flower syrup at Delvera
Crisna, from Crisna's Olives at Delvera, doesn't only sell olives and olive products. I happened upon these bottles of jasmine and hibiscus flower syrups. Don't they sound divine? In case you can't read the price sticker on the bottles in this photo - at time of writing they cost only R30 for a bottle - which is pretty reasonable, don't you think?

Mary Sibande, poking fun at power relations

Mary Sibande, poking fun at power relations
It's an awful quality photo, I know, but the subject is so brilliant that I have to share it. I spotted this work by Mary Sibande on the wall of a building in Stellenbosch. Read more, and see more of her works, in The Guardian's article over here.

Fresh at Paul Cluver

Fresh at Paul Cluver

If you'd like a treat, prepared with love and care, visit Fresh restaurant on the Paul Cluver estate. We took friends visiting from the UK on an outing over Sir Lowry's pass to the little district of Elgin. Fresh, our decided lunch-stop, certainly didn't disappoint. The food, the staff, the atmosphere and our table on the lawn beneath the trees was perfect. Just perfect.