Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to Everyone.

May it be Joyous, Prosperous and Healthy.

-Doc

This little piggy went to market…

Off to market...

A brief post here as we get ready to go cage diving for Great White Sharks. Just case this is my last post (see previous sentence), I wanted to have some pre-emptive payback. My solution to achieve that? Why a seafood feast, of course. We actually went down to the local seafood market, at Hout Bay. Hout Bay is where the trawlers and fishing boats come in, and was an important commercial port in the past where ships would load up on African wood to take to Europe (Hout is the Afrikaans word for “wood”). We were treated to local, fresh silverfish (red snapper), tuna, hake as well as local specialities kob and kingklip. There were fresh shellfish and rock lobster, or as it is called here, crayfish. We picked a couple of crays and headed back.

Doc and The Crays

Chef artfully prepared the sea bounty; lightly sautéed calamari with 5 spice (cinnamon, cumin, coriander, anise seed and ginger), mussels in white wine butter sauce, fresh scallops on the half shell, prawns, langoustines and the crayfish. A choice of garlic lemon butter or cream peri-peri sauce was available. This was paired with a Graham Beck local Champagne which was soft, creamy with a hint of yeast and just perfect with the seafood and sauces. I just hope this doesn’t make me smell like seafood in the shark cage….

Unbelievable Seafood Feast

God’s House

A Cathedral of the Sun upon the water

 

Cloud City (Table Mountain)

 

I set my iPod to shuffle. Sometimes I do that to call the Muses for inspiration. When the mood is right, shuffle the iPod, sit back and see what words of wisdom appear. It’s this generation’s Magic Eight Ball. So after arriving to Ezard House in Camps Bay on the other side of Table Mountain from Capetown, I did just that. Not so much looking for inspiration this time as looking to relieve the overwhelming sense of wonderment. An amazing cliff-side dwelling so high above the white sand beach below, I felt like Lando Calrissian sitting in the Cloud City. Yet looking above me loomed Table Mountain, actually covered in clouds but seemingly close enough to touch. 

Joan Osborne drifted in on a sun massaged lazy breeze; 

“What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home….” 

Yes, I thought, my attention now focused. What if God was trying to make his way home? What would it look like? Where would it be? A river of inspired questions flowed forth. 

I looked around again and answered myself. 

“Jesus Christ”, I said, realizing the irony of that statement as soon as I said it. 

“This would be God’s House.” 

Before telling you why this would be God’s House, let me share with you some simple secular observations. The accommodations are better than 5-Star, it’s like 5 star gone supernova. The physical plant is spectacular (more on that later). The accommodations are just madly resplendent. The furnishings are beautiful and I believe the bed is actually a cloud from Tabletop Mountain. Yet what really sets Ezard House apart from other places (some equally resplendent), are the people. They put the best cruise staff to shame. Our attendants (for lack of a better term, since the serve as wait staff, assistants and address your every need) are friendly, accessible, knowledgeable and accommodating. The Chef obviously takes pride in her personal creations, each one just a little feast for the gastronomic senses. And that includes the presentations; from start to finish she weaves a delightful dining experience. The cellar has a tremendous selection of South African wines and the bar is fully stocked so that all your hot tub or out by the heated pool needs are met with savoir faire. 

Anyone who couldn’t or wouldn’t enjoy a stay here needs to be exiled to the Island of Penguins formerly known as Jackass (now more properly and pc known as African Penguins). Actually, the penguins are entertaining and humorous and they don’t deserve those cracked baboon butts. They should be exiled to the Island of Misfit Stars and stuck for a holiday with Paris Hilton. And all her inane friends. And no guys, you don’t get to have them for the evening because Tiger Woods is there, has slept with them and left the island and you’re just there on “You’re my best friend can I just cry on your shoulder” duty. 

Truly chapped Baboon Butt...

 

So a worldly Eden, there are lots of breathtaking lodgings-but what makes this so very special? 

It is the setting. 

With the sun an absurd fireball in the sky, glowing an impossible bright orange-red the wind sings loudly. The temperature is perfect. The waves chorus the wind and the mountains behind form an echoing amphitheatre, adding their voice to the harmony. Every element in harmony. The very definition of magic. God’s own Magic. I began to wonder amongst this insane Glory- where was my place? Why was I here? How did I deserve this? Why, why had God seen fit to allow me in his very home? 

Then the Jimmy Buffet/Magic Eight Ball chimed in: 

“I was God’s own drunk, and a fearless man….” 

Forgive the Trespassers. 

The elements...

 

combine.

A Tisket, A Tasca

I was beginning to think this place was a little like New Orleans. Restaurant competition so tough you could not serve consistent quality food and be in business for long. Particularly not in the cut throat feeding frenzy that is the V&A Waterfront. Well, just as I was telling myself that I could not seem to find a bad meal Fate intervened. She appeared on the Waterfront that day, a slim maiden standing innocently next to a menu post.

“Doc”, she seemed to say with a glance, all the while speaking not at all.

“You underestimate yourself, truly, and this is not a word of lie, you can find a crappy meal. While no one else here might be able to do it, like heroes of yore, you can find a place that sucks AND pay top dollar. Why not try this Portuguese and Turkish fusion. “

“Yes” I said to no one in particular, “that makes perfect sense.”

Like Odysseus, I should have lashed myself to the mast of culinary sanity. But no, I had to hear the song. I was drawn inwards to Tasca. Things actually started out not half bad. We had a tapas plate. The grilled calamari was tender and delicious, if the butter sauce a little too over the top. A single sardine covered with rock salt was fresh and delicious. Then the sharp pointy rocks appeared. Whilst everyone else seemed to be enjoying these huge grilled fresh prawns, we got some deep fried Long John Silvers’ rejects. Then there were some deep fried calamari “steaks”. These calamari had been encased in the batter equivalent of concrete shoes and dropped into the deep fryer depths. They should have stayed there. Let me share a culinary clue; if the gulls don’t want any of what you’re eating, move along. And that is exactly what we did, full speed ahead, tummy torpedoes be damned we went for a main course. I had a game meat kabob that was to have a light Portuguese sauce upon it. I asked medium rare and expected some slightly different flavors on the delicious grilled meat I had tasted several times already. When it arrived after a prolonged period made tolerable only by an excellent South African Viognier, I knew a disaster awaited. The kabob pieces ranged from fingernail sized slivers to quarter pound hunks. Anyone familiar with Grilling 101 for Dummies knows different size pieces of meat cannot cook at the same time. I either had a bunch of raw chunks or biltong (South African Jerky). Well my friends, a serving of fresh jerky it was-but wait, not only had they dried it so it resembled a dry aged steak straight from the Sahara, but through an heretofore unknown process, they made it tasteless as well. There was one piece that was edible. It sucked. I am not sure Bourdain’s warthog rectum was any chewier or tasted any worse. In fact, I think it was Bourdain’s warthog rectum.

So when the manager came over (you knew I would call them on this) her solution was to offer 1 “complimentary” glass of piss Chardonnay. Ladies and Gentleman, a glass of piss off the vine listing for less than 10% of what I just threw away does not a “comp” make. So if you are exploring Capetown and at the V&A Waterfront, remember these lines from my Odyssey:

A Tisket, a Tasca

Stay away

It’s a disatah.

OK, the view from Camp Bay eases the pain...

Man Eating Crocodile

Man eating crocodile

 

Another day, another exotic feast. Today we traveled to City Grill on the V&A Waterfornt. We had some traditional South African barbeque, or braai. Among the items were kudu, ostrich, warthog and crocodile. All were fantastic. The kudu, which I have had several times now (all prepared magnificently) resembles a  delicious venison or elk. The ostrich, amazingly, was very beef-like. The warthog was not near as gamey as I expected, and milder than wild boar I have had. Unlike Bourdain, I stayed away from the rectum. I saw that special. The crocodile was very much like alligator I have had  in the US, no surprise there. The traditional braai sauce was very subtle. It imparted some delicious background notes yet allowed the distinctiveness of each grilled item to shine through. There was a venison sausage which was most remarkable for it’s distinctive melody of spices. It was unlike any sausage sampled  in the US or Europe, the spices tasted vaguely of  India. We also tried the South African beef. This was amazing. The filet was reminiscent of true Kobe, not just Wagyu raised somewhere else, but true Kobe. It was fork-cutting tender, buttery melt in your mouth. I have not seen a chance to get this beef in the US, so if you get a chance to try this somewhere…just do it. We washed all this  carnivore carnival down with an Asara Cape Fusion 2005 from Stellenbosch (www.asarawine.com ). There was a hint of coffee in the  background with cherry tones forefront and secondary strawberry jam/currents in the chorus.  The fusion is a Pinotage forward blend, with Cab, Merlot and Shiraz  in smaller concentrations. 

South African Beef Filet

 

Kudu, ostrich, warthog and crocodile braai

  

Asara Cape Fusion (real fusion winemaking at its delectable best)

Whine Free Wine Zone

Rijk's 2004 Private Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon

No whining here. Part of the excitement about coming over to South Africa was to explore this wine region. Thus far it has been a pleasure. We previously discussed the local small production champagne, Waterford. We’ll now update you with a few more (and more to come as the visit continues). I quite recommend trying any of these if you can find them, or if your local wine purveyor can order you some of these selections. All these were purchased from $10-$20 (US). As we mentioned in an earlier post, South African wine was under the control of a monopoly until about 1994. Since that the monopoly breakup at that time, the industry has flourished and become quite diverse. Previously, South African (SA) wine was often limited to pinotage (not a form of pinot noir). Today, there are tremendous varieties and blends to choose from the many different regions in SA. Here’s a list of some of the major wine  regions ( the information is taken from http://www.wineanorak.com/saregions.htm):

Constantia
Historical region that’s tucked away in the smart southern suburbs of Cape Town (this is where the first vineyards were planted in South Africa), now undergoing a bit of a revival. As well as being a beautiful region, the vineyards are ideally sited on the slopes of Constantia Mountain, where they are cooled by the sea breezes. Just five estates here, all good: Klein Constantia, Groot Constantia, Buitervenwachting, Constantia Uitsig and Steenberg.

Elgin
Newish cool-climate region east of Stellenbosch, which is still predominantly a fruit-growing area. Because of the altitude, it’s usually a good few degrees cooler than the main wineland regions. Leading producer is Paul Cluver, but some of the 12 other grape growers apparently have plans to bottle their own wines soon. 

Franschoek
The Franschoek valley is a small but significant region, inland (to the west) of Stellenbosch. Surrounded by the spooky-sounding Drakenstein mountains, the wide variety of soils and relatively high rainfall permits production of a wide variety of wine styles. It’s a hotter region than Stellenbosch, and with its profusion of trendy restaurants it can rightfully claim to be the gourmet capital of the winelands. An easy day trip from Cape Town.

Paarl
Well known region north-west of Cape Town, and home to several leading producers, including Veenwouden, Nederburg, Fairview, Glen Carlou and Plaisir de Merle. Traditionally a white wine region, but with its Mediterranean climate and terroirs it’s now focusing more on reds. Hotter than Stellenbosch, so the very best wines come from the more elevated vineyards.

Robertson
Some 120 km east of Cape Town, next door to Worcester, this hot region is rather paradoxically best known for its whites. De Wetshof, Springfield and Graham Beck are among the leading producers here.

Stellenbosch
Just a short distance east of Cape Town, this is the country’s leading wine area, and is home to many of the country’s leading estates. The town itself is dominated by the University, and despite its relatively large size has quite a relaxed feel. Vineyards fringed by mountains make for some lovely views, and the wine route, which takes tourists through several different trails, is well marked out. There are several different subregions, and the geology here is quite complex. Simplistically, the granite-based soils in the east are especially suited to the production of fine red wines, whereas the sandstone soils in the west are best for whites.

Swartland
Large region to the north of Cape Town, mostly given over to wheat farming. Rainfall is light, so irrigation is usually needed. The cooperatives dominate.

Walker Bay
This cool-climate wine region, on the Whale Coast to the south of Cape Town, is on the up: just a few producers so far, but Hamilton Russell and Bouchard Finlayson are now making classy Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc shows promise.

Worcester
Hot (thermally, that is) wine region located inland from Cape Town. Production here is dominated by several large cooperatives.

Now a few recommendations:

• Durbanville Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (http://www.durbanvillehills.co.za/): Durbanville Hills is located just about 20 minutes outside of Capetown, with wine production dating back to 1698. Sauvignon Blanc has emerged as a signature variety within the Durbanville Wine Valley. We had a delightful Sauvignon Blanc that was filled with passionfruit, gooseberry and citrus. There was a slight hint of grassy notes and it was refreshing and delightful. Outstanding with oysters on the half shell (also local and fresh).
• Buitenverwachtin Buiten Blanc 2008 (http://www.buitenverwachting.co.za/wines.html): An interesting blend of Chennin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. From the Constantia region, this was pale gold in color. It had crisp acidity with pear, grapefruit and honey overtones. It was delicious with fresh oysters on the half shell (theme here) and some freshly grilled prawns.
• Rijk’s Private Cellar 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (http://www.rijks.co.za/): Finally for those red fans, a  choice from Tulbagh in the coastal region. An outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) with dark rich meaty plum, current and tabac flavors. The tannins are gentle enough to permit drinking now, although it could probably age a few years as well. An outstanding selection with some grilled meat.

Happy Christmas

A Jolly Roger Xmas in Capetown

A wish to all, may your Holiday Season and the year(s) to come be blessed one(s).

Love, Peace and Joy to All,

-‘Doc

...and to All, a Good Night

The Tabletop at Christmas Eve

 

A Wildflower among the scrub

Now as it Christmas Eve and I’ve mentioned a tabletop, and all the discussion here is generally food-o-centric, one might assume that this is about what’s to be consumed on the Christmas Eve Table;  but not so. Today went atop Tabletop Mountain, arguably one of the oldest identified mountains on earth. Rising some 3,000+ feet above sea level (and thus above Capetown) it is a magnificant site. What was once on the sea bottom, then an island now towers over the city and accompanying  mountains. The strata of this formation was not twisted when it was heaved up, thus the stone erodes considerably slower than the neighboring peaks. The top is the effect of a glacier that gave the mountain it’s J. Jonah Jameson flat-top. The summit can be reached by foot or cable car, needless to say which we took.

Tabletop Mountain from the lower cablecar access

After a long queue we finally got on the cablecars. It was like a transport to another place. I was constantly reminded of the current  time, because contrary to many a view, Americans no longer have a strnglehold on The Obnoxiuos Traveler title. How refreshing to see that in addition to a new global economy there’s a global commitment to rudeness and complete abdication of any responsibility for what your personal tiny terrors are doing running amok on the cliff top. Some people seem to assume that since they find it amusing that little Hans and Little Gertrude scramble all over the narrow paths (with no guardrails and straight drops) screaming and shoving at full blast like they’re running some screen play for the Steelers, the rest of us chuckle along as well. Note: we don’t chuckle nor find any of it amusing or cute. Those disgusted looks belie our real feelings. There, now that the cathartic Scrooge like rant is done I can move along and avoid the three spirits coming for me tonight-unless it’s Dom, Moet or the Grand Dame herself, they’re perfectly welcome.

The view south towards the junction of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

So now understanding why Robert Frost suggested the road less taken, that’s what we did. The tourist site disappeared behind us, along with the noise and all the trappings of civilization. It was the wind, the sky and the view. It was humbling. Within those moments of solitude were captured the grains that give rise to legends of times gone by. Our holidays (with all the commercial propaganda), our countries, religions, even our significance as a species faded when viewed in this context of Nature  revealed. Perhaps we have, in our “civilization: become true cyborgs-not physically attached to machines, but unable to survive without them?

View of Capetown from Tabletop Mountain

So this Christmas Eve make it simple. Contemplate the birth of Jesus (no matter your faith, or lack of, it has affected the course of human history), and contemplate yours. Amaze at the “connectedness” of our modern existence and then amaze at your existence at all. Take the feeling of that moment and bury it within you, let it spring forth like that wildfloweer when you need it.  In the true Spirit of the Season, Yule be glad you did.

Capetown, life is definitely not sucking

V & A Waterfront, Capetown, SA

Well, we finally arrived. Quite a trip to get here with a long  schedule if all went well, which it did not. Four hours on the Heathrow tarmac, missed connections and 50 travel hours and seven time zones later  eventually we made it to our destination. All weariness was shaken off after a late rising and hitting the V&A Waterfront. It’s a bit late here, so we’ll simply address the highlights of the day. Sampled some local favorites. Chicken livers here seem ubiquitous, prepared many ways; all of which contain some spiciness. We had them Indian style with masala spice. It was delicious, very un-livery almost chili-like with an Indian spice profile. We also had them with a local sweet-hot sauce called peri-peri. In the version I had the chicken liver flavor was much more pronounced, but quite good with the sauce, which contained onion, garlic and sweet peppers as well. 

Pirates alive and well (and drunk) in Capetown

We did a delightful sunset cruise aboard the Tigresse before getting “back to work” eating and drinking. For you, dear readers, we sacrificed and went to Belthazar’s – home of the world’s largest wine bar; which much like the world’s best tasting coffee I’m not sure how you verify. 

To keep in the freshly arrived celebratory theme we had some South African style Champagne. The wine industry here has blossomed with the break up of the monopoly in 1994 that controlled everything. We sampled a local vintage 2000 Waterford produced under the direction of Ken Arnold. To me, it was very reminiscent of a Nicolas Feuillatte style, with a longer finish and at a fraction of the price. I paired this with some local oysters. They were significantly smaller than what we see in the Southern United States, but the flavor was intense. It was an experience to come off the harbor cruise (which took us into the Atlantic) and be able to recreate that taste of the sea with these  little beauties. A dining experience to recall, for sure. 

Fresh Oysters

Vintage 2000 Waterford methode champagne sparkling South African wine from the Stellenbosch region

The not sucking did not end there. We then had kabob of kudu, impala, wildebeest, and Springbok. Perfectly cooked and so flavorful I used none of the sauces served with them. It was just juicy grilled carcass perfection like our ancestors had here about 50,000 years ago. As an added treat, there were perfectly grilled, obviously fresh, firm and sweet langostines as well. They did not get any of the sauce served with them either. We finished with a sticky toffee pudding-divine. As for life altering gustatory experiences, let’s just say I will never experience Busch Gardens quite the same way…from amusement park to grocery; it’s the circle of life. 

Grilled Langostines

Kebob of Kudu, Impala, Wildebeast and Springbok

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Hakuna Matata

Hakuna Matata!

It’s taken us 50+ hours to get here with the Europe/UK snowstorms.  So… a  ittle rest for Doc and then we’ll be posting live from  South Africa-Capetown.