Hillcrest Berry Farm.

There is something quite magical about taking a day trip to the wine lands of Franshoek and Stellenbosch where the evergreen farms are surrounded by the mountains, with the animals roaming around the open fields.

Personally you can't get anything better than the wine lands of Franshoek and Stellenbosch; the picturesque landscape is aw inspiring, while the magnificent tastes of the different wines could lead any teetotaller to drink, and not to mention the fine cuisine that is produced is purely sensational.

Franshoek and 'Stellies'- as known to the locals- are famous for their fine-dining, award winning restaurants; seeing both towns blessed with famous Chefs such as David Higgs of Rust en Vrede and Margot Janse from The Tasting Room. While their food is aesthetically pleasing and sets alight all the human senses, there are other unknown smaller places that I like to try.

My favourite has to be Hillcrest Berry farm in Stellenbosch. Known for their famous berries and berry products such as jams, liqueurs and coulis; Hillcrest also has their own deli and farm shop.
With an outside terrace that over looks one the many mountains and valleys that the wine lands have to offer, the view is perfect for one looking to soak up the sun, scenery and enjoy good food.

With the weather gods blessing us with yet another perfect day in Cape Town there was no better option but to head to Hillcrest for a good, wholesome and healthy meal while admiring mother nature's landscapes.

What sets Hillcrest apart from the rest is their constant changing of the menu. Every week or so new ingredients are brought in and the menu is constantly adapted to the season and the availability of ingredients.

With a Chicken Cesar salad and a Goats cheese tart ordered, we sat back, soaked up the sun and admired the view.

The Cesar Salad was one generous portion with chicken, croutons, bacon, egg and Parmesan shavings topped with an anchovy Cesar dressing. The dish it self was full of flavour and the different textures of the delicate chicken and crunchy croutons complimented each other well.

My goats cheese tart was not a baked tart. The base was baked into a mini tart base and it was filled with rocket, warmed goat's cheese, roasted cherry tomatoes, raspberry roasted onions topped with a freshly made pesto.

The tart was amazing as the colours and display of the tart was perfect while the flavours of each individual ingredient could be distinguished but complimented each other in such a way that made the dish one unit. The homemade pesto was fantastic as it was covered in oil, the garlic wasn't pungent and every now and then one would stumble across some crunchy pine nut pieces.

Both dishes were fresh and light; perfect for the hot summers day. Fourth time back and Hillcrest is yet to disappoint. A much highly recommended stop for anyone passing through Stellenbosch and Franshoek. They serve scrumptious breakfasts, light lunches and High tea, which is available all day.

Unfortunately no photo's were taken of the dishes.

MMD Brings Out the Deviant Species

All I can is WOW. What a weekend, what a party, what awesome tracks. My mind is still honestly in a daze from the Trance party that saw MMD put on yet another mind blowing party with their featured DJs Deviant Species.

I wish I could honestly provide a full review on the actual event regarding the DJ's sets and beats but the party just seemed to whisp past so quickly with the drive to and from the event feeling like it was longer than the time spent at the actual party.

The party was hosted in it's usual spot just outside of Langebaan called Vlak Vark. The venue was amazing in itself as it was the perfect size to host an intimate trance party of no more than 1500 people. The parking and camping area was within 400 metres away from the decks and the dance floor with an amazing plunge, rock pool right next to it. Bamboo fields sounded the main area which left me feeling rather uneasy as I kept on remembering the movie Signs when waking past it.

We arrived at the venue come 9pm with clear skies above us and the sound of heavy psy beats drawing us in. With more Vodka to the Coca Cola in our bottles it was time to hit the dance floor where everyone was in their own zone, stomping away to the beats.

I do remember Dirty Motion at 2:30am bringing in some pumping tracks that got the dance floor going crazy. On the side of the dance floor several Fire Poi were working their magic in and amongst the beats and strobing lumo lights.

With the drinks running low once again we missioned for yet another top-up but we never made it back to the dance floor until sunrise as the fatigue took over our bodies.

There is something about the Sunday day session. Described as 'the playground' this is the time where everyone goes that little bit more crazy. With mud pits forming in front of the stage, people with water guns squirting each other, and a race to finish off all the remaining alcohol in the boots of the car takes place.

The acts that stood out for me where featured DJ's Deviant Species, Rubix Cube vs Lunar, and undoubtedly Super Evil who come close every time to stealing the limelight with their live act of James Copeland on the decks and Adriano Rodigues melting down the strings on his guitar.

These acts set the tone for an afternoon packed full of pure mayhem and debauchery.

I know I keep saying this with every passing festival but the weekend just keep on getting better and better. The Venue was awesome, the people so friendly and relaxed and the sets definitely a manipulation of the mind. Thank you MMD for an epic party.

L'Ormarins Queen's Plate

Before I start this post, I would like to say a very big thank you to the gents from MyCityByNight who kindly provided me with a ticket and allowed me to tag along with them to the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate at Kenilworth Race course.

Last Sunday saw the 150 consecutive Queen's Plate event take place in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town. The Queen's Plate is an annual horse racing event that provides the perfect excuse for the usual laid back, casual Cape Townians to dress up.

With the theme 'Timeless Elegance' Cape Town's finest gathered to the race course dressed to the nines in what was a strictly blue and white theme. With a fine array of Haute Couture, vintage cars and delectable cuisine it was time for the races, betting and of course the sampling of wines.

Upon arrival a free R20 betting voucher was given to each individual, so it was only natural to place at least one bet. We arrived in time to place our bets on the fourth race. Without looking at any odds or making any calculations myself and my 'date' chose two random numbers and hoped that Lady Luck would be on our side with a win and a place.

True to form the Old Lady brought in the luck with my horse 'Seal of Approval' winning and the gent's 'Silver Apple' coming in second. Our grand winnings altogether? Eighty one big ones.... time for our second bottle of wine! As the races continued, the betting increased, the wine flowed, the people began to loosen up whilst enjoying the warm midday sun.

Various prizes were given throughout the afternoon for the best dressed and best hat. However paying attention to the prizes proved rather difficult, after having positioned ourselves in a prime position in the wine tent, with quite possibly our fourth bottle of wine having already been drunk.

After the main race live singers and bands came on to perform their part in the event but we did not linger long enough to see them as the stomachs were calling for a plate of dinner. Acts included Locnville, Gazelle, Crazy White Boy and Louise Carver and Zebra & Giraffe.

The Queen's Plate was a fun, fantastic and different way to spend a Saturday afternoon; being able to dress up, watch horses racing and drinking wine was an absolute delight and I had an absolute blast. Once again the biggest thank you to MyCityByNight and the gents.

Rezonance. New Years Eve Jol

There has always been a huge hype around New Year’s Parties where places, clubs and people compete to see who can host the most glamouress New Years eve party of them all. Personally I find New Years eve to be terribly overrated seeing one pay a lot of money to go out to a party and half the time heading home rather disappointed. However this year I opted for something different.

After failing to have a good New Years for the past four years running I decided to camp out and do it the hippie way at Rezonance in Contermanskloof Estate in Durbanville.

Rezonance is one of the most famous New Year’s trance parties to hit the South African stage and it sure lived up to its reputation of non-stop banging music, continuous stomping, free flowing drinking, audacious behaviour and just plain fun!

We got there at about lunch time on the Friday in the scorching hot weather. After having our car directed to a field miles away (it was closer to Jo'Burg than anything else) from the camp site and the stages we eventually started the great trek with our tent, bags, and of course the most important part ...the alcohol -down to the camp site. Setting up camp was a struggle as the heat was unbearable and all we wanted to do was check out the venue and start listening to some good Dub-step tunes.

Following the huge struggle with the heat in putting up all our tents we finally made our way down to the main area where the dub-Step tent had already started pumping out the heavy tunes. The drinks where already flowing and people were just lazing about under the shade, by the dam or in the camp site. Not much happened until the late afternoon when the trance tent eventually got up and running; after all 90% of the people that came through to Rezonance were there for the trance.

Organik Panik had the honour of getting the stomping started at the Trance tent, whipping out some heavy tunes and slowly bringing in the masses. As more and more people gathered to the stomping ground it became impossible to find my friends. I met a bunch of four guys who kindly decided to look after me and allow me to stomp on their cooler box.

Now being a good two heads above most people I had the perfect view of watching everyone come in and get into the feel of things as the trance took over their body and minds. I was able to see how people interacted with each other, the DJ and the music: a beautiful sight to behold as pure joy was written across everyone’s face as the sound waves electrified through their bodies.

Five hours had past with a tad bit of too much alcohol having been consumed and stomping on the cooler box having now become my trademark. Artifakt brought the year to a close in style as a wave of heavy beats just kept on coming in. But it was Super Evil who would steal the show and everyone’s souls.

In between the changeover of Artifakt and Super Evil, Triksy by the Commercial Hippies, was played on the sound system as a dragon and various other props were brought onto the stage. By this stage everyone was high on life, and perhaps other shizz, but they were all getting even more hyped up for the New Year.

I somehow managed to miss the countdown for the New Year as I was too busy having a drunken argument with a friend on how to put on his T-shirt. But that was the least of the worries as Super Evil sent shock waves through everyone’s bodies with their killer beats and sound waves; each track sending a different emotion through our bodies.

It was Super Evil’s impressive set that set everyone up on a high by providing us with good vibes and endless energy to party right through the night. By 5am lighting and thunder had started and the skies had opened up, providing a great change in temperature. The lightning display was a psychedelic as the lights at the main stage providing its own show. Despite the gloomy weather conditions it was impossible to put a damper to the party as we continued to stomp if not harder!

As the sun rose some of the sleepers started to show face again and it was a unanimous decision amongst the all nighters that sleep was not even an option. We powered through the rain and by mid day the sun was out again and the weather was cooking hot.

Chabunk ended off the day’s trance vibe to make way for the techno bands like Goldfish and Napalma who played heavy beats and continued to keep the stompers attention. Nevertheless come sunset the trance was back and it was time to party harder as I made my way to the Techno DubStep tent to listen to the likes of El Gordo and PH Fat.

I had the utmost pleasure in having an awesome jamming partner and one of Cape Town's most renowned partiers beside me I managed to meet the likes of El Gordo, Pascal and Anthea. They were all so chilled and super cool, making my night even more better. But it was time for a quick stomping session and some more drinking vibes before a much needed rest.

Unfortunately come 11pm I was dead tired after having been awake since 5am the Friday morning; it was time to call it a night and put to rest the broken body, mind and soul. Come Sunday the body had had enough, aching from head to toe and freezing and damp from the misty weather conditions I stayed to watch Broken Toy who pulled off yet another killer set. Despite really wanting to see Headroom and Gandalf it was time to make tracks and give the body a hot shower, proper food that didn’t consist of liquid and a comfy bed.

All in all it was the best weekend ever; putting an end to a year that has been the most testing on a personal level, whilst definitely starting off the New Year on the right foot. Thank you to all who made this weekend magical: the DJ’s, the people, the heavy beats it was all too insane! Once again another weekend for the memory books. * Stomp Stomp Stomp!!*

Hudsons on Somerset

If you like Burgers there really is only two places where one can go in Cape Town and truly enough a wholesome, and relatively healthy burger; those are Royale Eatery and Hudsons Burger joint.

Yesterday the new Hudsons- on the corner of Somerset and Portswood Road in Green Point- was calling our name to be tried out.
After having taken my friend to Royale Eatery several month back he was aching to try out the much raved Hudsons, and the new one was the perfect opportunity.

Situated across the road and next to the Cape Royale Hudsons on Somerset has taken over the corner spot which was previously occupied by Melissa's and Bravado. Some consider that corner cursed but if Hudsons keep up to their great standards business should not be a problem.

With an improvement to the menu; seeing new burgers being offered, starters, sliders, salads and even pizza's there is much more to choose from. I opted for 'The Game'. As the name suggest it is an ostrich patty topped with cranberry sauce, goats cheese and rocket. It was scrumptiously delicious and a great pleasure to see ostrich patties being served on the menu.

Royale Eatery only offer one type of burger with the ostrich patty whereas Hudsons can add it to any burger you desire. Very happy customer!!

While my friend decided to go for 'The Player'; a beef patty that had bacon, avocado and feta on it. Sounding more like a pizza topping he said the burger was really tasty and he enjoyed it very much. The food overall was full of flavour, well presented and a definite winner.

The service however was a bit of a let down as the waitresses seemed unsure of themselves and once we had eaten they never bothered to ask us if we wanted dessert or coffee. After failing to grab their attention to ask to see the dessert menu the bill arrived in fornt of us without even having asked for it. This was a bit of a let down but it is still early days and I am sure it will improve with time.

Nevertheless Hudsons comes as recommended restaurant for the Burger lovers and for anyone keen to have a chilled night eating good wholesome food.

Sizzling Summer Vibes

To all the fabulous Cape Townians it certainly looks like summer has decided to finally bless the beautiful "Mother City" with scorchers of hot days, followed directly by a fogged in day which is bound to be taken away the pumping South Easter. Yes, summer is definitely here and what a fabulous summer it will be.

There is so much to do this summer as Cape Town is hosting event after event, latest fashion trends are being worn in style and of course Christmas is just days away. Cape Town just keeps on getting better with each passing season making it no surprise that it is one of the top tourist destinations.

From now up until the New Year comes upon us in full force there are several events that CANNOT be missed. Whether you prefer to have a relaxing day in the gardens having a picnic, or trancing it up at one of the wine farms, or simply lounging in the sun and enjoying a few sundowners and a good meal Cape Town certainly has it all.

This weekend sees Trance Heads stomping it out at Awesomeville on Saturday 11 December through to Sunday afternoon. This psychedelic trance party sees hot international and local acts bust the decks with the likes of D_Maniac, Commercial Hippies, Snitch and Headroom playing. It is the second last trance party of the year before Rezonance sends all the hippies into the New Year on the December 31 through to January 2nd.

If you prefer a more relaxing day and being one with God's greatest gifts; Nature and Music, the Kirstenbosch summer concerts are the way to go. Pack up a picnic basket, grab a bottle of bubbly and some blankets and head down to Kirstenbosch gardens where every weekend there is a different band or artist. From Carols to Candle Light, to individual musical geniuses or rock bands there is something for everyone. For the Concert Line-up click here

While the Fairest Wheel at the V&A Waterfront is still up and running and is something that must be tried along with the ice-rink that has been put up outside for the duration of the school holidays. Table Mountain are also offering half price tickets at Sunset which is perfect to take your loved one for some sundowners before going out for a divine dinner. Finally the Wine lands are always an option with Stellenbosch and Franschoek producing some of the World's best wines and cuisine; a day out in mountainous suburbs cannot be missed!

There is so much on offer in Cape Town and it would be a pity if one never took the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and not do something they haven't experienced yet. Life is now, go live it. My motto has always been; Take risks: have no regrets.

Cape Town's Secret Gem: Cafe Max

When it comes to food there is nothing I enjoy more than stumbling across tiny and relatively unknown cafes and restaurants that serve good, wholesome, fresh food. Today I decided to head back to a good old favourite that I hadn't been to for some time, and boy am I glad I went.

Previously known as Cafe Maxime, which opened in 2007, it has now been re-changed to Cafe Max. Located in Waterkant Street, Cafe Max is off the beaten track of all the other well-known places in the De Waterkant area, but the food is just as good, if not better.

I first tried Cafe Max when it first opened and instantly fell in love with it's quaint, girly feel to it with silver and pink stripped walls. The lamb burger with roasted balsamic cherry tomatoes was an instant winner for me then but the menu has changed since then.

Breakfast is now served all day for those wanting to get in their egg and croissant fix for the day or you could create a Meze platter for two or three people, as well as choosing from a list of Max favourites or the menu of the day.

It was so difficult deciding what to opt for as the relatively small menu was bursting with so many different temptations. I decided to go for the Chicken salad dressed in freshly made Honey and Mustard dressing.

As far as Chicken salads go this was the most amazing one I have ever had. The chicken breasts were cut into slithers and freshly cooked in the kitchen so upon arrival the actually chicken was so warm and tender. The salad was sprinkled with cashew nuts caramelised in the honey and mustard dressing with avocado cut on top. The actual dressing was a proper concoction of honey and whole grain mustard that was made fresh as it was also still warm when drizzled across the chicken and the salad. The tastes of the fresh honey and msutard dressing with the warm chicken, soft avocado and crunchy cashews just blended so well together as all the different textures left me feeling highly satisfied and glad that I returned.

My mother ordered the crepe of the day. This was a generous helping of a large crepe filled with sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, artichokes and some melted Parmesan shavings. The dish was as appetising as it sounds as once it was cut into the Parmesan and sauce came oozing out with the colourful vegetables.

The service was good and friendly as we were greeted by the Chef and the waiter upon arrival. The gentle smells of the kitchen slowly drifted through the restaurant making us more hungry. t certainly was a delight returning back to Cafe Max and I will be sure to return again.