"Are you joining us for lunch of liver and stew in the township ?" That was the question one of my colleagues asked me the other day. Now I can be a bit of a picky eater and there are a couple of things I won't touch. So I thought about it... for about two seconds... and agreed. And to be very honest, I haven't been sorry I did. There we were, a Xhosa, two Afrikaners and a Coloured, four South Africans…
Port Elizabeth has two of South Africa's premier export citrus growing areas both within a hour's drive from the city. The Sundays River Valley to the north around the towns of Addo and Kirkwood and the Gamtoos Valley to the west. Over the weekend we visited the Citrus Festival in the town of Patensie in the Gamtoos Valley and all along the road one can see the citrus, specially oranges, hanging on the trees.
This past weekend the Nelson Mandela Bay leg of the annual The Wine Show took place at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The city really needs more shows like this and looking at the popularity people are hungry (or in this case perhaps thirsty) for them. Most of the exhibitors were boutique cellars and visitors to the show got the opportunity to taste and get to know a lot of wines which they perhaps have never heard of before. I think John Woodward,…
Compared to big city harbours the fishing harbour at Kalk Bay really has something special to it and when visiting you won't get stopped by security at the gate, except if the parking lot is full. Kalk Bay Harbour is primarily a fishing harbour so that is what you will see. Fishing boats leaving pre-dawn and returning in the afternoons with their catch, fishing boats off loading and fishing boats moored at quayside. The majority of the boats in the harbour are painted…
Everybody loves fish and chips and every city or town has a good fish and chips shop on a corner somewhere. But good isn't always best and for the best fish and chips around one has to head past the harbour at Hout Bay and down to Fish on the Rocks. Africa's favorite (as they put it) fish and chips shop was started by the Brodericks 23 years ago and has become a very popular stop for both locals as well…
It is claimed that oysters act as an aphrodisiac and perhaps it does, but I'm not a big oyster fan so I can't claim that it has affected me in any... romantic way. I have observed some other mannerisms with people eating oysters though. I recently accompanied a group visiting Port Elizabeth for a couple of days and we went to Barnacles Restaurant in Seaview for a lunch. Two of the ladies ordered oysters as a starter and both ate…
Chicken is a very popular meal in the township, mostly because it's cheaper than red meat. The residents usually buy chicken from vendors on the street with the chickens being sold either live or plucked.
The well known Nanaga Farmstall about 50 kilometers outside of Port Elizabeth may be famous for its pies, roosterkoek and pineapple juice, but there is so much more to see and purchase at the farm stall. Amongst others they have a fantastic range of jams and jellies lined up on their shelves.
Over the last couple of years the area around Stanley Street in Richmond Hill has developed into a hub of restaurants, side walk eateries and deli's and has become one of the best places to go for a meal in Port Elizabeth. One of the restaurants I have heard a lot about but hadn't had a chance to visit is the Bain Street Grill (32 Bain Street, Richmond Hill) just around the corner from Stanley Street. But this was about to change…
We like to get together as a family over Christmas with my family coming over on Christmas Eve and my in-laws on Christmas Day. We normally eat way to much over the period, but we'll worry about that in the New Year.Because Christmas falls in the summer down here in South Africa, we as a family don't do the whole traditional Christmas meal thing, but rather opt for cold meats and salads.This year we started with prunes wrapped in bacon made…