Making a Gingerbread Rondavel

It's Africa so a traditional gingerbread house just will not do.

Here is our inspiration ...

We used rusks for walls.

and shredded wheat for the thatched roof.

rondavel ready for thatching

thatched!

decorated with some candy and a frosted acacia tree

ten bompas

remember that wine!

We are taking advantage of the dwindling population in Joburg - and our recent purchase of the Johannesburg Entertainment 2014/2015 book filled with discounts and coupons - to enjoy some of the city's best dining spots.

Once school lets out, practically everyone starts leaving Joburg for the month-long Reconciliation Day (December 16) through Christmas through New Year holidays. We will be joining the mass exodus soon too but until we do, we can actually book a table at some of the toughest tables to get in Joburg.

Like the winehouse at ten bompas in Dunkeld. Ten bompas offers between three to five choices each for starters, mains, and dessert and you could theoretically order only one. Or you can package your selections as a bespoke two or three course menu. Guess which we did. That's right. Three courses. It's Christmas.

wild mushroom consomme

I had the wild mushroom consomme, tortellini, truffle, radish, soy pudding as my starter. For my main, the sea bass with burned onion, green onion relish and black olive.

kudu carpaccio

Vince had the cold smoked kudu carpaccio, gorgonzola, grain mustard, sherry vinegar for his starter and the speciality of the house for his main dish. Joostenberg Vlakte duck breast, peas, polenta and saffron pear.

All the mains come with a side of "hasselback" potatoes and a really nice lightly dressed rocket and radish salad served family-style.

chocolate pudding

There were three choices for dessert and we were tempted to get all three just because they all sounded so good. After much deliberation though, cooler heads prevailed and Vince ordered the self-saucing chocolate pudding with hazelnut ice cream. (Order it early because it needs 20 minutes to prepare.)

crepe suzette

I ordered the crepe suzette, vanilla custard, Grand Marnier, Greek yoghurt sorbet, orange gel masterpiece. (We will have to return for the treacle tart, candied pecans, salted crumble and clotted cream dessert.)






We have only used the Johannesburg entertainment book gold card twice so far for their dining discounts and have only used one of the hundreds of entertainment coupons it contains and we have already made back our purchase price investment. From here on in, it's gravy!

We bought our book to benefit a very worthy cause, the Heavenly Valley Pre-School. Use this link to buy yours and you will ensure that R60 of the purchase price will be donated to Heavenly Valley Pre-school too.

Christmas on the Vaal

Trying my best to get into the holiday spirit without snow and pine and the Christmas windows at Bergdorf's. Counting on the music of the season to get me into the mood. This weekend we tried a Christmas cruise on the Vaal River with Louise Carver.

The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River. It is dammed just south of Joburg and the Vaal Dam is a major source of water for irrigation throughout Gauteng and surrounding areas and a favorite spot for water sport enthusiasts.














The river is lined with ginormous holiday homes and resorts, yacht clubs and boat launches.

Many were lit up for the holidays. Good start.

The sunset cruise was sponsored by Haute Cabriere wines so there was lots of vino to go along with the tasty canapes and hearty hors d'oeuvres too. That's helping too!

Louise Carver

Louise has a beautiful voice! She sang some of her original music as well as classic and contemporary Christmas songs.

Don't know whether it was her music or the full moon over the Vaal River, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in South Africa.

SA in The Daily Show house

Trevor Noah debuted on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week as their South African correspondent. He absolutely killed it! (Coincidentally, we are going to see him perform on Friday in Joburg.)

If you have DStv - and electricity - you can watch The Daily Show on Tuesday through Friday at 23:50 CAT on Comedy Central, (DStv, channel 122).

GE

Went to the Great Eastern Food Bar in Melville for a ramen fix.

















And their kimchi dumplings. Yum yum.

Those Famous Shirts

The Circa Gallery in Rosebank is celebrating Nelson Mandela's greatest fashion statement - his trademark 'Madiba shirt' - through December 15.

We went not only to see the exhibit but to do a little pre-shopping. Vince has been wanting to buy a Presidential Shirt since he arrived in South Africa!

From the Presidential Shirts website

Mandela designed many aspects of  the shirt himself. After so many years of wearing a prison uniform, he wanted a shirt that felt free. So he never tucked it in and never wore it with a tie. He had trouble breathing after inhaling so much dust in the limestone quarry on Robben Island. So the fabrics were light, mostly silk and cotton. He wanted his dress to represent a new way of leading. So the patterns were bold and bright. (The only occasions where he wore a suit were to meetings with Parliament.)

There were many famous shirts on display. Ones that Mandela wore to the World Cup and to large charity concerts and benefits.

Like the 46664 concert with U2.

Vince liked this design. Madiba wore it to the signing of the constitution in Sharpeville in 1996.

How do I look?

I liked this one. He wore it with Archbishop Desmond Tutu when he was presented the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1998.

close-up

Next stop ... Sandton City for some Christmas shirt shopping.

Celebrating Madiba

This week marks one year since freedom fighter, statesman and global inspiration Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela passed away. A number of memorial events are taking place in Johannesburg and Pretoria over the next two weeks in commemoration.

I attended a tribute concert last night in Melrose Arch.


The concert was presented by Classic FM and held in the open plaza at Melrose Arch. Melrose Arch is an upscale shopping precinct / residential space / office space located in northern Johannesburg. It also houses a ton of restaurants. I always forget about Melrose Arch. I went there for lunch with my relocation consultant exactly two years ago when I was apartment hunting and this was the first time I had been back. But it is a great space and I will have to make it a point to frequent it again.

The concert featured the Johannesburg Festival Orhcestra conducted by Richard Cock, the Mzanzi Youth Choir under the direction of Ralf Schmitt and the program featured soloist Lindiwe Bungane.

I wouldn't call the concert program strictly a tribute to Mandela as it was billed. Yes there were South African songs that were easily attributable to Nelson Mandela and the freedom movement. But there were also alot of popular (mostly American) standards and compositions.

The Choir w solist Lindiwe Bungane in red & conductor Richard Cock

There was some attempt to relate some of the songs to Nelson Mandela and South Africa. South Africa is the rainbow nation: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Nelson Mandela loved blues and jazz:  "St. Louis Blues."  Mandela had a special place in his heart for children: "Greatest Love of All."

And no attempt on some other songs. Like "A Whole New World" and the Andrew Lloyd Weber "Concert Celebration" medley. That was okay. The music was great and the orchestra excellent. And finally, there were a fair amount of Christmas songs. I'd describe the program as pretty eclectic actually.

True Colors

The concert was free with a reservation but it was also a benefit for the Hospice Wits program. Representatives were on hand to collect donations and sell battery-operated candles and buttons. The candles came in handy during a rendition of the Phil Collins / Cyndi Lauper ballad "True Colors" when we were encouraged to light and lift them them during the chorus. Pretty. (They also came in handy after the concert when our crew returned home to a Morningside blackened by Eskom load-shedding.)

The Christmas songs though were the best part in my estimation. They all featured either audience participation or an "Africanization" of the lyrics. Many times both. The "12 Days of Christmas" had a lourie in a yellowwood tree instead of a partridge in a pair tree, five nguni cows instead of those gold rings, etc. For the rendition of "Sleigh Ride", the audience clapped the "whip." A one horse open sleigh in "Jingle Bells?" This is Joburg - Oh what fun it is to ride in a taxi in Gauteng!

All in all it was a joyous celebration appropriate for the seasons - both for the holiday and an important remembrance.