Bizarre, and that’s just Me!

Indulgence Burger

I LOVE October. Possibly because it is the beginning of summer, maybe because it is my birthday month and very possibly because it is the month in which we find the American holiday of Halloween. Being a person who enjoys most things macabre like skulls, skeletons, vampires and the like means that Halloween is very special to my heart. Being the boss of Indulgence Café means I can take Halloween to an entirely new level. For us it isn’t going to be a one night stand, at Indulgence we are going the whole hog and celebrating Halloween alllllllllll month long. October is an action packed month with events from the 7th of October onwards and with no less than 5 Halloween themed events through the month! There is a little something lined up for everyone from books to beer to markets and with any luck Pieter Dirk Uys will be here as well! (He enjoyed it so much the first time he asked to come back! Who can blame him)

September was a quieter month than her relatives July and August and her big brother October will be. In fact September felt similar to waking up in the morning with sleep still in your eyes and not bouncing out of bed because you’re not entirely sure what the weather is like outside. A bit of a slow starter in other words. It is a good month to clean house and to start shaking off the shackles of winter without taking your eyes off the game because, hell, it can still snow after all. That’s September. And along came October who is taking no prisoners this and going full steam ahead! HELLO OCTOBER!

Lionel, The MAN, Bastos

The Lionel Bastos Dinner evening was superb with an awesome crowd of people, magical music with dare I say superb food! It is incredibly difficult to take pictures of Lionel because he doesn’t stand or sit still for a second but what a special man he is. Charming. Good looking. Humble. Just generally a really nice guy, the kind you want to take home to mum. And he can make the most beautiful music, the cherry on top!

A really super evening and so fabulous to see some old friends popping in to Indulgence Café and making a whole bunch of new ones! These musical evenings once a month really are a treat and if you haven’t been to one I really do recommend spending the evening with us sometime. Our September quiz evening was huge, huge fun with a couple of very rowdy teams shaking up the place but that is what it is all about and really great fun, definitely another evening worth spending at Indulgence café! See details below for the October quiz, it promises to be a little different. Did you spend Heritage Day with us? The lamb was deeeeeeeelicious and our rotisserie chickens are just superb and dare I take the liberty of saying, they are flying out the door

Heritage Day with James Hendry and a Lamb on the Spit

One of our delicious Rotisserie Chickens

October events:
7th Open nightly, Monday to Friday with a burger menu
11th live music
12th AuthorTalk with Lee Marcus
16th Horror and Fantasy Book festival #HalloweenEvents
20th Art exhibition by Mandi (scary in its own right but not a Halloween Event
23rd Quiz Dinner, horror themed #HalloweenEvents
25th Craft beer tasting by three skulls beer #HalloweenEvents
26th Twisted Market #HalloweenEvents
27th Pieter Dirk Uys breakfast
31st Halloween Themed burger dinner #HalloweenEvents

From the 7th………. Breaking News
I have already mentioned it before but let me give you a little more detail this time around. From Monday October 7th we will be open in the evenings for our fabulous burgers, sorry not for breakfast. Our extensive burger menu with 100% pure beef burgers, Chicken breast fillets and our home made vegetarian burgers will be available 5 nights a week, Monday to Friday to start with. Our burgers are phenomenal (or so people tell me) so I am looking forward to introducing them to you as well, if you have not as yet tried them. There is a wonderful variety with something for everyone, even those of you that don’t eat meat. We are sticking to a simple menu of burgers but we are also including the wonderful rotisserie chickens that we are cooking daily as a menu option. Bring the family down for a full chicken with chips and salad. As always great food and superb value

11th Live Music
We are hosting another music event with http://www.hitmusic on Friday evening going into dinner time. This isn’t our event so please have a look at their website for details and book your tickets though Jack! He is wonderful to deal with and I have no doubt he will look after you well. Always a good evening with them!

One Voice Live Music Event

12th AuthorTalk with Lee Marcus
In last month’s newsletter I chatted about the Lee Marcus book and the event happening at Indulgence Café on the 12th of October. Lee Marcus is an incredibly fascinating, not so young individual, now in her 90’s, who wrote a book that I read and absolutely loved and I really cannot wait to sit and chat to her about her life and her book. Please join us, 2pm on the 12th of October. It is a Saturday afternoon. The event is no charge, just pay for what you eat or drink (drink lots please) and hear what she has to say!
This is our monthly AuthorTalk, please remember to bring along two books in good condition, that you would like to read, one to donate and one to swap. Please don’t see this as an opportunity to get rid of all the old junk scrap books that are lurking around under the bed. Other people want to read them and we collect these books for Animals in Distress which is an incredibly worthwhile organization.
For more information on the featured book and author please have a look at http://wp.me/pVdYg-f5 Basha, Baby blog post
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/505281102891910/
http://wp.me/pVdYg-f5 Basha, Baby blog post

Basha, Baby by Lee Marcus

16th October, Horror and Fantasy Festival #HalloweenEvents
Horror and Fantasy panel discussion with 3 local scary people, join Joan De La Haye, Monique Cheri Snyman and Dave De Burgh as they chat about the genres of Horror and Fantasy. The perfect event for those of you who, like me, enjoy reading about magic, dragons and the macabre. Event starts at 7pm. R100 gets you in the door and we will feed you one of our fabulous burgers for dinner. Fantasy, horror and reading material will be on sale as well! This promises to be a fun and incredibly entertaining evening!
We are asking you to dress up as well and come in costume to make it alllllllllllllll the more enjoyable. Who knows you may get to drink a liter of blood as a prize for the best dressed amongst you!
Read what Monique-Cherie Snyman had to say in her blog …… http://www.facebook.com/l/zAQEZlsFe/charmingincantations.com/blog/2013/09/upcoming-horror-author-event/

The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/516646521748020/

Horror and Fantasy Festival

20th Art exhibition by Mandi, scary in its own right but not a Halloween Event
This is Me putting myself out there and at your mercy! For those of you who don’t already know this, I paint and I sculpt. My paintings vary in subject matter but for the most part my sculptures are studies of human beings. I, in some crazy moment of non drug induced delusion have decided to put myself out there and show this work to you! I hope that you will like it. The opening on Sunday the 20th is at Indulgence Café. There will be wine, there will be snacks, Keira Witherkay will be strumming some jazz in the background. Hope that you will pop in from 11am to 4pm.
The work will then be on display at Indulgence for another week before being delivered to its new owners. Come say hello and have a look, oh, and bring your credit card along hahahahahah

The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/579449252118848/

Pillars of Creation

23rd Quiz Dinner, horror themed #HalloweenEvents
The monthly quiz dinner is starting to develop a momentum of its own now and is proving to be a whole bunch of fun. The October quiz dinner has a theme as well for a change. We are doing, strangely enough, Halloween and Horror! I know, I know, I know what you are thinking but I am putting my stamp on this quiz and that’s what the quiz is going to be about from sports to music to literature and entertainment! It is going to be fun and bloody terrifying, joke! Book your table today! Teams of 4 or less to qualify for the prize of 50% off the cost of your food. Be brave and come spend a very fun evening with us

Three Skulls Brew Works

25th Craft beer tasting by three skulls beer #HalloweenEvents
BEER! BEER! BEER! Even craft beer is being roped into the Halloween theme for events in October with an evening of craft beer tasting with Three Skulls Beer and Jack Black Beer. Two local micro breweries that are doing fabulously well and building great names for themselves! The evening is R220 per head, includes a burger dinner and about 8 different beers from these two crafters to try. Jonathan of Three Skulls will talk you through each beer. The last craft beer event we had with The League of Beers really was huge fun and this one will undoubtedly be as well! Please book tickets for the event with http://www.hitmusic or email me lollipops@telkomsa.net

The Link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/515092265235077/

26th Twisted Market #HalloweenEvents
Every three months or so we have this very different market at Indulgence Café. It is a somewhat unusual market where one can buy things that are not found at your local Sunday flea market. Things that would make the author of 50 Shades of Grey blush and they are all to be found right here on Saturday 26th of October from 2-5pm. In the late afternoon we will also be having a surprise display between two young ladies so stick around for that ……………….if you dare!
As this is a Halloween themed event we invite you to dress the part so come dressed as a ghoul or a kink and you won’t look out of place amongst people who dress that way most of the time J We regret, no under 18’s are allowed
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/319679911512166/

The Twisted Market

27th Pieter Dirk Uys Breakfast
Pieter Dirk Uys was at Indulgence Café a little earlier this year ostensibly to chat about his new book, Panorama which we didn’t end up chatting about in the end as the printing was delayed. Anyway he is coming back for breakfast on the 27th of October which is a Sunday morning. This man is an entertainer extraordinaire and you really need to see him at least once in your life. Please join us for a light breakfast on Sunday the 27th of October, breakfast available from 9am. Pieter will talk from 10am and you can be on your way to lunch at your Mum-In-Law’s just in time
Book today either with me via email or http://www.hitmusic
Tickets are R120 per head and include a light breakfast. Books will be on sale on the day

The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/1404504183110561/

Pieter Dirk Uys at Indulgence Cafe

31st Halloween Dinner #HalloweenEvents
This is the night that the veil that shields the living from the macabre creatures of the night disappears and they walk amongst us; at Indulgence we call them waiting staff. It is Old Hallows Eve and you are invited to Indulgence’s Halloween Dinner. Dressing up is not optional. Book your table for a great Halloween burger dinner with all the trimmings. This is going t be a very busy night here so if you fancy giving yourself a treat then don’t trickle down to trickle down to Indulgence, run! Pay for what you eat and drink!

The link to the FB: http://www.facebook.com/events/158925560970917/

Thank you for spending this time with me today! I really hope that we will see you at Indulgence for some of our events. As you can see from the pics they are huge fun!
Until next time……..

Love ‘n Lollipops
Mandi Friedman
Lollipops Catering

Images of Indulgence Cafe

three

Sex, Lies and Bloody Good Reads

From one gangster to another……..

Hello, Hello, Hello Puddings!

Officially we are half way through the year, half way through winter and we do live in exciting times. I know that is a Chinese curse but I think it is remarkably true at the moment. The American president has just jetted in and out with his entourage in tow, the country waits with baited breath for daily news on our beloved Madiba, the petrol price goes up and up and UPPPPPPP, sh*t literally is flying around and Glenn Agliotti is quite charming! You really were not expecting that comment were you? (yes, it was a rhetorical question)
June was a really lovely month at Indulgence or my staff probably think so given that I wasn’t here for the first bit but I hit the ground running when I got home and back into the swing of things.
I had the privilege of sitting and chatting to Michael Sears, one half of writing duo Michael Stanley about their new book, Deadly Harvest and Jo-Anne Richards about her new book, The Imagined Child. Both of these authors are great to chat to, knowledgeable, erudite and downright fabulous and so are their books. It was a really lovely evening and we had a very decent turnout which always makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside! I have posted a short video to YouTube of Jo-Anne Richards reading an excerpt from her book, The Imagined Child but for some reason my video of Michael Sears never came out so sadly I was unable to post that to YouTube as well. The link to the video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SccvhG-bn8M

An entertaining evening with Michael Stanley’s Michael Sears and Jo-Anne Richards

The second fabulous book event of June was with two delightful young men who have graced our doors before with their first book on Lolly Jackson, Sean Newman and Peter Piegl. Glenn Agliotti himself was here and gangster though he may be, he was still very charming, very affable and very upfront. Chatting to all three of them as fascinating and I really enjoyed the entire experience. The event was well attended and we wish them the best of luck. With special thanks to Jean Fryer of Penguin books for giving us a couple of giveaway books on the day and Marcia from Skoobs who arrived with a few Skoobs vouchers to give away as well. YUM!
There is no doubting that Glenn Agliotti is a great net-worker, as he describes himself to be. He is very likeable and incredibly charismatic. Regardless of the fact whether one feels that the book is an affront to the average workingman in the street, anyone is entitled to either tell their story of have their story told. Glenn in person tells his story well and I can understand completely how people are drawn to him. Looking at pictures of me standing next to him gazing into his eyes you would think that we were a couple in love (but maybe that’s just the effect I have on men hahahahahah)
It was great to meet Sean’s wife and daughter as well as his mum. Always good to meet THE mum to see where the kids come from! And girls sorry to tell you but the delicious Peter Piegl now has a delightful gorgeous girlfriend so he is off the market. Now I am starting to sound like Gwen Gill lol
These wonderful pictures are care of Jonathan Everitt also known to me as Batman

Glenn Agliotti, Peter Piegl and Sean Newman at Indulgence Cafe

I personally have just read the most delightful book that has yet to see the light of day on South African or other shelves, called Basha, Baby. This book was written by a “little old lady” called Lee Marcus whom I am dying to meet and have a chat with. It is the story of a Jewish family that begins in Denmark and ends in Lover’s Walk in Fordsburg, exactly where the Oriental Plaza stands today and where my daddy was born. It was un-put-down-able which is most unusual for me and I only finished it in the wee hours of the morning! Cover to cover in one day! We definitely need to get Lee into a chair at Indulgence so we can chat with her about this very human story
I promised you the low down on our champagne experience, so this is the link to the blog post. I will write about our food adventure in the next one. The Champagne blog http://wp.me/pVdYg-b5

So what is coming up @ Indulgence Café this month…………..

Margaret’s Daughter

Margaret’s Daughter, Friday, 5th July
Accomplished acoustic duo Margaret’s Daughter takes to the stage at Indulgence Cafe in Northcliff as part of their fascinating monthly soiree line-up for winter, on Friday 6th July at 7:30pm.
At R165 per person, the evening is a dinner and show package, with partings enjoying a delectable buffet dinner while the acoustic duo sweeps them away with Ami’s timeless songs and unique voice, accompanied by her rhythmic acoustic guitar playing in this intimate setting.
Once upon a time, not so long ago, Margaret had a daughter. She called her Adri-Mari, or Ami for short. Fast forward a couple of years and Ami has established herself as one of South Africa’s top singer-songwriters. Together with multi-instrumentalist and indie producer, Etienne Ghyoot, they are the Margaret’s Daughter duo that fans have come to know and love.

http://www.facebook.com/events/513574615363396/

Over the years, Ami and Etienne have paid their dues by performing literally hundreds of shows. They’ve shared the stage with most of South Africa’s top artists, have played most of South Africa’s major festivals and have even performed internationally (Mexico, England, Spain, Mozambique).
Check out Margaret’s Daughter here:
http://www.margaretsdaughter.com/video1.html

Margaret’s Daughter’s appearance at this event is being facilitated by The CoLab Network in association with Hit Music.
PERFORMANCE INFO
Friday 5th July, 7:30pm.
Buffet Dinner available from 6:30pm (included in the ticket price). Performance starts at 7:30pm.
No under 3’s for patron comfort.
Ticket price : R165 including a buffet dinner and performance
Bookings essential : 011 782 5063 or email: lollipops@telkomsa.net

Quiz Dinner 17th July

Quiz Dinner, Wednesday, 17th July
Our monthly quiz dinner will be on Wednesday 17th July. Get your team together and join us for a wonderful evening’s entertainment. The winning table will get 50% off the cost of their food. This is a very fun evening with yours truly, me, as your quiz mistress J The cost per head is R120 and includes a delicious light buffet . Please book your table so I know how many I am catering for
011 782 5063 or lollipops@telkomsa.net

http://www.facebook.com/events/355189061250332/

Pictures from the last market

Twisted Market 20th July
It is time once again for the quarterly Fetish and Kink Market, now known at the Twisted Market! For those who are interested in the slightly different, the slightly unusual, the downright odd this is the place for you to come shopping. Just three little hours from 2-5pm on Saturday 20th July. Come browse, come shop, come visit with a whole bunch of other people. There are books, paddles, carpet beaters, cake, burgers and coffee and some awesome kraft beers to imbibe. If you would like a stall please pop me an email lollipops@telkomsa.net . You may have to dress warm, it is the winter market after all

http://www.facebook.com/events/143666769161002/

The League of Beers

Kraft Beer Tasting in conjunction with the League of Beers, Wednesday, 31st July
The details of this event are not yet quite finalized however there will be delicious kraft beers to taste under the guidance of Rob Heyns of the League of Beers. Rob is specially coming up from Cape Town, dinner will be included and a talk of some shape or variety given. In essence I am pretty sure this event is mostly of interest to men but ladies please prove me wrong and come join the boys as they work their way through some beers! I will send out a follow up email with the actual event details and the cost etc, so watch your inbox! NO FB event for this quite yet!

Celebrate the 4th of July with us, a themed dinner

Thursday Menu for July

4th July USA Independence Dinner
Pumpkin and cumin soup with home baked bread
Southern fried chicken with mashed potatoes and coleslaw salad
Or
Philly cheese steak sandwich with jalapenos and coleslaw salad
Or
Vegetarian hot dog with American mustard and tomato sauce
Key lime pie

11th July
Sundried tomato soup with croutons
Thai green chicken curry with jasmine rice
Or
Spaghetti and meatballs in brinjal and baby marrow sauce
Or
Stuffed baked potatoes with butter beans, spinach and feta
Chocolate brownies and cream

18th July
Thick Vegetable soup with home baked rolls
Chicken quarters roasted in honey and lemon with roast potatoes and vegetables
Or
Mince stuffed peppers with mashed potatoes
Or
Vegetarian stuffed butternuts with mashed potatoes
Individual Chocolate mousse cake

25th July
Thai sweet potato soup
Roast beef, roast potatoes and minted peas
Or
Shrimp and chicken pasta bake with mushrooms
Or
Mushroom and nut vegetarian patties
Apple and cinnamon fritters with cream

The Bloody Book Week

Coming up………..In conjunction with Jenny Crwys-Williams we have the Bloody Book Week starting at the very end of July and going into the first week end in August with some really top South African Authors. We have asked for the two international authors Stuart Mc Bride and Peter James, as well as the cream of the South African crop including Mike Nicol, Julian Rademeyer, Mtutuzeli Nyoka and the 702 reporters Barry Bateman and Alexi Eliseev. Four events and four days of jam packed action! Watch this space for the events updates or check out our FB Page TheIndulgenceCafe or our website http://www.indulgencecafe.co.za

No live music first Friday because of Bloody Book Week but the first Friday in September brings us the one and only Lionel Bastos all the way from Cape Town! Yehaaaaaaaaaaa start spring off with a bounce in your step!

And that my fine feathered ones is all from me this month! Thanks so much for staying tuned to the good ship Lollipop. Stay warm, stay mad and have an absolutely festive time no matter what you do or when!

Love ‘n Lollipops
Mandi

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at Indulgence Cafe

The Lollipop July 2012

Some of the Lollipops Catering staff with Dali Tambo at the People of the South promo shoot 30 June 2012

Greetings and salutations my fellow Americans…………..oops, wrong newsletter!

Howzit Everyone

Is it cold enough for you yet? Just think, the longest night has passed, means summer is on the way back. Okay we still have to get through cold, cold July and windy August but summer is just around the corner and then it is a downhill run to the end of the year (or am I getting a little ahead of myself here)
The June AuthorTalk with Sarah Graham was fabulous and very entertaining, what a lovely book bitten. is. And our Fetish and Kink Market absolutely rocked this month. Around 120 people came through the doors during the 3 hour event which went of fabulously. I had my doubts about the weather because the start of the day was gloomy and very wet but by lunchtime the sky had cleared, the sun was out and the day was magnificent! If you missed it in June then make sure you are here for 27 October! Our bonus AuthorTalk with ex Bok coach Peter De Villiers really was smash hit. Who would have thought that Peter was quite so engaging, quiet so charming and really funny actually. It was a real treat to meet him!
Big, big month happening at Indulgence this July so I am just going to plunge right in (speaking of plunging remember we have some fabulous plunger coffees for you to try out, R28 for a plunger full of robust delicious Colombian, Indian or African coffee!)

The July Calendar first:
5th Dinner at Indulgence (The first with some give away gifts on the night)
12th Dinner at Indulgence
14th AuthorTalk with a French twist
19th Dinner at Indulgence
21st Rocks and minerals talk with Justin Glanvill
26th Dinner at Indulgence

Home comforts and fabulous food

Dinner at Indulgence:

Your favourite coffee shop is opening on Thursday nights for dinner. Dinner is a three course set menu with a set starter and desert and 3 choices for the main course. The cost per head for this first evening is R100 per person. We know it is chilly so we are going to warm that patio up with heaters, a barrel fire and blankets if you need them. Your cars will be safe our car guard will be outside braving the elements. What more could you ask besides fabulous food? If this initiative proves popular then we shall start opening on more and more evenings! So help us make this happen please! As we are not licensed at this point in time please BRING YOUR OWN or BYO 🙂
The Thursday night menu will change from week to week so watch this space for a new weekly email with the menu on. There is a FB event posted if you would like to have a look :
http://www.facebook.com/events/429645730400592/

Booking is essential!
After some in depth thought, a huge challenge, in my case this is how dinner is going to happen………………..just to reiterate ……………
There will be one starter, choice of three mains and one dessert and the cost………….R100 per head! Dinner is from 6pm, no service after 8.30pm………….hope you are all still going to come.
The menu is as follows:
Leek and potato soup
Red Thai chicken curry with jasmine rice/beef and baby onion casserole/Potato and chickpea curry with rice
Dessert is warm chocolate brownie and cream

The latest offering from Amanda Coetzee, her second book Redemption Song

AuthorTalk:
This month’s author is a foreigner, she comes all the way from England via Rustenburg and is coming through specially to chat to us about her book that is only launching in July, so this one really is hot off the press. This is Amanda Coetzee’s second book, her first is called Bad Blood. Her second book, Redemption Song, a crime thriller, is the one she is coming to tell us alllllllllll about. This is a special AuthorTalk for a couple of reasons, one being the book only launches in July, the other being that it is the French holiday Bastille Day. I know that means absolutely nothing to any of us but it is just one more reason to eat fabulous French style food. So the lunch specials for the 14th of July will be the mussels in cream, wine and garlic with home baked brown bread, deep fried Camembert with berry coulis and a toasted bagel, French onion soup with a cheese crouton and a hearty seafood stew!
Redemption Song:
She thought she would stop breathing. Looking back, she wished she had …Dark, enigmatic hero Harry O’Connor, aka Badger, is on long leave from the London Metropolitan Police Force, living once more among the Traveller community he grew up with as he heals physically and mentally from the strains of his last case. When social worker Emily Meadows calls with news of a mother and daughter trapped in the clutches of a brutal Albanian warlord named Jak Kraja, Badger sets off on a mission to free them. When Badger tries to escape with his charges, things start to go horribly wrong. As Kraja’s net tightens, Badger turns to former police colleagues and the mysterious Albanian Traveller community for help. Badger must pit every ounce of his skills, wit and strength against a wily enemy and his henchmen as a thrilling race for survival unfolds.
About the author:
When she isn’t writing crime thrillers, Amanda Coetzee works as a deputy headmistress. She grew up in Bedford, England, and now lives in Rustenburg with her husband and son. Redemption Song is Amanda’s second novel after her acclaimed debut crime thriller Bad Blood.

This is a regular AuthorTalk so pretty please remember to bring along some books, at least one to swap and one to donate. Please bring along books that are actually worth having. By which I mean in good condition and not just good for recycling. It is all well and good to bring along books that you no longer want but they do need to be books that someone else may want to read and it doesn’t help if they are falling apart. (My soap box moment!) The author will start at 2pm promptly.

Justin Glanvill and the late fabulous Finn who Amiga terrorized at Emmarentia Park relentlessly. Poor guy didn’t know what had hit him with this older woman!

Mineral Talk:
On the 21st of July Justin Glanvill, a very well respected local geologist will be coming along to talk to us about rocks! Not the ones in your spouse’s head but those you find lying on the ground, in the ground and cascading down the side of a mountain. Justin is going to talk about the local rocks, minerals and crystals of South Africa. He is bringing along some samples and you are welcome to raise the “fracking” topic with him as well. I have asked him to bring me a handful of diamonds and rubies with a (s)pot of gold but so far my pleas are falling on deaf ears! Please join us for this free talk on Saturday 21st July at 2pm. Bring along a few of your rocks that you would like identified or you find interesting and would like to show the rest of us. Adult show and tell, no take your mind out the gutter now! 2pm and the regular menu is available! That is Justin in the pic with his boy Finn, who sadly is no longer with us. He was huge friends with Amiga and she used to terrorize the poor youngster all the time!

What’s Coming up?
That pretty much wraps up June at Indulgence Cafe but before I go I have to tell you a bit about events in August because before you blink it will be here and I won’t have dangled the carrot yet! I have no doubt that you are in some shape or form aware of who Jenny Crwys-Williams is, what I am not sure about is if you have heard of the events she organizes called The Bloody Book week. What happens is that Jenny brings together a whole bunch of writers both fiction and non-fiction to talk crime writing. Most are local writers and journalists but some hail from over the seas. Well this year, your very own Indulgence Cafe had been chosen to host a couple of the events to in the first week end of August we have Trevor Corbett, Andrew Brown, Michael Connelly and Jeffrey Deaver coming………….you read that right, I promise! So watch this space and keep an eye out for the advertising for The Bloody Book week which is just starting to happen and make sure you have booked your spot for at least one of the two events we are hosting!
Also happening in August is our Rhino talk and that is shaping up very nicely with a couple of guest speakers, some ceramics, some art and very possibly someone from the Lawrence Anthony Foundation to talk about him, his work and his last book, The Last Rhinos. Very exciting stuff happening around here

Feel free to follow us on twitter @indulgence_cafe
or follow Amiga on twitter @amigafriedman

We have a couple of pages on FB that you are really very welcome to go and like. There are always pictures, jokes and interesting tidbits being posted to them
find them at:
facebook.com/theindulgencecafe
facebook.com/lollipopscatering
facebook.com/lollipopscakes

Thanks so much for spending the past 20 minutes with me! Please make sure you introduce yourself because we cannot wait to feed you
Happy week end and stay warm!
Love ‘n Lollipops
Mandi

A few pics from the past month: Fetish Market Pictures are courtesy of Adele Horn Pet Photography

Picture care of Adele Horn of Adele Horn Pet Photography http://www.adelehorn.co.za

Picture care of Adele Horn of Adele Horn Pet Photography http://www.adelehorn.co.za

Picture care of Adele Horn of Adele Horn Pet Photography http://www.adelehorn.co.za

Picture care of Adele Horn of Adele Horn Pet Photography http://www.adelehorn.co.za

Picture care of Adele Horn of Adele Horn Pet Photography http://www.adelehorn.co.za

Hellllooooooooooo Kitty Cupcakes

Mountain climbers do it differently

Ex Springbok coach Peter De Villiers chatted to us about his career and his book, Politically Incorrect

Sarah Graham chatting to us about her blog and her fabulous cookbook, bitten.

Hello All My Sh…

Hello All My Shivering and Cold Friends!

 

We were basking in a glorious late summer most of the way through May when suddenly Jack Frost stamped his foot and said enough of this. So winter has finally descended on us. We are lucky in Johannesburg that even though it is blisteringly cold in the mornings and evenings the sun comes out during the day, the skies are blue and we have the luxury of shedding a few layers of clothing. (Just thinking to myself that that’s all fine and dandy whilst I write this letter but guaranteed the day after I send it gray skies will clog the skies are far as the eye can see. Hope not!)

Remember last month I said you weren’t invited for Mother’s Day as I was going to be cooking prawns for my mum at home, well we did eat fabulous prawns, just not at home. Decided after a really busy week at work to take mum to Tsunami at Rosebank and eat there. It was     delicious. I did, just after we sat down, call the manager to ask him if our waitress was fabulous with a smiling face as I really wanted my mum to have a fabulous Tsunami  Mother’s day experience. Lo and behold when our waitress ventured back to the table a few minutes later she was the proud winner of the Miss Radiance and Smiles completion and the service was 100% perfect!

Amiga met the food critic Spiced Weasel a few weeks ago and she asked if I would show everyone the picture of these two famous personalities together. It is a great pic after all and they are both very good looking.

 Given that it is a little on the chilly side and your blankets, woolens, gloves and heaters are on now, why not consider a little soup! Our freezer is starting to fill up with a variety of soups. In stock at the moment are Oxtail, Leek and Potato, Sundried Tomato and Butternut. In buckets of just over 1 liter they are a fabulous steal at R40 for vegetable based soups and R50 for meat based ones! Also in the freezer are a variety of meals for you to stock up on and take home. Just pop in the oven or the microwave and in a handful of minutes you have a meal fit for the Royal family to eat! Reasonably priced as well.

 

How are you doing? Anything fabulous happening in your life that you think you should be shouting from the roof tops and telling the world about? No? What boring lives you lead! Let me invite you into my parlour and make your life just a little bit more exciting this coming June!

What is happening at Indulgence this month?

 The calendar at a glance:

9^th AuthorTalk with Sarah Graham

14th Pieter De Villiers& Gavin Rich with Politically Incorrect

23^rd Fetish and Kink Flea market

 

In some breaking news, Indulgence will open one evening a week from the beginning of July. To start this experiment off we are going to open Thursday evenings from 18h00 till about 21h00. There will be  simple 3 course menu available, with a choice of 3 starters, 3 mains and three desserts and this menu will change weekly to generate some excitement! There will of course be a choice of a red meat a white meat or fish and a vegetarian dish. We will also suggest to you what wine to drink with each week’s menu, which you are welcome to bring along with you. We are in the process of applying for a liquor license but these things take a longggggggggggggg time.  The cost of the meal is as yet undetermined but will definitely still be less expensive than eating in a fancy restaurant or steak house. The regular menu will not be available at for the moment. We will make the patio toasty warm with the curtains closed, the heaters on, blankets available and car park security! Thursday night cooking will become a thing of the past with our wholesome food available to you in the evenings. What more could you want!

 

 

 

AuthorTalk:

This month’s AuthorTalk on the 9^th of June is a pleasant change. Instead of murder, mayhem, racism, crime and corruption we are having a delightful cookbook for a change! It does look delightful. And of course we are going to be giving one or two away on the day. How can you not want to come and spend the afternoon with us!

Our Author and creator of said gorgeous cookbook is Sarah Graham and the book itself is called “bitten.” …………small b, yes that was not a typo on my part

bitten.

is a fun, funky, relevant recipe book for twenty- and thirty something’s who love life, love food, love their friends, and love to squeeze the last drop from their time and money.

 

It is a collection of simple, down-to-earth and healthy, no-mess-no-fuss recipes that almost anyone can cook. A companion of convenience, the blog-themed writing style ensures that the writer / reader relationship is established right off the bat.

 

bitten. is a quirky cross between a food memoir and a cookbook with un-intimidating recipes.

 

Besides delicious dishes, bitten. features handy hints for the novice and reluctant cook, cooking and baking tips, and kitchen and baking starter kits. Also included is a useful ‘Meals for a Month’ guide that takes the guesswork out of the eternal question ‘What should I cook tonight?’ Each dish in this nifty guide is complemented with a wine suggestion to help round off the perfect meal.

 

Sarah Graham loves food and cooking, and believes anyone can cook delicious food. She attended the Chefs Warehouse and Cookery School and started a food blog in May 2010. With just over 60,000 unique visits since its inception, Sarah has received feedback from the US to Australia. As a popular blogger, she has featured on the Getaway Blog and Food24. Sarah is the marketing manager of African Impact, a successful and award-nominated voluntourism / gap-year travel organisation.

Sarah can also be found on twitter @foodieliveshere

So please come and join us for this fun AuthorTalk. As always bring along your two books, one to swap and one to donate and in February next year we will donate the entire collection to Animals In Distress. Please be seated by 13h30 and the author will begin at 2pm or very close to it! (dress warm we are on the patio!)

SECOND AUTHOR TALK!! Sudden big score for us! We have managed to book the ex Springbok Coach Pieter De Villliers and the writer Gavin Rich to come chat to us about Pieter’s autobiography, Politically Incorrect! Alas the only day I could book this is on Thursday 14th of June at 13h30. So sneak out of work, and come have lunch with us. R85 will get you in the door, includes a meaty lunch (we will have a chicken and vegetarian option as well.) AND we are throwing in a free and gratis beer to top the whole event off! How can you miss out! Please book with me so I know how many to cater for! 011 782 5063

 Fetish & Kink Flea Market:

On the 23^rd of June we will hold out quarterly market that is not for the faint of heart nor for under 18’s! Our Fetish & Kink Market is really growing nicely, we have some fabulous stores stocking some really “fascinating” items as well some of the more regular things like ladies tights! If nothing else you will see things you have never seen before as well as meet a whole bunch of really amazing people with some very interesting stories to tell! You are encouraged to hang around for a while and enjoy coffee and cake with us or order a meal off the menu. There will be a fire burning brightly in the parking lot to keep you warm once the afternoon sets in, the heaters will be on and the market after this one will only be in another 3 months time, so you REALLY don’t want to miss this one!

2-5pm if you are brave enough! I am hoping that the authors of the Lolly Jackson Book will also join us on the day with some copies of their book for sale and also to add a little more colour to our already exciting event!

 

Future News:

Just a quick heads up about events happening over the next few months. A very exciting thing, well for me at least, was an invitation from Jenny Crwys-Williams to take part in the Bloody Book Week Events the runs. I have requested a few really interesting people and a couple of very well known international authors to grace our doors and regale you with their bloody tales!  So that is very, very exciting but only happens at the beginning of August so hold onto your hats for now.  In July we have our annual Christmas in July lunch on about the 29^th. I think for once this doesn’t actually clash with the 702 Walk the Talk so traffic won’t be so hectic and the roads easier to navigate to here!  On the 14^th of July I am going to attempt a “French “ style meal to tie in with Bastille Day, the day that commemorates the storming of the famous prison, the Bastille in Paris during the French Revolution. This meal in conjunction with an AuthorTalk should make for a really fun event! Justin Glanvill is coming in at the end of July to talk South African rocks and minerals, with a bit on fracking and in August we are having a “RHINO” talk with some fabulous rhino ceramics on sale; proceeds of which with go towards saving the rhino. So great happenings are afoot, don’t miss outJ

 

Please feel free to follow us on any of the following sites:

Indulgence Café     http://www.facebook.com/theIndulgencecafe

Lollipops Catering http://www.facebook.com/lollipopscatering

Lollipop’s Cakes http://www.facebook.com/lollipopscakes

Subscribe to the Lollipops and Me blog http://networkedblogs.com/urqWj

Follow us on Twitter @indulgence_cafe

Follow Amiga on Twitter @AmigaFriedman

 

Love ‘n Lollipops

Mandi Friedman

Lollipops Catering

 

“Food, Passion, Life”

 

Tel: 011 782 5063  Fax: 0866 33 9331 Cell: 082 895 3698

Indulgence Coffee Cafe, 1 Mount Dev, 225 Beyers Naude Drive, Northcliff ext 5

Lollipops Catering Africa cc 1998/020733/23

 

June bugs

Good morning  puddings and pies

Happy June bugs to you!

I am sitting here writing this newsletter with what feels like icicles attached to my hands. I am thinking that writers are very dedicated people to write for hours in winter. That just takes huge dedication when it’s cold and I think even more dedication when the weather is fabulous outside and you are inside writing. However I suppose in summer you can move outside to write with an extension cord. I seriously am not going to be doing that for you today. Let me set the scene for you I am sitting at my desk at home with socks, slippers, track suits pants, t-shirt, sweatshirt and a pashmina wrapped around my neck. Add to the mix a brightly coloured hand knitted throw that my mum made for me keeping my lap warm. My hair is standing on end still and my glasses are perched on the end of my red nose. I think frost bite will be setting in shortly. Adele is singing “Someone like you”  gently in the background.  What I think I am trying to say is that this is going to be a very quickly written newsletter just so that I can go back to the snugness of my bed and cuddle up to Madam Amiga with her warm fur and cold nose. She is so much better than an electric blanket or hot water bottle

Indulgence has donned her winter curtains complete with sinkers to hold them down in the wind. The heaters are out and if I can remember I will take the blankies to work tomorrow for you to keep your laps warm. There is loads of hot chocolate in stock with heaps of marshmallows so no excuse to stay away! Thick soups are on offer daily with chunks of our own home baked bread and hot casseroles will be on the specials menu daily for the duration of the cold weather. ! We will keep you warm and well fed, we promise!

So what is happening @ Indulgence this June for you:

Author talks!! Yes talks for more than one, again we have two to offer you! Two of SA’s top female writers will grace our warm patio this month. The first of which is Fiona Snyckers on Saturday, the 11^th of June. And the second is Jo-Anne Richards on the 16^th of June public holiday!  I do have to repeat myself here, sorry in advance. Fiona will start at 15h00 on Saturday 11^th June. Jo-Anne with start @ 13h30 on Thursday June 16^th.  Please as always remember to bring along your two books, one to swap and one to donate. Both of our writers this month are incredibly talented and incredibly deserving of our support so please come along and give them your rapt attention!

Fiona Snyckers:

I asked Fiona for a short bio and she was very obliging

Here is my short bio: “Fiona Snyckers is the author of ‘Trinity Rising’ and ‘Trinity On Air’, published by Jonathan Ball; as well as of the ‘Sisterz’ series of mobile phone novels commissioned by the Shuttleworth Foundation.  She lives in Johannesburg.”

I am attaching pics of both my books because I would like to talk about them as a series.

Jo-Anne Richards:

Jo-Anne was a little more forthcoming with her bio:

Jo-Anne Richards is the author of four novels. Her first was the critically acclaimed bestseller, The Innocence of Roast Chicken,, originally published in London by Headline Review, and rereleased by Rebel-e in 2011.

Innocence was short-listed for the M-Net Book Prize and nominated for the Impac International Dublin Literary Award. It was chosen as a Dillon’s Debut in London, to be showcased as an “outstanding first novel”. When it was first published, it reached number one on the South African bestseller list in the week it appeared and remained there for fifteen weeks.

Her other books are My Brother’s Book, published by Picador Africa in March 2008, Touching the Lighthouse, Headline Review, and Sad at the Edges. Her short stories have been included in six collections.

She teaches creative writing, online and face to face, through www.allaboutwritingcourses.com. She lectures at Wits University in the Honours programme in Journalism & Media Studies.

Also at Indulgence this month is the Fetish Flea Market and kink fair! I know that this is not an event for everyone but it is the only one of its kind in Jozi, it only happens every three  months and there is always something new for you to look at so please pop along and support our stall holders! The market is only open on Saturday afternoon from 2pm to 5pm. Come peruse the stalls, bump into your friends, have some lunch or a slice of one of our very delicious cakes and just hang out. It is good unwholesome funJ Regret no under 18’s allowed. So put June 25^th in your diary and come visit.

Our freezer is currently stocked with all manner of delicious goodies. There is a large variety of soups and frozen meals in different sizes. Right now there are lamb shanks slow roasted, soft and delicious and packed in twos for your convenience. There is also pickled fish, chicken livers peri-peri and duck and cherry pie. Yesterday we put chicken and mushroom pasta bakes in as well!. So there is something for everyone in the freezer. Why cook when Indulgence and Lollipops can do it for you!

And that is me done, taking the ice blocks attached to the ends of my legs back to bed. Have an awesome week!

Remember to keep believing in yourself, love yourself because if you don’t……………….well you are missing out!

Love ‘n Lollipops

Mandi Friedman

Lollipops Catering

“Food, Passion, Life”

Tel: 011 782 5063  Fax: 0866 33 9331 Cell: 082 895 3698

Indulgence Coffee Cafe, 1 Mount Dev, 225 Beyers Naude Drive, Northcliff ext 5

Rock me October

Hello, hello, hello Christmas puddings and mince pies

 Welcome to the beginning of the downhill run to the end of the year! We have just entered the final and most exciting quarter of the year. I say exciting because you can almost smell the ozone and feel the sea breeze on your skin………….those of you that are going to the coast during the holidays that is!  And for those of us that are staying in Jo’burg this December, aren’t you just looking forward to traffic-less streets, no queues and seemingly non-frenetic Christmas period 1600 meters above sea level! (1604 to be exact from Jo’burg post office, thank you Justin for that little piece of trivia!)

Maybe I should stop waffling and get on with the job at hand of telling you what’s on the agenda @ Indulgence this rocking October!

Author talk:

We are departing from the norm this month. Our author is not a crime writer, nor a lifestyle writer or even a romance writer…………..she, yes, she is a she, is a writer of horror stories. The only female writer of this genre in South Africa at the moment if you don’t count the local  newspapers! Joan De La Haye will join us on the 9^th of Rocktober 2010. This is the month of ghouls, goblins and ghosts so a book of horror is perfect timing!  As usual please, please, please be seated by 14h30 for the author to start promptly at 15h00. Please also remember to bring along your two books. This is a charity driven event and the only thing that we actually ask of you is to bring along is two books, you are not even obliged to eat or drink at Indulgence during the talk, so pretty please make a huge effort. We will put the lollipop on top!

About the author:

Joan De La Haye was born in Pretoria on the 17th of January 1977 at 7pm.

The youngest of three children raised by parents in the Diplomatic service, Joan was educated abroad, finally completing her education in Vienna. She speaks three languages and is qualified in clinical hypnotherapy and also has a diploma in Fine Art and Creative Design.

Joan’s first novel, Shadows, is available all over the world in ebook format as well as paperback, in countries as far away as New Zealand and Canada. She is also the only South African author to attend the World Horror Convention which was recently held in Brighton, England, where she was asked to speak on the state of publishing and horror fiction in South Africa.

Joan is currently working on her second novel, a thriller set in Pretoria

Coffee, Cake and Kink!

We are doing it again! The fetish flea market a couple of months ago was such a fun entertaining afternoon that we are doing it again and it promises to be bigger and better than last time! This market also ties in very nicely with the scaryyyyyyyyyyy month! There will be lots of fascinating things to see and lots of shopping to do! So if whips, chains and other odd things are your thing pop along and spend the afternoon with us. The cake fridge will be bulging at the seams and coffee will be on the brew! This event is unfortunately age restricted so no under 18’s please! The market will run from 2-5pm Saturday the 30^th of Rocktober. Be there or be square! As an added bonus you get to kiss me happy birthday hhahahahahaah………..yeah it is that time of year and I am turning 35J Ah ha, believe that if you want to!!

On offer @ Indulgence:

So many of you have asked for classes in different things  so beginning this month we have the following on offer………………

For those interested in playing cards in the morning and afternoons we are starting a card school which Jennifer will run! Come learn to play Kaluki or Portuguese rummy with us.

Or if you are interested in crochet, Ingrid Keizan will teach you that in the afternoons

And last but not least we are going to have arts and crafts classes for adults beginning with mosaic, and moving onto paper mache, scrap booking etc etc etc………….

Fancy any of the above? Please let me know and we can work out when to schedule the classes for. We need a minimum of 3 people to  make any of the above classes happen! Kits will be provided or we will let you know what to bring along to the class. So exciting times @ Indulgence!

In stock @ Indulgence:

We have in stock, in support of Stroke Aid their 2011 diaries, they are R30 each. So if you were planning on picking up a slim line handy handbag size diary this is the one to get. Indulgence makes no profit on this item, so please support Stroke Aid.

We also have in stock the Wine Journal from Nikki Dumas in Cape Town. She very kindly left us a few in Jo’burg for those of you who didn’t manage to get to the Wine and Art Fair last week end. This handy pocket size journal is perfect for recording your wine tasting notes and you can carry it where ever you go! Brilliant! Only R50 each. Nikki is able to emboss, foil and logo them if you fancy using them as corporate gifts and I have no doubt that she will organize you a seriously good price for bulk!

Lollipops Catering

As a final quick note, please bear in mind that the end of the year is rapidly approaching and if you are planning to host an event, Lollipops Catering is here to make your event happen! We will tailor make your menu, sort your hiring, your staffing and your bar for you. As well as ensure that your event runs smoothly! Just because that is what we do! Please book your date early the order book has already begun to fill up! Call me if you need any suggestions! Looking forward to feeding you!

Next two months @ Indulgence:  

A quick peek into next month…………..our Annual Author’s lunch where some of the past years authors will come and eat lunch with us, more exciting classes, pensioner’s Christmas lunch and a surprise outing!!

And that is me done! Have a rocking October! Enjoy this spring heat! Go out into the back garden and do a rain dance, we need one!  Of course if you have nothing better to do, follow me on twitter………..           indulgence_cafe

Love you lots!

Love ‘n Lollipops

Mandi Friedman

Lollipops Catering

“Food, Passion, Life”

Tel: 011 782 5063  Fax: 0866 33 9331 Cell: 082 895 3698

Indulgence Coffee Cafe, 1 Mount Dev, 225 Beyers Naude Drive, Northcliff ext 5