DESIGN NEWS

Inside, iThemba Labs, an experimental nuclear physics laboratory that excels in accelerator-based science, looks like Willy Wonka’s factory: vibrant yellow tubes connected to gleaming stainless-steel tubes, like a digestive system. But there’s no chocolate being produced here. You can’t touch, taste or see what’s inside.

My guides into the mind-bending world of nuclear science are Kobus Lawrie and Gillian Arendse. Kobus, originally drawn to the intellectual challenge of nuclear physics, is research director of iThemba. With his mercurial blue eyes and a beard that looks well stroked, Kobus looks like a real scientist. Kobus’s wife is also a nuclear physicist who works at iThemba LABS. (I wonder if they discuss topics such as hyperdeformation and chirality over dinner …) read more

Nature rubs shoulders with the city in Karolina Olowsdotter’s fashion label.

A Swedish fashion designer living in Cape Town, Karolina describes her label – Olowsdotter – as an eco-industrial look. This merging and clashing of contradictory elements expresses the duality felt by the 21st-century free-spirited nature lover who longs to feel the grass under her feet yet demands high-speed internet access 24/7.

Ecological principles affect every step of Karolina’s design process. Supporting and affiliating with other local industries is a primary concern. She buys local fabrics, mostly organic, and uses only natural fibres, which she embosses with intricate design details, such as poetry screen-printed onto the fabric.

The industrial aspect of her design comes through in the tailoring – the tuxedo style coats that reference a dandified life of high culture and the sharp lines with tucked waists that ask us to trade sandals for high heels.

Rather than following fickle trends, Karolina designs clothing that emphasises the feel-good factor. “I want people to wear my clothes because they make them feel at home in their skin,” she says.

And who would she love to see wearing her clothes? “Neneh Cherry – she's edgy, quirky and principled.”

Karolina recently showed her work at Design Indaba 2013.
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The earliest origins of isishweshwe (Xhosa ujamani; Afrikaans Duitse sis) can be traced back to the craze for colourful indiennes (Indian cottons) which spread like wildfire across Europe (even reaching the Cape) from the mid-1600s. In addition, vast quantities of indigo, until then extremely rare in Europe, were imported from India on new sea trade routes monopolised by the British and Dutch East India Companies. Europeans were now able to produce large amounts of a beautiful deep blue fabric.

In South Africa the identities of its wearers have changed from its context in trade and missionary-inspired Western dress to its active incorporation into traditional African rural customs, as a political statement by white women against apartheid, to its emergence on the international fashion circuit and latterly also as accessories. Increasingly today it is worn as everyday dress by South African women, irrespective of class, and more and more by men.

Today discharge-prints – in South Africa regarded as “real” isishweshwe – are made only at Da Gama Textiles in Zwelitsha near King William's Town.

At Iziko, an exhibition entitled The Shweshwe Story: Material Women? introduces the greater part of a collection of garments assembled by Dr Juliette Leeb-du Toit over a period of more than two decades. These are complemented by a range of photographic images and a selection of historical garments and images from Iziko’s own collection. This is the first in-depth exhibition of isishweshwe. Opened in February this year, the exhibition also coincides with the run-up to Cape Town’s reign as World Design Capital in 2014.
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Everyone has their own symbol for summer. Mine is bold red watermelon juice dribbling down a chin. So, Manna’s watermelon salad sums up my idea of summer on a plate. The watermelon is served sliced, accompanied by Danish feta cheese and Serrano ham (R80). It’s simple and so visually striking that I had to keep my appetite at bay while my companion photographed the dish from every angle.
Celebrate summer with champagne, strawberries and delicious salad at Manna in Kloof Street.
Fresh and seasonal is Manna’s mantra. As well as the delicious watermelon salad, we also tried the strawberry salad – a sundial-like array of crunchy vegetables such as asparagus and sugar peas served with delicious cranberry-infused cheese (R85). Salads are accompanied by a generous selection of Manna epicurean breads, baked fresh daily on the premises. The pecan nut and raisin rye is sublime. read more

At first glance, it seems the only reason men really buy cars is to attract members of the fairer sex. I find this hilarious, because almost every woman I’ve ever spoken to couldn’t care less about cars. Gents, we’re wasting our time. Or are we?


In my privileged position as a car tester, and thus having the opportunity to drive just about every new car on the market, I have discovered that it’s not the brand of car, the type of car or even the price of the car that impresses. It’s how the car makes the person in the passenger seat feel. read more

2013 summer fashion ranges from safari-style adventure by day to the decadent jazz age by night.



Finally, men get colourful with this season’s tropical safari theme on an adventure-filled trip into the jungle. Prints are everywhere and inspired by the beauty of the living world, such as microbiotic structures. There’s an extra-terrestrial influence, with cosmic shapes and galaxy images decorating bright shirts.

For gents who prefer quieter clothes, white is the predominant accent piece. Whether it’s a slim fit pant or a white anorak, it’s an easy-on-the-eye option.
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Winifred Bowman, 021’s wine connoisseur, and Cape Wine Master shares her best of the season:

Neethlingshof Chenin Blanc 2012
This delightful Chenin Blanc is just the ticket for summer! The colour is a brilliant light straw with flashes of green. On the nose the pear, gooseberry, ripe peach and floral tones climb out of the glass to invite a taste. Fresh tropical fruit salad flavours meet the taste buds and mingle with a lip-smacking acidity to balance the exuberant fruit. This is ready to drink now, but will keep improving for the next few years. In addition, this over-delivers on price, so stock up! Enjoy with chicken salad, or a delicious paté.
021 883 8988; www.neethlingshof.co.za

Flat Roof Manor Pinot Rosé Light 2012
This range of wines takes its name from the unpretentious, quirky cat that remained long after the previous owners had left the property. She enjoys her days, sunning on the parapet of the historic manor house on Uitkyk Wine Estate.  read more

Summer in the Cape brings back the swallows. This term describes the many international visitors who regularly return to the Cape to avoid the wintery forces in their own countries. Our excellent summer weather, with glorious temperatures often softened by the off-shore breezes, makes for a golfing summer paradise.  read more

On the cover of The Greenhouse’s menu is an unattributed quote: “A beautiful plate of food is eaten with the eyes first.” Indeed, the presentation of the food at The Greenhouse is fabulous. It’s a burlesque show with dishes arriving in a dazzling variety of costumes: popping coyly out of ostrich eggs or wrapped in a swathe of carbon dioxide steam. The visual variety references a cross-cultural array of aesthetics – Grand Chef Peter Tempelhoff’s globetrotting gastronomic lifestyle is evident in the plates alone, which range from New York city-slicker-style rectangular glass to Japanese wabi-sabi-style wooden.

Emphasising the visual stimulation are different waiters who bring out our various dishes throughout the evening, giving the effect of an entire host of people taking care of us. A constant in all this fluctuation read more

021’s wine connoisseur, Winifred Bowman chooses her best of the season read more

Take a taste trip through three centuries of Cape Cooking

La Motte’s majestic entrance promises abundance within. Guests are greeted at the end of a rose-
and agapanthus-lined avenue by a striking bronze statue of a woman holding a bowl overflowing
with water – The Wine Bearer by Fish Hoek-based sculptor Toby Megaw. read more

Peugeot 508 2.2 HDI GT AT
I think the problem with French cars is that French people like to be driven, generally. So
when they design a car, they mostly focus on looks, which they get right, and the back seats,
which are also always very comfortable.

Sitting in the driver’s seat is a wonderful place to be, but the seating position is too high. It’s
like you’re sitting on the car, not in it. But it massages your back and warms up on a cold
winter’s morning, so I wasn’t complaining too much. read more

Nut Crusted Springbok Loin

complemented by butternut-potato rösti, broccoli and orange jus
Recipe serves two

Ingredients
2 x 180g Springbok loin
4 Broccoli roses
200ml Orange juice
100ml Jus (save when cooking loin)
100g Butternut (grated)
100g Butternut (cut in cubes)
100g Potato (grated)
2 Eggs
20g Onion (grated)
100ml Cream
60g Mixed nuts
60g Unsalted butter
60g Fresh bread crumbs
4g Parsley (chopped)
2 Egg yolks
2 Rosemary twigs to garnish
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
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God bless the early morning bakers, I think, as I make my way to Kalk Bay’s C’est La Vie Bakery. It is 5am and the yellow light of the bakery reveals Jo Hill preparing her first batch of baguettes for the morning. Bread, which has been central to many cultures for millennia, has often wedged its way into religious symbolism, and that, I suppose, is why I am feeling pious before the sun has even risen. This bakery is one of many behind the revival of an ancient technique, slowly returning it to our modern lives. (Hallelujah!) read more

How did pumpkin soup find its way onto a menu in the restaurant of Cape Town’s six-star hotel? It’s a kind of cheeky imposition. My dining companion, 021s editor Bernard Franz, hates soup from the squash family, and so I was surprised when he ordered the pumpkin soup with vanilla buchu and honey foam (R60). “Just curious,” he said. This Cinderella soup was all dressed up and ready to meet her prince charming. It arrived and sat Aphrodite-like, wafting an enticing, almost unnerving, sensual vanilla and honey aroma that almost interfered with my delight in the oysters (oh yes, delicious, always, and served with chopped onion soaked in a fynbos-infused vinegar – a new way to enjoy oysters).  read more

Our evening at Pure at the Hout Bay Manor Hotel got off to a good start with the warm, welcoming smile of Alexa Huxter, food and beverage manager. We enjoyed cocktails on the terrace, watching the last rays of the summer sun paint the Hout Bay Mountains.

To book, phone 021 790 0116 or visit www.houtbaymanor.co.za. read more

Brett Garner, editor of the Franschhoek-based The Month, reveals his latest culinary favourites for 021.


The latest addition to the food/retail offering is a little shop called Bijoux Chocolates, in the Bijoux centre on the main road, with Franschhoek locals Leon “Bertie” Groenewald and Joshua Juries at the helm.

Bijoux offers a range of sweet delights, made from relatively low-fat, imported Belgian chocolate and, as the fillings tend to be mousses, Joshua is quick to point out that their offering is safe for the “weight-conscious”.  read more

You know you’re living in a topsy-turvy world when, in one day, you find yourself paying the same price for a bowl of lentils in an Indian restaurant in town as you do for a main course of salmon trout prepared by one of South Africa’s top chefs, Roland Gorgosilich, at a restaurant that is considered one of the world’s top 100.

Bosman's Restaurant is situated in a historic manor house dating back to 1707. Without paintings on the wall to detract from the views across the pristine vineyards, good taste is read more

“It’s perfection,” says my companion, glancing at the couple outside nuzzling intimately under the dappled shade of the oak trees.

I agree, then can’t help muse on the way our human quest for perfection has led us to excessive sterility, compelled us to package and parcel nature – when last did you see a lettuce at the supermarket that wasn’t packed in plastic? Nowadays, we buy probiotic pills to replace the micro-organisms scrubbed off our plastic-packaged veggies. What endears me to Eight, before I’ve even lifted the fork to my mouth read more

Vineyards with a view:
1. Ambeloui Lisa 2008 MCC
Get the celebration started by popping the cork off the 2008 Lisa, made in Hout Bay. This Methode Cap Classique is made in the traditional manner, where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle in which it is sold. Produced from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, this bubbly is smooth, fresh and classy. Oozing warm brioche, fragrant apple tart with hints of cinnamon, and a sexy, creamy texture, its fine beads of
bubbles melt into a silky melange of lemon and lime. The long, succulent finish leaves you wanting more! 082 880 1715 read more

The Roundhouse offers breathtaking views, impeccable service and food that dares to remain raw.
It looked as though the cherry-red sun that was dropping over the horizon as we arrived at the Roundhouse had sunk to the bottom of the verjuice cocktails that greeted us. From the moment that a smiling waiter opens the car door to greet you with your first name, until the moment when the same door is closed by him to bid you goodbye, the Roundhouse sets an impeccable standard of service that is attentive yet unobtrusive. read more

Sometimes, if you’re hungry on Long Street, you can sympathise with the Ancient Mariner’s complaint, “water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink” At first glance Long Street seems packed with restaurants, and you could question the need for another. But quantity isn’t quality and on this hip stretch of the city, there’s a dearth of affordable eateries offering elegant dining. No longer. Finally, there’s somewhere fabulous to eat on Long Street - Roberto’s Signature Restaurant. read more

Chef Harald Bresselschmidt is like a fine, carefully matured wine: precious, precise, unpredictable, exciting and most often close to perfection. And so is his food. Aubergine is in the heart of Cape Town’s historic Gardens area in the former home of the first chief justice of the Cape, Sir John Wylde. Refurbishment has artfully melded old and new, turning the original 1830 home into an elegant contemporary venue, inviting guests to enjoy a special meal at every visit.
The menu features innovative, balanced à la carte dishes as well as a five-course dégustation
menu, which includes an amuse-bouche, sorbet between courses, as well as coffee or tea and
friandises. Deciding on what to eat is a real dilemma, because every dish sounds as tempting
as the next, with variety to suit every palate.  read more

When I first heard that I was to drive the new honda hybrid for a week, I wasn’t overly excited. Like most petrol-heads, I want my cars to be loud, fast, and perhaps occasionally spit flames from the exhaust. But I soon realised that if I approached the week with that mindset, I would have a horrible time with the Insight. So I changed gear mentally, and decided to pretend I was a 40-something father of three, who wasn’t interested in doing 300km/h on the way to work, but rather saving fuel, keeping the kids happy and accomplishing those homely tasks like recycling. In this mind frame, the honda immediately made sense.  read more

Dine like a queen, while watching the game of kings. If you are tired of the usual locations, why not try a restaurant with a view across the psychedelic green of Val de Vies polo pitch, surrounded by the majestic Franschhoek and Paarl mountains? I found it difficult to focus on the menu because I kept looking up, just in case Ryk Neethling might saunter past in his swimming trunks. Now that would be a clever marketing trick! Ryk launched the Ryk Neethling Swimming School at the Val de Vie Leisure Centre in November 2009. Recently, in partnership with Val de Vie’s winemaker Harold Versfeld, he created his own blend of wine. Harold jokes with us that they wanted to put a picture of the pair of them on the label and call it Beauty and the Beast, but Harold is being far too self-deprecatory.
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021 test drives the new Opel Astra and asks racing driver Deon Joubert about his favourite stretch of tar.

Deon Joubert’s Dream Road, Dream Car One of only a handful of truly professional South African drivers, Deon Joubert is one of those people with blood in his petrol-stream. An excellent and exciting racer, he has successfully competed in highly modified Trans-Am sports sedans, stock cars in the USA, and Super Touring Cars in South Africa and Italy. As a sought-after stunt driver, you will definitely have seen Deon driving on the screen, as he appears in anything from Hollywood films to the latest adverts. Deon’s an absolute gentleman and happy to talk for hours about anything carrelated.
His favourite road is what he calls The Glen, which you will find on the maps
as Kloof Road. Red Bull used to stage a downhill run here, and it’s easy to see why. Sharp and winding twists, hairpins and fast straights, the road challenges drivers to get the best out of their machines. His dream car for the drive would be a Lamborghini Superleggera, a lightweight, slightly insane version of the Gallardo, which is already not far short of madness. He says that would be a “proper blast”. read more

David West has learned to survive and thrive in South Africa’s notoriously fickle fashion industry. Designing for a commercial powerhouse by day and for his own eponymous label by night, he is firing at full cylinders with a double-barrelled career and a single-focused vision that’s right on the mark.

“Have you seen the movie Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky? Well it’s not about that,” says David West by way of describing his winter 2011 collection. “But the start of the movie shows Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring set to music by Stravinsky for Diaghilev’s Ballet Ruses. In his time the work was so wild, so shocking and so radically new that it exploded all preconceptions of dance, incited a nearriot on opening night and precipitated the birth of modernism. That’s what it’s about,” he says. The idea that something so anachronistic could have been so revolutionary; the idea of a past filtered through the technological lens of the present – these are on-going themes in David’s work. read more

A Grand Entrance

It’s drum rolls for Cape Town’s most chic hang-out of the season. For those of us that lament the lack of beach venues with a definite vibe in Cape Town, here’s the penultimate addition. In fact, in a Marie Antoinette like move, The Grand created its very own beach in order to build a restaurant
on it. Seems absurd given our stretch of coastline, but once you feel the undeniable pleasure of sipping a Ginger Rogers cocktail while the sand tickles your toes, it matters not a jot whether it is
indigenous or imported. The Grand is an adult’s playpen, a place that lets you take in the scene
behind your rose-tinted Oakley shades until your heart is content. After nightfall the manager promises that things get rather raucous: the lip-shaped sofas in the sand invite discreet couplings and the chandelier begs to be swung from. Food seems almost an unnecessary
addition to all the visual and auditory stimulation on offer, but a person needs something to soak up the Chardonnay and Champagne that inevitably flows in such settings. And so platters of
excruciatingly thin-based pizza arrive, draped with seafood. read more

“Ah, good, lousy location,” says my companion, as we approach Il Leone’s terrace, which offers an uninspiring view across the Translux bus depot.

According to his philosophy,worthwhile Italian ristorantes are often found in grungy surroundings, as they rely on good food alone, and not scenic views, to attract customers. He steers me inside, where cool, crisp linen, golden wooden floors, and striking floral and nude art pieces whet the appetite. I order the Penne Muscovite (R65), which comes highly recommended from a friend. It’s described as penne served with a tomato and cream sauce with a hint of vodka and garden peas. My companion opts for Petti di Pollo (R75), chicken breast, choosing to have it served with mustard sauce. read more

021 spent a day sniffing, spitting and chatting with Constantia winemakers to find out what makes wine from the valley so very drinkable When Alan Wickstrom, manager at Klein Constantia, beheads a 1791 Vin de Constance, his process of sniffing and watching the wine is particularly elaborate before he lets the liquid enter his mouth. After swirling it around his tastebuds, the conclusion about this ancient bottle of wine is sharp: “It’s still very drinkable, and has a deep, dark colour, like Coca Cola.” “Wine producers don’t always use many words,” explains Ilze Rens, rival winemaker at Buitenverwachting. “Their job is purely to identify the wine’s
characteristics, and to compensate for its possible faults in the cellar. Poetry is for critics, judges and for some members of the public.”  read more

African food is as diverse as the continent’s history and imagination. In a city often described as “not very African”, Bernard Franz goes on a quest to sample Cape Town’s African flavours.
More than finger food Once you step into Addis in Cape it is difficult to think of food alone. The building with its small staircase cutting a vertical labyrinth through three storeys, bypassing airy rooms and leading to cosy corners, is too unusual simply to sit, order and eat. I recommend you take a tour of the premises first. It is decorated with Ethiopian art by owner Senait Mekonnen herself, and the ceilings boast ceremonial church umbrellas in rainbow colours. A wall is inscribed with letters from a 220-character-strong alphabet. Photographs and traditional paintings depict scenes from the Bible, which according to
Ethiopian tradition, is firmly rooted in the Ethiopian Highlands. read more

I stumbled into Nonna Lina, a piccolino Italian ristorante opposite the Labia, when it first opened six years ago. Since that initial encounter my taste buds have been periodically tormented by the memory of their artichoke salad. I’ve yet to taste a better salad. It’s a complement of colourful, mixed leaves, mange tout, caramelised red onion, topped with thickly grated parmesan and sprinkled with roasted pine nuts.

At its centre, plump artichokes sit in a circle. It’s taken me six years to return to Nonna Lina and test the reliability of the siren song of my senses. Will today’s experience of the artichoke salad ignite the initial euphoria, or will time have conspired with compromise to make the once wonderful mediocre? read more

Have you felt frustrated by the number of restaurants situated in some of Cape Town’s most scenic spots that serve dreadful food? Somehow it feels sacrilegious, as well as unpleasant, to eat soggy toasted sandwiches served by truculent waiters in a pristine setting. The proprietors seem to think that views and scenery suffice. Hence it’s a special treat when both view and food are inspiring. A case in point is Boulders Beach Restaurant in Simon’s Town.

On the day of our visit, with appetites raging and fi ngers freezing after the fi rst swim of the season, the balcony, drenched in afternoon sun, was warm and inviting. An Egyptian goose with her chicks eyed the sunny deck hungrily and a few penguins waddled past insouciantly, adding to the uniqueness of the setting. read more