Bastille 10.0

Franschhoek is a bit of an “all or nothing” little town, and those of you who follow the blog will know my opinion of this French corner of the Cape – this slice of heaven town has a crème de la crème reputation for fine wine, dine… and apparently, swingers (an interesting little fact I picked up at last year’s Bastille bash). 

Celebrating French Huguenot heritage with admirable abandon this 17th – 18th of July, every shop front and five year-old painted face screams the red, blue and white colour scheme. 

Being a valley of award-winning restaurants, Bastille day boasts first and foremost the marquee – housing the aromas and jollity of lavish cuisines and cellar-sellers.

In addition, Franschhoek runs a French fims festival, an exhibition of vintage motors and (simply as a result of Franschhoek’s small-townnness) events the likes of the Chefs and Waiter’s race and Barrel Rolling.

Entrance to the marquee is R100.00, inclusive of a tasting glass and a booklet of 10 tasting coupons (… enough for round 1, really) and tickets can be bought online.

The event is a splendiferous testament to our varied Western Cape wonders and we suggest you head on out:)

And for those faring back into the city slickness from the mayhem of Bastille, best bed and breakfast it at 17 on Loader. 021 418 3417.

Au Revoir!

Mexican Shebeen!

Weeks of searching and I believe that I’ve discovered where the real, riotous, palpable World Cup fever is AT!!! Cape Town’s football-crazed chaos has largely been a pub and fan park affair. With other great places to perch onesself for a viewing, including the actual stadium, and Mzoli’s.

But in search of something more – something different – last night we wandered down toward the muffled crowd sounds of the Shebeen (which is at the Strand Tower Hotel on the corner or Strand and Loop Streets) and found our way up into, what looked like, an entrance parkade… and low and behold, discovered the Me-heee-carn shebeen!

Think hot dog stands, big screens, foosball tables, a mechanical bull, a live DJ blaring the Bump 205’s biggest hits, hilariously out-of-time cheerleaders remixing Shakira‘s “Waka-waka” and last but not least, the sweet mother’s milk that is Coronas!!! It’s wonderfully, successfully, comfortably trashy.

And manic as it was, what amused me further was the DJ’s public apology for their “quiet Sunday night”, in a room so full that beer acquisition required covert navigation.

Mexican Shebeen is a real, rowdy, ass-out World Cup experience and I’d recommend it a thousand times over.

For those of you that are rolling stones to our Cape Town rowdiness, reach on over for the phone and call 17 on Loader bed and breakfast (021 418 3417)  to ensure a safe landing strip post-party.

Sushi and Chinese please!

It’s Friday! And given that we’re on the precipice of a weekend, this post should come as divine enlightenment…

Late-night-Chinese-food

On a very merry excursion to all sorts of central city venues for debauchery, jollity and merriment, we found ourselves quite under the weather/influence on the taxi trip home. Doing the route back to le loov-leh 17 on Loader (Cape Town’s chic bed and breakfast in De Waterkant), the heavens opened and revealed a luminous red sign, on Seapoint Main Road, reading - “Xiang Yuan”. With the excitement of teenage girls at the mall, we begged the cab driver to pull over and poured in to Xiang Yuan.

Now my love of  the place may seem ridiculously evangelical but, given that the time was almost 3AM, finding somewhere OPEN was a feat unto itself.

Xiang Yuan is simple, almost a little dingy – but definitely clean. The fresh sushi and authentic, hot Chinese food went down like glassful of YES PLEASE! – despite our bellies not being in the most alkaline of states.

The miso soup was well-balanced, warm and more-ish. Crispy duck – an enormous portion, great value for money and obscenely delicious. Lastly the sushi – fresh, unusual and beautifully presented. All in all, we left Xiang Yuan high-fives and smiles and spent the next day better for it.

So for all of you nocturnal and post-midnight movers, wanting out-ness, warm Chinese food or some sushi, be sure to add Xiang Yuan to your list of late-night hang-outs.

Estelle in Cape Town

“Tell the promoter we need more seats, We just sold out all the floor seats!” As 2010 comes in so do “the hottest in the world right now”. For the not-so football frantic, one of the wonderfluff consequences of being a designated Fifa 2010 host city, is the splendour that we’re expecting to pour in. And while I may be including the European men that our slick city will be swelling with, I am, more importantly, referring to the celebrities that the event will bring. For those familiar with the phrase “American Boy” (and that should really be everyone who speaks english and lives above ground), Friday the 11th of June brings the lady that famed the phrase to Cape Town! Estelle, famous for collaborations with the big boys – namely Kanye West, David Guetta, Sean Paul, John Legend, Will.I.Am and Karl Hinds - is the vocal sensation set to storm the stage of the CTICC. Tickets start at just R300 and this promises to be where the Fifa vibe is alive. And for those of you swinging into the mothercity for football fever in Fall, be sure to curl-up in Cape Town’s comfy bed and breakfast – 17 on Loader in De Waterkant.

Cape Town Pub-crawl

They call it the pub-crawl for two reasons. 1. There are pubs. 2. The involvement of such pubs occasionally results in the action of crawling.

This fact leads us to conclude, that it is our own best interest to rouse bedlam in pubs conducive to crawling. What characteristics determine crawl-worthiness?

1. CLEANLINESS. To pub-crawl is one thing, but to be in a pub already crawling with bugs and Dickensian dodge-cats is a deal breaker. Moreover, hoping optimistically that visible symptoms of Hepatitis F don’t materialize, as a result of braving bar snacks, can somewhat suck the fun.
2. Hence requirement two: GOOD BAR SNACKS. In a less then solid state, culinary surprises (and I’m talking about the Halloween trick rather than treat variety) leave something to be desired – usually the contents of our stomachs… back in our stomachs…
3. The final, crucial component of the good pub-crawl – AMBIENCE.  Disapproving throat-clearing and look-down-the-nose looks responses to Black Label requests, hardly encourage jollity.

In light of these crucial components, a list of Cape Town’s preferred pubs:

Forrester’s Arms, affectionately referred to as “Forries”. Superb gourmet pizza (try the springbok capraccio pizza), bustling atmosphere, and a houseful of red-faced, referee-resenting beer-boep “ballies” (on match days), is what to expect. With a five star pub menu; a variety of draughts, cocktails and wines; a fireplace for cold days and an outdoor area for warm days, Forries really is a best-of-everything pub.

Try Barrister’s, just around the corner. A little less raucous and a touch more mature, Barrister’s is perfect for what starts off as “a quick drink after work”.

The intimate Elephant and Barrel, Franschhoek, has a selection of the most ludicrous cover singers I have ever heard (and I come from a long line of tone-deaf-denialism). From teenagers to twenty-somethings, to farm-workers and farm-owners, everyone is up and semi-jokingly gyrating by the end of evening – proof of just how hard the Elephant and Barrel throws down. A clean venue, cheery staff, and communal bonding (through ridicule of musical acts) catalyses merriment, and puts this pub up in the five-star range.

The Dubliner is always brimming with people and bursting with song. Curtained poker rooms, overly-enthused cover bands and the spirit of the Irish, keep this pub abuzz. For a slightly quieter, Irish pub vibe, stop by Catu Bar, near Greenmarket Square.

Quay Four, with seating right up to the water’s edge, has a striking view of the harbour. A great selection of draughts, really good ol’ pub food (fish and chips, burgers, and the like) and fresh, ocean air keep it classy.

Also situated at the V&A waterfront is Mitchell’s. Be warned, as the unofficial Chelsea fan-house of Cape Town, Mitchell’s is pretty riotous on match days. A great venue and a must-do for the pub-crawl – nothing but good fun.

For something different, in the way of pubs, stop by Ganesh and Tagore’s in obs. Ganesh keeps the charm of the township tavern kitchen – serving traditional meals and unbelievably cheap quarts. In the meantime, Tagore’s is a hidden away Moroccan-feel bar that attracts the bohemian and the hippean and offers up a frantic line up of live Friday night jazz.

Deep Purple in Cape Town

For those of you who tingle, when someone hums Smoke On The Water, Christmas comes early this year. The Guinness’ Book of World Records‘ loudest band, English hard-rockers, Deep Purple, are coming to Cape Town. 

For those lesser-informed in the ways of these heavy metal pioneers, Deep Purple are listed 22nd on VH1’s list of Greatest Hard Rock artists, and it’s time to get an education. On June 1st, Deep Purple will be headlining the Masters of Rock concert at the GrandWest Arena. Other acts include Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash, and
tickets can be bought through Computicket, in the reasonable range of R297 – R476p/p.

Time to get old school rock ‘n roll!

And for those venturing out like the good groupies, rock ‘n roll-over at 17 on Loader - Cape Town’s bed and breakfast, set in the bustling beauty of De Waterkant.

DJ Rene the Frenchman

While us over at 17onLoader (De Waterkant’s premium bed and breakfast) often review back alleys and bustling venues, we don’t usually take a look at the lingerers in the limelight. But recently we found ourselves beers-ing with the Frenchman that keeps HQ frantic on Fridays…

DJ Rene (the Frenchman – as he is referred to) is the towering, infectiously jovial energy of a man pleased with the way his life’s turned out. His bombastically beautiful grey hair bounces as he animatedly gesticulates with a wide, trusty smile. Despite having lived in South Africa for seventeen years, Rene still has the two unmistakable traits of a Frenchman – the accent, and the kind of effortless charm that could hypnotize a girl right into a dark corner without even trying.

DJ-Rene-at-HQ

DJ Rene is the regular at HQ on Fridays, but has an unofficial appreciation society that has him booked all over the country, at least six months in advance, to play, what he calls, “world music“. The genre is as alternating as the atmosphere’s dynamic – DJ Rene shakes up cuban salsa, trance, electro, some hip hop and Brazilian jazz and serves it dirty dirty to the. already-coupling-up, cocktail bar crowd.

From about 9PM on in, in the low-lit golden glow of HQ, the live DJ act comes to include a variety of live performers – sometimes saxophonists, big band brass, or percussion – who never rehearse together, but rock up, read the room, and follow the French pied piper.

Describing the evening ahead of us, DJ Rene got this glint in his eye (not completely unlike that recognized in dictators of small countries) “and we build, we build, we build… and it’s like a wave you know… and zen we are holding zem in our ‘andz like zat!“.

And with a harmlessly power-dizzied gaze he concludes, “at ze peak we are like, Ba!BA!” And overcome by the scene he’s imagining, begins to beat out percussion on the table, mimicking the musical climax of an HQ Friday – when, he claims, he could play anything from Irish ditties to the can-can, and can-can still have the crowd throw down like the circle’s getting bigger.

The Waterfront Wine Affair

Cape Town’s been very quiet this week – we’ve been nursing our once-flourishing social calendars and wishing for sunburn. But what we have fast forgotten is that winter brings wine, fireplaces and excuses for shared body-heat… 

Until Friday, The V&A spends the week swaying with the inebriated influence of dozens of boutique and reserve wines. With curling leaves and early evenings comes the annual V&A Wine Affair. The backdrop of a Table Mountain-marked cityscape makes The Waterfront’s look out a perfect rooftop for some indulgent-out-of-doorsness. 

This well-loved tasting/sipping soiree is a palate party.  Think sushi, oysters, imported cheeses and charcuterie… the menu boasts the best elements of The V & A’s award-winning restaurants. And for the refined gourmand masticating on the fantastic, a selection of wildly well-reputed wine farms wets the appetite and injects some jollity to the “affair”.

The Waterfront Wine Affair runs from 17h00 – 21h00 everyday until Friday 7th May. Tickets are between R90 and R110 thereafter, inclusive of wine / deli tastings and a brochure guide. 

All in all, merriment in low harbour lighting is a wonderfully warm, cosy way to snuggle into the week’s wintry weather.

Die Antwoord

With no pretenses about the conviction of their message, self-named group, Die Antwoord, is an Afrikaans translation of “the answer”. As of February, this fresh South African act has been “taking over the interweb”. Their Enter The Ninja music video went web and kicked up more bandwith fuss than anything our sweet sovereign SA has seen before – making Die Antwoord a viral phenomenon so seductive that it temporarily disabled South African host Hetzner, before being taken on by the big boys at Google. 

Yolandi Vi$$er and Ninja

With fan followings based on twitter, myspace or facebook, and Youtube as their broadcast medium, Die Antwoord has harnessed all the heat of online campaigning to become one of South Africa’s most distinct popular culture icons. If Yolandi’s haunting voice chanting “I, I, I, I’m your butterfly” sounds familiar at all, then you’re probably aware of this mass musical movement being called “Zef-rap”. They’ve become so big that another South African superpower, director of District9, Neill Blomkamp, has agreed to direct their next music video.

Die Antwoord’s three stage personas include Ninja, classically trained Yolandi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek. While Ninja and Yolandi are a husband and wife team, Yolandi is fairly new to the scene, while Ninja (AKA Watkin Tudor Jones) is infamous around these parts. 

A snapshot from the Enter The Ninja music video

Watkin first tasted fame as part of Max Normal and later Max Normal.tv and The Constructus Corporation. He’s known for constructing entire stage personas around his current musical projects, and this time around he’s gone with what’s being described as “prison-hardened, foul-mouthed white trash”.  

Die Antwoord’s become epic and, while they may they may rub the conservative up the wrong way (ie. like a tractor in the bedroom), it’s ostrich-living not to know them. Having just toured Los Angeles to gain some world-wise-eyes and business savvy, their welcome home gig happens at Stellenbosch’s humble Klein Libertas Teater, this 30th of April. Be there to witness the controversy that slammed South African bandwith, and seduced online-lovers worldwide.

Balkanology

Fortune tellers and flying carpets are the fan fare of Balkanology, 26th April 2010. Again the magic of Gypsy/Balkan music is made manifest in the carnivale festivities of a massive, manic party – A one night only affair. Here today, gone tomorrow – as the caravan children do. 

Balkanology – the deliciously devilish circus spectacular – will lay love loose on the new Cape Town venue of spectaculars – whispered as a replacement to the infamous Madame Zingara’s –  the wonderhouse that is Vaudeville. Think magicians, balkan bass and bare-bellied beauties, with the wonderment of dream and hallucination. The insatiable line-up lists tempos from Toby2shoes, Maoriginal, Hopa Banda and the Nomadic Orchestra.

Tickets are R120 pre-sale and R150 at the door. I’m told there’s no party like it.

Time to shine.