The fabulous informal dinner enabled us to try Marika’s wide choice of ‘mezedes’ (delicious starters to wet the appetite) of  Hummus, Taramosalata, Tsatziki and then Baby Calamari, Prawns, Dolmades, Haloumi Cheese, Greek Meat Balls, Crisp Fried Brinjals, Mussels in Cream and Garlic Sauce and Fried Chicken Livers. This was followed by a well-received scrumptious main course of Mousaka,  Chicken Kebabs and Salad and last but certainly not least we enjoyed a dessert of Greek Yoghurt  with a hint of lemon to tantalise the taste buds  and Baklava (nuts in phyllo pastry soaked in syrup – very decadent).

The wine for the evening was sponsored by Robin Marks of Bay Export – Glenview Wines. Robin is a wine merchant who resides in Camps Bay and offers fine quality wines, delivered to your door at extremely good prices. For more information visit Robin’s website www.glenview.co.za . For orders tel: 021 438 1080 / 082 821 2847.

Marika’s is a popular  small  family run restaurant and  gets booked  up quickly so it is essential to book  a table to avoid disappointment.  As a family run restaurant, Frank & Marika offer that something special in Greek home cooking which provides a welcome contrast to the food offered by the more conventional steak and sea-food restaurants in Cape Town. The ambience of the restaurant is lively, friendly and casual. They are open from Tuesday to Sunday for dinner from 6:30pm and for Sunday lunch from 12 noon.

The Guest House Owners convey their thanks to Steve & Pam of Cape Rose Cottage Camps Bay for arranging the evening. Our thanks also to Frank and Marika, Vanjee (Marika’s mom) and the staff of Marika’s for hosting us and and giving us such a warm welcome ,  excellent service  and a superb selction from their menu.

Marika’s, 38 Victoria Road, Bakoven. Tel: 021 438 2727.

The fabulous dinner we had, of sushi and sashimi, roquefort salad, seafood or fillet steak and a platter of delicious desserts and fine wines was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Skippy’s’ staff, as always, provided us with excellent attentive service throughout. The evening was rounded off with group dancing in the Sumbar where many of the Association members danced the ‘Salsa’ under the guidance of an experienced Latin American dancer. 
 
Summerville not only offers excellent cuisine at reasonable prices but is a superb place to enjoy drinks or cocktails watching the sunset over Camps Bay beach.  The views are just mesmerising.  A recent addition to Summerville Restaurant is Sumbar, a unique cigar lounge and bar area where you can relax with a cigar and a cognac or, if you prefer, dance to their in house DJ. A great place to eat, drink and have fun!
 
The Guest House Owners convey their thanks to David and Jenny of The Bay Atlantic for arranging the evening. Our thanks also to Skippy and the staff of Summerville for hosting us and and giving us such excellent service.

Summerville
The Promenade, Victoria Rd, Camps Bay
Telephone: +27 (0)21 438 3174

This upmarket is restaurant is luxurious and has a beautiful ambience. Needless to say, Chef Proprietor Steve Edwards’ menu has it all – from the the aptly named First Course section features dishes from succulent Calamari Steak to Sevruga’s signature Lamb Shank Cannelloni while the Seafood and Shellfish choices include delicious Linefish served with pomme pureé, tomato salsa, lemon crème fraiche and a citrus beurre blanc. Poultry options include Duck Pitihivia and Ostrich Medallions while the Meat selection is the perfect mixture of simple perfection in the Sirloin Steak and pure genius in the Fillet Rouge, a superbly aged fillet served with a buttered pomme pureé and wild mushrooms.

The Guest House Owners convey their thanks to Petra of Le Gouverneur for arranging the lunch. Our thanks also to Samantha and the staff of Sevruga for hosting us and giving us such excellent service.

Ginja, which has been on the Top 10 list forever, has not made the new top 20 list this year. Grande Provence in Franschhoek, currently on the Top 10 list, has also not made it onto the new top 20 list.   Haiku, and Bosmans at Grande Roche, are surprising omissions from the top 20 list.

The Prudential Eat Out Top 10 restaurants will be announced on 30 November.

The twenty-one highly sought after five-star wines include five ports, of which two are the Boplaas 2005 Vintage Reserve and NV Cape Tawny. Cape Point Vineyards (Woolworths) Limited Release Sauvignon Blanc 2007 as well as two further Cape Point Vineyards wines, Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2005, and De Trafford Shiraz 2005 are also on the five-star list.

For the first time, Platter will pick a Winery of the Year, reports Bolander.
 
The Diner’s Club International Wine awards have been announced, and the Western Cape won by far the most awards in the annual competition. Judging criteria included pricing, food and wine matching, the range of varietals, corkage policy, wine-by-the-glass availability, description of the wines, and legibility of the winelist. Award Convenor Michael Olivier observed that restaurants are sourcing a greater number of unusual wines, including organic and garagiste wines, reports the Cape Times. He also found that waiters are becoming better trained and that the quality of wine glassware has improved. The ‘Award of Excellence’ winners are 96 Winery Road, Au Jardin, Aubergine, Azure, Belthazar, Bosman’s, Bushman’s Kloof, Cape Colony, Catharina’s, De Oude Welgemoed, De Volkskombuis, Diaz Strand Hotel, Cellars Hohenhort Hotel, Harvey’s at the Mansions, JJ’s, La Colombe, Marc’s Mediterranean Cuisine and Garden, onewaterfront, Plettenberg Hotel, Poplars, Riboville, Rodwell House, Smokey Swallows, Vault Wine Cellar and Restaurant, Villa Belmonte and Zachary’s.

Bosman’s restaurant at the Grand Roche hotel in Paarl has won the American Express Platinum Fine Dining Restaurant Award.

Hamilton Russell wines from the Hemel and Aarde valley in Hermanus were served in Monaco when Prince Albert hosted Nelson Mandela at the fundraiser ‘United for a Better World’ earlier this month. The Hamilton Russell Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are sold at El Bulli and The Fat Duck, the two best restaurants in the world. The Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir won the Wine Spectator Critics’ Choice award last month, reports The Times.

Jancis Robinson, well-known UK wine personality, wrote a very complimentary article about her visit to Franschhoek in May, when she was a speaker at the first Franschhoek Literary Festival. In her Financial Times article, reprinted in the Franschhoek Tatler, Robinson described Franschhoek as “so damned beautiful that only the most blinkered, tiresomely obsessive wine lover could go there and ignore the scenery”. In the article she praises South African white wines in general, describing them as “some of the world’s great wine bargains”, and also states that “more and more exciting reds are made every year.” Robinson writes in sparkling terms about the leading Franschhoek wine estates Boekenhoutskloof, Chamonix, L’Omarins and Solms Delta.

Earlier this month, Franschhoek held its first Franschhoek Uncorked wine festival, encouraging winelovers to visit the 25 participating wine estates. The weather gods were unkind to the weekend event, and too little marketing impacted on attendance. However, the Festival is set to become a popular event in future. Each estate served food at very reasonable prices, e.g. prawns at Glenwood, a Reubens braai at Boekenhoutskloof, curry at Rickety Bridge, crepes at Plaisir de Merle, sushi at Chamonix, tapas at Lynx and cheeses at Dieu Donne. The second Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival takes place on 1 and 2 December.

A Whitehouse & Associates wine consultant has advised South Africa to focus on the lucrative African market. Chile already is successfully targeting Africa as one if its markets. South African wines are generally well received in Africa. Wines of South Africa research has shown that Angola and Nigeria are two important African markets. South African payment terms and promotional support hamper the success of South Africa’s performance on the continent, the research concluded, reports Business Report.

Thirty double gold awards were presented at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards this month, trophies being awarded to Rijk’s Private Cellar Pinotage 2003, La Motte Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Organic Trophy), Leon Engelke’s Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (Garagiste Trophy) and Southern Cape Barry Nephews Potstill Brandy 2003. Hartenberg The Stork Shiraz 2003 won the Grand Prix Trophy.

Wamakersvallei Winery in Wellington has won the 2007 SA Young Wine Awards for its Pinotage.