Author Archives: Paul
Telecommunications – a crow’s nest of wires
A distant Table Bay Harbour
An unusual view of Table Mountain
Maynardville Park
Where the streets have no name
Flowers at The Piano Bar
An array of purple flowers
A purple part of town
Mr Ant and Ms Gazania
Just another Gazania
Dinner and a stylish Green Point restaurant
After relaxing with drinks at Sky Bar, on the hotel's roof-top, we returned to the ground level for dinner - an arrangement of bite-sized versions of the restaurant's new menu. (Click on the pictures below to see a sampling of what we were treated to - yum, right?) I won't go into the delicious details, but on the menu for the evening was an assortment of specialty breads, cheese soufflé, loin of lamb, beef fillet, kingklip, berry pavlova and an incredible, and I do mean incredible, chocolate mousse!
Something that I found really interesting about the restaurant is the origin of its name. I believe it's derived from the New York-style grill that they use to sear their steak at precisely 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a whopping 982 degrees Celsius! Now that's pretty warm heh? Chef Jonathan Gargan believes that it's their special super-hot grill that's responsible for the juicy goodness - and while I can certainly agree that the steak is juicy and good, I do think he's being just a little modest - it probably also has a little to do with years of culinary magic he's rehearsed in the kitchen. ;)
Visit Bistro 1800° at 47 Main Road in Green Point - you won't regret it. Also, when you arrive, stop your car right in front of the building, make use of the valet parking, and step out like royalty leaving the smiling staff to find a safe spot for your car in the building's basement - it's way more fun that way.
A view from Sky Bar at Cape Royale Hotel
Besides for the stylish-yet-unpretentious vibe, what's especially great about Sky Bar is the view. The Cape Royale Hotel is the tallest building in the area, which means that while sipping drinks you're treated to a 360° view of the mountains, ocean, and city. :)
We spent about an hour on the roof-top, enjoying the view, drinking cocktails, and eating oysters. We even managed to squeeze in an impromptu neck and shoulder massage, at Sky Bar, courtesy of the hotel's Equinox Spa (which was, for the record, pretty darn fantastic!).
In a follow-up post I'll share a little more about our dinner at the hotel's in-house Bistro 1800° restaurant, but for now click on the photos below and take a look at the transfixing view of Table Bay and the city from Sky Bar. Pretty awesome, heh?
And there we saw Bon Jovi
Anyway, so yes, Kerry-Anne and I went along to the concert at the Cape Town Stadium, clutching our precious golden circle tickets; and my oh my - it really was a spectacular show. If you enjoy their music at all, even just a little bit, an never made it to the concert, I believe you should now be kicking yourself. :)
Tip: Our experience in the golden circle caused us to renew our resolve that we'll never again buy concert tickets for a performance at the Cape Town Stadium unless they're golden circle tickets. The sound really was incomparable to the mushy sound that we've too many times experienced in the seated area!
Gazania Gazania, beautiful Gazania
Zabad in De Waterkant
It looked stylish and inviting inside. It wasn't too busy (to make it noisy), yet not too empty to be uncomfortable. The menu selection looked pretty good, and both the coffee and breakfasts were super satisfactory.
As perhaps you know, I prize good service (and by that I mean chirpy and friendly, not surly and posh) over the quality of the meal. Sure, there's a point where great service just doesn't cut it anymore, but for me a visit to a restaurant is more about the experience than the food. A restaurant with great staff and atmosphere easily get away with merely average food.
As I said, the food at Zabad was great, but I can't think I'll return for a second visit. Sadly.
A killer speed boat
Let’s play ball
A row of birds
A long conversation
Coming in from the waves
Surfers and clingy wetsuits
I'm not sure if it's that the suit shrunk and is thus now tighter than it was before (I mean, it's impossible that I've grown), or if wetsuits are generally meant to be really difficult to exit from. Don't you just hate that?
Rolling like thunder
Dads, sons, and shells
As with my previous one, this photo was also taken at Sea Point beach. Click on the picture and take a closer look the thousands of shells that (with the exception of rocky outcrops) literally cover every inch of this shore. Pretty awesome heh?
They take flight
Saturday afternoon on Long Street
15 On Orange
For ever
Cash registers of old
Beaches, models, and photographers
This was a great way to spend the evening. :)