Mooki Noodle Power, Brand Road, Glenwood

There has been a lot of hype around this newly opened joint. And i mean A LOT a lot. It opened while I was on holiday overseas and boyfriend, being the awesome boyfriend he is, decided to wait for me to get back before trying it out.

So we ended up having our most recent date night there. The first thing I thought when I arrived was "man, this place is TINY". I mean, it wasn't very busy so it didn't really matter but ya, it is pretty tiny. The second thing I noticed was the tables. As I mentioned the place wasn't full so I didn't see the concept in action but to me it seems as though they've taken a leaf out of Europe's book: The tables are longish and three couples, not necessarily in the same party of diners, are able to comfortably eat side-by-side at one of these tables. And so, combined with my first observation on the size of this place, you will understand the genius that is employing this seating strategy.

I couldn't stop admiring the painted mural... 

The food menu is super limited, which I LOVE because I often find it difficult to choose what to eat when I go out. Also, it is a new restaurant so I appreciate that they've chosen a few dishes in order that they may concentrate on the quality of these few items and make them sparkle.

The waitresses and the owner are fantastic hosts. Friendly and laid back, its the kind of service I imagine being the norm back in my parents' day. The employees want to make you feel as comfortable as possible and are genuinely interested in your well-being while you are there. It's this element that makes people feel at home while they're out and, I imagine, has earned this place many return customers already.

Boyfriend had the fishcakes to start and I had calamari salad. Both were fair. I thought the fish cakes were a little bit dense for my liking but I really enjoyed the taste - distinctly Thai. I always love a salad filled with fresh herbs so this one was top notch in my opinion.

(more chicken noodles than I could handle - this was my plate after I'd eaten my fill)

For main course boyfriend had chicken fried rice and I had chicken with noodles. The portion sizes were extremely generous and neither of us were able to finish. I preferred the noodles as the dish had stronger flavours and the absolute perfect amount of chilli heat for my taste.

All in all it was a lovely night. For starters, mains, a drink (and enough leftovers for lunch the next day) it cost us just over R200.00. That's pretty good value for money if you ask me.

Completely Cooked Rating: 7/10

 (White Rabbits instead of after dinner mints. Love!)

Happy Spring Day!

 For the last few days summer has been in the air around these parts.

It's a weird thing to explain, summer "being in the air" but seriously, that's how it feels! When you wake up in the morning there is a certain excitement in your tummy for no reason at all, you just wake up and it's there. That's when you know that winter is on his way out and summer is just around the corner. The sun is starting to wake up earlier and go to bed later, skies are bluer and people are extra smiley.

Love it!

HAPPY SPRING DAY WONDERFUL WORLD!

 These two pictures are of plants in our garden.

Elephant Shoes

I stumbled upon this blog and only after clicking around a bit I realised that it belongs to a real life friend on the other side of the country who has just started up a new business! Amazing!

Check out the beautiful photography on her blog and also these epic (free) printables

photo via Elephant Shoes

Olive & Oil, Chartwell Drive, Umhlanga

 

This was the second of the Olive and Oil branches to open in Durban. The first was in Glenwood. This one is in Umhlanga.

We were dining with an Australian friend who made me smile with her gushing compliments about our beautiful country. She remarked that in South Africa the waitrons are super attentive to restaurant patrons.This dining experience was no exception. My wine glass was rarely empty and our waiter visibly tried his best to ensure that our every need was met.

The decor and design are simple. The menu is varied and there is something for every taste. The portion sizes are good and although not the cheapest place to eat in town we didn't feel like we were ripped off.

The starter of ostrich carpaccio was very tasty and perfectly paired with rocket
For the main meal I ate a fisherman's platter. The calamari was succulent, the prawns were delicious and the cape salmon (the linefish) was moist and tasty.

Although everything on the my list was ticked I still feel that something was lacking. I can't say what it was but I feel like the spark that makes a good restaurant into a great restaurant (one that I want to visit again and again) was absent. For this reason I prefer the Glenwood version of this restaurant.

Completely Cooked Rating: 7/10

Caramel/Peppermint Fridge Tart

This is a South African favourite (at least in my neck of the woods) and, until Woolworths got wind of the recipe and started selling it pre-made in little tubs with expensive price tags, people actually used to make it themselves. It's quick, it's cheap and it is DELICIOUS.

Whoever you serve this to will ask for a second helping. Guaranteed.

2 packets tennis biscuits

1 tin caramel treat

2 sachets of orley whip - or one tub of cream

100g slab peppermint chocolate

Get the caramel out of the tin and stir it around to loosen it up a little. It needs to be spreadable. 

Whisk the orley whip until soft peaks form add half a teaspoon of sugar and whisk til stiff peaks (I first learned this recipe with cream and made it that way until I had the bright idea of substituting it for orley whip. It has the same texture without making the dessert unbearably rich. I like it because it means now I can eat about three bowls worth of the stuff before I start feeling ill).

Blob a bit of caramel at the bottom of the dish and then proceed to layer tennis biscuits, beaten orley whip, grated chocolate on top of the caramel and repeat. 

Keep going until all the ingredients are used up or the bowl runs out of space.

Finish off with the orley whip layer and sprinkle some grated chocolate on top.

Get ready to be the hit of the party.

You're welcome.

Wedding Cake

Seriously, one of the best things about attending a wedding is the food - but most especially the cake!

Recently we attended a highschool friend's beautiful wedding, which was held in midlands. The ceremony and reception were both stunning. And the cake! The cake was to die for! Rich, dense, moist carrot cake covered in cream cheese frosting. Just thinking about it induces severe mouth-watering.

So, I thought it'd be nice to share a picture of this magnificient cake with the world. So here it is.

I also LOVE those little birds perched on top. So elegant. Such fun :)

We stayed the weekend in the midlands and here are one or two pictures I took while we were there...

pretty lavender

lush green grass

grazing cows

thorny rose bushes

 

Things that are awesome - A bit of Belgium

I am not a beer drinker. I don’t like the taste. Is it just me? Because I thought most girls didn’t like beer either? Wow, I was in for a surprise when I arrived in Belgium for a six month exchange. Beer is pretty much the only thing ANYONE drinks there. In fact, everyone looked at me like I was taking crazy pills when I said that I didn’t.

Although beer is still not my drink of choice I did taste many different beers in Europe and grew to quite like some of them.

Imagine my delight when I walked into my local bottle store to find that they now stock Duvel. One of my favourite beers while I was in Belgium. What a fantastic day! Now I am able to share a little bit of my Belgian experience with my friends and family here in Durban... As an aside I always think that Duvel tastes like salami but no one else agrees. Please go out and taste some and let me know what you think.