Catch up

A few things to document here today:

1. Last night I did my first run since the Two Oceans Half on Saturday. I’ve never had someone repeatedly beating my calf muscles with a scaffolding pole, but I would imagine that what I felt going up the hill between 3-4 kilometres last night would be pretty similar. Today should have brought with it a whole world of pain, but, concerningly, I’m actually feeling fine.

2. Had another decent night out last night at Societi Brasserie in Tokai (it’s not in Constantia – despite what they tell you). Company was great, food was really good, but the service was pretty disappointing. Still, their Filet au Poivre is rather spectacular and should form the basis of your main course when you’re there next.

3. Two new tumblrs to look out for: http://textfromdog.tumblr.com – as described here, and http://tweetsfromhelen.tumblr.com/ – for local fun-poking at the embattled leader of our opposition.

4. New music from Mike Skinner on The Beats and it’s gorgeous stuff:

After a few years break from running a record label, during which our previous signings sunk without a trace,  me and Mayhem have finally got round to getting another record together. It’s by a guy from Chepstow called Elro who we first heard rapping on the interwebs. It also features a new project of mine and my friend Rob Harvey called The D.O.T.  We’re really excited about this as its the first single on The Beats for a while and the first proper release for The D.O.T. I hope you like it. It’s out now.

You can see the video here.

I’ll be blogging about PamieJane’s 40th birthday idea later today. In the meantime, it being 40th season, many happy returns to the Ex-Haematologist who was the one responsible for introducing Mrs 6k and I all those years ago, one chilly Friday night in a soulless pub in Oxford and also to Jacob Zuma, who is 70 today. I need to find out what moisturiser he uses…

Bistro vs Brasserie

We had a really good MBCC meal out at Societi Brasserie in Tokai last night, where the Tall Accountant poured himself this particularly spectacular glass of beer.
I would particularly recommend their mackerel pâte with spicy chutney and the wonderfully-cooked filet au poivre.

One question that did arise, however, was around the difference between a Bistro and a Brasserie, given that Societi Brasserie is the new sister restaurant of Societi Bistro in Gardens.It turns out that aside from spelling and Scrabble scores, there are some minor, but important, differences between the two.

According to wikipedia:

A bistro, sometimes spelled bistrot, is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. Home cooking with robust earthy dishes, and slow-cooked foods like cassoulet are typical. [link]

while:

brasserie is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed, upscale setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. The word ‘brasserie’ is also French for “brewery” and, by extension, “the brewing business”. A brasserie can be expected to have professional service, printed menus, and, traditionally, white linen — unlike a bistro which may have none of these. [link]

These definitions don’t quite fit with the similar ambience and menu at the two Cape Town Societi businesses, but with food and service like we got last night, I think we’ll happily let them off.

UPDATE: According to their website , the Brasserie I was at last night is in Constantia, not Tokai. If this is the case, Constantia is MUCH bigger than I thought. And it probably includes a golf course and a prison as well. If you stretch it still further, you might get a beach in as well.