#HashtagDBN

Us Durban bloggers were rather spoiled when Michelle found us this rather quirky and amazing venue #Hashtag. I was invited to the launch of Hashtag but due to work commitments I couldn’t attend. BUT I knew I would be there for the #DBNbloggermeet. I kept seeing the tweets about Hashtag and couldn’t wait to visit.

Having spoken to Brendan, one of the owners on the phone prior to the event, my interest in Hashtag was even more heightened.

Brendan told me about the concept of designing your own pizzas and burgers using …wait for it – A Tablet. This instantly appealed to the gadget girl geek within me. So on Saturday morning I found myself outside this gorgeous blue building as we started unpacking and getting ready for our #DBNbloggermeet with Michelle and Nicola.

The staff were amazingly helpful and helped us lift, carry, move and hide the enormous bright orange goodie bags. Hashtag was kind enough to give us the exclusive use of their venue. I loved the quirky signs found in Hashtag especially #SelfieZone.

Check out the pics.

Our kind hosts Nasrin, Brendan and Trushin sponsored all our food, drinks and amazing coffees.

Ronaldo the very talented chef came out and spoke to the ladies about the menu and we all were told to order any pizza we wanted off the menu!!! WOW free choice of the pizzas on menu or design your own. Most events I attend one is just given finger food and not to pick our own choice.

A friend of mine, a vegetarian had visited Hashtag a few weeks ago and raved on about the amazing vegetable pizza he had, and trust me he is a very fussy eater. So I defo knew I was in for a yummy treat. After consulting Nasrin on the popular pizzas Michelle, Nicola and myself opted for the Lamb Mint. I got my cousin Maheshree to get the Chicken and mushroom so we could swap (greedy me). Our divine pizzas created by Ronaldo arrive on these gorgeous boards with the cutest lil blackboard pegs with which pizza it was.

The pizza was a feast for the senses it smelled divine, looked divine and yes you guessed it tasted divine. I am not a pizza fan but loved the thin crust pizza with lots of toppings of lamb , mint and cheese. My senses were in a total tizz and loved every bite of my pizza and Maheshree’s chicken one.

As the day was rather warm the staff kept us all hydrated all the time with glasses of iced cold fizzy drinks. I didn’t stay for dessert which I believe was all sorts of yumminess in the form of chocolate, chilli and bananas.

Will I be returning to Hashtag most definately for my birthday on the 20th to treat my senses to more of Ronaldo’s divine creations including desserts this time.

The atmosphere, vibe and service is great at Hashtag, and I know its going to be a place my friends are sure to enjoy for my birthday.

Michelle and I joked with Nasrin about taking Ronaldo home with us actually Nasrin, Michelle and I were serious 😉

See you guys on the 20th Hashtag and once again a big thank you for playing a huge part in making the #DBNbloggermeet a success.

For more info on Hashtag checkout their site and follow them on Twitter.

Ciao or should I say Bon Appetite xxx

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TASTE OF DURBAN 2013……. TASTED SO GOOD

“The 2013 Pick n Pay Taste of Durban in association with Orbit Sugarfree Chewing Gum was a resounding success, with the number of visitors increasing by 25%, to in excess of 12 000 people over the three day period,” says Taste Festival Director, Justine Drake. “The support of the City of Durban, our various sponsors and the enthusiastic welcome of the public has taken the event to new heights – Thank you Durban!”

The amazing Durban weather definitely was a crowd pleaser. It was a great day out for all with something for all tastes from Sweet to Savoury.One would have never guessed it was winter that weekend except for the Sunday when we experienced Cape Town weather.I spent Saturday afternoon at TOD with my cousins and friends sampling the delicious morsels. The perfect Durban weather meant it was perfect for the yummy Original Iced cocktails on offer in their funky coloured glasses.My highlight was meeting the amazing Jackie Cameron from Hartford House and sampling her Rissotto !

“The calibre of food in Durban is of an enormously high standard. Locals clearly recognise this and turned out to show their support. The chefs and their incredibly busy teams did a great job and deserve to be celebrated.”

The ‘Orbit Best Dish’ award, went to Amaravathi Palki Indian Restaurant (Palki), for their Prawn & Chicken 65 with Palki Chilli Garlic Sauce. This was based on visitor votes collected over the weekend.

“Our media partners, Independent Newspapers and East Coast Radio, really pulled out all the stops for the event – it was a true collaboration and it showed in the increased awareness and feet through the door,” Drake continues.

Each of the nine ‘pop-up’ restaurants that took part was overwhelmed by the number of people who patiently waited to experience the myriad bite-sized dishes that were on offer.

– Kicking off with first-timers Elements Café at The Beverly Hills, who sold over 700 Fishcakes with herb sauce and were overwhelmed by the amount of visitors over the weekend.

– Café 1999’s biggest seller was the Deep-fried Olives (they went through 45 kg of olives and 20 litres of home made mayo), followed by the Triple Chocolate Brownies. Chef Patron, Marcelle Roberts says, “I loved the vibe; it’s great to have an event where all the restaurants in Durban can get together and show the public what we’re made of.”

– Freedom Café sold 1000 portions of Prawn Cakes over the weekend. “It was a fantastic show for my first time out,” enthuses Chef Patron, Lucy Markewicz. “The vibe was phenomenal and I’ll definitely be back next year.”

– Another newcomer to this year’s show, Palki, used 190 kg chicken fillets and 80 kg of prawns in total, for their biggest seller, the award-winning Chicken and Prawn 65 dish and the Butter Chicken Curry. Restaurant owner, Colleen Govender says, “it was an incredible experience. We were so overwhelmed by the numbers that we had to bring in additional help over the weekend.”

– Durbanites clearly enjoy a good piece of meat, with BAR-BA-COA and Butcher Boys going through a total of 1 080 Ribs, 880 Argentinian Burgers and 760 Avo Dijon Fillet Rolls, over the three days.

– Back for a second year, Havana Grill at Suncoast and Little Havana’s Calamari Fritti with Wasabi Aioli, proved a winner with diners –

1 200 portions of the Calamari Fritti (approximately 120kg) were consumed. A total of 2 720 dishes were sold during the festival, including the popular Pulled Beef Sandwich. Executive Chef, Louise Potgieter, noted the ‘overall enthusiasm and energy of the crowd’, as highlights of the festival. “The vibe was amazing!”

In addition to the chefs participating in the show, guest chefs, Xanthos Giannakopoulos from the Durban Country Club, Brendan Newport and Guy Wood from Craft Trattoria, Author Erica Platter and caterer extraordinaire, Jacqui Rey, took part in a packed programme of demos, cook-off’s and master classes in The Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre. The ever popular Pick n Pay Wine and Canapé Experience proved such a hit that sessions were booked out within minutes of the gates opening.

Taste of Durban is gaining momentum and will be back in 2014 at Suncoast. If you did not manage to get to Taste of Durban this year , do yourself a favour and go next year.

WINNERS OF ORIGINAL ICED COCKTAIL GIVEAWAY

Thanks to all those who entered my competition. AND  a massive thank you to Original Iced for providing me with this Cocktail Hamper…….

The winners are :

1) Vis Govender

2) Mother City Mom

3) Nasikab

4) Ms CharlieW

5) MeeA

6) Candice

Please email me your physical address so I can pop your prize in the post next week 🙂

 

1st Giveaway Original Cocktails

A few weeks ago I was approached by Original Iced Cocktails, if I would be interested in hosting a giveaway.
Well….. Considering how much I love cocktails I instantly agreed.

I was really lucky to recipe a hamper for me to giveaway as well as some goodies for me to sample which included a delish box of Strawberry Daiquiri and another of an amazing winter warmth box of Gluhwein. The Gluhwein immediately brought me memories of drinking this during Christmas with friends in London. Gluhwein is made from red wine and spices are added cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves give this lovely drink a comforting aroma when it is served heated.I have made this one on my own ages ago but no longer will I need to do this as this yummy drink is now premade and ready for me to drink 🙂

I love pink drinks so no wonder, I was sent the Strawberry Daiquiri. This delicious cocktail is made from real fruit juice (wondering if this will count for my 5 a day ) . The history of this drink is that it is the name of a beach near Santiago in Cuba, where this drink is said to have originated. A Daiquiri is made from real Strawberry and Lime juice which is then blended with light Rum. While writing this I am starting to get thirsty lol.

I believe cocktails can be drunk all year round:-) I am the kinda girl who loves going for cocktails on a Sunday.

Living in the beautiful city of Durban even winter days are still perfect for drinking cocktails.

So here comes the giveaway 🙂

I have a party pack of Original Iced Cocktails to give to 6 lucky people. Included in the pack ar the following cocktails Margarita, Pina Colada, Mojito, Singapore Sling, Strawberry Daiquiri and a Cosmopolitan. I decided to split the pack so I can spread the love.

So here is how you can enter :

1) Follow me on Twitter @verushka143 and @Original_Iced

2) Subscribe to my blog via email

3)Tweet this I love Cocktails and would love to win with @verushka143 and @Original_Iced

4) Comment on this blog telling me you have done all of the above

Competition closes next Wednesday 5th June 2013 and is only for residents of South Africa

Good Luck

Ps . For more info on this amazing range of cocktails check their website http://www.originalcocktails.co.za

Valentines with Friends….

I feel it in my fingers , I feel it in my toes…..its the month of Love and all i see are hearts, red, pinks, teddy bears….

Every year this day love dawns upon us with the onslaught of the same romantic songs and movies. For all us singletons its a day we tend to dismiss in our calendars.I personally have never had a bf for love day and only seem to meet them later on in the year.

In London a group of my friends decided to celebrate this Love day in style and in keeping with the spirit of this day. We came up with the idea of a Secret Valentine where we each would pick a name from the hat and buy that person a Valentines gift.Our group was made up of guys and girls which was a great mix of all sorts.

Us singletons met for pre dinner cocktails and gift exchanging which was a barrel of laughs . Some of the gifts were very creative, naughty , cheesy and nice.We all were dressed up in our red and black finery that evening and went to our pre booked romantic Valentines dinner with friends . The evening was a great way to spend this day that is much dreaded by many with friends who make you laugh and care for you.

Yes I am a singleton very much like Bridget Jones and yes I am still a soppy romantic waiting for Mr Darcy….. who knows what this Love Day will bring

Girls Day Out

Its always great to have a Girls Day out , day of shopping , lunch , gossip and cocktails.These days out are important food for the soul . Once a ,month generally after payday M and I have a ritual of becoming mallrats for the day.

We tend to vary our times from lunch to breakfast though breakfast cocktails are not always served 🙂 So today we decided on an activity which was a game of Bingo. We all commonly associate Bingo with old people cause watching movies have lead us to believe this myth.But all this has now changed and I actually love Bingo.

We entered into the Bingo Hall which was already full with people waiting for the next game to start. The hall had dimmed lights with music playing softly in the background . This created the feeling of a Casino in Las Vegas. It was fun playing the game and reasonable too. The menu had a great choice and reasonable prices. Its one of them places you can easily get carried away spending money on each game and forget the time. At 2pm we called it quits and headed to the shops.

As always the bookshop beckons me and I simply cannot refuse a book at a bargain price. I love this mall as it has all the shops I need and I know many of staff in different shops. This makes me feel special as a customer.I didnt blow my budget today and only bought 3 books.

M loves going shopping with me as I always tend to find the bargains and good deals.Today however we were controlled in our spending as we are both saving for some awesome adventures to come this year and next.

After we walked from end to end of the mall both floors we decided on a coffee before heading home.I totally loved today. It was great to chilll, chat , shop and have some cocktails.

Its the small things in life that mean alot. We often get so caught up in this race of life that we forget to stop have a laugh and spend the day with someone who makes us laugh.After all the craziness at work the last few weeks it was great to have a day out with M.