Anne! / Shimmy Beach!

A couple of weeks ago, as I was prepping for my trip to South Africa, I noticed my friend, the gorgeous AnneGreen, post a picture with the geo-tag "Camps Bay, Western Cape".

Anne I met through KGastler YEARS ago in LA. But I had fallen instantly in love, and I messaged her to see if she would still be in Cape Town when I was arriving. To which she excitedly responded, YESSSSSS she was there indefinitely, modeling and stuff, and I MUST look her up.

Turns out she is living just up the street from where we were staying!

So, after our Epic 4-Hour La Colombe Eatsperience, I went over to check out Anne's pad that she's borrowing from some fancy friend of hers. It is bonkers.

We LOOOOOOVES South Africa!!!!

After polishing off a bottle of SophieWine...

We hopped in a cab to meet up with the crew for sundowners at Shimmy Beach Club...

It was like Vegas meets Miami meets Jersey Shore. A cavernous over-the-top restaurant (Vegas), with a beautiful sandy beachfront dance club with little bungalows (Miami), and a clientele of douche-tastic adulterer meatheads (Jersey Shore).

Fun fun!

We had a delicious dinner...

Complete of course with lots of Asian-posing...

And then we dance dance danced...

Shimmy Beach!

La Colombe: The Greatest Meal of My Life

On Friday, we headed to Constantia (which I believe is the beginning part of the winelands) for lunch at La Colombe.

Known as "The French Laundry of South Africa", it was named the 12th Best Restaurant in the World by San Pellegrino.

We arrived to find ourselves in a beautiful private room. Our table was decorated with beautiful flowers.

Clearly they knew the happy couple was coming and that this was to be a verrrrry special meal.

Even the bread was fantastic.

The service was impeccable. At any one time there would 3 or 4 different waiters attending to us, and yet it wasn't as invasive as a lot of those superfoodie restaurants. (I went to Daniel a few months back and you could barely have a conversation because the waiter would interrupt every 5 minutes to tell you about the next course or describe what wine pairing you were now having etc. SO annoying. #firstclassproblems)

But no, here...everything was PERFECT.

We had an amuse bouche of Ostrich Tartare. It looks like guacomole, and it is...but under that guac was a pile of delicate DELICIOUS raw ostrich.

I'm pretty sure we all let out audible moans upon tasting it.

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Next up was ordering our apps and main courses...

As you will see, or if you do a little calculating, the prices are REALLY cheap considering you're at one of the best restaurants in the world.

The Chalmar Beef Fillet - the BEST beef I've EVER had in my entire life - costs 175 Rand = $19.29 USD at today's currency rate.

Less than $20 for THE BEST BEEF IN THE WORLD.



I'm SO SERIOUS. Book your trip and book your reservation at La Colombe NOW.

DO IT.

I'll wait...

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It was SO GOOD.

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We all started with a Poached Oyster appetizer. It was an oyster poached in cream and champagne. If you are an oyster lover, you will have an orgasm. 

Then there was a Scallop and Duck appetizer.

Matt nearly had a heart attack when he saw the next course...

Quail and Langoustine (which I think is baby lobster) with a Foie Gras Tortellini...

There was Seared Ostrich Tataki. It was heavenly...

Foie Gras with Rhubarb and Lavender...

Lychee and Pina Colada Palate Cleanser...

Green Pea Risotto...

Lamb "La Colombe"...

Did I mention how AMAZING the beef fillet was? It came already looking delicious...and then they poured black peppercorn truffle sauce on it.

I squealed.

And then for desert we had a chocolatey caramel sampler...

And Apple Crisp...

And assortment of caramel bars and meringues and tasty cake-y things...

The meal lasted 4 hours.

And it was SO DELICIOUS and SO FUN.

Literally we were just giggling and squealing in delight and telling hilarious stories. 

Sophie is a GREAT story-teller. Ask her to tell you about Jimmy.

We were literally CRYING.

BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE.

(With a Beast Feast coming in second. Obvi.)

And then driving back to Camps Bay, we encountered the most beautiful scenery along Chapman's Peak Drive.

It was a bright sunny day...but the top of Table Mountain was covered in clouds. Sucky for people trying to hike it I'm sure (sorry Megoon!) but quite breathtaking for all of us all down below.

AFRICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Robben Island / More Sundowners

The next stop on our journey was Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for a majority of his 27 years spent in prison.
TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS. That is almost my entire life.

It is insane to think how relatively recent it all was. Mandela was released in 1990. And apartheid didn't end until 1994. And the fact that he was able to leave prison, rise above everything, and lead the country forward without insane hostility toward all those who had wronged him is astonishing.

To get to Robben Island...we had to take a nausea-inducing boatride far far off the mainland.

We arrived to a fleet of waiting tour buses that would drive us around the island.

We passed a graveyard of the former lepers who used to inhabit the island when it was a leper colony...

We passed a limestone quarry where Mandela and his fellow prisoners were made to perform in hard daily labor...

We passed by little houses and a tiny village that had housed inhabitants of the island, mostly prison guards and stuff I think.

We passed by the fancier house that was used to house VIPs like Hilary Clinton etc. whenever they visited...

The view of CapeTown with Table Mountain towering above it is AMAZING from Robben Island.

Prisoners used to look upon it and it would give them hope...

After driving around the Island...we were taken into the prison itself.

And given walking tours by actual former inmates...

(The inmates were all mostly political prisoners and not violent criminals like rapists and murderers. That would probably be a scarier tour...)

And then we visited Mandela's cell.

I doubt I could have laid down without my head and feet touching both walls...

And he spent almost 20 years here...

Leaving the island, we got to experience what the prisoners experienced. The long walk from the gates of the prison down to the docks...their long walk to freedom.

Robben Island is a definite must-do if ever you go to Cape Town.

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After a little afternoon nappy, we headed over to sundowners at Caroline's friend Becky's place.

Most of the homes and apartments in Cape Town are built onto a slope...so pretty much everyone gets an incredible view of the Atlantic Ocean...

Becky's was no different.

The sunsets here are so jaw-droppingly incredible.

Again we gathered to watch for the "green flash". But alas...we did not see it.

Afterwards, most of the crew went to a Rodriguez (of "Searching for Sugar Man" fame) concert that Caro had scored tickets to.

Becky took me and Matt to Beefcakes, an amazing joint where the burgers (beefcakes) are all served by shirtless hunks (beefcakes).

LOOOOOOOVES South Africa!!!!