Posts Tagged ‘Cape Town’
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
What relief that Cape Town has finally warmed up and hopefully we can say goodbye to October’s irregular weather. If you live in the City Bowl and haven’t made plans to head up the mountain after work this week, or plotted the best beach or sea view to admire over a glass of Sauvignon, you’d be in the minority. Fortunately we have delicious cookbooks at Chefs Warehouse to help you concoct culinary partners for crisp white summer wine.
Kansha by Elizabeth Andoh celebrates Japan’s vegan and vegetarian traditions with an inspiring collection of recipes and an unusual, captivating photographic style. Chapters lyrically cover rice, noodles, stocks and soups, before moving into the market and pantry. Don’t miss her fascinating introduction to Japanese vegetarian cooking and Japanese culinary traditions. We love how exotic ingredients are so respectfully presented – the pom-pom sushi image is a study in beauty and simplicity. R335
In contrast, My Vegetarian Kitchen by Nicola Graimes shouts for attention with its bright, lime-green cover, modern recipes and images in graphic colour. Find recipes here for everyday or smarter situations, in chapters titled raw, grill, fry, steam, simmer and bake. R265
For those who appreciate an encyclopedic approach to a culinary theme, Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian is ‘the ultimate collection and the only vegetarian cookbook you’ll ever need’ according to the back cover. Britain’s bestselling vegetarian cookbook has been revised and updated to offer chapters grouped around pasta and grain dishes, healthy soups, salads and sides. It dips into warming curries and pies, plus delicious desserts. This is a practical vegetarian guide rather than a splash-out indulgence. R350
Tags: Cape Town, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, Liam Tomlin, vegetarian
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Monday, November 29th, 2010
The mypressi TWIST is the most portable espresso machine in the world. Just add fresh coffee (or a pod), pour in some hot water and pull the trigger. The handheld device uses small gas canisters that deliver the required pressure (135 psi) to create a clean coffee every time, and with perfect crema. Each canister can make 8 shots, or 4 double-shots.
This is the machine that Wine Spectator magazine in the US said produced “the best shot of espresso we’ve had from any portable and most counter-top machines.” And it’s small enough to fit in most handbags… that’s revolutionary.
Works with regular ground coffee and Red Espresso.
Available at Chefs Warehouse for R1,600.
Tags: Cape Town, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, Liam Tomlin, mypressi twist, portable espresso machine
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Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
“Anyone with a garden has access to the most local and freshest seasonal food available.” This quote from Monty Don pretty much sums up their take on how easy it is to use fresh produce. Monty and Sarah Don’s book, Fork to Fork, shows that their love for cooking food is matched only by their love for growing their own food. They believe that an awareness of how food is grown is important in how best to cook it, and this book links the two. The process of preparing a meal begins with what seeds to buy, and follows from there right through to cooking methods. It’s packed with great recipes, things like Braised Chicken and Pork Pie, Cavolo Nero Salad with Warm Chilli Dressing and Rhubarb Tart. It’s a great book for anyone that takes their interest in food through to the garden, or anyone looking to do this. Available at Chefs Warehouse for R350.
On the subject of cutlery, this time knives, don’t forget Liam is hosting a Knife Skills Class this Saturday, October 23rd, from 10am – 1pm. The course covers professional use of all types of knives, blades, the mezzaluna and more. Cost is R250pp; please contact us to book a place.
Tags: Cape Town, chefs cape town, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cookbooks, cookery schoools, food books, fork to fork, knife skills course, Liam Tomlin
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Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Adam Mason, the charming winemaker at Klein Constantia, together with Lowell Jooste, proprietor of this historic estate and responsible for its return to greatness, present a vertical tasting of their flagship Vin de Constance wines as part of the upcoming Spring It On Constantia festival. The pair will uncork several vintages from the 80′s, 90′s and the 00′s, making this a rare chance to taste firsthand how this wine changes over time. In Adam’s words, “Sadly we won’t be able to open bottles going back as far as Napoleon’s favourite year though.” Yes, for those of you who are unaware, the sweet wine of Constantia was the famous French Emperor’s favoured tipple.
When you are the military and political leader of France, or any other country, chances are you can afford to drink vintage Vin de Constance as often as you like, but for most of us, this is an indulgent luxury. This tasting not only provides this great opportunity, but also adds in a light meal, cooked up by one of Peter Tempelhoff’s chefs from The Greenhouse restaurant. All this, for R150.
Right now you should be thinking that is a typo, but it isn’t. It’s R150 per person to partake in this tasting. To put the value of this event into perspective, Vin de Constance sells for about R80 a single glass at most restaurants. It’s way more than a good deal, it’s a ridiculous deal! We’re going, and if you can manage the times or to book a spot (only 10 persons per tasting), you should too.
The tasting is on this Friday 15th October and again next Wednesday 20th October, and runs from 11am for about 3 hours each. Klein Constantia is also offering a guided vineyard tour with viticulturist, Stiaan Cloete, which includes tasting of various wines in situ, literally from vine to glass. The tour will cover the farms viticultural techniques and vineyard philosophy, and promises to be more than informative. These are offered on either the 18th or 21st October, also at 11am and lasting about 2-3 hours.
Click here to read up more on each of these offerings, or visit the homepage for the Spring It On Constantia festival to learn about the other events.
Tags: Adam Mason, Cape Town, cape wine festival, Chefs Warehouse, Klein Constantia, lowell jooste, spring it on constantia, stiaan cloete, vertical tasting, vin de constance, viticulture, wine
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Thursday, September 30th, 2010
The French Laundry in Napa, California, has been an outpost of culinary wizardry for over 20 years. Thomas Keller is the man behind its great success, a chef who has gone on to open other restaurants, but for whom The French Laundry will always be his home kitchen. Perhaps he is most famous for his simple yet clever dish of salmon tartare served in a sweet ice-cream cone. Distinctive, delicious and easy to prepare for large groups, you can make this at home with the very same recipe found in his French Laundry cookbook. But the book has far more than recipes. It has insights and anecdotes from years of making excellent cuisine, working with outstanding suppliers and running the best restaurant in the US. Sure, you can get the recipe for Roasted Sweetbreads with Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Braised Belgian Endive, and Black Truffle Sauce. Or Citrus-Marinated Salmon with a Confit of Navel Orangers, Beluga Caviar, and Pea Shoot Coulis. But you can also read about how one of his fishmongers happens to be a Fulbright scholar or his cheesemaker is an attorney, why the blini is underrated and why the quality of food doesn’t necessarily determine the success of a restaurant. The French Laundry cookbook is as much a classic as Thomas Keller’s restaurant is an icon. It’s the kind of cookbook you’ll find on the shelves in renowned kitchens the world over. Chefs get inspired by it, and so can you. Whether you follow the recipes or simply find new ways to use ingredients, this book captures the soul of a chef and a place, and allows you to recreate this at home.
The French Laundry, Thomas Keller. Photography by Deborah Jones. R500 at Chefs Warehouse.
Tags: Cape Town, Chefs Warehouse, cookbooks, Liam Tomlin, Recipes, the french laundry, Thomas Keller
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Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Yup, that’s the scoop. Margot Janse is coming to do a class at Chefs Warehouse. The celebrated chef from Le Quartier Francais restaurant in Franschhoek, which under her guidance has regularly found a place on The Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list (currently rated at #31), will give guests the chance to see her in action in the demonstration kitchen preparing some of her favourite dishes. Based on the 5-course tasting menu she serves at The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais, with dishes like ‘Lesotho royal highland trout, squid ink, avocado, wasabi’ and ‘Peking duck breast, confit leg tortellini, pea parfait, butternut, juniper and sour fig,’ this is going to be an evening of cuisine par excellence.
Margot will be traveling on an inspiring food trip, so we’re yet to nail down an exact date of her evening here, but we’re hoping it’ll be before November this year. Watch this space for updates…
Tags: Cape Town, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking classes, Le Quartier Francais, Liam Tomlin, Margot Janse, The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais
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Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Chefs Warehouse will host an intimate evening exploring the (very) fine world of Champagne on the 28th of June. Boutique Champagne importer and distributor Inke Gouws will be our guest, taking us through six wines from one of the most revered Champagne houses in France, Champagne Henri Giraud. The world’s most powerful wine personality, Robert Parker, has called the wines, “Totally seductive, sexy wine blessed with extraordinary purity.” Need we say more?
Guy Harcourt-Wood, our resident wine expert, will also provide insights into the Champagne region, the grape varieties and their role in the wines, as well as the intricate Champagne production process. Liam will also prepare six dishes to pair with these superb wines, so it’s bound to be a great night of food and wine.
The cost to attend is R600 per person; to book, please call Rachel on 021 422 0128 or email us.
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An exciting class coming in July, Guy will host an evening of International Wines under R100 where he’ll take guests through some of his favourites from France, Spain and Portugal. There hasn’t been a better time to sample foreign wines than now, with the currency playing in our favour and a greater selection available than ever before. More info to come…
Tags: Cape Town, champagne, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, Guy Harcourt-Wood, henri giraud, inke gouws, wine, wine classes
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Monday, May 17th, 2010
Signal Hill, which used to run from the Mandela Rhodes place a few years back, has reopened in Cape Town city centre in the historical Heritage Square. The enigmatic Jean-Vincent Ridon (and his new partner Kyle Zulch) have taken over a quaint hole-in-the-wall space, just large enough for a few barrels, tables, chairs and a champagne riddling rack. They’re also serving food (prepared by neighbouring Caveau), offering wine and food pairings, something most wine tasting rooms could get a hint from. Pop past to say hi and you’re likely to run into other wine industry pundits there too. You’re also likely to get poured a glass of sparkling wine or whatever else they have open at the time. JV Ridon is a firm believer that Cape Town should possess vineyards and make wine in the city, as it did 350 years ago, and is busy seeking new areas to plant that will add to his current ‘urban vineyards.’ The winery at Heritage Square, 100 Shortmarket Street, is open from 11am – 7pm during the week (and from 12pm – 5pm Saturdays).
Tags: Cape Town, Chefs Warehouse, Jean-Vincent Ridon, Signal Hill, wine
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Friday, May 14th, 2010
That’s right. As we mentioned, Luke Dale-Roberts from La Colombe will be hosting a cooking class at Chefs Warehouse. Luke will be here on 15th June, to show off some of the secrets and techniques that helped La Colombe recently receive 12th position on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Luke has pretty much worked in kitchens of some of the best restaurants in London, Europe and Asia. He’s done French at Elenas L’Etoile in London. He’s done Pacific Rim fusion under the Greenwood in Sydney. He’s done the ‘cooking for the rich and famous’ at Soho House in London. He’s done French cuisine in Singapore and Malaysia, Japanese in Korea and Asian-Mediterranean in the Philippines. And since 2006 he’s brought his creativity and experience to La Colombe in Cape Town where he’s won Eat Out Chef of the Year 2008 and Eat Out Restaurant of the Year 2009 awards. He’s got nothing left to prove, really!
Imagination and technique are what sets him apart, and are what’s going to make this class special. Your chance to interact one-on-one with South Africa’s best chef at Chefs Warehouse is June 15th, so book now – seats are going to be in short supply!
Tags: Cape Town, Cape Town Cooking Courses, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking classes, Luke Dale-Roberts
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Thursday, April 29th, 2010
Chefs Warehouse hosted an intimate evening with Newton Johnson wines last week. Bevan Newton Johnson cracked open a few bottles of their superb wines, Liam demonstrated how easy it was to make some great-looking and delicious snacks and and everyone had a brilliant time enjoying them in the cooking studio.
Newton Johnson is a family run winery, with their wines all grown and made in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. We drank their Rose, the Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and the Syrah Mourvedre. If you haven’t had a bottle of their Pinot Noir, I suggest you get hold of some – this wine knocked our socks off.
Liam’s snacks for the evening were a Tataki of Tuna (seared tuna with ponzu sauce), Truffle Sandwiches (sliced truffle on toasted sourdough) and Strawberry Spider (strawberry consomme, vanilla bean ice cream and a dash of soda water) for dessert. Just the kind of thing you’ll be able to whip up once you’ve done his course.
Thanks to all that joined in on the fun, and to Newton Johnson wines. More pics from the night below…
Tags: Cape Town, cape town cooking, chefs accessories, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking classes, food, Liam Tomlin, Newton Johnson, wine
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Monday, April 19th, 2010
Walk into Chefs Warehouse and you’ll notice there is an abundance of great-looking items. One that really stands out is the bright orange espresso machine on the far wall, made by Guzzini in Italy. Fratelli Guzzini has been synonymous with Italian style and innovation since 1912. Their G-Plus range is their latest.The quality is legendary. The style is unquestionable. Retro yet modern, the Guzzini G-Plus espresso machine is a great home machine, utilizing the Lavazza pod system for great coffee made easily. As the company says, “Pleasure and cheer do not actually have a shape. But pleasure and cheer can be ensconced in a shape.” One look at this colourful machine will convince you. And yes, it will look as good in your kitchen as it does in the shop here.
Tags: Cape Town, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, coffee, cooking classes, espresso machine, Guzzini, Liam Tomlin
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Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School stocks a very impressive collection of professional chefs knives, with ranges from Wusthof, Scanpan, Global as well as Sabatier (France) and Shun (Japan). Aside from being an essential tool in every kitchen, a good knife makes a great gift. And if you decide to buy a knife from us, you get a complimentary service with it: return up to four times a year to get it sharpened by our professional knife sharpener. That said, a blunt knife is a dangerous knife, and something we really hate to see. So you’re welcome to bring your own knife or knife set to us for sharpening at any time.
Tags: Cape Town, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking classes, cooking courses, Global knives, knife sharpener, knives, Liam Tomlin, Sabatier, Shun knives, Wusthof
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Friday, March 26th, 2010
What is the Chefs Warehouse about? Every major city has a Chefs Warehouse. Liam and the other top chefs in Sydney used to meet there. There’s one in New York. One in London. Toronto. Tokyo. And so on. What’s it about? The concept is simple: bring all the best chefs (local and international) to host cooking classes and showcase the best and latest cooking products and accessories in a quality retail environment. Create a place where local chefs come and browse new products for their restaurant kitchens and serious foodies learn new techniques for their home kitchens. Then bring on experts in wine to offer unique and interesting wine courses. Provide the largest cookbook selection available in the country. Host intimate private dinners, book launches and corporate food events. Become the centre for all things professional chefs, amateur cooks, foodies and wine enthusiasts love. This is the Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School.
Tags: Cape Town, Cape Town restaurants, Chefs Warehouse, Liam Tomlin
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