"You are an Angel"

checking out the student photography exhibition

That was the secret password phrase that gave us entree into last night's SecretEATS dinner. Not sure what the phrase signified and I forgot to ask. Maybe the host at the door just liked to be told he was an angel.

Once again, the welcome cocktail included some Bombay Sapphire gin - and once again, it was good. Dinner was prepared by Chefs James Diack and Matthew Wright, both from Coobs restaurant on 4th Avenue in Parkhurst (yet another restaurant I have been wanting to try!) Coobs sources their produce from local suppliers and organic farms to create unique modern bistro-style food. Close to 75% of ingredients come from our organic farm ‘Brightside’ in the Magaliesburg.

The secret location? The College of Digital Photography in Saxonwold. I didn't even know there was a local college of digital photography. But now that I do, I am going to take some classes there. And there was a 25% off voucher in the goodie bag - Woohoo!

photo studio turned dining space

clever centerpieces

the brew of the evening was Innis & Gunn ale aged in Scottish whiskey barrels

Radford Dale wines from The Winery of Good Hope

Merlyn M from Piece de Resistance 0835707795

I met a milliner ... or as they say in South Africa, a hatterer.

Vince chats with Chef James Diack

Vince met a chef. Maybe he was the angel in question. Dinner certainly was divine.











And because it was a photography school, they had a photo booth:

I love photo booths!!

The Gardens of Babylonstoren

Like the garden's inspiration - the Hanging Gardens of Babylon - the gardens of the Cape wine estate Babylonstoren are a wonder to behold. The estate is located in Franschhoek in a valley below a mountain called the Tower of Babel (Babylonstoren in Afrikaans) and when the estate was purchased by its present owners six years ago, the gardens and vineyards were in ruins.

garden plan

The new owners turned the gardens over to our tour guide Gundula who has transformed them into a veritable garden of Eden.

Fruit orchards and organic vegetables, herbs and berries, ponds of waterblommetjies. There are chickens raised for their eggs and roaming ducks who act as a natural pesticide by eating the predatory snails. There is an apiary and a hedgehog orphanage too. Paradise!

organic vegetables and herbs for sale

vegetables

espaliered quince fences

close up of the quince

the road to the Tower of Babel

the oldest tree on the property

it is a mulberry tree

interesting way to protect the pears from pests

a variety of berries

peach orchards provide fruit and ...

.. the peach pits are used as gravel for the garden walks

chamomile lawn

This may have been my favorite part of the whole garden. A chamomile lawn!

Gundula encouraged us to take off our shoes and walk around. It was heavenly. I want one.

sleepy time

And next to the chamomile lawn was another lawn made of ...

thyme

prickly pear cacti "orchard" for jams

cactus flower

fresh eggs

bread fruit trees

entrance to the apiary

albino hedgehogs

When Gundula and her crew were first digging up the garden, they found tons of Chinese porcelain buried under the soil. In the 17th century when the Dutch East India Company was at the height of its trading power, they would transport their spices to market in blue and white transfer ware. After the spices were used up, the jars were trashed!

buried treasure

A blue and white ware flower has even become one of the symbols of Babylonstoren. The flower represents the garden. The pipe represents the farm and the bird represents nature.

A serpentine shaped tunnel creates shade for tender plants.

trees provide extra shade too!

Our tour finished up in the Green House Cafe where Gundula served us homemade rose geranium tea and fresh peaches from the orchard.

inside the Green House Cafe

rose geranium

fresh peaches

You can stay overnight at Babylonstoren too. They even have a fully equipped spa that uses Africology products. We loved our visit so much that Vince and I made reservations to stay over in January!















In addition to their casual Green House Cafe, there is the celebrated restaurant Babel.

inside Babel

the spring menu on the wall

Babel sources locally from their own gardens as well as local farmers and dairies.

farm to fork

And let's not forget Babylonstoren produces fine wine too!