Hi everyone and happy November! And welcome to my After Work Guide 2016! I went to the Cape Town Flower show this weekend, got sunburnt and can now officially declare that summer is here! Yippeee!
Now, if you’re new to my blog then you won’t know that Autumn is actually my favourite season. But there’s NO denying the hope, shimmer and groove that summer brings to the Mother City. Now that I have a day job, I appreciate nights and weekends so much more than I ever did before. So I thought I’d share my top picks, week by week, so that you can make the most of your free time too.
So for each week this November, I will be sharing a few of places which you may also enjoy. As soon as the clock strikes ‘I’m done!’ try these spots for some after hours happiness:
I know that after I’ve been sitting in the office all day, I’m SUPER keen to get outside for some fresh air and a break from my screens. But it’s not always easy to think of somewhere when you’ve been busy all day at work. So the purpose of drinks under the sky is to give you an idea or two as to where you can go, grab a quick drink and take in some fresh air. Today’s suggestion:
HOUSE OF MACHINES (1 Hour)
Now I had mixed feelings about the House of Machines when I first went there. Obviously I think it’s a very pretty bar and the staff take a great amount of care in what they do. But I ordered an R80 cider that was the most vile thing I’d ever had, so disgusting that the students I passed it onto ALSO refused to drink it. Craft shmaft, if it ain’t tasty, it ain’t tasty. I then avoided the place for MONTHS afterwards. But, I’ve since been back a number of times and there’s NO WHERE better for a quick GnT under the stars. I love to get a crisp cold toot, sit outside on one of the benches, have a quick catch up with friends and then head home or head somewhere else. Give them a go in Shortmarket street. PS This picture was taken at night, yeah, they make sure you’re feeling good!
PS They also do tasty toasted cheese soldiers which are a great accompaniment to G & T’s!
For me, summer is all about finger foods. I LOVE tapas or plates where you can have a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It’s just a far more relaxing way to eat, you can have the bits you like and eat until you’re happy. I have a weird appetite that when it’s hot, I’m not really hungry and then when it gets cold, I eat for the last 3 meals I skipped! So tapas or mixed plates is a great way for me to have a thing or two without overdoing it.
LA PARADA (2 Hours)
La Parada recently relaunched and I LOVE their new tapas menu. While the restaurant is also super well known for drinks on its sidewalk, it’s actually wanting to draw the focus away from there a little bit and onto their menu, which I don’t mind at all. I LOVED their new menu and went back 3 times in 10 days, oops! Here are my top 5 picks on the menu, but if you love sea food then you may want to check out a few other options like the seared salmon.
CRUMBS & CREAM (30 Mins)
Mr John is obsessed with ice cream sandwiches, but unfortunately they’re not very popular in South Africa. In fact, I think “Wafers” are the closest thing to ice cream sandwiches we’ve ever had – that is until the Orea sandwiches landed in our fridge this spring! But before they arrived, Crumbs and Cream arrived and they’ve been making us happy EVER SINCE! You can now find them in 3 locations:
- V&A Waterfront – Just outside the Aquarium and Watershed.
- Cavendish Square – Ground floor, just outside the @Home.
- Sea Point – On the main road on the faarrrr side of the suburb.
Pick your flavour of cookie, pick your flavour of ice cream, smoosh together and voila! Heaven. I love a choc chip cookie with Ferror Roche ice cream! Divine!
The Crumbs & Cream ice cream sandwiches cost R30 and upwards, depending on how luxurious you go. They’re open until 10pm in Sea Point.
VERGENOEGD SUMMER SERIES (4 Hours)
Vergenoegd is launching their very own summer concert series that which aims to be very much like the ‘First Thursdays’ of Stellenbosch, except every last Sunday of the month. With performers such as Good Luck, Jimmy Nevis and Arno Castens, they’re kicking off the season with the spirit of summer. WIN tickets to each one of the #LiveatVergenoegd shows on Boring Cape Town Chick.
Maybe you want to plan something for this weekend? If so, then definitely consider a picnic! I’ve recently been getting into the art of picnics and I’m learning it’s definitely something fun to do. BUT I can’t be bothered to pack anything myself. What a mission! So why not go to a farm where they do all the work for you? Wine there, food there, happiness there. That’s my kind of picnic! This week’s option:
HARTENBERG PICNICS (3 Hours)
Just recently I visited Hartenberg for the very first time and had a really lovely day. I was in a totally foul mood as I had flu and I was in one of those ‘I hate the world and everyone in it’ moods. So going off to the farm we went. Sitting under the shade of the trees, looking over the lawn and eating some really delicious food, genuinely cheered me up! And of course their award winning Shiraz didn’t go down too badly, nor did their chenin! Full post coming shortly, but this was definitely one of the best picnic baskets I’ve had.
Give any one of these a go and enjoy your time outside 🙂
