The Argus Cycle Tour is just over a week away and if you’re one of the 35,000 brave souls tackling the 110km route, our very best wishes to you. For the rest, here’s your chance to do so in from the comfort of your chair. Game On and Rockets Compression Sportswear have put together a video in which the footage was sped up 15 times. At the very least, it’s a wonderful trip round the peninsula in under ten minutes.
With the world’s largest individually timed race little more than a week away, we take a closer look at the race that is perhaps as much a part of Cape Town as any of our more historic traditions.
Catch the last five days of Christopher Slack’s exhibition, ‘Transformation’, on at the Everad Read Gallery until 29 February. Slack’s latest works may appear to be composed of urban pop imagery but his primary interest is human psychology. This series of mixed media paintings is derived from symbols found in earlier cultures and serve as reference points for the expression of various states of being.
Capetonians can join celebs including rapper Jack Parow in creating one-of-a kind interpretations of the iconic T7 Track Jacket at the PUMA Creative Factory Built For One event on 29 February. Fans will be able to customise their jackets by selecting individual components in various colour options and tailors from Impahla Clothing, will craft the finished product on the night.
Join Design Indaba for a night of fun and social change when the party to fix the world comes to Cape Town. The evening of 29 February sees eleven finalists pitch and present their idea for making a social change to a panel of judges. Each entrepreneur gets five minutes to convince the audience and the judges that their startup idea deserves the R200 000 grand prize. Don’t miss Common Pitch South Africa.
Creation Wines invites you on a safari with a delightful difference: the opportunity to discover paradise on the picturesque Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge near Hermanus - on foot. Just a few of the many highlights of the 60 to 120-minute experience include a stroll through the olive grove, a meander along the scenic lake, and a scrumptious lunch / wine and food pairing under ‘The Big Tree’ among the vineyards.
Take Care and Adriaan Kuiters recently opened their Kloof Street boutique. Menswear label Adriaan Kuiters presents tailored pieces with classic lines in a muted palette that echoes classic fifties leisurewear and Take Care is a womenswear label passionate about simplicity and elegance. With parallel design ethics and an obsession with simplicity the designer’s turning their dream into reality was inevitable.
Spend a fabulous evening with one of the Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa’s top chefs from Beijing and learn to make your own sushi. Enjoy a sushi platter that includes Sashimi, Nigiri, Vegetarian maki, Californian roll and Salmon rose. And if making sushi is not for you, don’t miss the 50% Sunset Sushi & Cocktails every Thursday while soaking up breathtaking views from the hotel’s famous pool deck.
There’s a new food market in town that is already receiving rave reviews. The brainchild of well known food stylist Isabella Niehaus, Market at The Palms brings the Platteland to Cape Town, showcasing the very best of the West Coast and surrounding areas with products and produce including gourmet mushrooms, designer teas, quality meat & seafood, delectable home bakes & divine vetkoek.
Infecting the City, from 6 - 10 March, is an innovative, out of the ordinary public festival that places provocative, innovative art in the communal spaces of the City’s Central Business District and celebrates a trove of diverse cultures, traditions and heritages in unexpectedly contagious ways. It’s intent is to reclaim public space for the public and allow for an unusual way of interacting with their city.
Don a festive attitude and head out to the Stellenbosch Winelands on Sunday, 4 March when Eikendal Estate pays homage to 31 years of quality winemaking with its popular Weintaufe Harvest Celebration. Delicious food and wine will be on sale so swap the Sunday roast for a sublime afternoon on the lawns and loads of entertainment including live music, stalls, tractor rides, fly fishing, barrel stomping and pony rides.
Greenmarket Square, like much of Cape Town, has a long and rich history. In the case of this once slave market, once vegetable market, once car park and now flea market, it dates back all the way to 1696.
New Year may be a distant memory, but it doesn’t mean one’s resolutions need be. If your a healthier lifestyle was one of your goals for 2012, Café Caprice’s recently launched Summer Shakedown Breakfast Menu is a good way to start the day with dishes like Cinnamon Toasted Oats, Super Salmon and Scrambled Eggs, Poached on Rye and Toast on the Run offering delicious motivation.
As part of Freeworld Design Centre’s Kidult Exhibition, The Fringe Arts has lined up a series of workshops to rekindle the kid in you. Facilitated by well-known Cape Town creatives such as Lauren Fowler, Vincent Urbain and Keri Muller, the workshops will give you the opportunity to create your very own work of art from yarn bombing and fibre collage to ceramic hearts and weaving with beads.
On the fan walk between Bree and Buitengracht Streets is a small oasis in the heart of the city that offers the ideal escape from the hustle and bustle. Hemelhuijs is an intimate restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Wednesday evenings, with a menu that offers memorable dishes using the freshest ingredients. February also features some spectacular dishes featuring fresh figs.
Grab your pompoms and make sure to be on Camps Bay beach on Saturday, 3 March when the annual Café Caprice Beach Volleyball Tournament will see 24 teams battling it out for the 2012 trophy and a host of other prizes. The event, which promises the most fun in the sun to be had in Cape Town this side of summer, includes gourmet snacks and Red Bull mocktails.
St. George’s Cathedral has a history dating back to a visit by the Bishop of Calcutta in October 1827, but to this day remains uncompleted.
The countdown to the Design Indaba Expo 2012 has begun. From 2 to 4 March you’ll have the chance to enjoy the very best of South African design and creativity. Alongside the biggest names in design will be emerging young designers selected as part of the Emerging Creatives initiatives, which this year features Lucas Adams of Kraftisan, who designed our B-guided City Guide stands.
My favourite breakfast is, without a doubt, Eggs Benedict and Miss K Food Café, a stylish breakfast and lunch café in Green Point, gets top marks from me because they serve it in three mouthwatering ways - with ham, salmon or bacon. The lunch menu includes salads, a selection of sandwiches, light meals and a daily buffet. Alternatively, opt for some divinely decadent cakes, cupcakes and pastries.
From 19 February to 4 March, as part of the preamble to the Design Indaba, two inspiring design films will be screened every evening at the Labia on Orange. Included in the programme are: El Bulli: Cooking in Progress - an insider’s view of “The Most Influential Restaurant in the World” and Urbanized - the much-anticipated final instalment of the Gary Hustwit design film trilogy.
Soulful Beauty in the Cape Quarter offers the ultimate experience for total wellbeing and beauty of mind, body and soul with heavenly rituals and they’re offering three great specials throughout February: a Decleor Aroma Essential Vitamin Facial and Back Massage, a Full Body One Hour Relaxing Couple Massages and Full Set Lash Extensions and Complimentary Eyebrow Tint.
Start the week with some old-world charm at Alexander Bar & Café in Strand Street, where great wine, classic martinis, whiskies, smooth jazz and world music, working rotary telephones and fun toys stimulate playful interaction and conversation. And the best way to shake off your Monday Malaise on the 13th is with the Monday Malay Meal Deal of Chicken Biryani and Salad at a mouthwatering R40.
Old churches are often converted into theatres, bookstores or even homes, but it’s not often one learns of the opposite. Historic St. Stephen’s Church in Riebeeck Square was originally a theatre.
You won’t find red balloons, roses and champagne, but there will be summer cocktails, popcorn, and entertainment that’ll make your heart throb. On 14 February Short & Sweet Cape Town is screening a selection of short films with the steamy undertones of love, hate and desire. If last year’s very successful winter edition is anything to go by, The Dream Factory is the place to be next Tuesday.
This month sees two delicious, not to be missed events hosted by Dear Me and Tjing Tjing in collaboration with Frankie Fenner. Together at Tjing Tjing celebrates creativity and originality along with leading designers, while the Meat-A-Palooza showcase ethically-sourced meat in all its glory. Sandwiched between these two, chef Vanessa Marx participates at the Constantia Fresh Festival.
Warning: the following article is image heavy, but in this case the photographs really do speak for themselves.
Olive Green Cat Jewellery offers a selection of stunning contemporary pieces by Ida Elsje, Phillipa Green & Situ Diamond Jewellery. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the month of love because, Valentine’s Day or not, we’ve fallen in love with these wearable works of art.
While everyone loves a sale, not all sales are equal. If you’re still feeling the effects of the festive season, 207 Long Street is the place to be. The Bonafide Summer Sale offers 50% off selected stock across Bonafide stocks nternational brands Carhartt, Mooks, Edwin Denim, Sabre Sunglasses and Pointer Footwear, as well as Adidas, LoveWaterLove, Tom Ford, New Balance and others.
If you’re considering an intimate dinner with someone special on February 14, the time to book is now. Warm Smoked Salmon,
Bouillabaisse, Char-grilled Fillet, Blackened Linefish, Ceviche Mixto Con Crocante de Pasion Fruit, Involtini Pesce Spada, Dark Chocolate Tart, Tiramisu, Berries on an Orange Salsa, and Canoli Siciliani are just a few of the delicious items on our Valentine menu roundup.
The Life Day Spa, a stylish, soothing sanctuary overlooking Table Mountain and the waterways of Canal Walk, has put together a wonderful February promotion in honour of Valentine’s Day and the month of love. The package includes a Middle Eastern Mud Ritual, various massages, a pool side platter and spa facilities. To make it even better, you stand a chance of winning the entire package!
Do you know when and why the Mount Nelson hotel was painted pink? It’s definitely not because of Valentine’s Day. This iconic hotel has been a part of Cape Town since 1899 and is regarded as one of the finest hotels in the world. The Mount Nelson has played host to royalty, politicians, authors and entertainers, including a war correspondent who went on to become a Prime Minister.
Valentine’s Day is less than a fortnight away. This year, why not do something different and treat your special someone to a movie under the stars, overlooking a lake. Rhebokskloof Wine Estates’ scenic Theatre on the Lake will be screening ‘The Notebook’ starring Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Gena Rowlands and James Garner. Make it even more romantic by booking the movie night picnic.