ONE of Pretoria’s best restaurants is Ritrovo and one of its greatest assets is chef patron Fortunato Mazzone.
No one meets Forty as his friends call him and survives untouched - his lager than life form and his even bigger heart will leave a warm and lasting impact.
Until now Capetonians have had to rely on seeing him on TV, at one of the gourmet shows or at Ritrovo.
The Asara Wine Estate in Stellenbosch is now home to a number of new projects, a luxury hotel and fine dining restaurant among then. It is also home to High End, the aptly named “kitchen” store owned jointly by Forty.
Based on the crowds that were there to welcome him on Friday, he obviously knows a lot of the moneyed folk here.
High End is not cheap. Artisan breads sell for R40 and there’s a silver dinner service for a quarter of a million Rand.
That said, there are items that are, at the least, affordable and the store is beautifully laid out like many of the international top end speciality stores.
We managed to buy an ice cream after turning away from the most fabulous KitchenAid section that offers the entire range (in all the colours).
Think of it as shopping at Fortnum and Masons or Williams Sonoma and the prices will be bargain basement.
High End at Asara.
Polkedraai Road (next to Neethlingshof) Stellenbosch.

It may be hard to teach an old dog new tricks but our beloved old girl has yet another new offering - as elegant and appealing as the rest.
Afternoon Tea at the Mount Nelson is now even more fabulous than before.
Those clever marketers who made Origin Coffee famous, have now brewed another success positioning themselves as champions of Africa’s tea growers, as they focus on supplying leaf tea from selected plantations.
For the Mount Nelson Hotel they’ve not only mixed a special rooibos-based brew (complete with Mount Nelson garden roses), but they have designed gorgeous Orient-inspired tags that list the name and natty egg timers for those teas that must be brewed for three minutes and no longer.
What makes the extended tea menu special is that it is possible to enjoy a leaf tea as part of the Afternoon Tea buffet or at any time of the day from the menu. Some of the teas are charged at a premium, but for those wanting an elevated experience I think it quite reasonable. Also, their pastry chef has created treats that include some of the teas to provide a harmonious tea and cake pairing.


Although this column is about life aimed at the rich and famous (or wannabees like I am) the lunch special at Friedman & Cohen department store in the Strand is such amazing good value, and that store is so wonderfully (albeit unintentionally) retro, I want to share it with you.
For R26 you can enjoy a lunch special of three courses and coffee. This is not a cuisine experience but I don’t know where you’ll find a tummy filler like this one for the same price.
We had onion soup, bobotie with yellow rice and pumpkin and blancmange for dessert and, here’s the kicker, there’s a great view of the beach and sea. Friedman & Cohen, Strand.