– 2015 – SeptemberFRIENDLY MADRID

Tapas Bars in Cape Town

September 30, 2015 Leave a Comment

La Parada

Spanish tapas prepared by the chef Andres Condé, trained in El Bulli and recognized as the best chef of Navarra, Spain in 2003.

The menu offers different tapas such as paella, serrano ham, chistorra, calamari with aioli or the typical ham croquettes.

La Parada is cozy, the walls are decorated with images of Spain, bullfights and flamenco. There are chester sofas, wooden tables and of course, Spanish music.

It is located in the center of Cape Town in Bree Street whith several trendy restaurants around.

Address: 107 Bree Street

Chef’s Wearhouse

A small restaurant that is literally part of the a cooking supply store that offers delicious tapas in a chic cantina setting. The menu changes every day, reservations are not accepted, so get there early or risk missing out!

The restaurant has a gourmet shop that sells different products (bread, butcher store, wine and cheeses), kitchen utensils and cookbooks.

Monday through Friday from 7am to 15pm they also offer street food to takeaway.

Monday to Friday:

Food- 12h to 14: 30h.

Supper 16: 30h to 20h

Saturday- 12h to 14: 30h

Address: 92 Bree Street

Visiting Cape Town

September 28, 2015 Leave a Comment

Botanical Gardens Cape Town

This weekend we have visited Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, about a 20 minute drive from Cape Town.

The beautiful garden was founded in 1913 on land bequeathed by industrialist Cecil Rhodes to preserve plants from different South African regions and some unique Cape Town species. A perfect place to spend the day, especially now in spring, with impressive blooming flowers.

Bring a picnic and relax on the sloping lawns or have lunch in the cafe or at the more upscale Moyo restaurant.

During the summer, concerts are held in the open air stage.

Rhodes Dr, Newlands, Cape Town, 7735

Schedule: 8h-18h

Entrance fee: 50R

The Lourensford Harvest Market

In Cape Town, during the weekends there are a number of different farmers markets where local producers sell artisanal products and organic food.

The Lourensford Harvest Market is located in beautifully landscaped vineyard, which makes for an unusual setting for a farmers market.

Lourensford ave, Helderberg Rural, Cape Town, 7135

Saturday and Sunday from 10h to 15h.

Dornier Stellenbosch

This winery began life in the seventeenth century, from a family of French origin, and offers a variety of great wines.

Besides visiting the vineyard you can spend the night there and have a lovely meal in their restaurant while enjoying the views.

Blaauwklippen Rd, Stellenbosch, 7600

Schedule: 11h to 17h

Kat Von D makeup arrives in Spain

September 22, 2015 Leave a Comment

Kat Von D, one of the most respected and sought-after artists in the tattoo world, has created her own makeup line that will be available from October 2015 exclusively at Sephora. Spain is the first country in Europe where the brand will be launched.

Her makeup line is inspired by her tattoo workshop ‘High Voltage Tattoo‘ in Los Angeles.

Makeup for the face, eyebrows and lips which include palettes for contouring and products used around the tattoo world. For duration, high pigmentation and a spectacular finish.

I chose three products to use daily:

1- Shade+ Light Contour Face Palette

With different tones to create light and shadow in the face, and including three bright colors and three shades of highlights for contours to all skin types. Thanks to its formula, the product blends easily with the skin, providing great coverage with intense color.

Price: 45 Euros

2- Everlasting Liquid Lipstick

With a range of 25 colors and a pigment-rich formula that provides lasting color with a velvet matte finish that also moisturizes lips. To apply Kat Von D recommends to shake the bottle before use.

I chose the red brick OUTLAW color.

Price: 19,90 Euros

3- Tattoo Liner

Liquid eyeliner with a brush that allows a precise layout. The pigmentation stands out and the color stays for hours and it is also waterproof. It doesn’t melt, crack or move and the result is a defined look. Available in brown and black, I’m using black Trooper.

Price: 19,90 Euros

Around Cape Town

September 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

Hi everyone! How’s your week going?

Today I show you one of the places we visited this past weekend: an organic food market called the Oranjezicht Market.

This impressive farmers’ market operates every Saturday, near the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, and has beautiful sea views up the coast to Blouberg.

We went to the Waterfront to try Tasha’s restaurant, a new Spanish Turkish restaurant that serves delicious food in a very pleasant bright space.

We had polenta risoto (amazing), traditional South African breakfast, and a smoothie with green vegetables.

If you go to the Waterfront, we recommend you stop at Tasha’s for a coffee or lunch. Nice decoration and good quality food at affordable prices.

The Twelve Apostles Cape Town Hotel

September 9, 2015 Leave a Comment

Hi everyone! How’s your week going?

For those thinking of visiting South Africa and Cape Town in particular, you must check out this boutique hotel, The 12 Apostles.

Located between Camps Bay and Hout Bay about 15 minutes from the city center. This cozy hotel has five stars and is decorated in English style, and has been voted one of the top 100 hotels in the world by Conde Nast.

The rooms are very pretty and spacious with ensuite bathrooms, and you can choose sea or mountain views. Some of the rooms have balconies.

Even if you don’t stay in the hotel, the restaurant, cafe and bar are open to the public and are really worth visiting.

The Café Grill

With views to the mountains and surrounded by vegetation, the cafe is a perfect place to have informal food like salads and sandwiches.

Azure Restaurant

Local and international cuisine including meat, shellfish and vegetarian food. The terrace is spectacular with sea views.

The Leopard Bar

A very cozy room with fire and terrace to have traditional afternoon tea with scones, or have a drink.

The Conservatory

With incredible views of the Twelve Apostles, the spectacular mountain backdrop, this restaurant is the perfect place for a private event, party or meetings.

The Spa offers various treatment options including massage, manicure, pedicure, with a hydrotherapy pool and you have the option of enjoying these treatments outside while enjoying the wonderful views.

Hope you like some of these amazing places in Cape Town.

Visiting Jordan Wine Estate Stellenbosch

September 2, 2015 Leave a Comment

Hi guys! How’s it being ‘back at school’? A few weeks ago I arrived in South Africa and it seems like yesterday, time is flying!

We’re exploring new places around Cape Town, and on one of our trips out, we visited Stellenbosch and the JORDAN winery.

A beautiful place where you can stay in a cozy hotel and enjoy breathtaking views across the valley.

The winery organizes visits of its cellars and you can do a tastings for a reasonable price, which is waived if you purchase bottles at the shop.

We suggest that visit during the morning, from Cape Town it takes approximately 40 minutes depending on traffic, and do a drive around the countryside, do a wine tasting and visit the vineyards. Afterwards, have lunch in one of the restaurants at the winery. Here are our recommendations:

Jordan Restaurant

The Bakery

High Timber

We tried The Bakery restaurant which is less formal and has a terrace with impressive views over the lake. The food was very good and reasonably priced.

The look I chose for the day was a black legging with black v-neck shirt. Sunglass by NorthWeek. Shoes by Polo Ralph Lauren in beige and black. Bag in beige by The Lunch Bag.

If you visit South Africa definitely try to visit this winery, one of our top recommendations for activities around Cape Town.

Have a great week.

Victoria

Month: September 2015