Bianca Coleman 348 posts 45 comments

IT was only a matter of time, really. UCOOK has been delivering meal kits to our doors since 2014 - measured ingredients and recipes to turn even the most hapless cooks among us into impressive home chefs. Now you can order your meals with perfect wine pairings, making it even easier to impress your…
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THERE is something in South Africa known as the code of the road. Okay, not really; I just made that up, but it was something I pondered a great deal while driving, and it goes like this. If someone wants to overtake you, and it's possible to do so safely, you drift into the breakdown lane. As…
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AS I typed that headline I thought of one night in Bangkok, and this is nothing like that at all. Rather tame in fact, but no less enjoyable. From Cradock, via Addo (which is a town and not only the elephant place which bears its name), I reached the N2 and headed west. After a 16km dirt road,…
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THIS leg of the road trip was the longest - distance, not time - and I had to be properly prepared. I filled up with petrol, and selected a suitably long playlist. While waiting for the guy to finish checking my tyres and whatnot, I became vaguely aware I could hear a news broadcast on the radio.…
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THE second leg of my epic road trip took me onto Route 62 proper - the road that runs all the way from Montagu to Gqeberha, should you care to make that journey. It was not my destiny to follow that path; after Oudtshoorn I'd be making a sort-of left if you look at a map. But more about that next…
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IT all began with an invitation to dinner in Cradock (which you can read about here). It's more than 800km, which is a bit far for one stretch. Luckily I have connections with the Cape Country Routes people so with some planning, a two-week road trip was planned. When I announced I would be…
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THERE are so many reasons to visit Hazendal in Stellenbosch's Bottelary region, from the Russian tea ceremony to the open-air Pivnushka beer garden, from the Marvol Gallery to the classic car collection, from the Babushka Deli to Wonderdal edutainment centre for children, and jazz events like the…
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YOU know that feeling when someone knows what you want even before you do? No, me neither, not so much. But when you're a guest at Leeu Estates, the flagship Franschhoek property in the Leeu Collection, that's exactly what happens. I checked in on Friday afternoon after a superb five-course meal…
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AT La Petite Colombe, you have two exceptionally fine dining options: the Chef's Reduced Experience (which is by no means a reduction in sensory pleasures) or the Chef's Experience. Both can be combined with a Fine And Rare Wine Experience for ultimate pleasure. La Petite Colombe is now located…
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WHEN I first visited Epice, shortly after it opened in December 2019, I reviewed it for Daily Maverick, concluding with "what a joy this flawless meal was"; that verdict remains firmly intact. Chef Charné Sampson was previously a sous chef at La Colombe, which is not only a fabulous restaurant…
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A WEEKEND of eating and drinking wine at some of Franschhoek's finest restaurants, while based at a luxurious estate...no wonder people keep saying they want my job. As a guest of Leeu Collection, I arrived at my first stop on Friday afternoon: Protégé. There have been movements and relocations…
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OH the memories! Arnold's has been around since 1998, pretty much the same time I embarked on a particularly hedonistic phase of existence which required all-day breakfasts, and breakfasts with an ice cold beer. Although the owners are new-ish (four years), the vibe is the same (and the smoking…
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