Carver's Weiss Sunday Lunching

Craft Beer has been around in SA for a few years now and has start to make it's way into the mainstream market. As much as micro brewers hate for this to happen, it's good for business. While the majority of the beer drank in the country is still very much controlled by the major brands, it's good to note that the countries largest brewer, SAB have taken note of the Craft Beer sector and decided to launch a specialty variety to the market, namely Carver's Weiss. 

This past Sunday I was invited to an exclusive launch of the new Carver's Weiss beer, for "an afternoon of Easy" as the email said. The venue, the laid back, open air garden patio of the Market Cafe in Morningside, Durban. The event kicked off with an ice cold bottle Carver's Weiss upon arrival, the venue was decked out by the Carver's Weiss team in the colours and logo's of the beer. The host of the afternoon was none other than SA funny man Dave Livensohn who had the guests in stitches with his witty comments and chirps. 

When looking at the bottle, one of the aspects that grabs your attention first is the label at the back is upside down, reason for this is, they say the best way to enjoy the beer is if you tilt it upside down for a few seconds to allow the sediments to float back up and mix with the rest of the liquid, and hence reading the label would allow sufficient time for this. They had wooden boards for us to tilt the bottles on which were quite cool but took some time to master.

The team flew in a chef to prepare a meals for the guest that best matches the brew and brings out the variants and notes of the beer. It was quite evident from starters to the mains, the many distinct flavours that is present in Carver's Weiss. From citrus, notes to vanilla and caramel, the afternoon of food and beer took ones palate on a journey of taste. 

To complete the afternoon of easy, Carver's team provided entertainment in the form of SA musician extraordinaire, Nhlanhla Majozi who is a real one man band! Playing all his own instruments and treated the crowd to a musical feast of his popular tracks. Also to keep us busy, we had Jenga blocks on each table to see who can survive the longest. 

Carver'sWeiss is smooth drinking beer that is an inbetween-er of a light and heavy brew but one that's an easy drinking one. Perfect for a summer's afternoon. 

Audacia Festival

With the nations support firmly behind the Springboks after their World Cup turn around in form following the shock loss to Japan, it's safe to assume we all have Rugby World Cup fever. With the knock stages just weeks away, wouldn't it be great to celebrate with the Boks by having a festival in place enjoying all the best that SA has to offer? Well the guys at Audica Manor Boutique Hotel thought the same thing and are throwing a two day affair!

Part of the African Pride Hotel group, this unique hotel sits nestled in one of Durban's posh upmarket suburbs, with a view over looking the city, it is the ideal place to host a house party of epic proportions. The Audacia Festival will take place on the 17th and 18th of October, with craft beer and great food on offer as well as screening of the Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals and live entertainment courtesy of Rubber Duc. 

Tickets are now on sale via webtickets for R100, and R120 if you chose to buy them on the day. It's sure to be a cracker and great fun for all. So make sure you book early to avoid disappointment. Uber have also teamed up to bring you a great offer, giving new sign ups using the code "AudaciaManor' up to R150 free on their first ride to ensure you get home safely.

For more information check their twitter and facebook page. 

Twitter: @AudaciaManor

Facebook: Audacia Manor Boutique Hotel

Spiga D'oro Durban North

I'm going to start off by saying that I'm not a food critic but I do like good food and Spiga D'oro, otherwise simply known as Spiga to many of their patrons is sort of an institution of good Italian food in Durban. If you follow me on twitter, you would know this is one of my favourite places to have a meal with friends, in fact we regard ourselves as "Spiga Royalty" since almost everyone that works there knows us (and are probably tired of seeing our faces). The restaurant is synonymous to the Florida Road district and one can say it is a landmark of such for the area, hence when I got an invite to attend a special dinner at the new branch in Durban North, it did feel a bit strange to head out to my favourite Italian eatery but in an opposite direction to the vibrant night life and buzz that goes along with that part of Morningside.

The new branch as stated before is located in Durban North on Mackuertan Avenue, it is also quite a popular spot for the area with many other restaurants and bars located on the strip but unlike Florida Road which tends to attract the, younger crowd, this part of town is a tad bit more laid back and easy with the more middle aged/ family people. The first thing I noticed when I entered the new restaurant was the amount of space there was compared to the original branch, granted on Florida Road they are tight for space, given the design of the structure they're in but with this new establishment, the open design is very welcomed and the the roof with exposed trusses giving the spot a greater volume which adds to the roominess. 

The menu's are more or less the same as the other branch which has everyone's favourites but after chatting to owner Marco Santoniccolo, he explained to us the broader scheme of things. They have installed a wood fire over, in which they intend of doing daily meal specials such as oven cooked meat dishes apart from oven baked pizza's and pasta's. They also plan on catering for every part of the day with proposed coffee bar/ bakery that opens in the early mornings to serve the early risers, coffee and a selection of the favourite breads or pastries. A little later in the day the sandwich bar opens that will serve a wide variety of sandwiches and rolls. At 11am the main restaurant will open for business for sit in dinning, there are a licensed alcohol vendor and have a fully stocked bar which serve Heineken on tap!

The purpose for our invite was to give honest feedback on the premises, during our time there, the one thing that stood out for me was how relaxed the atmosphere was. We're so used to the fast paced and loud hustle that goes along with Florida Road, this dinning experience on the other hand was so peaceful that one didn't have to raise their voice during conversation. But getting back to the important part, the food! We indulged on a full 3 course meal of starter bruschetta, a wonderful seafood marinara pizza and chocolate volcano for dessert. All bearing the same standards that one associates with Spiga D'oro to go along with the same friendly service that we are accustomed to. 

On the whole, the place has potential to make itself a landmark of the area like its sister branch has done in Morningside. It's a different concept but still offers the same great food and service but with a more family orientated atmosphere. I'd like to thank Marco, Sergio, Karla and the team for the invite and wish them everything of the best for the new premises, we'll be sure to frequent this one as well so the new staff can get to know the members of the "Spiga Royalty" ;)