Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2024 i Cape Etc

I PUT ON MY THIRD PAIR OF SOCKS TO GO WITH MY OUTFIT: TRACKSUIT PANTS, A THERMAL LONG-SLEEVE TOP AND MY FIANCÉ'S HOODIE. As I shuffled towards the couch, Game of Thrones ready for action on the TV, he looked at me and said, ‘I can't believe winter is here, and I'll see nothing but your head for the next six months.’ With that, I plopped between the cushions and enticed my cat with her beloved red blanket, making sure she curled her chunky body on my belly – self-heating water bottle sorted. A sight for sore eyes? Check. I didn't go down the road to refill our gas bottle for the heater that day. As a result, I sat there making ‘hah hah hah’ sounds, watching as the warmth…

COUNTRY ESCAPE I'd heard, ‘Oh, haven't you been yet?’ from at least five people before I finally went ahead and booked my stay at Kogman & Keisie Guest Farm in Montagu. With my husband on his annual golf tour – something has to be done about those – I was coming in hot with my mom, three small kids, my sister-in-law – another husbandless casualty of the golf tour – and a baby. The roughly two-hour drive from Cape Town was fairly painless, apart from a minor meltdown every so often. It was all worth it once we came out the other side of Cogmanskloof Pass, and those incredible Cape Fold mountains appeared to say ‘howzit!’ and guide us all the way down the road, which winds through the valley…

INTERVIEW We've got the most beautiful city in the world – and don't we know it. Tourists love the Mother City … everyone is so nice to them. But those who move here often tell another story of encountering cliques, struggling to make friends and battling to belong. It can be hard going, putting yourself out there, stepping into a room or joining a group where everyone else seems to know each other. For many, that initial awkwardness – or fear of awkwardness – encourages them to stay at home where they will be safe. And yet, those brave enough to step out of their comfort zone reap life-changing rewards – a circle of friends or even one relationship that makes life a little more meaningful. Take Ema Sita, for…

The brand's name, derived from the Afrikans term for ‘waste’, hints at its core ethos MISSION MOHAIR Transforming waste into warmth with Mors Design Last winter, I went to the doctor because my toes were sore. My little piggies felt like they'd been to the market and got roasted – not by fire but by dry ice. They were simultaneously frozen and on fire. ‘You've got chilblains,’ doc said. The cold had robbed my feet of warmth, and when I'd exposed them to roasting hot showers, the little vessels couldn't handle the transition. I'm not built for winter. Or maybe I just hadn't dressed right. On my hunt for proper gear, I found jerseys that were so fluffy they might scare the chill away from my helpless piggies. Mors Design…

A TASTE EXPLORATION Hiro Izakaya adds an entirely new flavour to Constantia Valley Izakaya is a traditional Japanese bar, and like pubs in Britain and saloons in the Wild West, it's a convivial place of food and drinks. Izakaya, the internet tells us, directly translated means ‘dine-in sake shop’. In other words, small space, big fun. Hiro Izakaya brings the fun to Constantia Uitsig, housed in one of the spaces along the estate's Heritage Market. It's a very different concept to the other eateries in the market, which tend towards the light and bright. Hiro is the second child of Cheyne Morrisby and Danielle Oosthuizen; their first, Bang K in Muizenberg, is a thriving toddler already, having opened in October 2023. And like Bang K, the interior is dark and…

Though the fundamentals are the same – two slices of bread, a filling, toasted – not all toasties are created equal. There are rules. Bread must be home-made and thick enough to hold a filling and crisp up when slathered in butter. Fillings made from scratch using only the best ingredients – think slowcooked brisket and smoked tomatoes – and generous seasoning, herbs and spices. Strong cheese that melts around the other ingredients and even oozes out of the sides to form a lip-smacking crust. Restaurants must be spaces where you feel comfortable eating messy food. These toasties are stacked so high you can't fit your mouth around them, so the ingredients inevitably end up all over you – oregano in your teeth, mustard stuck to your eyebrow, kimchi in…

Is sports not your thing? Well, we said we'd try to include a little something for everyone. Sword and Board is a tabletop games and hobby shop in Point Business Park, Milnerton. They sell board-, cardand tabletop games such as Warhammer 40 000. Brennan and Steve founded the company six years after deciding they wanted to create a space where they could grow the local community around the games they love. Both are passionate and active members of the tabletop gaming community. Sword and Board hosts weekly gaming nights every Wednesday and Thursday, from 6 pm to 11 pm. On Wednesday nights, they host events for Magic the Gathering, board games and tabletop miniature wargames (Warhammer 40 000 or Age of Sigmar), while on Thursday nights, it's Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon trading…

CHECK IN / Mother City DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE Staying at Wonderland was phantasmagorical, so utterly unique that when Lisa Abdellah checked out and returned to her everyday life, she questioned whether it had been a dream, whether it had happened at all I'd seen photographs of Wonderland, a six-bedroom villa on the slopes of Table Mountain between Hout Bay and Constantia, but it was far more impressive in real life. The story goes that the late Keith Rose, a South African advertising director, spent 25 years building it as his family home. This passion project, created entirely by his eccentric imagination and artistic eye, evolved into a luxury playground for children and adults. You can now book one of the suites or the entire villa. Via a heavy medieval door, my…

GET CURRIED AWAY Curry Club is a fun London-style Punjabi eatery with a menu inspired by family recipes infused with new Indian flair My journey with the Curry Club started many moons ago, in 2018, when they launched a dark kitchen at the German Club in Gardens. I was an instant fan the moment that aromatic brown paper bag landed at my door. Six years on, I had the pleasure of sitting down for a meal at their eatery in town, and I'm happy to report that the experience was nothing short of spectacular. As domesticity took me from the city to the Southern Suburbs, I had not indulged in a Curry Club meal since my debut encounter with their butter chicken and naan. I left comments on their Instagram…

The rain batters against the sash windows of my cosy Edwardian-style cottage as I summon the power of the goddess to untether myself from the toasty spot in front of my fireplace. It's time to venture out. For this Durbanite, it's an experiment, really, to settle an internal debate I've been having since semigrating a couple of years back. Should Capetonians join the class of mammals that hibernate, or is there reason to face the Mother City's inclement winter weather after dark? I won't leave you in suspense: if you can brave the walk from your front door to your car or Uber, there is a street that pulses with the energy of a thousand suns. Nothing – not even the torrential rains and winds of the Cape of Storms…

My mom's best friend Geraldine's son Ryan was always chasing imaginary villains when we were kids. ‘I already knew you were here,’ a local busybody Margaret once said to her at the supermarket, ‘because your son shouted, “To the Bat Mobile”, took a running jump, and now his feet are sticking out of the freezer cabinet!’ Church was no better. Unable to sit still during a tedious service, Ryan hurtled toward the back of the room – to fight evil – knocking over a massive flower arrangement, which made a loud crash and spilt its contents over an unsuspecting little girl, who screamed. Another time, he got lost. Geraldine and the congregation searched high and low and eventually found him performing a puppet show behind the pulpit. Mom sent son…

My family has been visiting Petervale, near Ceres, for almost a decade – its rustic cottages, short mountain hike and solitude make it a great drawcard for my wife and me. For the kids, though, it's the animals. Whether it's the ridiculous goats that need to climb as high as they can, the naughty donkey that bit my wife on the calf one year when she was posing for a photo or the guinea pigs and rabbits they can pick up and cuddle – it's the main reason they love this place. With three children at exam-writing age, we decided a getaway might be a good way to get their minds off the studies and get them doing what kids need to do – go outside, play games, explore. We've…

HELLO, PARADISE! Singing caught my attention, and I wondered if the fresh air had gone to my head. It was the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge's staff greeting us with the spirit of Africa. Notably, the lodge has prioritised ensuring at least 70% of its staff are Maasai locals. I had arrived, and the real adventure was about to begin. The main lodge is accessible via a suspension bridge. I'm a little uneasy with bridges; however, this was part of the lodge's wonder and a magnificent way to enter the luxurious space. Staff rewarded my bravery with a chilled cloth and a glass of hibiscus iced tea with Prosecco. They whisked my bags away, leaving me to explore my home away from home. The main lodge has a communal firepit,…