Somewhere over the rainbow…

In the new Verdi Centre on Beyers Naudé Drive just before Northcliff Corner, there’s an awesome shop called Rainbow that’s become a CLEO favourite. It’s a treasure trove of fashion, accessories and gift ideas, so you’ll never be stuck for ideas for your bestie’s birthday again.

I could go on and on about the wide range of delightful stock and the great prices, but in this case, pictures speak louder than words, so here are a few snaps I took of items that really grabbed my attention and will inspire you too.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, these board games should get you in the mood. Follow up with these yummy body butters!

Accessories galore! From bags to jewellery to hats and cute wallets, your every accessory wish is right here

Fab fashion and footwear to kit you out for hot dates and party nights.

I did a lot of my Xmas shopping at Rainbow last year and with all the birthdays I’ve got coming up in the next three months, I’ll definitely be going back soon. See you there!

Cocktail Queen!

I just love cocktails in summer – Fino in Parkhurst makes the best Mojitos and The Office in Greenside makes an awesome Gingerbread Mule! But I digress… Last weekend after a bit of “cocktail hopping” around Jozi, I realised how hectically expensive it can get. So, this December holiday, I’ve decided to perfect a few fab cocktails recipes at home and impress my friends! It’ll be such fun to experiment and won’t break the bank.

Meanwhile, lucky for me, a Grey Goose vodka cocktail recipe book crossed my desk (Grey Goose is a premium voddies made in France and cocktail drinkers are its biggest fans).
So I thought, why not share these fab ideas? Then we can all be sipping on cocktails like the rich and famous. Here are my three personal favourites and I hope you enjoy making them and drinking them. Nasdrovia!

1. GOSSIP GIRLS

Ingredients
35ml Grey Goose vodka
1 bar spoon castor sugar
6-8 blueberries
30ml pomegranate juice
Squeezed juice of half a lime

Method
Muddle blue berries with castor sugar, add the vodka and top up with pomegranate juice in a tall glass. Fill with ice cubes and stir. Top with berries.

2. SA IDOL

Ingredients
35ml Grey Goose vodka
35ml rooibos honey
Squeezed juice of a full lemon
Soda water

Method
Take the rooibos honey and stir into a large measure of Grey goose vodka, then add freshly squeezed lemon juice and top with soda. Stir again for perfection!

3. VAMPIRE DIARIES

Ingredients
30ml Grey Goose vodka
6-8 red grapes
35ml rooibos honey
15ml fresh lemon juice
50ml Sauvignon Blanc

Method
Muddle grapes with rooibos honey in a cocktail shaker, add all other ingredients, then fill with ice cubes. Now shake until chilled and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with two grapes on a stick.

Come party and support 4Paws!

As an animal lover and co-owner of a menagerie of furry and feathered creatures, I was excited to hear about an upcoming cheese and wine tasting to help the 4Paws animal shelter.

Organised by the non-profit initiative Judd and Clawds Helping Hands (see the December 2010 issue of CLEO for more), it’ll take place at the Walkhaven Dog Park in Muldersdrift on the 27th of November 2010, 6pm for 6.30pm.

And it’s not just a tasting – there’s a special buffet dinner, followed by Chasers chocolate shooters and the awesome live band Seven Car Pileup. There’ll also be great prizes up for grabs and auctions and raffles on the night. All this for only R120 per person!

So come and have a fun-filled evening in the countryside knowing that you’re doing your bit to help animals in need.

• For more info, contact Claudia on 082 828 5597 or 082 568 7525. Email jchelping.hands.sa@gmail.com

• For more about 4Paws or if you’re interested in making a donation or adopting an adorable furball, contact Merinda on 083 377 3219 or email merinda@4ourpaws.org.za
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Food, wine but so much more!

If you still haven’t got your tickets to the Good Food& Wine Show taking place in Durbs from the 25th – 28th November 2010, then hurry up or you’ll really miss out!

There are a whole lot of new and exciting stalls that go beyond what you’d expect at a food expo.

This year they’ve got the cocktail championships where SA’s finest bartenders will be competing against one another in a display unlike anything you’ve seen before. And this competition is huuuge! The winners will go on to represent SA in the World Bartending Competition.

Want to meet your favourite 7de Laan stars? Then Oppiekoffie Coffee is where you need to be. This is an awesome hang-out where you’ll be sure to find Charmaine, Annelie, Kabelo, Aggie, Lukas, Clara, Zinzi, Felicity and Bernard.

If cooking is your thing then head down to the interactive food theatre set up by the Good Food & Wine Show and BBC Lifestyle. You get to cook alongside BBC celebrity chefs, as well as our local chefs. A chance in a lifetime!
Speaking of cooking and chefs, we got to chat to our very own Jamie Oliver, Durban-born Justin Bonello recently. In the past seven years, he’s directed and presented several series including the very well-known Cooked, aired on BBC. He has published three books – Cooked in Africa, which is a bestseller, Cooked Weekends Away and Out of the Frying Pan on shelves soon.

Justin, we’ve heard you’re pretty much self-taught – where does your passion for food come from?
I’ve just always loved food – I remember when I was a kid, I raided some strawberry fields and didn’t realise the evidence was on my mouth – rings of strawberry juice! I also used to catch fish and collect mussels and then there was my gran who taught me to make pancakes.

Do you ever consult recipe books?
I’m more of a “gooi together” person. Just the other day, I created a real hit by gooiing things together for my 16 friends who came round for lunch. It was an Italian potjie (!) with lamb and gnocchi. But I’ve also worked in professional kitchens and there are just some things you need to know from a recipe book like how to make a Hollandaise sauce or a proper crème brûlée.

What are your favourite dishes to make?
Any pasta dish and spaghetti and meatballs!

What are your favourite cuisines?
I love Thai food – I’ve been to Thailand as my father lives on Ko Panang. What appeals to me is that they use super fresh produce to cook with.

What will you be up to at the Good Food & Wine Show in Durbs?
I’ll be part of the food theatre and this time around, I’m on a mission to educate people about where their food comes from. I’ll be getting them to taste food so they can identify for themselves the difference between free-range and not, for instance.

You’ve got a new book about to hit the shelves called Out of the Frying Pan. Can you give us a heads up what to expect from it?
It’s about my journey with food to where I am today. There are some difficult and easy recipes to work through, some home truths about food, and I believe if you work through this book, you can become an accomplished cook.

What advice would you give to someone who really wants to learn to cook?
Think of cooking as food alchemy – playing with flavours, textures, combos. Throw things together to see if they work. Learn through trial and error about timing – like cooking veggies too long in the steamer will make them mushy etc. Mostly, just have fun!

Tickets for the Durban Good Food & Wine Show 25 are available online through Computicket and www.gourmetsa.com

If you go down to Woolies today…

The other day I popped into the Woolies in Sandton City to get my usual microwaveable ready meals (who has time to cook?) and came across the best concept since screw-top wine bottles! The benefit Eyebrow Bar!
Picture this: on a Friday afternoon, having sneaked out of work early, you buy a pair of awesome heels for the party later that evening, pick up a hot red lipstick, and then pop into the eyebrow bar for shaping-on-the-go! No appointment needed.

There are just two benefit eyebrow bars in South Africa – the other is in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. And Woolies as a benefit stockist was obviously the perfect fit for this cool idea.

I can’t wait for my next “touch up” considering I had tweezing, waxing and shaping done for only R65. And I couldn’t believe the difference those preened arches made to my face! So go on, try it!

Joburg all-stars

Like the Oscars and the Emmys, Leisure Options’ Best of Joburg Readers’ Choice Awards came around last night complete with the red carpet, celebs and the “paparazzi”.

It seemed the whole of Jo’burg had descended on the Doppio Zero in Rosebank, and CLEO ed Natalie Pool and I found ourselves literally rubbing shoulders with the likes of Sam Cowen (the Breakfast Express won best radio show) and Marius Roberts (who was the host).

This year, a quarter of a million Leisure Options readers voted for the venues and people that rock in Joburg, while 10 readers walked away with amazing prizes like game lodge weekends and R20 000 in shopping vouchers, just because they voted!

Queuing for the lavish buffet we had a chance to sip our Laborie wines and check out the various interpretations of the “cocktail dress” dress code – always interesting in Joeys! So we had agonised for nothing…
Speaking of the buffet, I have never in my life seen such a selection of cheeses and must admit I kind of got stuck there. But there was so much more food to choose from – olives, cold meats, kebabs and crusty bread. We also checked out the dessert buffet while we were at it and truly, Doppi had outdone themselves! Chocolate brownies drizzled with chocolate sauce, huge fresh strawberries, mini iced cakes all beautifully presented in tiers of sugary calories.
And at the end of the evening we felt like a bunch of Italian mamas were giving us a send-off because our arms were filled to capacity with goodie bags of Laborie and Lindt and loaves of fresh bread straight from Doppio’s ovens.

Here we give you the scoop on some of the winners. For the full list go to www.bestofjoburg.co.za

Best local band – The Parlotones
Best nightclub – Manhattan
Best neighbourhood pub – Jolly Roger
Best concert venue – The Dome
Best live music venue – Tanz Café
Best pick-up spot – The Baron (on Main Str. Bryanston & 24 Central in Sandton)
Best cocktail bar – News Café
Best romantic restaurant – Casalinga and Le Canard
Best salon and nail bar – Sorbet
Best hair salon – Tanaz
Best pampering beauty products – The Body Shop
Best shopping mall – Sandton City
Best shoe shop – Nine West
Best underwear shop – La Senza
Best exclusive fashion boutique – Nicci Boutique

MELVILLE’S DESIGN QUARTER!

Pottering around Melville one Saturday morning, I discovered the awesome spot that is the Bamboo Designer Lifestyle Centre. Perched on the corner of Rustenburg Road and Ninth Street, you’ll find everything from high fashion and delicious food to handmade jewellery and spa treatments.

If you’re a fan of beautiful things, you need to set aside a good couple of hours to shop, have a light lunch at the vibey Service Station which overlooks the koppies, buy cheese and croissants from their deli, shop some more, and maybe end off your day with a treatment. Heaven!

Here is my short-list of the “must sees” at the centre, which will hopefully inspire you head down there ASAP!

Black Coffee is an award-winning fashion label that has featured at the Berlin Fashion Week and is known for its quirky approach to South African couture. The showroom is an experience all on its own, so go browse or buy!
Next door you’ll find Nap, a treasure chest of great gift ideas, locally made products using natural or recycled material and off-beat “gently worn” stuff.
I bought a bronze horseshoe to hang on my front door – it’s supposed to bring luck and I’ve been looking for one for years! For funky, fun jewellery you have to drop in at Tinsel. All the items were designed and handmade by local jewellers and I absolutely love their colourful cartoon character pendants and silver bunny rings.
If you like hanging out at book stores, you’re going to want to go to Love Books. Not the hippy vibe you’d expect from the name, they stock books you won’t easily find anywhere else and also have an extensive South African authors’ section. And while you’re there, why not buy a bottle of wine? Love Books is the exclusive outlet for Joostenberg wines, a Cape estate that has been making wine for 300 years!Upstairs the centre is dedicated to the arty/design side of things. The Entropy loft is an interior design spot full of eclectic furniture, fine art, lighting and desirables “to make your interiors pop”, say the peeps from Entropy. So come and get your design fix here!










And finally, there’s a sanctuary in a quiet corner of the centre called Renue, offering relief after all that shopping and general city stress with a variety of massages and lymph drainage treatments. Renue’s signature treatment is a combo of reflexology with a deep tissue neck, back shoulder massage, using hot stones. Once you’ve been revived at Renue, you’ll keep going back!

• Bamboo Designer Lifestyle Centre contact details
Alison Green 011 726 1701
www.bamboo-online.co.za
• Photos courtesy of the Bamboo Designer Lifestyle Centre, Tinsel and Love Books.

Welcome to Citylicious, a guide to what's hot in Jo'burg.

STEAK-OUT!
Sometimes healthy rabbit food just doesn’t cut it anymore and no matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise, all you crave is a big, juicy steak. But if you want the best steaks in town AND a pumping, friendly vibe, you don’t have to look further than Turn ’n Tender in Parktown North.

It’s one of my fave restaurants and my man and I are regulars. No matter what day of the week or what time you pop in (we like 3pm on Sunday for lunch!) there’s always a warm welcome and a delicious meal waiting for you. While other restaurants on the block limp along with a handful of customers on Mondays and Tuesdays, TNT is always cooking, excuse the pun. Smokers and diners spill onto the pavement, while others prefer to sit inside with its 70s-style orange light fittings, open grill and artworks decorating the walls.

TNT patrons are an eclectic mix but the young and trendy are regulars. It’s a great place for birthday celebrations and work functions. But what I love is the lack of snootiness that you get at many Jo’burg restaurants. There’s no looking you up and down when you walk in and no sneering from the waiter when you order your steak well done (as has happened to my man on more than one occasion).

You get great service from friendly waitrons who seem really happy to be working there and know their stuff. In particular, I remember one hottie waiter (apologies, my love, but I couldn’t help noticing!) who wowed us with his suggestions of cocktails and desserts unique to TNT and his overall fab service. It was only at the end of the night that we found out it was his first day!

Right, now moving on to the food. Choose your favourite cut of steak and, er, beef it up with a blue cheese 'n vodka sauce or a Jägermeister sauce. The latter is a TNT exclusive! And they don’t only do steaks – there’s also beef ribs, chicken, duck, lamb, game and fresh fish. The salads are to die for like the smoked duck breast salad with a chocolate balsamic reduction.

Veggies are always fresh and tasty – unlike the mush that’s been cooking in pot all day that you tend to get elsewhere, the vino selection is fab, and there are interesting desserts on the menu like the chocolate crème brûlée and BAR-ONE cheesecake.

The prices are really good and the portions are on the big side, so skip the starters or you’ll be sorry (as I’ve been). Unless, of course, you want a takeaway for lunch the next day.

TNT says their philosophy is to make everyone happy and you know what? They really do.

Parktown Quarter
Cnr 3rd and 7th Ave
Parktown North
Johannesburg
011 788 7933
www.turnntender.co.za
Open from 11:30pm Mon to Sun

Pics courtesy of www.turnntender.co.za

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Wine on the go!

Drostdy-Hof has launched four of their wines in three-litre slimpacks - the 2010 Chardonnay, 2009 Merlot, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. These "box wines" are perfect for picnics, taking along to a braai or just having at home and they're really good value for money. You get the equivalent of of four bottles for the price of three! The white wines sell for around R76 and the reds for about R84 in leading supermarkets. Go get your wine on the go!



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Join the global party!

We’ve just heard about the launch of The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project and it’s off the hook! Fourteen countries - South Africa, USA, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Lebanon, Poland, Thailand, Ireland, Great Britain, Australia and Venezuela will work with celebrities to uncover the best of their country’s nightlife. Yup, we’re in there with the best of them.

Their ideas will be captured online, packed-up in a crate and turned into exciting event experiences. November 27 will be the grand finale, where each country will exchange the best of their nightlife with that of another.

And Smirnoff has included the public in this world party, because well, that’s just how they roll. You’re invited to make suggestions for what you think best represents our nightlife. All of these ideas will be captured on www.facebook.com/SmirnoffSA.

Feeling stuck for suggestions? Think music genres, local drinks, our street fashion, whatever sums it up for you. When all the suggestions are in, local experts in each country – called the “curators”, decide on the best ones. Better yet, Smirnoff South Africa has confirmed that they’ll be working with our fave DJs – DJ Fresh and DJ Euphonik as South Africa’s curators. We couldn’t have chosen better ourselves!

On 22 October 2010, the ingredients of South Africa’s nightlife will be revealed. Then we’ll exchange crates with one of the other countries on November 27. Wonder who we’ll get and who gets ours? Talk about suspense! Our crate is already touring Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, collecting ideas, so be sure to look out for it!