The Dissapointing Return to YOLO

I'm not in the habit of posting negative reviews. , I prefer to write about food I like and enjoy. That's the great thing about not getting paid for my writing - I can write what I want. 

Today however I feel I have to moan about something. Not because the eating experience was bad in itself, but because a few days ago I was going on about how great it was, so my credibility is at stake here ;)

Those of you who follow my blog will remember that I visited YOLO Pizzeria recently and couldn't stop singing the praises of their mouthwatering pizzas.  On Friday night we went back to YOLO with friends from Germany who were staying at our AirtBnB cottage, expecting the same great taste experience.

Like the first time we went there the service was so-so. We'd booked a table, and when we arrived and wanted to sit down a half drunk woman was sitting at our table, clearly not having anything from the restaurant. Our table was outside and we had to do the "eviction” ourselves.  I must say that in Yolo's defense they would probably have done it if we asked, but it was an unsavoury start to our evening. 

I ordered the same pizza as before - the Pizza a l'OriTolana Port'Alba  on a sun dried tomato and rosemary crust. Disappointingly It didn't taste the same. The crust tasted like the standard crust. I asked the waitress to change it, but the cook was adamant he'd used the sun dried tomato and rosemary crust. So I ate the pizza very unenthusiastically and disappointed. 

It was still a good Pizza but not the best in town. I missed the flavour dimension that the sun dried tomato and rosemary crust added on my previous visit to YOLO.

Later on I saw the owner, Percy arriving and called him over. He replaced the pizza, and this time it was the real thing! 

I get the impression that Percy is the heart and soul of YOLO pizzeria and if he is not there the quality and service deteriorates and loses its edge.

Will I go again? The answer is definitely yes, the fist experience was so great that I will  give YOLO one more time to impress me. Mistakes happen, but watch out!

We Discover a New Taste

A while ago we had two guests from Germany, Claudia and Jo staying with us in our AirBnB cottage. From the moment they arrived we clicked and in a short time we became friends, hanging out in our kitchen till late at night. 

They introduced us to a taste we’d never thought would work. Ever heard of a gherkin and peanut butter sandwich?

They probably saw my hesitation despite their enthusiasm, so the next day they arrived in our kitchen with the ingredients. I remained sceptical and tried to delay the moment of truth by offering them some tea. But they were determined not to get sidetracked and decided to make the sandwich themselves.

So I had no choice but to try this odd concoction. The different textures of the gherkin and the peanut butter was an unexpected surprise  and was quite palatable. Interestingly enough the gherkin become sweet on the peanut butter, tasting more like the well-known marmalade and peanut butter combination.

Claudia & Jo

Try it next time when you want to taste something a little different on your bread or rice cake!

Whenever we make a gherkin and peanut butter sandwich again, we’ll be thinking of our dear friends in faraway Germany...

My Day at IFEA

I lost this post twice already. So this is my third rewrite. Initially it started with  "today..." then "yesterday... " and finally the present version. Let's hope It doesn't disappear into cyberspace again. I don't think "6 months ago I spend the morning..." will sound quite OK.

Last week I spend the morning at the Sandton Convention Centre exploring the IFEA exhibition, billed as  Africa's International Food and Drink Event.

I went to the exhibition to get some insights into what's new in the food industry. Five things drew my attention. They might be old hat to you, but here they are anyway.

#1 Things that looks like ice cream aren't always ice cream.

Yes, you get cake on a stick. No, not your standard, so-last-season cake pops;  these are cake pops that look like a Magnum ice cream. But when you bite into it, it's cake! Wonderful for cake lovers, but not so wonderful for ice cream lovers.




I overhead the stand lady saying it will be available in one of our large supermarkets soon. Sorry, but in my book 'supermarket cake' don't sound like angels singing in my ears. So I decided I have to try make them myself.... I'll keep you posted.

 #2 There is salt, and then there is salt from the Kalahari.

A week or two ago I was saying to a friend that I don't understand this specialized salt craze. Salt is salt...And anyway is it really ethical to import salt from the Himalayas? What about local is "lekker"! 

I'm not a salt guru. I've never used any other salt than your normal bag of running table salt. 
Oryx dessert salt had a stand at the exhibition. Their salts are harvested at the beautiful, unpolluted Kalahari salt pans.

It might be the fact that I have a soft spot for the Kalahari desert, or the picturesque Gemsbok photo they had on display, but their salt did indeed taste different. It was pure, not as, well, 'salty' as our normal salts and the crystals were brilliant white.

They also have flavoured salts such as a smoked variation that will give a smoky aroma to your meals, and a wine flavoured salt that will go well with red meat. I can imagine where this idea came from - someone sitting at the dinner table spilled some wine, sprinkled salt on the stain and then started tasting the salt sprinkled over the wine stain.  And now there's someone making money out of this idea!

These salts are only available in selected stores and delicatessens, so have a look on their website to find out were you can get it.

#3 Wine ice cream does exist.

I couldn't taste any but made a mental note to try my hand at making it.

My husband Charl, is an ice cream lover and I long found out that home made ice cream is the way to his heart. Close your eyes and try to imagine a red wine ice cream - with a berry note, served with mixed berries and pouring cream - it works, doesn't it?  

#4 There are more craft beers from Italy than I could ever imagine.

I counted 30! One of them is from Venice...didn't know they have enough space for a brewery in Venice let alone spring water. But I love Venice and will not analyse that thought for too long. I made a mental note to have a taste of this beer, called Birra Serenissima when next I'm in Venice.




Craft beers are beers made from small, traditional, independent breweries.  I am so excited that the craft beer fashion has hit South Africa. We can do with good beer made with love and not heaps of sugar.

#5 Event organising and technology has finally met.

I registered online and received a barcode via email. When I got to the exhibition the attendant scanned the barcode and before he put the scanner down my entry card was printed,  Wow, I was impressed,  I  love technology that works!