The Corkless Mind

Tag: Spring

A Taste of Spring at FOXCROFT – A Review

** This review was made possible thanks to FOXCROFT for hosting me**

It’s been three years since Foxcroft in Constantia burst onto the Cape Town restaurant scene and since then it has become a regular favourite with locals as well as international guests visiting the picturesque Constantia Valley to sample the best in food and wine. Head chef Glen Williams believes in a carefully structured farm to table approach, utilizing the freshest seasonal ingredients and showcasing them on the plate to deliver a finessed flavourful experience. I was honoured to be invited to review their spring menu which runs until the 15 December, the special runs from Monday to Sunday (R345 for four courses or R595 with wine pairing). You can also treat yourself to an exceptional lunch experience by booking the tasting menu at lunch at a reduced price of R595 or R920 with wine pairing, also until 15 December 2019.

My dear friend Megan from Authentic Blog and I chose to sample the wine pairing menu. Every dish was thoughtfully constructed with each wine to complement each other perfectly. Their love of wine is certainly reflected in the successful winemaker’s dinner series collaborations, where diners enjoy a five-course chef’s menu paired with a first-class cellar’s hand-picked wines. The wine list is fresh and exciting, with a few Swartland gems in the mix.

They import as little as possible and use small-scale, sustainable, ethical and traceable suppliers wherever possible. The menu starts with the bread course, which was a pillowy light focaccia with pesto in the center. If there wasn’t all four courses that followed I would happily stuff my face with more of that! Starters followed with an utterly delicious Yellowfin tuna dish, that consisted of salsa macha, whipped avocado, jalapeno, and a crispy tostada for texture or in my case to make your own little taco! This was all paired with Silvervis’ Smiley Chenin Blanc from the marvelous Swartland region. We were treated by chef Glen, to a taster of the chicken ballotine, also on the menu as a first course. The chicken ballotine was beautifully plated with liver parfait, nectarine segments, mushroom and chunks of toasted brioche croutons for texture.

My incessant need for all things shellfish ensured I chose the west-coast mussels for the second course. Neatly gathered together in a bowl, the mussels together with a few slivers of pickled squid, succotash and mayu oil. I stood and filmed with bated breath as our amazing server Lindsay, poured the mussel chowder into the bowl to make a delicious and beautiful meal. Paired with a light and fruity 2018 Arendsig Chardonnay.

Oak Valley Pork, a beautifully plated meal of Kimchi, charred cabbage with spicy peanuts and bite-sized cubes of pork crackling. Every morsel on the plate I would eat a thousand times over! Incredibly tasty and paired with an equally delicious and well-rounded 2018 Thorne & Daughters Copper Pot.

And now for my favourite course, dessert! Simply titled, yoghurt. My dessert was certainly inspiring of spring and how fresh and flowery the season is. Cradled in the centre of an egg-shaped bowl, was green apple jelly spheres, litchi granita, beautifully decorated with elderflowers and geranium. Paired with a glass of 2019 “The Freshman” Sauvignon Blanc.

The food, the service, and the wine were absolutely spectacular. For the price of R595, the experience was such a real treat! Chef Glen and team show such a real passion for fine food and attention to detail, its easy to see and taste why they are ranked as an Eat Out eatery and You really don’t want to miss out on this fantastic Spring special. Make your booking before the 15th of December: https://www.foxcroft.co.za/book-online

Massive thanks to the amazing FOXCROFT Team for graciously hosting us and treating us like such royalty! We cannot wait to be back again.

November 19, 2019
Darling Brew: What’s New and Trending.
A Friday well spent is one out of the office visiting one of my favourite local craft brewers. Craft beer is something Darling Brew does so well and not to mention sustainably too. I attended their official launch in April this year for the announcement that they have obtained carbon neutral status, which meant Darling Brew had officially become Africa’s very first Carbon neutral brewery. Remember the tree that was planted in April to commemorate their carbon neutral status? Here’s an update:

Co-founder of Darling Brew, Philippa Wood graciously hosted and took me and a select group of media on a very informative tour of the brewery, in what made me feel like this was a more grown up version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Entering the brewery, the rich smell of roasted hops fills the air and entices you to a ‘cold one’ upstairs at the Tasteroom where you can also order an equally delicious meal to pair with your brew of choice. It’s been a while since April, so here’s my update on what’s new on offering at Darling Brew:

News on the Brews

We were some of the first to be let in on a little secret. Darling Brew has just launched a new beer, Pixie Dust. It is a Golden Weiss beer. We when visited recently, I noticed a brewing tank labelled ‘Pixie Dust’, as well as that they have already started serving this tasty beer on tap at the Brewery, one more reason to go and visit Darling Brew! Philippa informed me that both Slow Beer and Bone Crusher beers were recently awarded at the 2018 African Beer Awards.

The Tasting Room

The menu is seasonal and good old pub grub with a special touch on locality, only using local artisanal food suppliers. The incredibly rich and creamy cheese selection that is used in any of their menu items containing cheese comes from a local dairy shop, Udderly Delicious, the smoked meats and charcuterie they use is sourced from Darling heavyweight, The Flying Pig. I particularly love how much emphasis Darling Brew puts on supporting local businesses.

Joyce who works at Darling Brew, has a wealth of knowledge about their award winning beer and brewing processes. Her passion and drive is so infectious!

That gooey cheese was a winner!

After my tasting flight of fresh and fruity beers, I opted for ‘The Cuban’. A toasted sourdough sandwich with smoked pork ham, gooey cheddar cheese and pickles with a side of delicious crispy potato chips. I was forewarned by our waitress that the portion is quite generous, and generous it was! I would advise going hungry, fuelling up with either breakfast or lunch before partaking in a tasting flight of your choice.

The tasting flight variety ensures that there certainly is something for everyone!

Pick between the DB Popular flight consisting of the:
- Slow Beer
- Gypsy Mask
- Rogue Pony
- Bone Crusher
Alternatively, if you don’t consider yourself to be much of a beer drinker, try the Ladies Flight, which consists of Rock Shandy inspired beers like:
- Golden Tail – Lemon 2.6%
- The Ruby Jewel – Grapefruit 6%
- Gypsy Mask – Red Ale 4%
- Rogue Pony – Pale Ale 5%
FYI

Official word: this year the Darling Brew Beer Fest will be held on the 15 December. Keep your eyes peeled to their social media accounts for updates closer to the time. If you’re in and around Woodstock you would have noticed a massive billboard on the actual building announcing Darling Brew coming to the neighbourhood soon, opening doors early 2019.

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Something Different and New

In the spirit of sustainability, Darling Brew has been toying with the idea of creating something out of the spent grain that comes with any beer production. Until, enough trial and error, Darling Brew Beer Crisps were born. With two flavours, Slow Beer and Bone Crusher made with the spent grain of said beers, the bags of crisps are great value for money for the size of the bag. To make the crisps, 40% of spent grain is used. Grain from the Bone Crusher and Slow Beer is used to make the respective flavours of crisps. Since launching on the market, the crisps have been well received. Another snippet of inside information, the crisps will in future be used on The TasteRoom’s menu as a delicious addition for Nachos. Production of the crisps are on site, besides the actual frying of the crisps which is sent to a local business to take care of. The small batches are then brought back to the brewery to be put on a steep conveyor belt which is then gently dropped into bags that are immediately sealed and ready to be sold off to any lucky customer. I of course couldn’t bare to leave the brewery without having purchased a bag of both the Slow Beer and Bone Crusher to enjoy at my own leisure.

Find Darling Brew Tasteroom & Brewery on the West Coast Way Culture & Foodie Routes

Distance from Cape Town: 76km

Darling Brew Tasteroom & Brewery: 48 Caledon Street, Darling

Brewery, Restaurant, Tastings & Sales, open-air kids play area, MTB-friendly, Live Events

School Holidays & Flower Season: Open 7 days a week.

Tasteroom operating hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 am to 5 pm Kitchen closes at 4 pm

Friday 9 am to 7 pm Kitchen closes at 6 pm

Saturday 9 am to 5 pm Kitchen closes at 4 pm

Sunday 10 am to 4 pm Kitchen closes at 3 pm

They are also open for private functions. The restaurant works on a walk in basis but large groups are encouraged to book.

Contact: +27 (0)21 286 1099 | tasteroom@darlingbrew.co.za | www.darlingbrew.co.za
October 31, 2018
Berry spritz

September in South Africa, means Spring is here, there are many debates and theories as to the actual official start of Spring. With the arrival of a new family member last week, I do feel there is much to celebrate and what better way with wine! I saw the recipe from Donna Hay and immediately felt inclined to recreate it. I used one of my favourite’s Pierre Jourdan Tranquille Blush from the Haute Cabriére wine estate and a lovely strawberry and mint syrup(store bought from Woolworths) with soda water and fresh berries and mint to garnish. Top tip: instead of ice which will water down your cocktails or wine spritz, freeze some grapes or berries and add to your drinks.

Last week I took the practical experience gained recently from the workshop and put it to use doing what I love best, shooting food. I took some beautiful photos of the berries and whilst loading on to the laptop most of them somehow disappeared into (I’m assuming) an untouchable dark abyss. Feeling rather defeated and being rather busy, eventually picked myself up and dusted myself off and admitted to the rookie mistake and tried my hand again at another shoot, I really wanted to recreate the feel and mood of those I took last week. Moral of the story, don’t give up even if the task at hand seems monstrous or impossible. This does not just apply to my little faux pas last week, but to so many life lessons learnt along the way.

Berries always signify a start of a new season ahead, a brighter more festive one. The photos of the berries were taken just before 13:00 yesterday. The photos of the berry spritz were taken last week round about the same time. And yes, that is a charger plate which I have repurposed and sprayed to use as a prop for my photography. I decided to try both moody shots and lighter ones, I love the juxtaposition of the light in the shots and how the berries and drinks are portrayed in different light. Personally I adore the darker, moodier shots, to me, it creates so much depth. But like many other things it’s all about the photographers preference and style.

Happy Spring! x

September 6, 2016