The Italian Adventure

Italy.

What comes to mind?

Probably something along the lines of... PIZZA. PASTA. BREAD. ICE-CREAM. 

Yes, the stereotype is true... Italians LOVE pasta
Yes, the stereotype is true... Italians LOVE pizza.
Yes, the stereotype is true... Italians LOVE ice-cream.

I kid you not, Tim Noakes would be no fan of Italy. Pasta is consumed in large amounts every single day and no matter how cold it is, it is NEVER too cold for ice-cream. Italians are believed to be the highest consumers of ice-cream worldwide and after my 2-week trip in Italy, I know why - nothing beats an Italian Gelateria.

 

My Italian Foodie adventure was delicious, to say the least and my A type blood group was more than happy with the staple diet of carbs and lack of meat. One would think that after two weeks in Italy, I would be thrilled to be back to eating the South African variety of food but alas, I spent my first two weeks back in Cape Town preparing and consuming my favourite Italian meals.

There are 2 Italian Dishes (besides the obvious PIZZA) which became my Italian Staple:

1. The Amatriciana Pasta Dish (something that SA needs to bring on board their menus ASAP) 
2. The Aubergine Parmigiana  (a vegetarian's dream)

The Amatriciana is a smoky, tomato based pasta dish which is an Italian classic. Find a recipe here.

The Parmigiana is a cheesy, aubergine dish which can be served as a main or a side. Find a recipe here.

These two meals were the family favourite during our stay in Italy. Both dishes offer a rich, tomato base and cheesy flavour. YUM.

So now dinner is covered, but dessert? Well, Ice Cream of course. There is definitely no shortage of this delicious treat in Italy. Every street is lined with Gelateria's and this is no exaggeration. The Italians are spoilt for choice and within each Gelateria, the flavour selection seems infinite. My favourite was definitely the Coffee and Chocolate Hazelnut, while my little sister opted for Nutella ever single time.
 

I was lucky enough to stumble across the World's Best Ice-cream in San Gimignano, Tuscany. Gelateria Dondoli won first place at the Ice Cream World Championships from 2006 - 2009 and this was most certainly well-deserved. It was hands down the best ice-cream experience ever. The flavours were rich and the texture was exceptionally creamy.

 

I truly embraced the ice-cream eating culture in Italy and loved every second of it. According to a study done on an elderly group, the one thing they wish they had done more of in their life was eat more ice cream. Something the Italians are definitely doing right.

Life is short . Eat Dessert first!

 



The Burger Festival

The Burger Festival made it's debut in Cape Town last weekend, at the foot of table mountain. The organisers were lucky enough to have Jan Van Riebeeck High School's main rugby field as a venue and what a venue it was!! This festival not only featured awesome burgers and an assortment of craft beers, treats and wines but the views were breath taking and Cape Town really showed off. Despite the periodic rainfall on Saturday, the organisers kept everything running smoothly and ensured a good time was had by all. They were very attentive to everyones' needs and I highly commend them on this.

 

I was lucky enough to be invited to the event as media and had the opportunity to chat to the vendors and enjoy a burger of my choice. I circled the venue a couple times trying to decide which burger I wanted (which proved to be a really tough decision). The vendors did a great job at presenting the most mouth-watering menu's with items such as "Pulled Pork", "Smoked Brisket" and "Wagyu Beef". Not to mention the delicious toppings such as "almond pesto", "sundried tomatoes" and "salsa". I finally made a decision and went for the slider combo from Lunchworks. This consisted of 3 mini burgers: a BBQ Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Burger, a Cheese and Salsa Beef Burger with Ranch Sauce and an Ostrich Burger with Cream Cheese and Jalapeno's topped with Sweet Chilli Sauce. Needless to say, it was delicious!! I really enjoyed all three burgers and found it difficult to choose a favourite.

 

Lunchworks is a restaurant and catering company situated in Waterkant street in the City Bowl which strives to prepare food from free-range, organic and local produce. They are a fresh food café, open from Monday-Saturday, which serves breakfast & lunch. They also do daily deliveries of freshly prepared meals to those nearby. Their festival burgers did not disappoint and left such an impression on me that I highly recommend checking this place out.

 

There were numerous vendors at the festival, but the three that really stood out to me were: Lunchworks, Kitchen Cowboys and Tre Eatery. Lunchworks meal was delicious, as I have elaborated on. Kitchen Cowboy's presentation was impressive and Tre Eatery oozed atmosphere and the ultimate vibe. I love how Tre Eatery had their own relishes on sale and served their burgers with Jack Daniels (which was also there "secret" ingredient in their basting). The Tre vendors left a really great impression on me and I am super excited to make a trip to their restaurant in Somerset West which they refer to as a "gourmet food and designer drinks bar".

 

Kitchen Cowboys appealed to me because of their elaborate stand. I loved the innovation and the burger which stood out to me the most was a cheese, sundried tomato and almond pesto burger. The combination sounds deadly and if my stomach was big enough, I definitely would have devoured one of those. 



Kitchen Cowboys can be found at numerous Cape Town markets running from Wednesday-Sunday. They also have their own Canteen in Woodstock which runs from Monday-Friday. Chef Pete Goff-Wood (who most associate with Masterchef SA) runs this eatery at his cookery school and serves an assortment of foods ranging from burgers and sandwiches to pies and bunnychows.

Besides the great food, there was awesome "coffee-on-the-go". Obviously, being the coffee lover that I am, my first purchase at the Festival was a "Bean There, Drunk That" Cappuccino. This company is partners with Blasters - a family restaurant/entertainment centre who was serving their burgers at the festival. The coffee was right up my alley and the staff were delightful. I was thoroughly impressed with my "hug in a mug" and could not stop raving about this purchase.

 

 

 

All-in-all, The Burger Festival was a great place to hang out with friends and eat good food. I look forward to seeing this festival grow and develop in the future. Congratulations to all involved and for all the effort and hard-work you put in to the event. It does not go unnoticed.

 

Bootlegger Coffee Company

Cape Town does it again! Another gem of a restaurant has popped up and this one is an absolute treat! Bootlegger Coffee Company has opened up another branch in Kalk Bay and this weekend I was lucky enough to experience the most delicious coffee to date -  in a picturesque European setting. I honestly felt like I was in Italy (which I am excited to say I will be visiting in March and look forward to sharing this experience with you all).

My friends and I made a trip to Kalk Bay and were pleasantly surprised when we discovered Bootlegger had just opened their doors to the public. This restaurant has an amazing atmosphere and is situated in a prime position with scenic sea views. They serve the most amazing coffee (I cannot emphasise this enough) and delicious food such as pizzas, burgers, salads and gourmet sandwiches. We shared an avo, bacon and feta pizza (duh) and the spinach and feta pizza., They were served on wooden boards with a serving of chilli and garlic. We couldn't fault anything about our foodie experience, even if we tried.

 

We left this restaurant feeling so content and satisfied. Our little trip to quirky Kalk Bay turned into an imaginary escape to Europe. I highly recommend a trip to Bootlegger Kalkbay for a treat of an experience consisting of exceptional food, phenomenal coffee and outstanding service.

 

Bootlegger Coffee Company was founded roughly two years ago, by two men. Today, it has expanded and roasts its own delicious coffee (from Guatamala, Costa Rica) and an assortment of eats and treats in Seapoint, Kenilworth and Kalk Bay.

 

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