Flat Iron - Steakhouse

If you live in London and haven't made a trip to Flat Iron in Soho then you are missing out. I work in the West End and whenever anyone asks me where I recommend to eat in the area I always say Flat Iron and I am yet to have any negative feedback.

They serve steak, steak and steak! Literally the only main on the menu is steak. (Vegetarians avoid).

Surprisingly affordable at only £10 a steak and around £2.50 for sides there is no compromise on taste.

The only flaw is you cannot book in advance but arrive and put your name down for a table. But it's worth it plus they give you a complimentary pot of pop corn when you get seated so they make amends.

Mini meat cleaver

Your steak arrives on a wooden chopping board with your own mini meat cleaver (it’s these small details that I always take away with me).

Glorious steak

For dessert they come around with a can of caramel mousse and fill up a glass for you, add a few sprinkles of chunky sea salt and voila ‘Heaven in a glass’ aka Salted Caramel Mousse. It felt so good when it touched my lips, but then I do have a massive weakness for the salty sweet combo and never go to the cinema without pouring a box of smarties or chocolate buttons into my salted popcorn. Pure awesomeness, try it, trust me!

Great little restaurant, great steak, good prices and delicious desserts. I look forward to my return.

England we bring you the real flame grilled burger

Photographer: Richard Langford

It’s quite possible that almost every South African has stumbled into a 24 hour garage at 3am and feasted on one of these gloriously juicy patty buns at some stage in their lives and if they haven’t well, quite honestly, they are either lying or have been living like a hermit in some dorpie (town) somewhere in the middle of the Karoo. Those of us who have uprooted and set up ship in the UK can often be heard among conversation with other SA natives saying things like ‘Jas I’m really craving a King Steer burger bru!’ or for those of us blessed with slightly less saffa accents ‘I’d kill for some Steers chips with 1000 island sauce right now!’. Well we need moan no more for the Mighty Steers has decided to grace London with its very purple presence and where better than Clapham Junction? Clapham gave Durban the Grand and we give Clapham ‘Steers’. 

Photographer: Richard Langford

Since the Brits seem to love our local outlets so much, with Nandos and Spur proving to be very popular, we could no longer deprive them of the mouth-watering, flame grilled, beef burger goodness anymore!

I decided to head down to Clapham (with post grad celebration brother avec hangover in tow) to see if it compared to SA Steers standards, these are my findings:

Not only does it taste just like the home grown stuff the portions are just as big. There is nothing worse than going into Nando’s and placing an order for double the price and you receive half the portion. My brother ordered a King Steer burger meal that gave him jaw cramp when he tried to wrap his gob around it (this is not an exaggeration and a reference can be provided if needed). They do the full works. Remember those soft serve ice creams dipped in the caramel sauce that goes hard? I can confirm they still taste the same as they did when you were a kid.

Photographer: Richard Langford

Photographer: Richard Langford

Conveniently placed across the road from The Slug I am sure many late night boozers will feel right at home when they walk out of the jol (party) and straight into Steers! But it’s not only the jollers (party goers) that are loving the arrival, I met a guy in the queue about 45 years old who didn’t even live in London and had driven for an hour just to pick up his take away Steers on a Sunday afternoon, that’s commitment and a true testament to the loyal Steers lovers.

It’s always risky bringing in something new from another country where it does so well and throwing it amongst the judgement of a new target market but from my conversation with the manageress (and from what I witnessed) most of the patrons were English. Three Brits sitting next to me were overheard saying ‘this is amazing’ between scoffing down flame grilled mouthfuls of meat and burger bun.

Photographer: Richard Langford

So what are the cons? Well the only criticism I have is that there isn’t enough tables but then we are in London and space is hard to come by so we will let that one slip ;)

“Rock and roll is the hamburger that ate the world.”
 - Peter York

Photographer: Richard Langford

Zen Zulu - A little piece of heaven

On my recent and very brief trip back to South Africa I had the privilege of staying at Zen Zulu Lodge in the Zululand Rhino Reserve which is about 3 hours drive from Durban. This is a lovely private game lodge that accommodates eight people and you have exclusive use of the lodge. Upon entering the main lodge you get an immediate understanding for the reasons behind the name. With a combination of Buddha’s and African décor the open plan lodge provides the perfect harmony for a relaxing and event filled stay.

Woolie in the background

Built next to a dam the large wooden deck with rim flow pool allows you to lounge by the pool or put your feet up with a mug of hot choccie and some Ouma’s rusks while Africa’s greatest waddle by for a drink or two. If you are lucky you may even get some more action. I have once witnessed the local dam resident (‘Woolie’ the croc) being chased by a larger croc out of the dam, well that’s what we thought until my latest trip back when I learnt that Woolie is in fact a female and that the larger croc was more likely a rowdy male trying to source a ‘good time’.

Wooden deck overlooking the dam

The rooms are set separately on either side of the lodge allowing for privacy and enhancing the sensation of literally sleeping in the bush. They are quaint little thatch rondavels each with its own private wooden deck. The highlight of the rooms for me is the outdoor bathrooms! Ever had a hot shower outside in the African Winter? What a feeling! Better yet a bubble bath under the clear starlit skies. I don’t know about you but these aspects are my kind of treat. 



Our Rondavel

Outdoor Shower

Outdoor Bath

 

Game drives are done at about 3pm and 6am. Early I know, especially when you have been kept awake the whole night by roaring lions, how inconvenient! Drives are taken by the friendly and characteristic lodge manager Anthony and a very knowledgeable ranger called Steve. Often people can go to the bush and be so focused on seeing the infamous ‘Big Five’ that they forget to appreciate the small things which, more often than not, are more interesting than the larger things are impressive. Steve was great at showing us an appreciation for the trees and what the local tribes use each type for. I can now tell you what to do if you want to be more fertile? Have a bigger winky? Enlarge your breasts? Brush your teeth without a tooth brush? Or make a broom? Although I can’t say I have tried tested them personally.

The lodge is self-catering but there is a big boma next to the lodge that has a fire lit when you return from your afternoon game drive. There is little else that makes me happier than sitting by the fire, drink in hand and some handy male (normally my pops) sizzling up some lovely South African meat!

Ahhhh… I miss it already ;(

Sun rise, overlooking the dam with a family of hippos

The Long Distance Wedding

The problem with living so far from home is that when you want to plan a wedding it's difficult to do everything from so far away. I wasn't planning on making a trip back before the wedding but only when you start planning do you realise that no matter how advanced technology is there is just certain things you can't do over the Internet. Not only that but you also feel slightly removed from the whole occasion if you aren't thrown into the pre-wedding planning saga.  So off I went with wedding planner in hand to my first appointment Bianca Warren Signature Store for brides maids dresses. I later returned for a small shopping spree because her clothes are just so pretty! I will share the dresses on here post-wedding.

Bianca Warren Signature Store

It's a special time and it should be absorbed and enjoyed as much as possible with your family and those involved in the wedding. After realising this I booked a flight home for 6 days and I literally hit the runway at full sprint. I had a full schedule of appointments booked for the week and I managed to get to them all, to my great relief. Amongst trying to do all my wedding things I also needed to renew my drivers license. Any fellow South African can understand when I say this is the most excruciating experience you will ever endure. It was so bad that I am planning on exchanging it for my British license just so I never have to go through that again.  So with my make up trial booked at 8am and my hair trial booked at 2 we had a few hours to head to the license department in between. This process really reveals why South Africa is still very much a developing country. Stuck on a wooden bench wedged between at least 100 other people (me with my bridal make up in tact) for over 2 hours with my mum on one said and a bridesmaid on the other we survived on a few short bread biscuits we had stashed in the car. After the sacrificial two hours it was off to hair...

I think hair has to be one of the things the bride to be probably worries about the most, no one wants to walk out on the day looking like a peacock. So I think when I looked in the mirror with my hair all done and my bridal face on it finally hit home that, not only was I actually getting married, but I was going to do it with amazing hair too :) thank goodness because Mr P's aunt has kindly offered to do the hair as a wedding gift and it would have been one awkward convo if it looked like I'd stuck my hand in an electric socket.

One of the biggest reasons for my trip back was to see the place that I would actually say my 'I do's', Zulu Nyala Game Lodge. Yes ladies I had not even seen my wedding venue with my own eyes before! Having seen it now and fallen in love with the place I don't know how I ever thought I could arrive the day before having not seen it. I can now picture my day more realistically in my head for the next three months instead of filling in the blanks using my imagination.

Zulu Nyala

So as I sit at the hair dressers having some highlights done while I type this I will fly back to London tomorrow night a lot more excited and a lot less worried about the most important day of my life. Poor Mr P will just have to trust my judgement (and the pictures).

It's been very special to spend time with my mum and do what normal mums and daughters living in the same country do when prepping for a wedding.

See you in 3 months Durbs ;)

File Sharing comes to Facebook!

How many times have you been on Facebook chat with someone and wanted to share a file them? Wouldn't it have been easier to just send the file through Facebook rather than ask for their email address or Skype name?

On Wednesday a file sharing app for Facebook will be launched allowing users to share up to one 1GB in size. The app called Pipe will work like drop box and allow users to share files in real time or if the receiver is offline the document will drop into a locker for retrieval later on.

The release could allow for Facebook to become a more business friendly method of sharing information. The application shows how steps are being taken to utilise social media in all aspects of business and not just as a marketing tool. However, with a history of security breaches including a brief period where past private chat messages were posted to peoples timelines, will the application be taken on with hesitation from people and businesses wanting to share more sensitive files?

The company has stated that the files will not be passing through Facebook but rather shared directly from one computer to another and that this should minimise any privacy concerns.

The benefit of using the file sharing app through Facebook is that most people already have a Facebook account and therefore won't have to sign up for a new program. You will be able to select a receiver from a list of all your current friends after you allow the app to access your Facebook profile.

Maybe this feature is long overdue for Facebook but a handy one nevertheless and is sure to help further establish Facebook's position in the hierarchy of social media, as King.

To download this app click here: https://apps.facebook.com/pipeapp

I would love to hear your thoughts on how you find the application?

South Africans networking in London!

Everyone knows that South West London is over-run with Saffas and as a result the names Putneyfontein (Putney) and Saffafields (Southfields) have developed. I've dabbled a bit in East Putney and Southfields, the Grid, myself.

This time my relationship lead me North and I currently reside on a lovely little road called Englands Lane which is nestled at the bottom of Primrose Hill. I love the area it's great and when I first moved I was very excited about this new Saffa-free zone of London. I was going to branch out, meet new people of different nationalities and absorb all that is North London. Whislt I defintely take advantage of living in the North (2 tube stops to central, cute coffee shops, quaint little lanes, the infamous Hampstead Heath and of course the hill itself) I find myself missing hearing that familiar twang from home. South West is abundant with little 'ahhh I miss home' reminicents: milo, Chakalaka, the sweet smell of a braai, knick nacks and boerie. Up North I feel like I am million miles away with no familiaries in sight and even though the District Line makes me rage like an authentic London commuter I do enjoy my visits back South.

My most recent trip back Wimbles took me to a South African Womens Networking event. One great thing about London is that there is so many of these networkng events available and you can go and not know half the people there already.

I was so blown away by the dynamic and successful women that I met there and how motivated I felt when I left. It is not often that you find women going out on a limb, taking some risks and starting out on their own, so to end up in a room with 30 odd women who have done just this and been successful was very liberating.

I now have a contact in social media, a blind company, a nutrionist, a personal trainer, an events and PR agency, a magazine editor, an incredible ukelele player and singer and a seriously valuable travel agent.

What impressed me even more was their willingness to support and help each other. Here we are just a few South African women in a kitchen show room in South London just sticking together, the way we should ;)

It's not what you know, it's who knows you!

My sacred retreat - Olifants River Reserve

'Game rangers get paid in sunsets' Kobie Kruger

As you have probably gathered by now, the African bush is a very special place to me. My dad owned a share in a reserve called Olifants River Private Reserve for a number of years and it broke my heart when he decided to sell it in 2011. Between the roads from Hoedspruit to Durban deteriorating and the subsequent road works to try and fix said deterioration the 9 hour drive was getting longer and more uncomfortable every time.

So he purchased a small four seater Cessna plane and flew himself there. This thing terrified me so fortunately I was only a passenger and victim to my fathers flying abilities once and that was before the giraffee ate a piece of the tail wing off.

Cessna

Some great times were had there from special trips with my family to more crazy trips with friends from University, including going swimming in the pool at 3am with no cameras only to come across a pride of seven lions who subsequently killed an impala about three metres from our car and my mums wild bush pig that frequented the house every night (possibly one of the ugliest animals I have ever seen).

Our house

My best flash backs have to be the early morning drives, parked by a dam with the sun rising and a hot chocolate in one hand, Ouma's rusk in the other - pure delight! Followed closely by the nightime braai's around the fire with the clearest skies you have ever seen and not a peep of sound from civilisation. There is something truly euphoric about sitting out there in your deck chair, in the middle of no where with no fences between you and Africa's greatest predators.

This is the proper way to experience the African bush. Five star camps with all the trimmings are amazing as well as being waited on hand and foot but you never quite get the feeling of complete isolation. We had our own game viewing vehicle that we could take whenever we wanted and so weren't restricted to the 5am and 4pm drives.

Our vehicle

As tranquil as the bush is it's sometimes easy to forget that it's not a zoo and there are wild animals roaming around. Unfortunately, there have been a number of incidents at Olifants that have resulted in death, including a school leaver who got drunk and decided to jump in the river and was never seen again, a worker who got taken whilst building a pulley across the river and another worker who stumbled into a breeding herd of elephants and got trampled to death. Even my dad has come a little too close to 'Happiness' (the rogue elephant) when she snuck up on him and some work colleagues having a sun downer by the river. Lucky for the them a massive baobab tree provided a barrier of protection. This is nature I guess and the bad can never take away our appreciation for the beauty and draw of the animal kingdom.

For every bad story there is fifty good ones and if you could sit down with the head ranger at Olifants, a lovely man called Mario Cesare, he could tell you stories that would leave you wanting to quit your boring day job, pack your bags and head to the African bush.

Like most game reserves in South Africa Olifants has been a victim of poaching and more recently rhino poaching. I remember one day the truck came back with the anti poacking team and they unloaded wire traps and snares for Africa (excuse my pun). Their faces were a picture of anger and disheartedness. These men who have dedicated their lives to preserving South Africas wildlife must find it terribly heart breaking to see their fellow man kind destroying it in such a brutal way. I follow the rhino poaching statistics quite closely and it devastates me how out of control the situation has become and that the fate of the rhino population is so close to extinction. The thought that my children could not get to experience these incredible mammals in the wild is very saddening. If you want to know more about the rhino poaching or see how you can help you can visit The San Wild Rhino Sanctuary.

I am blessed that I have been privaledged enough to be able to grow up with places like Olifants on my back door and when I think about it nothing rings more true than this quote my friend Mike sent me.......

Pictures: Richard Langford

Wedding venue wish list

www.litchiorchard.co.za

We are certainly spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting your ideal wedding venue. There is no shortage of beauty or uniqueness if you are planning on getting married in South Africa. The vast terrain means quite simply, there is something for everyone.

From game reserves, farms, vineyards, beaches, countryside, cities to garden venues, take your pick.

The weakness of the Rand to the Sterling also makes it an affordable option for couples based in the UK. You can have your dream ‘holiday destination wedding’ for a third of the price and the warm weather is guaranteed(avoid Cape Town Winters). The only drawback is that the cost of flights could deter some of your guests from making the trip, but maybe that’s a good thing!

Picking a venue in South Africa is a tough job. It’s almost like being let loose into a Vera Wang wedding dress store room filled with hundreds of beautiful, lovely, heavenly (you get the picture) dresses. How can you possibly pick just one? Well some people might get to pick a second or third time but let’s hope that’s not us!

To simplify the process you need to decide: what type of wedding are you looking for?

Always been a lover of the African bush then maybe a Game Reserve is your preference? Home to the infamous Kruger Park there is an abundance of Game reserves located around major cities such as Johannesburg (Kruger) and Durban (Zululand). Depending on the size of your party this will cull down your list on suitable venues. Most Game Lodges can only cater for small numbers of guests. Zulu Nyala Game Lodge in Zululand caters for larger weddings and all guests can be accommodated in either their Game Lodge or Hertiage Safari Lodge, which are 5 minutes apart. This is the venue for my wedding in October and I can say I was very surprised at how reasonable they are in comparison to other lodges. Leopard Mountain is a lovely little lodge and a great venue for a smaller wedding party. The views from the lodge are spectacular and they have a dry river bed location making for a very special ceremony.

www.zulunyalagamelodge.com

Have a bigger budget? The Singita reserves cater for a more upmarket and luxury venue with lodges in Kruger, Sabi Sands, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. I have myself stayed as a guest in the Sabi Sands reserve and have only amazing things to say about it. The game viewing was one of a kind and the level of service far surpasses any other lodge I have visited. I can imagine that if you had to choose this reserve to exchange your vows it would be a truly special and memorable occasion.

www.singita.com

Is your palette a sucker for a bit of vino? Apart from the Med, South Africa has the oldest wine making industry and the Western Cape offers some magnificant Wineland venues. A friend recently got married at Vrede en Lust in Franschhoek and whilst I was unable to attend the photographs made me double think my choice about getting married on a Game Farm (but only for about 5 seconds). Based at the foot of the Simonsberg mountains, if its a speculator backdrop you are looking for, this is the place to hold your ceremony.  Whilst Cape Town is probably the most attractive area of South Africa, with Table Mountain at its centre, it is also the most demanding on your credit card.

www.vnl.co.za

Due to South Africas agriculture sector a whole lot of awesome Farm venues are available. Being the worlds second largest fruit exporter you can pledge your vows amongst lemons or litchis, if you fancy? Sandveld Country Estate is a citrus farm located in the Sandveld just 2 hours outside of Cape Town. They have a free standing barn suitable for a reception and a few cottages available for guests and there is also a country lodge which I have stayed in and highly recommend. The Litchi Orchard just outside of Durban also provides for a beautiful, rustic location. They have a quaint open plan, wooden chapel giving you a true country bumpkin feel.

www.litchiorchard.co.za

Beach bum? With over 2,798 kms of coastline I am sure you could find a good spot to say 'I do'. The Garden Route offers a number of fabulous beach locations that cater for weddings of all sizes. Villa Castollini in Knysna is perfect for a ceremony on the beach followed by a reception with breath taking views. Get Married Garden Route is a great website for scanning wedding venues on the garden route.

Dreaming of a wedding amongst the spectacular Drakensburg mountains? Champagne Castle could be your answer. A dreamy little chapel nestled between rolling mountains and green hills. Another popular venue is the recently refurbished Netherwood Estate located in the midlands meander town of Nottingham Road.

www.netherwood.co.za

So as you can see it is a no brainer, South Africa is the best place to get married, fitting then that the worlds largest diamond weighing in at 3,106.75 carats was found there (even though it currently sits upon our gracious Queens head)!

The 'African' Engagement

I may not have day dreamed about my engagement ring but I did day dream about how my future lover would pop the question. Luckily for me the reality was better than the day dream. Future fiancés take note.

I am an avid African bush lover and I’m fairly confident I inherited this love from my father who has had shares in a few small private lodges over the years. It has been one of my biggest challenges about living in the UK. Every time I return home I make sure to plan a trip to the bush to satisfy my addiction to the smells, peacefulness and beauty of Africa’s greatest asset.

We planned a trip to South Africa for a friends wedding in December 2012 and we combined this with Christmas and family time. Normally I am quite happy to stay in more rustic places however, it had been a busy and tiresome year so I decided to splash out a bit and we booked at the 5 star Thanda Game Reserve in the luxury tented camp for 3 nights.

Our home for 3 nights

As cliché as it may seem to you all it was the most romantic and perfect setting for what was to come. Besides the game viewing being awesome and the food to die the staff went over and above for us. They snuck into our tent, scattered rose petals and candles everywhere, ran a bubble bath and left a bottle of bubbly for us. When we returned from dinner and I came back to this, Mr P insisted that this was standard as part of their ‘romance package’ which we had booked. I am very gullible so naturally I believed him and didn’t quite ‘get it’ when I turned around to a dashing young lad down on one knee, lit up by flickering candles…. as you can gather I put two and two together and said ‘yes’.

We still had a night left in the bush after this so it gave us time to be alone, let it all sink in and have a relaxing spa day before heading back to a gang of over excited family and friends. The great thing was, as it was Christmas and the wedding was a few days later, most of our family and friends were all in Durban to celebrate with us.

View from our tent

Turns out he had already decided I was going to accept and went ahead and organised an engagement party so we would be able to have it at home. One of my girlfriends booked out an area at a restaurant called Remo's by Mount Edgecombe for a few hours on Boxing Day and a few friends chipped in to pay for a photographer, Kate Van Onselen. What a lovely day! We had pizza and focaccia snacks as well as a bar tab, which both sets of parents very generously picked up.

katevanonselen.com

katevanonselen.com

katevanonselen.com

katevanonselen.com

katevanonselen.com

Quite simply it was the best holiday I have ever had and I cannot wait to return for my wedding in October.

Nothing beats an African bush engagement, except an African bush wedding!

PURL - Speakeasy Cocktail Bar

purl1 n. A drink, of which beer is the principal ingredient, defined about 1815 as hot beer mixed with gin: same as Dogs Nose; in later times, a stimulating mixture of beer, gin, sugar, and ginger. It was, before coffee and tea were used, commonly made to be drunk in the morning, and hence the liquor is called early purl.

Tucked away in the undergrounds of Marylebone, is a cosy little time warp called PURL.

Stepping inside is like stepping back in time to the days of horse and carts and jack the ripper. The ‘Speakeasy’ theme means its discreet location and lack of street presence makes for an authentic experience of old school drinking. A single swing sign sits at street level indicating that a drinking hole lies beneath. 

Based in a cellar there are several original alcoves as well as couch seating and stools at the bar. The 1920’s theme is consistent throughout this cosy venue with victorian decor and antique-style chandeliers.

Every cocktail at PURL tells a story. Set up by the mixologists of Fluid Movement these guys use Liquid nitrogen, helium balloons, scientific tools and other creative aspects to make your drinking experience almost theatrical.

Greeted in true English style with a erlenmeyer flask of water and some cucumber sarnies even the staff are dressed in the wardrobe from the set of Sherlock Holmes.

Cocktail prices range from £9 to £12 and they also stock beers and wine.
Snacks consist of (excluding the standard welcome sandwich) meat & cheese boards as well as good, old, American hot dogs.

I can recommend the Ball point Fizz. It was delicious. It comes with 4 pipets of different flavoured vodka and you add to your own preference. Have a look on their website for their drinks menu, which changes seasonally. 

It’s a great place if you are looking for something a little more intimate and different and it’s perfect for a first date, classy and not crowded. Booking is recommended though as space is limited.

Drink and Enjoy!

Jus

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