rosemary & walnut crepes /  paris x3

egg & avo sandwich / glamcanyon

dinner in brooklyn / style sightings

annabel ly / vanessa jackman

blueberry & lavender rhubarb jam / all the pretty birds

old fashioned pink lemonade / streetstyle aesthetic

bourbon chocolate milkshake / vanessa jackman

the ice creamists / style clicker

potato, celery root & sunchoke cream / vanessa jackman

lumberjack cake / streetpeeper

oh yes, i don’t follow many food blogs myself (just because it would be laughably impossible to browse on top of my already escalating subscriptions to hundreds of fashion, lifestyle and personal blogs) – so if i ever feel like some food inspiration i look to the amazing pinterest boards of su / i’m revolting, catherine / wolfeyebrows and alison / teenangster.

in the meantime if you’re in the fairest town of the cape make your way to clarke’s bar and dining room on 133 bree street (a couple of doors down from birds and diagonally across the road from &union – you can’t miss it). we popped in there the week that they had opened and unfortunately there was no table for us (even though the kind hostess offered to send us a text in case anything opened). i admired the light fittings and was sad that i couldn’t partake in their “yum fries”. i will be dropping in there again soon, hopefully they will have a burger ready for me. HINT HINT guys!

they also have a facebook page if you’re into that. all the nice photos were taken by alexia webster.

gin cocktails & dancing

coffee & mornings in bed

charcuterie & fresh bread

blue skies & cold drinks

apples & pies

image credits from top to bottom: liivia s. ; emily harriet ; kate miss ; jordan smith ; cindy loughridge ; john hanson ; nikole herriott ; jennifer causey ; nina pechkovskaya ; madalene lindqvist ; elina nilsson ; kit

vegetarian mini pizza della sicilia.

chocolate mousse truffle cake.

jalapeno poppers.

no knead baguette stecca.

david eyre’s pancake.

fried egg bánh mì.

tomato salad.

salted caramel sauce.

crostini.

cheese souffle.

rosemary lamb popsicles with mint gremolata.

lentil stuffed samoosas.

baked camembert.

- image courtesy of cowtools

whenever the topic of fondue comes up (especially between jessica and i) we always muse that that our parents probably still have their fondue sets tucked away in a box somewhere. so many people seem to be under the impression that making fondue is a tedious undertaking, but the classic cheese fondue recipe is so simple – there are basically only 5 ingredients: cheese, wine, garlic, cornstarch & seasoning. i think it’s time to dig around in the garage and resurrect those avocado and mustard coloured beauties for some cheesy fun times.

i am also really excited by the thought of a beer fondue. cheese + beer = diana’s weakness.

- dubliner cheese fondue – image courtesy of a spicy perspective

- spring green vintage fondue pot

- ingredients for a porcini cheese fondue, image courtesy of tastefood

- ruffoni copper fondue pot & old dutch copper brass fondue set

- image courtesy of uh … bob

in the meantime my flatmate Jessica, who i have spoken about a number of times on here and who i do the sporadic food series with, picked it up and immersed herself in it. she’s a chef, you see. she appreciates good food, and great events, and people coming together to make food and take beautiful photos of said food and and and… that’s what Diner Journal is! well, that’s a very succint way to put it. basically -

Diner Journal is a quarterly magazine with original art, lit and recipes, published by Brooklyn restaurateur Andrew Tarlow of Diner, Marlow & Sons, and Roman’s and butcher shop Marlow & Daughters. The journal is produced by a group of people from our community of restaurants, and Diner’s bartender Anna Dunn is our editor in chief. Ad-free and three hole-punched since 2006.

issue no.17 is filled with stories, toasts, recipes, art and music that came about from a dinner party inspired by the ancient greek epic the odyssey. i loved this quote from the introduction by anna dunn,

telemachus tells athena, “here in our house you’ll find a royal welcome. have supper first, then tell us what you need.” one of life’s great thrills is to make an unhappy person happy, to care without condition, to satisfy the unsatisfied. it can be a small moment when you understand the opportunity you have to change things for other people. be it by touching their shoulder, offering them food, simply seeing them or, say, offering to take their sword. i get a chill every time i feel someone travel from the darkness to light.

there are many highlights in the journal, not least of which are the recipes, beautiful design and photography – the centrefold spread of the feasting table is enough to make your mouth water. i came away from it feeling completey inspired (and hungry) with the sudden urge to band together a group of friends and have our own feast.

you can purchase past diner journals here, and be sure to visit their website for more info.

currently getting an ip banned message on their website (ugh, south africa!) but also try their blog

please see BKFST for all the image sources

if you like these you will love simply breakfast

all photographs by tomo kohsaka

since i can’t actually go to rose bakery, i might buy their book – the food looks rustic & scrumptious. though i have to admit i’d buy the book based on the cover alone, which is probably not a surprise.