Isabella's Cake & Food Shop

I saw a pic of the bunny chow served at Isabella's Cake & Food shop on twitter & I just had to have it. So hubby and I popped by the Northcliff branch over the weekend. All I can say about this place is that everything is so darn cute. From the display of pies and cakes at the entrance to the different tea sets that they serve their tea in. The shop itself is was bustling but cosy, and I'm just crazy about the damask decor - the walls, the chairs, the counters - its everywhere! There's also an upstairs area where you can host private events and there's WIFI (whoop!).

Isabella's Cake & Food Shop Northcliff

Chocolate, Coffee & Seafood

We headed to the coffee and chocolate expo held over the weekend at Monte Casino. You can imagine my excitement. As an addict of both chocolate and coffee I though I'd be entering a state nirvana at some point. We went for the afternoon session on Saturday. The expo itself was good, for example the Belgian Chocolate stall was fun, tasting little bits of chocolate. We bought the 70% dark chocolate and the ginger & blackcurrant - both excellent choices. There was a wide variety of products and workshops on offer - I loved the craft burger stall! Of course there were crepes, we tried these (Italian crepes made with 21 ingredients, cream, nutella, strawberries and kiwi - delish!):

An Italian style crepe

With 4 different tents, a smoking section and beer garden, there was enough to keep you going all afternoon. But the organizers messed up big time with regards to the number of people allowed to buy tickets. Surely if a place can only accommodate x amount of people, only x number of tickets should be sold? I can honestly say inside some tents, it was worse than being in home affairs. At least home affairs has structured queues. We could barely walk from point A to B. We left after an hour or so, not because it wasn't good, but it was just too crowded.

Fahrenheit Seafood & Grill

This weekend we also headed over to Fahrenheit Seafood & Grill. This is fast becoming one of my favourite seafood spots in Johannesburg. We've been here a couple of times, but I finally decided to review it. The ambiance is warm and family friendly, but if you're in the right spot, it can be romantic too, what with the bustling fireplaces. Being brought up in Durban, I am used to not only fresh seafood, but also big seafood. Many restaurants I've been to in Johannesburg serve up prawns that are just not juicy enough. At Fahrenheit though, when you order queen prawns, you can be sure to get queen prawns. I opted for the prawns, calamari & hake combo while hubby went for the ribs and prawns - both very large portions but still great quality:

The Prawns, Calamari & Hake Combo

Ribs & Prawns Combo

Until next time!

-P

Honeymooning in Phuket

After our wedding the hubby and I jetted off to Thailand for our honeymoon. We spent the first half in Phuket. We decided to stay in the Hilton Arcadia on Karon Beach. Much hype is made of Patong, but for a honeymoon we felt Karon was much more serene. The Hilton Arcadia itself was an amazing resort. We had a sea facing suite, which had an excellent view of the beach. The room was spacious and clean and the bathroom was huge! The resort was massive! It boasts tennis courts, a spa, 4 pool areas and there's even a shopping area within the resort. 

A Nice Touch by the hotel staff

Best Burger Hunt!

It was my husbands birthday recently. He visited Belgium earlier this year and came back raving about a lamb burger he had at a family-run roadside cafe, the burger was called "Mary had a Little Lamb." He declared that it was the best burger he's ever had. Since then, we've been on a hunt to find the best burger in Jo'Burg. So as part of our search he decided to celebrate at a well known burger joint that we had never tried before, Gourmet Garage.

The Gourmet Garage  @ Monte Casino

Product Review: Nespresso Latissima +

I love coffee. I love tea. But I love coffee more. So we decided to invest in a quality coffee machine. We chose the Nespresso Latissima + ('cos anything George Clooney endorses has to be great, right?) 

The machine cost R4300 and came with an extensive users manual, a "menu" (an index of all the different flavours of coffee) and 16 free capsules. 

The Latissima +

Restaurant Review: Villa Bianca

The hubby and I recently celebrated one month of married bliss with a dinner date. We had heard for some time from friends about a restaurant called Villa Bianca. We decided to try it. Now, don't be out off by the location as I initially was. Situated in Kempton Park, it is on the outskirts of one of Johannesburg's most industrial areas, I was a bit skeptical on the drive there. However stepping inside and my thought was "This is more like it!" The restaurant was cosy, with a large bustling fireplace at one end. I would give it 5 stars for ambiance. We completely forgot the cold, the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

New Blog!

Hi guys! This is my new blog. I am a medical doctor by profession, but I love novels and writing. I enjoy the good things in life. I have lots to share, mostly to do with traveling, dining and everything fabulous. I recently got married and was swept off my feet with a magical honeymoon. I'm looking forward to sharing those adventures and more.

- P