I have to admit, I had my doubts we could pull it off.
We had invited 25 guests to Valley Lodge for a final Friendsgiving in South Africa ... on the eve of my leaving the country to fly to the USA, the movers and packers coming to pack and ship our household goods to Singapore and the USA, and the dogs and Vince leaving for Singapore the next day.
Especially since at the last minute I was invited to be inducted into La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs at the Westcliffe Four Seasons. I had to dash out for two hours at the height of rush hour and leave our guests in the middle of the festivities to take my oath and receive my sash. How rude! And a little hectic to say the least.
But it all worked out! So thankful we braved it.
Menu - our farewell cocktail? A Singapore Sling!
Friendsgiving Bunting by B's Pin-Cushion in Parkmore
Jonnie was one of three American guests invited for dinner
deep fry (photo by Theresa Vermeulen)
pre-dinner party (photo by Theresa Vermeulen)
Bye-bye tree! (photo by Theresa Vermeulen) Enjoy it Strauss family!
(photo by Theresa Vermeulen)
Fried Turduckenwors: Turkey, Duck, Chicken and Boerewors!
Dinner is served buffet-style (photo by Theresa Vermeulen)
speeches (photo by Theresa Vermeulen)
(photo by Sarmistha Bhattacharya)
we're going where? (photo by Theresa Vermeulen)
Farewell speech (photo by Theresa Vermeulen)
Happy Friendsgiving! (photo by Theresa Vermeulen)
And thank you Marguerite for the beautiful beaded lariat you made for me using some of the flamingo feathers I brought back from Tanzania. Everyone loved it!
And since DOB Johannesburg was on the same night as DOB Singapore, we
gave our turkey course a little Asian spin in honor of our new adopted
country. Of course we only used "blanc meat" turkey!
Delicious and festive pot luck Christmas lunch with the International Women's Club of Johannesburg Bookworms book club.
savories
sweets
My Easy Pea-sy Pea Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
2 (16 oz packages of frozen petite peas) 6 oz. smoke-flavored almonds, finely chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 1 cup mayonnaise, or more to taste ground black pepper to taste
Place frozen peas in a colander; rinse under cold water until thawed. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add almonds and onion; mix well. Fold mayonnaise and black pepper into the pea mixture until evenly
coated. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Enjoy!
Another local eatery - this one is an Italian coffee roaster, deli and restaurant with the (somewhat unfortunate) name of eatalian.
the scene between breakfast and lunch. it was packed for dinner.
Open for about a month, eatalian is located on our favorite little strip in Parkmore right next to JHB Eatery. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offer a pretty extensive and inventive Italian menu. Colazione, Insalate, Paninis and Ciabattas, Antipasti, Pizza, Focaccia, La Pasta, and Dolci. They even serve gluten free pizza bases and pasta if you prefer.
Their Secondi and Main entrees include Costolette di Vitello and Oxtail alla Romana. Vince and I agreed it was the first time we have seen veal on a menu in South Africa. I heartily recommend the Pollo al Gorgonzola. So tender and delicious!
brick oven pizza
the pizzas are good! thin crust with excellent sauce and fresh mozarella.
they roast their own coffee
they have a nice little Italian deli!
pasta, meats, cheeses and dry goods
They are waiting on their liquor license so in the meantime, BYOB and Buon Appetito!
(PS I am only half kidding about the name. I forgave Mario Batali for eataly!)
Can you believe we have finally eaten in the best Asian restaurant in Joburg a mere three
weeks away from our departure? Yep. And besides it's being a stone's throw away
from Valley Lodge, I have been literally passing by it at least four times a day on the days
Vince is in Joburg and I drive him to and fro his office. It's our fault
really. We have totally taken for granted the low-hanging fruit right in our
own backyard and instead have been lured by the more tough to get to restaurants in
far-flung locations. But now that time is running out, we are starting to think
and act more locally. Case in point, Gwefey Asian Cuisine located in the World
Trade Center in Morningside, Sandton.
Displayed in its windows on the West Road side are the many awards it has received - as one of
the Best of Joburg Reader’s Choice Awards - since it opened a scant three years
ago. Best Eastern Restaurant. Best Business Lunch Restaurant. Best Romantic Restaurant.
And it was named one of the 2014 Eat Out 500, the power list of the best
restaurants across South Africa.
An unlikely place for a fine dining experience, Gwefey Asian Cuisine is located in an elevated
atrium at the base of the World Trade Centre on the edge of the Sandton CBD. But its location is probably responsible for its Best Business Lunch Award. It is
within sight of several major corporate headquarters such as Investec, Old
Mutual and IBM.
I made a dinner reservation to celebrate the end of the
EcoMobility World Festival and told Vince to walk on over after work. (It is only
about three blocks from his office and about half way home to Valley Lodge.)
Their menu is Pan-Asian with an extensive assortment of dishes from all over the region -
Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, etc. and several provinces and cities in
China including Sichuan, Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Everything we sampled
was really really good! And the Vegetable Spring Rolls were crispy and crunchy just
the way I like them. That definitely explains the Best Eastern Restaurant Award.
Shanghai soup dumplings!
Gwefey had all our faves, albeit many with different names. Shanghai Soup Dumplings
are called Xiao Long Bao, Singapore Mei Fun are Char Kway Teow, and Sesame
Noodles are called Dan Dan. And they have a nice selection of Sichuan
specialties to satisfy our collective "spicy tooth" such as the Spicy Shredded Pork, Hot and Sour Soup, and garlicky Sizzling Eggplant we sampled. They have a Tea House downstairs and they do take out and delivery!
The name Gwefey comes from a legend about the controversial love affair between the reigning
Chinese Tang Emperor and his son’s ex-wife. Their obsession with each other blinds
them to the corruption unfolding around them, and finally the legend culminates
in her tragic death and the fall of an Empire. That legend and the gorgeous views may
explain the Best Romantic Restaurant accolade. All I know is I'm certainly in
love with Gwefey.
And even though we are leaving soon and came rather late to the game with Gwefey, I have to
console myself with the fact that we are soon moving to the Best Asian Restaurant in
the World. Asia itself!
There are two other locations for Gwefey in the area. There is a Gwefey Tea House with a little gift shop attached in Sandton City
and the Gwefey Meeting Spaces are in the Sinosteel Plaza.
Now it's your turn to fall in love with Gwefey ...
It seemed like there were dozens of Dia de los Muertos parties going on all over Joburg this year. See what happens
when Mexican food catches on in South Africa? It becomes a fiesta!
Home altar dedicated to Africa's poached rhinos, ellies and lions
There were parties planned at the Stanley Beer Garden in Braamfontein, Mexicho in Melville and a whole Dia de los Muertos Street Festival at Carfax Newtown in the CBD.
Stanley Beer Garden
It seems everyone wants to go drinking with Saints!
Salsa Mexican Grill in Fourways
We chose to celebrate the dia at Salsa Mexican Grill in Fourways. The Day of the
Dead, one of the most important Mexican holidays, is more a celebration of life than a sad and solemn memorial. And since we are in Africa, I used it to celebrate the lives of our rhinos, elephants and lions.
Social media madam Irene & Salsa restaurateur George
Salsa has great food, ...
... great margaritas and cervezas, ...
... and if you didn't paint your face before you came, there were artists on hand to do it for you!
We chose to paint some masks instead (photo courtesy of Irene & Salsa Mexican Grill)
Lou & Serge wore their skeleton costumes for a second night in a row!
Viva Yvonne!
nice ink!
nice wings!
number juan in your hearts!
she painted her face herself and won a prize for it!
viva el chef!
salsa dancing
Photo courtesy of Irene & Salsa Mexican Grill
And we won a prize for best costume!
It was totally Lou & Serge's doing. They were a hit.
celebration shots!
Thanks Lou & Serge and Salsa!
tabletop altar for the poached animals of Africa
We got an E for Effort for mounting our tabletop altar. (I did transport the Oculto beer with me to SA from Texas for the occasion too. That was a bit of an effort.)
Save the Rhinos! Save the Elephants! Save the Lions!
my sugar skull purse from Retrospective (Cape Town)
