I need to share this video with you because it’s really awesome. It reminds me of one of the first X Factors when that cellphone salesman who looks unimpressive suddenly starts singing awesome Opera and everyone falls off their chairs. Same sort of vibe here. I love these sorts of videos. But I also want to use this video to illustrate a point. I recently used my review of Phantom of the Opera to complain about people who give standing ovations to every performance of every show they go … [Read more...]

We can’t all be Masterchefs, but thanks to Nomu I got the chance to be a HalfArsed-a Chef along with a bunch of other fun quasi celebrities. We had great fun competing against each other in the various challenges. Certainly the normal rules of cooking did not apply and as for the unwritten rules of kitchen etiquette and fair competition, well, you judge for yourself! The first challenge was to build a tower of boerewors. We won this challenge thanks to brilliant ‘outside the … [Read more...]

If you read my review of last year’s Eat In Awards, you would recall that I wasn’t impressed with the event. Thankfully they took note of the feedback and this year the awards were fantastic. The Eat In DSTV Food Network awards this year were held on a Saturday morning at the Stellenbosch Market at Oude Libertas. This is one of my favourite markets and it’s the perfect venue for the awards. They set up an extra section which was for the Eat In Awards nominees so you could taste … [Read more...]

#CurrentlyReading Omnivore’s Dilemma and really enjoying it (http://t.co/nRzFIrsv), great to see Slow Food get a mention in it. # Could win a week holiday in Mauritius but it means signing up to a group buying site email list again. Won’t be entering that competition. # Neil Jewell of Bread & Wine is running his 2 day charcuterie workshops again. There are only 16 spaces so book NOW! http://t.co/sQl23TaF # … [Read more...]

With the upcoming series of public holidays and long weekends just around the corner, many Capetonians will be using Cape Town’s roads and highways to travel. The City of Cape Town would like to remind all road users of some of the rules of the road. “It is disturbing to note some media reports which seem to suggest a general intolerance towards each other on our roads, and a disregard for the law,” says Chief Inspector Merle Lourens, spokesperson for Cape Town Traffic Services. “We … [Read more...]

The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Department will be conducting tests on the water supply network serving N1 City and surrounding areas on Tuesday, 27 March 2012. In order to carry out these tests, the water supply to the area will be disrupted. This will result in N1 City (between Frans Conradie Drive, Vasco Boulevard, Giel Basson Street and the N1) being without water between 09:00 and 12:00. This work forms part of the City’s Water Demand Management Strategy. The … [Read more...]

The annual Artscape Youth Jazz Festival will be held on Saturday June 2, 2012, and the organisers are inviting young singers and solo instrumentalists to audition for it. The auditions will be held in the Artscape Theatre on Saturday April 14, 2012. Young musicians – no older than 25 years old – will be offered the opportunity of performing with a professional jazz ensemble. According to the organisers, candidates should be bona fide professional, semi-professional or amateur … [Read more...]

The City of Cape Town’s Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department is partnering with the Phoenix Open Water Swimming Club to host a 12-hour swimathon as well as a free 12-hour ‘learn-to-swim’ programme for all ages at the Bellville South Swimming Pool. The event will include 12-hour swimming relays, a 12-hour ‘learn-to-swim’ programme, a water polo display, splash pool games, water aerobics, kayaking, 5-a-side soccer, board games, obstacle courses and jumping castles. There will be … [Read more...]

Roadworks on Boyes Drive resumed on 22 March 2012. This work is expected to take four days and should be completed by Tuesday 27 March 2012, depending on the continued availability of bitumen and favourable weather conditions. While the work is being undertaken, a temporary one-way system for northbound traffic will be in place between 09:00 to 16:00 for the section of road from Clairvaux Road to Old Boyes Drive. During this time, southbound traffic will be directed to use Main Road. The road … [Read more...]

Excitement is mounting ahead of one of the city’s biggest annual parties – the Cape Town Carnival, which will take place on Saturday 24 March 2012. Organisers are urging people to use public transport and also to get to the Fan Walk in Green Point early to ensure a good viewing spot. The parade starts at 20:00. The theme for this year’s parade is “Cape to Cairo – a journey through Africa and its people”, and it will feature 2 000 costumed performers in 11 themed … [Read more...]

That post title is a bit sensational because GAP has actually been available at Stuttafords for a couple of years already. I even own some GAP shirts and jeans which I purchased from Stuttafords. Admittedly, the range was always limited while the dedicated GAP stores now offer the full GAP range. This means they have GapKids, BabyGap, and GapMaternity in addition to the mens and womens fashion. I was invited to the launch of the first Cape Town store, in Tygervalley shopping centre. Don’t … [Read more...]

A little while ago I attended the launch of the latest Relais & Chateaux guide (2012) at the Cellars Hohenhort Hotel. It was more than just the launch of the new guide though, the second Grand Chef in Africa was also announced, Peter Templehoff. Plus, Relais & Chateaux revealed their first African cookbook. Relais & Chateaux is an association of the world’s finest Hoteliers, chefs and restaurateurs that has set the standard for excellence in hospitality. If you stay at a Relais … [Read more...]

The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Centre has entered into a co-operation agreement with the Swartland Municipality to institute an Early Warning System that will alert them should the Diep River flood. The City’s Head of DRM, Greg Pillay, signed the agreement on 16 February at the offices of the Swartland Municipality in Malmesbury. Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security said that, “the City is strengthening its capacity to deal with … [Read more...]

Shin Thai Asian restaurant has opened opposite the Spar at the end of Seapoint. Sushi looks reasonably priced + 30% off opening special. # All the results from the 2012 Classic Wine Trophy Awards along with my favourites… http://t.co/lTtP6Lsk # RT @sluggreenpoint: The Slug & Lettuce Kloof Street is now open # #SaveTheDate The annual MCC festival at the Vineyard Hotel is happening on the 25th of March. Tickets are R165. # The new BMW 3 series looks rad, but that doesn’t excuse … [Read more...]

MEDIA24 Weekly Magazines is happy to announce the cover price of its weekly magazine NewsNow will drop to R10 on Friday 9 March 2012 during a special welcome promotion to celebrate its seventh month in South African stores. According to NewsNow editor, Waldimar Pelser, the new cover price “aims to make NewsNow accessible to a larger audience for a limited period,” making it less expensive to get in the know. “Our weekly selection of the best of SA and world media is now even better value. … [Read more...]

The City of Cape Town has partnered with construction company Group Five to refurbish the former Everite factory hostels between Brackenfell and Kraaifontein, creating 1 000 new Gap houses in the process. The Everite factory was built in Brackenfell more than 60 years ago, but closed its doors when the company moved to Johannesburg in 2005. Everite now forms part of Group Five. Factory workers were given permission to remain in the hostels, but in the intervening years hundreds more people moved … [Read more...]