Author Archives: Paul

The irony of drinks at Java Cafe

The irony of drinks at Java Cafe
These drinks, our lunch, and the service at Stellenbosch's Java Cafe was pretty good; but I found it sadly ironic (given their name) that their coffee was extraordinarily pitiful. If you appreciate fine coffee, rather skip their brew and order a beer or anything else instead.

Café Manhattan at the Cape Quarter

Café Manhattan at the Cape Quarter
Café Manhattan in De Waterkant looks less than New York, and more like some place in Texas, don't you think? That notwithstanding, this bar/restaurant is one of the gems in the Green Point. It's not just the food that's good, the vibe, staff and patrons have made this one of our go-to places if we're looking for lunch in Green Point.

The bar area gets a little rowdy in the evenings, so I wouldn't say it's family friendly. If you're looking for a slightly quieter place to hang out with a friend or four, take a seat in their lounge area - it's tucked away, near the kitchen, up a small flight of stairs.

kEda Gomes, aka Reckless-Buddah

kEda Gomes, aka Reckless-Buddah
Isn't that fantastic? This is the work of South African artist kEda Gomes, known on Deviant Art as Reckless Buddah. From her profile on that site you'll see she's open to doing commissioned work - so check out her gallery page and if you like her stuff, keep her in mind for your next project. :)

Mr Cat and the Jackal

Mr Cat and the Jackal
I couldn't get into their music when I watched a few of their music videos on YouTube, but live they were absolutely fantastic. The number of times they switched to different an eccentric musical instruments was phenomenal - the number of times musicians switched instruments between themselves, even including the drummer, was incredible. If you get the opportunity to see Mr Cat and the Jackal live, don't think twice, go. :)

Rooftop Cinema in Green Point

Rooftop Cinema in Green Point
I previously posted about the Silent Cinema that Short & Sweet hosted in Deer Park on Valentine's day. The series of short films was so fun to watch that I went along to their Rooftop Cinema at Batstone Pool on top of De Waterkant's Cape Quarter buildings.

As with the Silent Cinema, the open-air Rooftop Cinema didn't disappoint - it was plenty of fun. The film selection was brilliantly curated, and there was a fair variety of films from producers whom I'd otherwise never have heard of.

I arrived real early (to get a good spot to sit and take photos), so I have to admit that I felt like a bit of a loser sitting there alone for the longest time ever, waiting for the production to start. :) But that said, as the seating started to fill up, and I noticed that the last of the last taking their place standing behind everyone else (who were mostly seated on comfy cushions), I was kinda glad I'd arrived early. (So what I'm trying to say is: "Take a friend and get there early.")

Make a plan to visit the Rooftop Cinema, they'll run until the end of April, or otherwise check out their drive-in in Vredehoek - I imagine they'll be running that throughout winter.

For updates about their Cape Town gigs, like their Short & Sweet Cape Town page on Facebook.

Birds on the horizon

Birds on the horizon
This is one of the things that I love about the end of day on Clifton beach - the birds that flock over the horizon, resting on the large boulders about 150 meters off in the ocean. It creates such a peaceful atmosphere. :)