Sinns Restaurant - Review

If you want a Sunday brunch with the trendy people in Cape Town, the place to be is Wembley Square. As a completely un-trendy person this is was an experienced in itself. We had guests with us this weekend, so we decided to show them all the beautiful people and places of Cape Town -  you don't have to go far in Cape Town to find beautiful places but the beautiful people are all at Wembley Square and it's easy to see why.

We settled on Sinns Restaurant. Wembley Square, Gardens Cape Town, Tel +27 21 4650967.

 I have been a fan of Sinnfull Ice-cream from Camps Bay since they started in 2002. I was secretly hoping I could have my choice of  ice-cream for brunch, but I settled on the "Full Monty", with rye bread toast. What a delight - perfectly done bacon, eggs, German sausage with mustard sauce, fried tomato topped with pesto, fried mushrooms and a small rosti! I did say it was the "Full Monty" (R65) and while it is a huge plate of food I had no problems finishing it ALL!

Our waitress, Heather, was a incredible. She was attentive, without being crowding. She took down all our orders, (with all the special requests and dietary requirements) and delivered everything perfectly, as requested. The flat white coffee (R13) was definitely one of the best I've had anywhere.

One of our party had the 3 egg omelette(R54), with ham and mozzarella. It was light and fluffy and looked beautifully presented, and according to Marilyn was very good eating too.

I would highly recommend a trip to Sinns Restaurant for great service, very good food, wonderful atmosphere, comfortable chairs (we sat on soft leather couches) and value for money.

If you have time afterwards, walk across the passage to Knead Bakery and get yourself some bread - I bought a French loaf and it was one of the best I have had anywhere.  Knead Bakery, a dynamic bread house,  the first of its kind and taking Capetonian pallets by storm. With their delectable section of artisan breads and pastries Knead is pioneering on the bread front. Every thing's handmade and baked on the oven floor in traditional artisan style.

Smiling faces after our brunch.

All in One Chicken

Having enough time to cook, blog, entertain guests, watch TV, exercise, sleep and read is a full time job for me. Then if you throw in a challenge like Ready Steady Cook I'm about ready to jump off the bus.

Thank goodness for one pot oven baked meals, they are a wonder to me. I can read, watch TV, entertain and sleep all the while my meal is gently cooking away in the oven. What makes this meal even better is that you can have your meat and vegetables all done together - so the washing up is a breeze.

I came up with this simple meal yesterday after having our water cut from 9.30am - 7.30pm. I had only the  water in the water-cooler as my only supply. So this is a perfect low water meal too - saving time and water!

Chicken with Leeks and Green Olives.
Served with Pasta Rice with Courgettes and Kidney Beans
Serves 4

8 Pieces of Chicken ( I used legs and thighs)
6 Large Leeks cut into 2" chunks
1 packet Pitted Green Olives (about 100g)
45ml Chicken Stock Concentrate (I use Nomu Chicken Fond)
500ml Water
45ml Nomu Stir (or Tomato paste, dried garlic and dried chilli)

Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC
In an pot that can go from stove to oven brown the chicken until golden.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
Once the liquid is boiling place in the oven for 2 hours.

Pasta Rice with Courgettes and Kidney Beans

250ml Pasta Rice ( risoni / orzo)
8 Courgettes cut into 1" pieces
1 Can Kidney Beans, drained and washed
2 Cloves of Garlic crushed

Cook the pasta rice ( risoni /orzo) as per instructions on the packet.
Drain, leaving a little of the water behind in the pot.
Return to the heat and add the courgettes, garlic and the beans.
Stir through and cook on a very low heat until the courgettes are tender and beans are warmed through.
Serve.

Ready Steady Cook : Dessert

Ready Steady Cook Challenge hosted by Add to Taste

When asked to give a hint on my dessert I said it was cold, sweet and red but I left out the best part, it's also refreshing, fruity and easy to make.

If you followed my introduction to the Ready Steady Cook Challenge, you would have noticed that strawberries were on my list of 7 ingredients. Such a simple ingredient, which needs nothing other than a wash to be fully enjoyed. But this being a challange I thought of something which would keep the taste of the strawberries while still looking like I did try put some effort into making something speical.

I have never made a sorbet before. I have an ice-cream maker so there really is no excuse, except that my men seem to like creamy chocolate and mint ice-cream much better than fruit (in any form).

So here goes my Simple Strawberry Sorbet

Strawberry Sorbet

800g Strawberries (washed and hulled)
160ml Sugar ( I used more sugar as the strawberries are not really in season, so they lack natural sweetness)
80ml Water
Juice of on Large Lemon

Make a sugar syrup with the water and the sugar, by slowly heating until sugar is dissolved and then boiling for 1 minute.
Allow the sugar syrup to cool.
Purée the strawberries with the lemon juice until smooth.
Once the syrup is cool, add to the strawberries and chill overnight in the fridge.
At this stage I use my ice-cream machine to to the churning, but you can do it by hand.
To freeze sorbets without an ice cream maker: Pour the cooled sorbet mixture into a stainless steel bowl, and place in the freezer. Let freeze until you have a 2-inch border of ice around the edge of the bowl --- typically this takes 1 1/2 hours or so --- then remove and scrape the frozen parts into the liquid middle, beating well with a whisk (or even an electric beater, if you want a very smooth texture). Repeat, freezing this time around for about 30 to 50 minutes. Repeat 1 or 2 times more, or until it is of a consistency where you can scoop it loosely into a ball or oval.

Ready Steady Cook : Main Course

Ready Steady Cook Challenge hosted by Add to Taste

I love blog challenges and competitions. They are great for making this normally lazy cook take a big steps out of her comfort zone.

Another reason I have a keen interest in Ready Steady Cook, is my love for Ainsley Harriott 

I was lucky enough to be on a show aired in South Africa called "Off the Menu", hosted by Ainsley Harriott.

So to get the challenge each blogger will then use 7 ingredients provided by another participant plus the allowed "pantry" ingredients and free items (salt, pepper, olive oil, sunflower oil) to create a 3 course meal. This sounds easy enough, but I have spent 2 weeks re-creating menus in my head before being satisfied.

My list of ingredients came from Claudine and I must say I have really had a challenge even Ainsley would have had trouble with. 

1.  Leeks
2. Plain Couscous
3. Strawberries
4. A Chilli
5. Pork Chops
6. Dates
7. Cauliflower

I choose to start with my main course. So without any more name dropping or complaining here goes the first step in the challenge :

Couscous Encrusted Baked Pork Chop with Leek and Garlic Couscous and Cauliflower Purée.

Couscous Encrusted Baked Pork Chop

2 Pork Chops

½ Cup of flour

1 Egg Beaten

½ Cup of uncooked Couscous

Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC

Coat the chops in flour, shake off excess.

Dip in the beaten egg then coat in the couscous.

 Place in a baking pan, drizzel with a little oil.

 Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Leek and Garlic Couscous

2 Thinly Sliced Leeks 

2 Cloves of Garlic thinly sliced

1 Cup Couscous

1 Cup Boiling water

Oil for frying leeks

Prepare the couscous as per the box instructions.

Fry the leeks in a little oil until soft and starting to brown.

Add the garlic and good on low heat until cooked and soft.

Stir the cooked leaks and garlic into the prepared couscous.

Cauliflower Purée

1 Head Cauliflower

1 Cup Milk

30ml Salted Butter

Cook  the cauliflower in the milk and butter until soft.

Purée until smooth, add seasoning.

A Fishy Winner

Following on from last week's Sweet and Sour Fish with Egg Fried Rice I decided to use the other half of the hake fillet.

Before I start with the recipe, which is more of a re-make than an original, I thought I would give some thought to good choices for fish. My mission with last week's fish recipe was to promote the City of Cape's campaign to encourage Capetonians to pick one day of the week where they eliminate red meat from their diet and eat more fruit, vegetables and grains instead.

Today I want to address some fish choices which are better than others with regard to their sustainability.

The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) was initiated in November 2004 in order to inform and educate all participants in the seafood trade, from wholesalers to restaurateurs through to seafood lovers. SASSI has three primary objectives:

1. Promote voluntary compliance of the law through education and awareness
2. Shift consumer demand away from over-exploited species to more sustainable options
3. Create awareness around marine conservation issues

Having said and supported all this, I do on occassion choose fish from the orange list, but it is definitely more of an exception than a rule. I have even blogged on fish on the orange list, only because I feel I should be honest. There those who don't share those tasty morsels with their readers for fear of reprisal. 

Hake is on the green list, so it's a good choice for the environment and the sustainability of our sea stocks and is also relatively cheap when bought in season.

For more information on choosing the "right" fish click here.  You can also SMS  the name of the fish as a text message to the number 079-499-8795 you will get a prompt response telling you where the species is on the list, as well as some additional information such as minimum size and bag limit in the case of line-fish. The SMS is charged at standard cellular rates.

Lime Battered Fish with Aubergine and Red Bean Salad

Hake fillets (skin on cut into 4.5cm pieces)
1 Cup of Plain Flour
Finely grated Zest of 1-2 Limes
2 Eggs Beaten
Salt and White Pepper
Oil for Deep Frying

Warm the oil to 190ºC.

Add the zest of the limes, the salt and a little pepper to the flour.
Dry the fish thoroughly.
Coat the Fish in the flour, then in the egg and again in the flour.
Deep fry until golden brown and cooked through.

Warm Aubergine and Red Bean Salad

1 Large Aubergine cut into 1" disks and then cubed evenly.
4 Whole Dried Red chilis
Olive Oil
1 Tin Kidney Beans, drained and washed.
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and Black Pepper
Pomegranate Concentrate (I use Verlaque Persian Pomegranate Concentrate)

Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC
Place the aubergine and chilli in a roasting tin and coat with olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and bake for about 30-35 minutes until browned and cooked.
Add the kidney beans and bake for another 10 minutes, until the are heated through.
Squeeze over the lime juice and toss through.
You might want to add a little extra olive oil (if you not watching your fat intake)
Serve and drizzle with the Pomegranate Concentrate.