July 1, 2009

Final Countdown To Vote For Table Mountain

Listen up, Cape Town! This is our final countdown!

No, don’t worry, the end of the world isn’t nigh. But the end of the voting almost is! We have officially only six days left to elect our most famous landmark to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature.

Our beloved Table Mountain is currently ranked seventh in the category Mountains & Volcanoes, so we’d all better hop to it and get voting! Especially since our old Flat Top is the only South African contender in the race! Come ON, people, that old lava-spitting Italian grump Vesuvius is still ahead of us! We’ll show it that we too can blow our tops if it ends up getting on the list and we don’t!

 So, go! Vote! NOW! (And tell everyone you know!) WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE!? Go on, click click right here!

 

June 26, 2009

Encounter New Moviemaking Talent At Encounters Film Fest


The only consolation we are deriving from winter spewing its icy breath on our Mother City right now, is that it is at least providing us with the perfect excuse for escaping to the movies.

Luckily for us and all fellow flick fans, the Encounters South African International Film Documentary Film Festival will soon grace us with its entertaining presence at the V&A Waterfront.

Now in its 11th year, the festival has survived a recent near cancellation (due to a last minute withdrawal by a cash-strapped sponsor) and has moved to Cape Town from its former base in Johannesburg. Encounters is renowned for showcasing the doccie making prowess of both local and international film talent. Ever since its inception, the festival has screened over 1 241 films. This year’s line-up will include a record 14 South African films making their world débuts.

Award-winning full-length features and documentary shorts from as far afield as Afghanistan, the UK, the USA, Canada, Cuba, France, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Senegal, Israel and Cameroon will also be screened.

Encounters will take place from 2 – 19 July 2009 at the Nu Metro, V&A Waterfront. Apart from attending the screenings, festival-goers will also be able to participate in workshops, panel discussions and master classes. Visit the fest’s official website for more information. We hope to encounter you there!

 

June 19, 2009

Celebrate Father’s Day in the Mother City

This Sunday, 21 June 2009, fathers all across the world will be faced with an array of gifts which will include staples like socks, ties, and cologne (Old Spice, anyone?).

But whether the father figure in your life is gifted with standard father’s day fare or not, you’ll at least have the rest of the Sunday to make it up to him.

The Mother City is filled with activities and places that will warm any father’s heart… and stomach. Our restaurants are among the best in the country - and even the world - and dads can be treated to cuisine from any part of the globe.

As always, Cape Town Magazine has been our go-to source for ideas on what to do with and for Dad this Sunday. Their original suggestions include sharing a rare whisky with your dad at Bascule Bar, treating him to a night of culture at the On Broadway Dinner Theatre and renting him his own mid-life crisis… we mean… Harley Davidson motorcycle on which he can tear up the city streets. 

Of course, you can always venture a few kilometres out of town and have Pops pop a few corks at any of the wonderful wine cellars in nearby Stellenbosch. 

Whatever you do to let Dad know that he is your all-time super hero? We hope that you both enjoy the time together so much that he will be inspired to generously increase your monthly allowance! 

 

June 12, 2009

Bookish? Fill Up On Intellectual Fare

Intellectuals, scribes and readers from all over Africa and the rest of the world are about to descend upon Cape Town for the fourth annual Book Fair.

The Cape Town Book Fair is the largest book related event in sub-Saharan Africa. This year, more than 50 000 visitors are expected to attend the event where 250 exhibitors from across the global publishing industry are going to be showcased.

Despite the international presence, this year’s fair will shine the spotlight on African literature. As host country, South Africa in particular will be well represented. Award-winning South African author André P. Brink will read from Touch, a compilation of essays by leading South African writers.

The fair begins tomorrow, 13 June 2009, and will last until the 16th at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

For more information, visit the event’s official website. 

June 9, 2009

DJ Armin van Buuren To Rock CT

In both 2007 and 2008, over 350 000 people across the globe voted him the world’s best DJ. Now Armin van Buuren is bringing his mad spinning skills to the Mother City.

For one night only on Monday, 15 June, he will wow Capetonian fans with the Godskitchen Boombox at the Bellville Velodrome. This enormous, rectangular structure is over 16 metres wide, 8 metres high and six metres deep. It contains state-of-the-art DJ equipment which Armin will control. The Boombox is a large screen onto which lighting and visuals are projected, turning the entire event into a huge musical spectacular. According to Cape Town Magazine (www.capetownmagazine.com), "Godskitchen has become renowned for combining the biggest DJs on the planet with groundbreaking production values that bedazzle crowds in excess of 15 000."

Ready to be entranced by this Dutchman who has had a lifelong passion for dance music? Then book your ticket today for what promises to be Cape Town’s concert of the year! Early bird, general tickets are available for R190.

June 5, 2009

This Is Bound To Warm You Up

If you wish to escape this dreary drizzle of a Capetonian winter without actually leaving the city, then this might be just the remedy.

Tango Nights at the Baxter Theatre promises to sweep up the audience and to transport them to a sensual world bound to whip up the blood and stir the senses.

Starring talented dancers from the Bovim Ballet troupe, the production is set in the Café Tango. The seductive dance sequences are used to tell a love story which is sure to captivate the audience the whole way through until its dramatic conclusion.

And speaking of endings… you only have until tomorrow night, the 6th of June to catch the show!

Tickets range in price from R120 - R135 per person and the show starts at 8pm. Bookings can be made via Computicket.

May 14, 2009

XXX-Rated: Heat Up At The Sexpo

This year’s first serious winter storm is predicted to strike the Cape this weekend, but luckily for you, we know of at least one place in the Mother City where things will be so sizzling, visitors are bound to forget all about the cold front.

The annual Sexpo is back in town! Generally regarded to be the world’s largest, health, sexuality and lifestyle expo, the 2009 Sexpo kicks off today at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. 

More than 35 000 visitors are expected to attend this year’s event, which is being tagged as "bigger and sexier than ever".

With over 150 exhibitors offering everything from sexy lingerie to sex toys, attendees will be able to indulge in some adult shopping.There will also be sexy stage shows and several international industry stars to mingle with and meet.
 
For a more… ahem… hands-on experience, the adventurous among the visitors can even learn to pole-dance!
 
The fun will last until 17 May 2009. 

May 8, 2009

How to Spoil Mom in the Mother City

On Sunday morning, the smell of burnt toast; bruised, wilting flowers; and weak coffee or tea will be what greets waking mothers all around the world. All accompanied by a lovingly handcrafted card adorned with crayon drawings.

That’s right, it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday!

For those mom’s fortunate enough to be in the Mother City this Mother’s Day, there are plenty of ways for Mom to be spoiled and in which the day can be celebrated. From treating her to a stylish high tea at the luxurious Mount Nelson Hotel, to wine tasting or lunching at the hundreds of wine estates in nearby Stellenbosch, to extravagant helicopter rides over the Cape Peninsula - there are activities to suit every budget.

Cape Town Magazine has compiled a comprehensive list of creative ways in which Mom can be spoiled this Sunday. Heed their advice and make Mom feel like the queen that she is! After all, she is the one who changed your nappy!

So do not let her lift a finger on Sunday - unless you are giving her a manicure! 

May 5, 2009

An Affair At the Waterfront

Every year, we agree to meet at one of Cape Town’s best known landmarks to continue our passionate, ongoing affair.

We’re not even clandestine about it. We meet, openly and unashamed, right in the heart of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. But we’re not really there. We lose ourselves in the deep blushes and reds of passion’s first flush. Or spend hours drinking in light, airy, crisp kisses. Our sense of smell and taste and touch transport us across the mountain and into the ancient valleys of the Western Cape winelands just beyond the glittering lights of the city…

And you really ought to join us for this year’s Cape Times V&A Waterfront Wine Affair. From Wednesday, 6 May 2009 to Saturday, 9 May 2009, visitors to the V&A Waterfront will be able to "tour" all the major wine routes of the Western Cape, all from the comfort of one secure and convenient venue. The Wine Affair represents the entire spectrum of Cape wine producers, from the splendid and most renowned estates to smaller, boutique wineries. Approximately 75 wineries attend the Affair every year in the hopes of enticing new buyers with their own special bouquets. To further enhance the overall seduction of the senses, there will also be a variety of gourmet delicacies to enjoy with the wines.

We have trouble dreaming up better ways of how to while away an evening than sipping on some of South Africa’s finest wines!

April 23, 2009

Local Restaurant Among World’s Best

Local gourmands have always been spoilt for choice in this culinary melting pot of a town.

While we have always known that many of the Mother City’s eateries are world-class, it’s always good to once in a while receive a bit proof in the form of acknowledgements and accolades. That’s why we’re bursting with pride at the news that two  South African restaurants have made it onto the prestigious 2009 San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. What’s more, both of them are located right here in the Western Cape and one, in fact, is in the Mother City!

So not only are we extremely well-fed, we’re now also extremely flattered!

The closest-to-home local honoree, La Colombe, is number 38 on S. Pellegrino’s list.

La Colombe is located at the Constantia Uitsig Wine Estate and is consistently hailed as being the city’s best restaurant. According to executive chef Luke Dale-Roberts, a meal at La Colombe is "one of Cape Town’s greatest pleasures."

When the rest of the world comes to visit to take a bite, they’re in for a unique, but tasty treat. Chef Dale-Roberts has made his mark at La Colombe by adding exciting new Asian influences to the mix of classic and contemporary French Cuisine. 

If you’d like to savour a delectable La Colombe experience, the restaurant is open seven days a week (except during the winter months, when it’s closed on Sunday evenings). Lunch is served from 12:30 to 14:30 and dinner is from 19:30 to 21:30. 

For reservations, call (021) 794-2390, or e-mail them at lacolombe@uitsig.co.za

S. Pellegrino’s other South African honoree (on the 37th spot on the list) is The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français (The French Quarter). Located in a charming auberge, tucked away in the centre of the quaint, franco-infused winelands village of Franschhoek, The Tasting Room offers diners the choice between four, six or eight course experiences.

Such diversity has paid off even more, because according to S. Pellegrino, The Tasting Room is also the Best Restaurant in Africa and the Middle East.

For further information, visit their website.