We had a three day business trip and we had to make the most of our time in the mother city. As previously stated, we don't do chain restaurants that often and all that well, only when the kids insist. We love to travel and to explore new restaurants and this time was no different from the rest. Our wanderlust took us to Melkbosstrand, situated 35km north of Cape Town to a beach front restaurant called Die Damhuis Restaurant. 

 

The Damhuis was the first built structure in Melkbosstrand on the farm De Melkbosch and dates back to 1785. It is also one of the oldest buildings in South Africa and the thick walls contain big chunks of whale bone. It was used as a fish shed and was given to Christiaan Brand by Governor van de Graaff as a reward for services rendered. A true national monument. 

The 1000m² restaurant has several venues within that flow into another from the outside terrace and beach area to the fisherman's tent, voorhuijs and stampkroeg. They serve seafood and traditional cuisine that can be enjoyed with good conversation, laughter and views of Table Mountain and Robben Island. 

I would suggest this restaurant to anyone and everybody that visit or reside in Cape Town. The food is mouthwatering and the service is fantastic. Just one thing to mention though - time does stand still when you enter the little gate at the entrance. We spent three hours there without noticing it and we only had lunch. Well done for creating this gem of a restaurant!

Market day

The definition of entrepreneur is a person who sets up a business, taking on financial risks in the hopes of making a profit. Synonyms are tycoon, magnate and I immediately think of Donald Trump, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. They had dreams and goals and they followed through on it. I know it is impossible to even try and compare what they do or have done with a kids market day, but that is where everything starts. When you are small or young and from small beginnings come great things.

It was time for Laerskool Doringkloof Primary's first market day of 2015 and Armani wanted to be part of it. I was excited for the both of us. Time to plan and make lists and create a new Pinterest board. There's so much to do ... I went ahead and created the board and we sat down and pinned everything we liked and that was do-able for a 6 year old. We decided on sweet treats because who doesn't like something sweet. We decided to make lollipops with lips, mustaches and butterflies, marshmallows dipped in chocolate and rice crispie hearts on a stick. Things that were really easy to make and that kids would love.

We planned it out well and were done a couple of days before. I dreaded having to make everything the night before and have little to no sleep. However this was not the case. I went and got enough change the day before and all we had to do now, was wait.

It was the morning of market day. We had set up our table and we called it The Cute Cookie. Quite fitting to the produce we sold and it fits Armani's personality just perfect. The kids gave us compliments about the overall look and our prices. Who knew ... Our prices were R2, R3 and R5 and the treats were a hit. We made our first sale and we were off to a great start. Before we knew it we were sold out on the chocolate dipped marshmallows and with that it was the end of her first market day, the taste of entrepreneurship. We were open for 45 minutes only and in that time Armani made a profit of R90. Not bad considering the time and the amount our treats sold for. She made a profit and she was over the moon and my mother heart was happy. Check!

Eating a burger at Beestekraal Stasie

Yesterday it was time to get out of the house again and enjoy the beautiful landscapes that South Africa has to offer. It was a short road trip to the North West province.

We went to have lunch at Beestekraal stasie situated on the R511 outside Brits. It is an old station converted into a restaurant and shop that sell vintage items and sweets. There are pictures painted on the exterior and if you feel like it you can even write your name on the "we were here" wall. Quite an interesting place. As the sign suggests - not just a shop but a "moerse" experience! Agreed. We both opted for a burger and a lager. I had an hawaiian and Marius had a bacon and cheese. It was a super delicious burger and I was glad I starved myself the morning. Almost too much to eat with a burger, chips and side salad for only R55.

The toilets, well ... they are on the other side of the train tracks. Quite cool. Spoornet still owns the building and does not want to sell! 

After our burgers and a bit of driving around we bought some ice-creams at the tree tops farm stall. It's a small stall that sells "homade" jams and pickles and honey. They spell it homade and not home made. Don't ask me why but funny if you think about it. After our not so homade King Kone ice-creams we searched for a viewpoint where we can enjoy a craft beer, sunshine and silence. And then some... We found the perfect spot. All you could hear were the insects buzzing about. The view of the mountains were spectacular and the feeling of the sun on our skin made us relax even more. South Africa is a beautiful multi-cultural country and it is what you make of it. We love it. We enjoy travelling through it and thus far it has only been good to us! As the lyrics of the famous Toto song goes - may we all bless the rains down in Africa, for it is our home.