As you know, I love Franschhoek! If I had my way, I would probably move there tomorrow! One of our favourite dining experiences in the area, to date, was dinner at Ryan’s Kitchen. It was a rather romantic affair, which has stuck in my memory ever since! [Read more…]
Food
Food tastes better when you eat it with friends and family!
Win a Valentines Dinner from UCook
*Entries are Closed*
UCook Valentines Dinner
You all know how much I love to cook but sometimes coming up with new recipes or sourcing ingredients can be so time consuming! With UCook you can take all the hassle out of this process. UCook is an online service, which does all the hard work for you. It is as simple as registering on the UCook website, choosing a dish from the menu and at the click of a button your dinner ingredients and recipe are winging their way to you!
Cooking good food can be stress free and most enjoyable. Simply select what you would like to cook and we will handle the rest. Compliments to the chef! ~ UCook
If cooking is your thing and you would like to woo your love this Valentines, why not let UCook take the stress out of finding the perfect recipe to impress!
UCook have menu two options available for Valentines Day: *The Vegetarian Box; which includes a starter of Tomato, Red Pepper & Camembert Bruschetta, followed by a main of Fig, Almond and Goat’s Cheese Salad, rounded off with a Marbled Raspberry Cheesecake. *The Non-vegetarian Box option boasts the same starter and desserts as the vegetarian box, but with the main course being a fragrant Sundried Tomato and Artichoke stuffed Chicken, with Herbed Potatoes. The UCook Valentines boxes above cost R545 for the vegetarian option and R595 for the meat option. These prices also include a bar of Honest Chocolate and a bottle of wine (red or white).
If cooking on the evening takes up too much time, or you have a special location planned, then a pre-cooked picnic baskets, is sure to make the evening run smoothly. There are three options are available: The Vegetarian Picnic Basket contains a selection of dips (including Tzatziki and Hummus) along with two salads (Tabouleh and Cous-cous with Pumpkin and Feta), a selection of cheeses, an Asian style “raw-slaw” wrap as well as two desserts – Banoffi and Cheesecake. The Rustic Basket is similar only with the addition of Chicken Liver Pattè and a cold meat selection to go along with the cheese selection. The vegetarian box costs R450, while the rustic box goes for R575. There is also a Premium Basket available, which costs R750, and comes with a far larger selection of cheeses and cold meats. All baskets also include a bottle of Wine (red or white) and a bar of Honest Chocolate.
With Valentines Day just around the corner we thought it would be a great idea to offer one couple a hassle free dinner, for two, for Valentine’s Day courtesy of UCook. The winner may choose either the *Vegetarian UCook Box or the *Non-vegetarian UCook Box, which also includes 1 bottle of wine and a chocolate!
To enter please follow the simple steps below:
- Like UCook and Inspired Living SA on Facebook or
- Follow UCook and Inspired Living SA on Twitter
- For an extra entry Tweet about the competition: Win Valentines Dinner with @UCOOKSA and @inspired_lifeSA enter here http://goo.gl/Xcpx1b
- Remember to leave a comment below telling me how you have entered and who you will be impressing with your culinary skills this Valentines, with the help of UCook 😉 {Please ensure you read the *Terms & Conditions below carefully, to ensure you comply with all the entry criteria.}
*Terms & Conditions:
- Entries are open from 8th February 2015 until 5pm on the 12th February 2015 the winner will be announced on the 13th February 2015!
- You must complete all the steps as stipulated above: Leave a Comment, Like and/or Share on Facebook and/0r Tweet about the competition.
- To ensure that your entry is processed correctly (please use a valid email address). Your details will only be used to validate your entry and inform you, if you are selected as a winner.
- Prizes may not be exchanged for cash.
- This competition is only open to South African residents and to readers who have not won a competition on Inspired Living SA in the past 6 months.
- The UCook service is only available in Cape Town, so the winner will need to be based in Cape Town to claim their prize. The prize entitles the winner, to a meal for two, selected from either the Vegetarian UCook Box or the Non-vegetarian UCook Box, which also includes 1 bottle of wine and a chocolate.
- By “Liking” you enter and agree that this promotion is in no way associated with, administered by, or endorsed by Facebook; and acknowledge a complete release of Facebook by your participation.
To find out more about the UCook service or view the weekly Menu selection pop over to the UCook Website.
Volare at Peddlars & Co
Volare “to soar or fly”
I have always loved Italian cuisine and a recent trip to Italy reaffirmed this love. I am not talking run-of-the-mill pizza and pasta but real authentic Italian food!
Imagine my delight when Grant and I were invited to dine at Volare at Peddlars & Co, in Constantia! Peddlars, a local landmark, has become one of the most recognised and beloved destinations in Constantia.
As one of the more recent additions, Volare became part of the Peddlars & Co family in 2012. The restaurant recently underwent a complete menu revamp, at the hands of talented chef Brad Ball. Brad Ball has been a name synonomous with Bistro 1682 at Steenberg, for the past five years! He recently joined Peddlars & Co to put his stamp on this Cape Town institution and bring it up to date, with the rest of the culinary world. One of Brad’s ideas for Volare was for it to be a dining experience, rather than just another meal out. The menu is anything but ordinary and in my opinion a much-needed addition to the Constantia Valley!
As I mentioned we travelled to Italy recently and one of the main highlights for me, was eating Italian food as it was intended – fresh local produce, simply prepared, with the most heartfelt passion! {and not a Hawaiian pizza in sight!} One glance at the Volare menu and I was transported back to Tuscany.
The main thing to understand as far as Italian dining goes, it is not meant to be “fast food” but rather a feast! A feast which is meant to be enjoyed leisurely, with friends and family, accompanied by a few glasses, or in some cases, bottles of wine.
We started of our evening, sipping on a glass of wonderfully chilled Steenberg Chardonnay MCC, while perusing the mouth-watering menu! It could not really get much better than that!
For our Antipasti course I started off with the Burrata, while Grant decided on the Tuno Crudo. The Burrato was absolutely delicious – the softest Puglia mozarella, with tapenade, baby tomatoes, micro basil and wafer-thin focaccia toast.
The Tuno Crudo was as delicious – yellowfin tuna carpaccio, with capers, lemon, a heady basil emulsion and a shallot dressing.
From the outset I had my eye on the Farfalle Primavera, which I chose for my Primi course and Grant had the Pork Ragu Pappardelle. Both dishes were amazing but if I had to pick a favourite the Farfalle Primavera would win hands down, in fact I would go back to Volare just for that! The combination of peas, leeks, zucchini, parsley oil and pea shoots, in a rich creamy sauce, was definitely the best vegetarian dish I have ever eaten! The Pork Ragu Pappardelle was a flavour packed, hearty dish, of braised pork belly, tomato, fennel seeds, rosemary, topped with a goats cheese fondant.
Admittedly by this stage we were both almost full but this would not deter us from experiencing more of the new menu. My choice for our Secondi course was the Roast Porchetta, which was Oak Valley pork belly, with artichokes, sage, Parma ham crackling and brocollini.
Grant opted for the Controfiletto, a mouth-watering Chalmar sirloin, with the most delicious rosemary potatoes, roast garlic, gremolata and asparagus. The flavour combinations of both dishes were spot on, I just wish I had the space to finish it all!
We were told that we could not leave without trying a desert and it had to be the Chocolate Torta! OMW!!! Nothing short of desert heaven! I don’t have a very sweet tooth but this desert is pure perfection! The sublime combination of Valrhona chocolate, espresso ice cream and chocolate crumble was right up my alley and we scoffed the lot!
I would like to say a big thank you to Brad Ball and all the staff at Volare for a truly magical Italian dining experience! Volare is contemporary Italian cuisine at its best! We will definitely be back soon, to sample more of the amazing dishes from their wonderful new menu.
Contact Details: Opening Times: 11am – 11pm, Telephone: 021 794 7747, Email, Address: 13 Spaanschemat River Road, Constantia, 7800, Cape Town. Directions: From Cape Town, turn into Ladies Mile from the M3 freeway and turn left. Just before the first set of traffic lights, turn left onto Spaanschemat River Road, you will find Peddlars on your right.
Image Source: Images 1,2,3,6 & 9 Coutesy of Claire Gunn Photography
Disclosure Ranking: 4
Healthy Living ~ Menu Choices at Restaurants
For me eating out is part of what I do, whether it is for a review on my website or trying a new spot with my hubby, I simply love great food! This can become tricky if you are trying to watch your weight because let’s face it most restaurants are not serving low-carb, low-calorie meals! So as much as I love food and eating out Healthy Living is extremely important to me. [Read more…]
Col’Cacchio Celebrity Chef Series 2014
Col’Cacchio Pizzeria
There are some evenings, after a long day of running around, cooking is simply not an option! As a family, we try not to eat takeaways or ready meals, so the next best thing is eating out! One of my favourite places for a quick meal during the week is Col’Cacchio Pizzeria. I would probably say they are my favourite pizzeria. {my hubby’s homemade pizza is still my favourite though 😉 – in the event that he is reading this}
I was delighted when offered the opportunity to sample the latest Col’Cacchio Celebrity Chef Series pizza, Basil McBeefy! The Col’Cacchio Celebrity Chef Series 2014 has entered its second month, with a throwback to 2010, when super chef and founder of The Food Design Agency in Johannesburg, Jodi-Ann Pearton, first took part in this gourmet charity challenge.
Jodi-Ann’s Basil McBeefy pizza is an expression of her #FoodWithaStory culinary roots. She recalls fond memories of her father, Basil, preparing slow-braised beef short ribs for the family on weekends – “the most amazing comfort food and the spark that ignited my passion for food”.
We decided on our local Col’Cacchio’s in Westlake for dinner, our waiter was rather excited about the fact that I was going to try the Basil McBeefy pizza!
The Basil McBeefy pizza is my idea of soul food – with beef short rib slow cooked in red wine, veg and herbs, mozzarella, red chilli and crispy basil leaves. My pizza was loaded with beef, perfect for a meat lover like me! I loved the spiciness the red chilli added and the crispy basil was something a bit different but added great flavour and texture.
The Basil McBeefy pizza is perfectly paired with the Place In The Sun Shiraz, which is actually the wine I usually drink when we eat at Col’Cacchio!
I really enjoyed the Basil McBeefy pizza and even had a few slices leftover for lunch the following day 🙂
It is Friday peeps and who feels like cooking??? I know I don’t! So why pop on over to your favourite Col’Cacchio Pizzeria and give the Basil McBeefy a try. If you are not a meat lover, then there is a huge variety of other yummy pizzas, pastas and salads to choose from!
The Basil McBeefy (R110) is available at all Col’Cacchio pizzeria stores across the country for the month of October. R5 from every pizza sold will be donated to the Children’s Hospital Trust, to fund a paediatric rehabilitation programme, at St Joseph’s for Chronically Ill Children.
Disclosure Ranking:4
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