Greetings,
It has certainly been a busy start to the year. Some of us Capetonians have been in Sunninghill JHB for the past 3 weeks helping to finish off the building work and set up for our new franchised store opening there tomorrow. It has been an education of note. Firstly the traffic is something that is unbelievable, even at 6am. The manner in which taxis and others drive on the pavements, duck through red traffic lights, all for the sake of getting somewhere quickly. It almost seems that the only quick ones in Gauteng are the taxis. Builders are sometimes slow, suppliers are affected by the traffic, power outages, and many promises of deadlines are not kept - but we have prevailed and are opening Manuka Sunninghill tomorrow. Congratulations to Miriam and Alvin who own this store and have joined the Manuka family. This smaller concept of an Espresso Bar is ideal for the location in the RCI head office and call centre. Easy, quick and scrumptious meals very similiar to our existing menu make for perfect "on the go" breakfasts and lunches. Their menu is available on the web under Espresso Bar Menu. Meals are made and cooked in full view of the customer. Although this Manuka has limited seating, the deck 3 floors up that over looks the Rivonia highway will be the spot to be. After work sundowners, a glass of wine or 2 while waiting for the traffic to subside, and a mini pizza, healthy salad or wrap will go down well. Visit our Sunninghill website page to see the events that we have already arranged.
Manuka Tokai was indeed very fortunate to be approached by Top Billing to host their opening Wine Club night. This was as most people saw aired on TV recently, and indeed our thanks must go to our wonderful staf who did themselves proud, and to the Top Billing team, their sense of fun whilst filming, professionalism and final product was amazing. Groote Post Vineyards provided their wines and wow they were enjoyed by all. The food pairing went down well and certainly many outstanding comments were heard. Thanks to the Pentz family for their assistance. We even feature in this month's issue of Top Billing Magazine. We have had several emails from people requesting some of the recipes, so here is the most asked for recipe - enjoy!:
LINE FISH
6 fillets of fresh line fish (1 per person)
MARINADE
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp lemon juice
¼ tsp garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Mix marinade ingredients together and pour over fish. Allow to marinade for 15 mins. Bake in a tray covered with foil for approximately 15 mins. Take care not to over cook. Serve with creamy lemon butter sauce below and garnish with a de-pipped wedge of lemon and a sprig of fresh dill.
CREAMY LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
90g butter (NOT Margarine)
¼ cup lemon juice
3 eggs yolks
300ml cream
1 tsp dry mustard or Dijon mustard
Chopped fresh dill.
METHOD
Melt butter in pot, whisk in combined lemon juice, egg yolks, cream and mustard, whisk constantly over low heat until sauce thickens slightly; do not allow to boil. As sauce starts to thicken, add dill and serve immediately. Serves 6
Manuka Southeys in Somerset West is as always buzzing, and their newly revamped garden area is a hit in this Cape summertime of ours. They currently have a great wine special on Ardens Andreu Shiraz 2004 retailing at R50/bottle. Stocks are limited so if you want some contact Morne soon on 021 851 6060. Wine tasting this coming weekend on Saturday 12 - 3pm includes Paul Cluver wines.
Manuka Noordhoek has been affected by the building of the Hotel in the Village grounds as parking has been very limited, but we push on and cannot wait for it to be finished - almost a year overdue. Noordhoek has some great weekend tasting lined up, visit their web page to see the schedule. The Farm Village is a great place to take the family over the weekends as it is safe, secure and abounds with a choice of eating places. Quaint and quirky shops are filled with gift ideas, and in the Cellars building you will find Manuka, Lights for Africa and various artists including the famous and talented Eatwell family.
Manuka Fourways is growing by the day and they have a great March line up of free wine tasting over the weekends. Interesting farms such as Ormonde this Friday evening coming. If you have not visited this store yet, it is situated in the Cedar Road Shopping centre, very open air, very nice with a variety of shops including Cinema Nouveau, (directly opposite Manuka) and Mega Mica. Arriving one passes the Hummer showroom and cannot help but drool and dream. Certainly a great vehicle considering the state of our roads at the moment.
In closing, remember, in spite of the various factors affecting our daily lives, we still live in one of the best countries in the world - a booster for you below credited to the web site South Africa - The Good News:
• Three South African cities were voted amongst the world's top 100 Most Liveable Cities in a study conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Cape Town was ranked in 85th place, Johannesburg 90th and Port Elizabeth 97th.
• Since the 1940s, South African golfers have won more golf majors than any other nation, apart from the United States.
• Johannesburg has been ranked as the eighth cheapest city in the world for expatriates, according to the most recent Cost of Living Standards Survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
• 20 South African beaches were awarded Blue Flags, an international indicator of high environmental standards for recreational beaches in 2006.
• Two young South Africans have been named Rookie of the Year in their respective sports in 2006. Golfer Trevor Immelman was named best new player by his peers on the prestigious PGA Tour and after a sensational 2006 season, 18 year old Jordy Smith took the coveted Vans Triple Crown of Surfing ‘Rookie of the Year’ award, considered by the surfing world to be second only to the world title in prestige.
• Cape Town has the fifth-best blue sky in the world according to the UK's National Physical Laboratory
• Pretoria has the second largest number of embassies in the world after Washington, D.C.
• In 1991, South Africa became the first country in the world to protect the Great White shark
• The Singita Private Game Reserve in the Kruger National Park was voted the best hotel in the world by the readers of travel publication, Conde Nast Traveller
• Stellenbosch University was the first university in the world to design and launch a microsatellite
• South Africa houses one of the three largest telescopes in the world at Sutherland in the Karoo
So - visit your closest Manuka - eat great food, drink awesome wine and make the most of each and every moment of every day with your family and friends.
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