April 2010

A Sandwich while Working

30 April 2010

This is what happens when you work adjacent to an open-plan kitchen, and that lunchtime feeling begins to take hold. I baked the sourdough bread earlier today; the figs and goat’s cheese were about to become fridge relics. The first slice was a hasty cheese and ham only, but I found the combination to be [...]

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The Teenaged Bookie

27 April 2010

1984 was the year that I matriculated. It’s also the title of George Orwell’s book that was part of our English curriculum somewhere along the line. And it was the year that the South African runner Zola Budd took part in the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Officially, of course, she represented Great Britain, on the [...]

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In a Virtual World, Humanity is Real

25 April 2010

We have been taught to distrust almost every aspect of online interaction. The majority of the email we receive is spam; unsolicited and potentially costly. Credit card fraud – we are told – is rife. And, don’t even start on chat rooms, which may be virtual but can lead to danger in real life. To [...]

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Vaudeville’s May Menu

24 April 2010

We have an delicious new line-up for the new Vaudeville menu, which runs until the end of May. Based upon the track record to date, the overwhelming favourite is going to be the meat option. We really can’t blame diners for following the herd on this one. Namibian free-range beef is one of the prize [...]

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A Spicy Plate of Chicken Fried Rice

21 April 2010

The popularity of cooking or food shows on television is perhaps one of the modern world’s surprise successes. Granted, there may be a schoolboyish fascination with Nigella Lawson’s cleavage (especially when accompanied by purring commentary about whipping cream to soft peaks). And, one watches Gordon Ramsay knowing that some proper culinary knowledge will be imparted [...]

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A Risky Day at the Races

8 April 2010

If Cape Town couturier Susan Hansen ever gets around to writing her memoirs, she may single out my rushed visit on 25 January 1997 as one of the most unusual of her professional career. In those days the J&B Met was a huge social occasion, but the hospitality side of things still had a lot [...]

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The Ghosts of Meals Past

1 April 2010

I’ve been mulling my Vaudeville kitchen experiences for quite a while, trying to reach a point of semi-objectively drawing some conclusions. During ‘service’, kitchens can be very stressful places. There’s enough on one’s mind getting the food on the menu out, without also having to deal with last-minute likes, dislikes, intolerances or allergies. When there [...]

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