December, You Beauty

Zapiro on his whistle stop visit to Indulgence Cafe in November

My word it is December, almost time to wish this year, 2013, a very big farewell. I don’t know about you but this year has been one of the hardest years that I can remember both in business and personally. One can only say thanks that it is over and look longingly towards 2014 a shining star in the imminent future!
However before all that happens we still have the very pretty month of December to get through. Aren’t all those coloured twinkling lights just magical and Christmas trees with bling. I just love it. Pop into Indulgence and see all the pretty blingy decorations that the shop is adorned with, she is dressed in her Christmas splendor

November wasn’t supposed to be a cuckoo month for events but none the less there were still some really fabulous ones like the Wine and Oyster Festival with Oneiric Wines with some live music by Keira Witherkay, the Auriol Hayes Evening when she doubled up with Keira. Two incredibly talented musicians, wonderful, wonderful evening but tell me, why do people jump up and leave straight after the music instead of sitting down and having a lekker Irish coffee and unwinding? I thought it was a little odd

Keira WItherkay and Auriol Hays

Wonderful evening of wine and oysters with Bruce of Oneiric Wines

And of course there was that fabulous spur of the moment event with Zapiro, like a whirl wind he swept through Indulgence Cafe with his new book, My Big Fat Gupta Wedding. I don’t think that the 50 strong audience held it against him that he was 40 minutes late or that he couldn’t really stay that long with a Sunday Times deadline that needed meeting. As rushed as he was he still managed to chat to us a little and sign a whole stack of books for people! A very talented man that Jonathan Shapiro!

Zapiro at Indulgence Cafe

I had thought we would wind the year down gracefully but you know what I am like, just had to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that and before you know it the month is filled like the Christmas stocking at the end of the bed. Look what we have lined up for you until we close on the 24th……………..

December Calendar:
4th Deep Fried Man live
6th to 7th 30% Off Sale
6th Keira Witherkay live
11th Quiz Dinner
12th Author’s Cocktail evening
13th Twisted Night Market with live music
14th AuthorTalk with Karen Maughan
18th Hamilton Wende Children’s Reading
19th Carols by Candlelight
23rd Pensioner’s Christmas Lunch
24th last day open
6th January 2014 back at work!
15th January Charmaine Pauls , Winemaker with Chilean wines

We have a whole bunch of delicious goodies that we make for the festive season like gammons and turkeys. I actually thought that this year we might stick to roasted turkey rolls instead of whole turkeys, that way at least it is all meat, no bone and very little waste. How does that grab you? No reason you cannot have a little stuffing the side as well (Talking about the turkey here!)
We also do Christmas puddings, mince pies and a diving Black Forest Roll that is just the perfect dessert for Christmas lunch. Pop me an email or give me a call and take the pressure off yourselves this Christmas. Let us cook for you!
We have been asked a couple of times if we would open for lunch on Christmas Day and I have to tell you that I have given the idea some serious consideration but I keep coming back to the fact that this holiday, I think, is about family and being with family, whether you love them or tolerate them and I cannot ask my staff to spend the day with me and you instead of their loved ones. So no, not this year but you never know what’s gonna happen next year…………………….

Deep Fried Man appearing at Indulgence Cafe 4 Dec 2013

Laughter at Indulgence:
He is funny and he is musical. He is the Deep Fried Man or Daniel Friedman, no relation that I am aware of. He is performing for one night only at Indulgence Café and you are invited to join us. The tickets are R100 per person. Dinner is available off the menu and we are fully licensed, tequila is half price between 6pm and 8pm. Come laugh with us!
Booking and pay through http://www.hitmusic.co.za please
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/595056403874080/?ref=5

BIG BIG SALE

We are having a sale, a big, big sale!
It is time to clear out a little stock on our shelves to make way for some new and other exciting things. Everything that is for sale in the shop will be less 30% on the 6th and 7th of December from open until close of business. As an added bonus on the 6th Keira Witherkay will be here with her guitar making some awesome background music as only she can from about 6pm until about 9pm. Good way to ease into the week end and get a little discounted Christmas shopping done and I promise we haven’t marked the prices up 
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/589704404429507/?ref=5&source=1

Quiz Dinner

Quiz Dinner
We are squeezing one more in before we say farewell to 2013, Wednesday 11th December. The quiz dinner evenings are proving to be huge fun and starting to develop a bit of a following with teams coming now on a monthly basis to hash it out against the others and I have to admit they are a fun and eclectic group of people (Not unlike myself of course)
They braved the huge storm in November and waited the rain out before we could even start but it was worth it in the end. I think we are having a Christmas themed evening………….any guesses why!
Teams of four or less at R120 per person, includes a light dinner. We start around 7pm and we finish a couple of hours later. Book your table today and become part of the fun!
011 782 5063 or lollipops@telkomsa.net
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/1380808095492739/?ref=5

2012 Animals in Distress event with David Bullard and Charmaine Pauls Feb 2012

Author’s Cocktail Evening
We at Indulgence Café are incredibly grateful to all the authors who grace our doors during the year, they help to make this café the great place that it is, or that I think it is. We want to thank them and at the same time give you a chance to have a friendly chat with a couple of them. I have invited quite a few of the authors that have been here over the past two years for canapés and cocktails and I am really hoping that you will join us too for a little bit of a mingle. This isn’t an AuthorTalk, you need bring nothing along. It is just a casual evening with some really great writers. I know that Michael Sears, Jassy Mackenzie, Joan De la Haye, Hagen Engler, Anton Harber, amongst others will be here and you can be too, all you need to do is book with me!
R100 per head excluding drinks
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/173868006148791/?ref=5

Twisted Night Market
The Christmas version! Kinky shopping for those that do, and those that would like to but not for everyone! 5pm to 9pm, dinner is a braai at R60 per head, regret no under 18’s
If you would like to take a stall let me know and we will make space for you!
Link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/191726854346462/?ref=5&source=1

Love is War, the Modimole Monster by Karen Maughan

The Modimole Monster Book
Our final book event of the year and we are going large. He is the stuff that nightmares are made of, the bogey man made real, The Modimole Monster, the kind of man we don’t want our daughters to marry. He terrorised Ina Bonnette, he murdered her son in front of her eyes and now she is coming to Indulgence to tell you her story with the journalist who wrote the book, Karen Maughan. Love is War, the Modimole Monster is now available for you to read. Come meet this incredibly brave woman who refused to become a victim.
Please note that this talk will take place in English and in Afrikaans as that is what Ina speaks
Saturday 14th December at 2pm, book your spot today!
BRING me two books along please, one to swap and one to donate, this is the price of entry into this event! It the last month that we can collect books for Animals in Distress for 2013 and I would like to collect as many as possible for them. Let’s finish this year on a high note please people, it is a small price to pay for a good afternoon
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/1445318699028643/?source=1

Arabella, the Moon and the Magic Mongongo Nut by Hamilton Wende at Indulgence 18 Dec

Story Time @ Indulgence
Hamilton Wende has written a delightful book called Arabella, the Moon and the Magic Mongongo Nut and he will be here on the morning of the 18th December to read from it for your kids, so bring the kids, come along, have a cappuccino and spend the morning with us as Hamilton holds your children’s rapt attention with his tale. This book makes for a fabulous festive season present as well and will be available for sale by the author on the morning. There is no charge for this event but please let me know if you would like to come along so I know how many little people and adults to expect. Wednesday 18th Dec at 10am
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/539179946157818/?ref=5

Carols by Candlelight at Indulgence Cafe 19 Dec

Carols by Candlelight
Here is fun for the whole family, an evening to delight old and young, Carols by Candlelight. Feel free to pop down with the kids and spent an evening in “joyous song” with us and our keyboard player. We will have song sheets for you and candles. Food is available off the menu, great milkshakes for the kids and a nice glass of wine if you fancy or my secret Christmas drink concoction. 19th Dec at 7pm, No charge just pay for whatever you eat or drink
The link to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/429941533772951/?ref=5

Pensioner’s Christmas Lunch at Indulgence Cafe 23 Dec

Pensioner’s Christmas Lunch
Last but not least our annual Pensioner’s Christmas lunch will take place on Monday 23rd December at 1pm. Come have a very festive traditional Christmas meal with us. Bring along crackers and inexpensive pressies for your friends and share a little Christmas cheer with us. The cost is R100 per person and booking is essential for catering purposes!

Finally, thank you one and all for sticking with us this year. We have loved feeding you and we look forward to continuing for many years to come
A happy, healthy, fabulous and safe Christmas, and festive season to you all. If you are driving be safe on the roads and come home safe and sound so we can see you next year
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, may the best of 2013 be the worst of 2014

Love ‘n Lollipops
Mandi,
Greta, Gladys, Fortune, Matamela, Liza, Martin, Lydia, Thithi, Elizabeth, Gugue, Patience, Abigail and of course Amiga

15 Minutes of fame for us all………….

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

Burgers, Beers and Bras (not)

Madam and Eve, recommended reading!

Where does the time go I have to wonder. We were all so busy waiting for winter to actually arrive that spring is almost upon us. Whilst I am pretty sure there are one or two more cold spells lurking in the ether waiting for us to take our jumpers off, I do believe the worst (such as it was) is behind us. I hesitate yet though to remove our “windows” as the patio is still wonderfully cozy, snug and warm!
July and August were hectic action packed months at Indulgence Café and for Lollipops Catering. So much amazing stuff was crammed into those two months that it was just splendid.

Getting a little leg over at Indulgence cafe by Jonathan Everitt

I know I go on and on about the Bloody Book Week but it really is the highlight of my year.
The Bloody Book Week review: http://wp.me/pVdYg-dQ
The picture montage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqLzw2QM_7g

Our craft beer tasting event with The League of Beers on the 31st of July, was a great success with Indulgence being fully booked. There were about 13 beers to taste, a little too much I thought but everyone seemed to have a really good time and there were 4 huge black bags of bottles that went for recycling!
We are having another craft beer tasting on the 25th October

Craft Beer Tasting with The League of Beers

Through Indulgence Café and Lollipops Catering I really do get to meet a myriad of wonderful, talented and exciting authors and “celebs”. I have the privilege of interacting with you, the public and connecting with so many people. It is quite incredible to think that some of the babies I saw born when I started my business in 1993 are now 21 year old know it all’s, which makes me verging on ancient I do believe. This past week was no exception with Tony Leon joining us to chat about his latest book, The Accidental Ambassador. Tony is the consummate politician saying plenty without actually saying a whole bunch. Needless to say it was a wonderful experience chatting to him about his time as Ambassador to Argentina and my personal opinion was that he was pretty frank and forthcoming. I read the book and I have to admit that it is well written and incredibly easy to read. If you weren’t here I do believe you missed out.
I hadn’t prior to reading the book realized that he is Jewish and when we were standing around chatting before the talk on Saturday I just happened to mention that there was chopped herring, a traditional Jewish dish, in the fridge! His whole face lit up. We served him a generous helping with bagels to eat it on. He was delighted and so was I, being the good Jewish mama that I am, and loving to feed people. A couple of times during his interview he referred to the fabulous chopped herring so I beamed a little bit more………my job there was done!
To see Tony Leon reading an excerpt from his book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsmJTJ15eXk

Tony Leon…..Talk to the Hand
Pictures courtesy of Jonathan Everitt

By contrast to July and August, September is a little on the quieter side but it does include a whole bunch of Jewish holidays, the Fast of Yom Kippur and the Jewish New Year. Let me take this opportunity then to wish all our Jewish friends, family and clients and very happy Rosh Hashana and well over the Fast. Indulgence Café will be open right through the holidays but I personally will not be here on the 14th of September

Indulgence Café in conjunction with Telkom Mobile now offers Free WiFi to our customers so bring along your laptop and park yourself at a table for an hour while our staff look after your food and drink needs. What could be better than sitting and working or writing that best seller novel in the comfort and happy environs of Indulgence Café! All you have to do is pop them an sms with the word FREE to 32707 and they will respond with a user name and password! Couldn’t be simpler! I think you get 60 minutes free, incredible value at the price 🙂

Breaking News is that from the 7th of October Indulgence Café will be able to offer you our incredible burgers 5 nights a week. In our ongoing endeavors to bring you more and more, better and better, we are making our burgers available to you in the evening! From Monday to Friday evenings our extensive burger menu will be available. If you aren’t already aware of how fabulous our burgers are, just pop down one evening and try them! 250grams of pure beef with a serious range of different toppings available. Vegetarians you will not be left out either and for those who prefer chicken to red meat that option is available as well! Burgers, chips and beers, what more could you ask for 🙂

One of our Incredible Bacon and Avocado Burgers

September 2013
5th Traditional Jewish dinner for the Jewish New year
6th Lionel Bastos live at Indulgence Cafe
18th Quiz dinner
24th Heritage day something is happening, just not sure what yet!

Lionel Bastos
6th September
I have known Lionel Bastos for years and it is only in recent times or at least since we have started to host a live music evening once a month that it occurred to me that I should be asking him to come and play here. Getting him here is a bit of a challenge as he lives in the Cape now but you know me, I tend to rise to the occasion and voila Lionel is coming to Jozi! This wonderful acoustic musician will be joining us on the 6th of September for an evening of wonderful music and delicious food. I hope that you will be joining us as well! Tickets are available through http://www.hitmusic.co.za at R180 a ticket which includes a light buffet dinner. It is going to be an awesome evening and I absolutely cannot wait! Book your ticket today!

Lionel Bastos

Quiz Dinner
18 September
Our August quiz evening was rock star fabulous with a whopping great 9 teams here to pit their skills against the quiz master otherwise known as little old me! Join us next month, it really is great fun and a super way to spend an evening! The cost is R120 per head and that includes the cost of quiz and dinner. Great value, great evening! The next quiz evening is Wednesday, the 18th of September at 7pm. Dinner available from 6pm.

I just love these images that Jonathan Everitt took of Indulgence Cafe when he was here………..

Arty Indulgence Cafe by Jonathan Everitt

Well that is me done for this month, October promises to be an action packed Halloween month so watch this space as always for what’s happening at your favourite little coffee shop!
Have an awesome September, may there be a spring in your step and blossoms without pollen in your eyes.
Love ‘n Lollipops
Mandi

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 Guitarist, The Writer & Food to Delight Her

Always Marry An April Girl
Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true —
I love April, I love you.
Ogden Nash

Hello Friends
Welcome to another the next month in the endless cycle that move us in never ending circles through the changing seasons and heralds the arrival of winter, my favourite season.
Autumn leading headily into winter and in theory giving us time to withdraw into self, rest and reflect, eat delectable hot soups, warm breads and drink hot liquid chocolate from steaming cups. Already the days grow shorter and the mornings the light comes a little later. There is a chill in the air and a slight chill in the wind that is blowing gently through my shop at the moment. Not to mention my swimming pool was covered in yellow leaves this morning from last night’s wind and rain, some of the things about autumn are just not THAT fabulous!
March was an incredible month for us at Lollipops Catering and Indulgence Café. We shared in the joys of 30th’s 50th’s and 80th birthdays, the joys of new life and we paid homage to those that passed away. We ate sushi, played 30 seconds where we discovered that the clues for Mrs Balls Chutney was to grab your scrotum and virtually dump its contents onto the non-existent plate of curry in front of you. Not the greatest clue in the world but worth copious amounts of priceless laughter. Auriol Hays serenaded us into March and the early arrival of Easter shuffled us into April.

Scenes from a 50th birthday at Indulgence

Scenes from a 50th

Scenes from an 80th, my Mum’s in fact!

We went out for sushi on Sunday night and I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that our sushi is among the best in Jozi. The sushi we ate out didn’t even rank as far as I was concerned, was very unimpressed! Not to mention that this same restaurant charges R130 for a bottle of Fairview La Capra Merlot, which we use as house wine at R80 a bottle! Never let it be said that you don’t get value for money at Indulgence Cafe or that I’m biased in any shape or form!
All in all a great month for us but not I think, as a whole, for South Africa where our soldiers died defending foreign soil, where we celebrated Human Rights Day but a small criminal percentage of our citizens fail to respect the rights of others, raping and murdering with gay abandon and where the police will drag you, cuffed, behind a police vehicle for parking on the wrong side of the road. Maybe the onset of winter will give everyone pause to re-evaluate and question the way we do things and merely accept things in this country of ours, Cry the Beloved Country!
If there is to be a viable country in the future of SA something needs to happen now or soon this country will become ungovernable and most inhospitable

A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us collect eggs for needy and impoverished kids! We collected, with the help of you guys, News Café Woodmead, Café 1145 in Blairgowerie, Odd Cafe in Greenside, the Fourways Farmers Market and you, the people who read these monthly and weekly missives in excess of 1000 eggs. Photos are coming in slowly but in the meantime I have these to share with you! Thank you so much for contributing eggs and for taking the time to go buy some and drop them off. I am super impressed. (Is this a good time to start asking for blankets and clothing for winter for the needy?) I would also like to say that you to Maggie Tshule and Dee Mullan for handling the distribution of the eggs for us.

These are some of the pics of the kids we donated eggs at Emthonjeni Community Center, Zandspruit and The Coalition of Angilcan Children’s Homes

Pictures from the Easter Egg Drive 2013

On to happier things and what we have lined up in April for your entertainment………………..
The month at a glance…………..
1st Easter Monday, and we are open, this is not a joke!
3rd Wednesday Quiz dinner
4th Thursday R100 dinner
5th Friday Pot luck dinner : Keira Witherkay jazz guitar evening
10th Wednesday AuthorTalk with Gareth Crocker, Penguin
11th Thursday R100 dinner
12th Friday Pot luck dinner
17th Wednesday Games evening
18th Thursday R100 dinner
19th Friday Pot luck dinner
24th Wednesday sushi evening
25th Thursday R100 dinner
26th Friday pot luck dinner
27th Public holiday Freedom Day……………..we are OPEN
30th Tuesday evening before the public holiday
1st of May Wednesday Quiz Dinner

Wednesdays:
Our Wednesdays are I know, a little confusing, as they change from week to week but there is a rhythm going now with quiz first, followed by social and games and ending the month with sushi. This month though I am making one small change as we are slotting in an Author Talk smack bang in the middle of the month on a Wednesday evening. I thought it would make a nice change from the normal Saturday afternoons.

it is quiz time again!

Quiz Dinner
Wednesday 3rd April THIS WEDNESDAY!!!
Starting and ending April we have our monthly quiz dinner, this is proving to be a fun filled evening with good laughs! Dinner is a light self service buffet that stays out the entire time so you can help yourselves. The quiz is 9 rounds of 10 questions in which time you get to find out how much you don’t know about things you thought you knew a whole bunch about. I am hoping that once we have had this going for a number of months we can start a quiz league and the regular teams can compete for great prizes but that is further down the road. In the meantime the evening costs R120 per head. The wining team will have half the cost of their meal, drinks excluded, deducted from their bill. Only teams of 4 or smaller are eligible to win the prize so sorry if you are 5 or more.

The Link to the FB event:

http://www.facebook.com/events/501585963239659/

AuthorTalk
Wednesday 10th April
In a slight departure from our regular Saturday afternoon AuthorTalks, Gareth Crocker will be joining us on Wednesday 10th April to chat about his new book, Never Let Go. Gareth has a couple of books under his belt already, one of which is being made into a major motion picture called Finding Jack. Come have a light buffet dinner and meet Gareth, see what he has to say and his books will be on sale if you would like to purchase one and have it signed by him! I am about a third of the way through my copy and absolutely enjoying the book, it is an easy read with a very believable plot and characters.
This is an AuthorTalk so please remember to bring along your two books, one to swap and one to donate. We donated a huge amount of books to Animals In Distress in February and I am looking forward to going even bigger during this year!

Link to the FB event:

http://www.facebook.com/events/542221229131957/

From the publishers:
In April, we are releasing Never Let Go by Gareth Crocker. It’s a departure from his previous two novels, Finding Jack and Journey from Darkness, and is a suspenseful psychological thriller. There is some continuity however as, like his previous books, this is a story that will move you.

Never Let Go is a story of a parent’s worst nightmare, the loss of a child and the possibility of getting them back.
As he presses a revolver to his head, Reece Cole sees his little daughter’s handprints on the windowpane. One last, painful reminder of her all too short life. But then he notices something about the handprints that defies belief. Something that verges on the impossible.

He spends the next few days frantically trying to make sense of what is happening. Then a stranger stops at his gate with a small grey envelope. Inside is a single white card, inscribed with six breathtaking words: “I can bring your daughter back.”

About the author

Gareth Crocker’s debut novel, Finding Jack (2011), was published in New York to international acclaim. It was translated into several languages and featured in eight volumes of the Reader’s Digest Select Editions. In 2012 Penguin Books published his adventure novel, Journey from Darkness.

Gareth lives in Johannesburg with his wife and two young daughters. He writes only at night, unless Manchester United is playing.

Visit Gareth’s website at http://www.garethcrocker.com or follow him on Twitter @garethcrocker.

Our Handsome and charismatic author Gareth Crocker

You magazine article

Games Social Evening
Wednesday 17th April
This evening is shaping up slowly, but it is taking time. Bring some games, bring your family and your single friends and spend an evening with us having fun, playing games and enjoying a delicious meal. Dinner is a light buffet and is available the whole evening for you to pick at.
Always fun, always entertaining, join us!

Sushi Evening
Wednesday 24th April
I have to say that our sushi is amongst the best that I have tasted in Jozi. We do limit you to salmon only but there is enough varieties of sushi and sashimi to keep everyone happy. We have ironed out the delivery delays in getting the sushi out the kitchen faster so join us towards the end of April for a really fishy evening. As always vegetarians are taken care of and there is always a chicken or other dish for those who want to come along but don’t want sushi. The menu is ala carte so eat to your own budget. For bookings 0117825063

Our Fabulous sushi

Thursday Dinners
I am still standing by this meal being the best value in Johannesburg! R100 per head excluding drinks and gratuity. You really cannot go wrong. There is a little something for everyone. The actual kitchen is closed at night so you are limited to our plated menu but eating here is well worth the experience. People are starting to book this venue for function on Thursdays because they know exactly what it is going to cost them up front. I think it is a fabulous idea, well I would, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

4 April
Vegetable samoosas with tzatziki
Roast leg of lamb, roast potatoes, roasted butternut with almonds and syrup and mint jelly
Or
Fried fish and chips with coleslaw salad
Or
Tomatoes stuffed with spicy vegetarian mince and topped with grilled cheese
Chocolate pot with dipping seasonal fruit and marshmallows

11 April
Tomato and basil tartlets with parmesan shavings
Roast pork fillet with apple sauce, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and feta salad
Or
Fish sosaties with mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli and feta salad
Or
Cannelloni stuffed with creamy spinach and feta, topped with cheesy sauce
Chocolate cups filled with chocolate mousse and black cherry sauce

18 April
Vegetable soup with home baked rolls
Chicken curry and basmati rice with sambals and topped with poppadom
Or
Beef olives with sautéed potatoes, peas and carrots
Or
Cous-cous topped with vegetarian bolognaise and topped with grated parmesan
Malva pudding and custard

25 April
Garlic and chilli button mushrooms with separate toast
Gnocchi with bolognaise sauce topped with parmesan shavings
Or
Grilled chicken breast fingers with honey and soy marinade, Chinese noodles and stir fry vegetables
Or
Pan fried tofu steak topped with eggplant mayonnaise with crispy French fries and
Peach Cobbler

First Fridays
The first Friday of every month is a cause for celebration at Indulgence and this coming Friday is no different. Auriol Hays set us on this path and Keira Witherkay is taking us the next step forward.
This remarkable jazz guitarist will be right here to entertain you on Friday 5th of April, so book your table and come spend the evening with us listening to some background vibes while you eat our magical food or is that listen to some magical music while you eat our background food? No, it isn’t that either, come eat lekker food and listen to some awesome music. Cost per head is R120 which includes dinner, live music and a welcome drink. Sounds great to me! For bookings 011 782 5063

The link to the FB event:

http://www.facebook.com/events/514696615243745/

Keira doing her thing!

Keira doing her thing!

Pot Luck Fridays
The rest of the Fridays in April are all Pot Luck. So whatever the chef puts out to eat. Always a good variety and choice of food, not expensive at around R75-R90 per head for dinner. Come relax and unwind and make Indulgence the place you can ease out of the week and into the week end!

Thank Gd it’s Friday

Our Kink and Fetish Market was the best one we have had so far. It has taken us two years to build it up to a point where it really rocked. There were 11 stalls with all sorts of goodies, everyone sold stuff and loads of people popped in to browse, shop, eat and chat to friends!
These pics are care of a professional photographer who was there on the day (and a couple of mine for good measure!)

The Kink and Fetish Market

Our March AuthorTalk with Hagen Engler was a real treat. He is funny, entertaining and very with it and the white boy can rap with the best of them! Although I don’t think that he has Eminem’s money! What I did love about him was that he mentioned his wife a couple of times and his love for her shone through as well!

Meet Hagen Engler!

There is no prize for reading all the way to the end of this blog entry but you do deserve a medal, so I am going to give you one. Pop me an email telling me if you enjoyed reading this blog entry, if it should be longer or shorter with more or less pics in or if it is great just the way it is and I will give you a reward for being so fabulous!
Thanks so much for sharing March with us, we look forward to sharing April with you
Much Love and Many Lollipops
Mandi

Ladies in Lavender dessert table

Oh, what a month February was! Bye bye February, I am incredibly happy to see the back of you.
Did you experience the same kind of month that I did? Was it fraught with tension and anxiety? Was everyone around you going through some kind of drama in their lives? I swear that is what mine was like. Everyone I know had huge issues in February including us with the old vehicle being stolen and the purchase of the new one. There was definitely something in the air this past month (or two in fact). In spite of all of that some of the most wonderful things happened during February as well……………like our old bakkie being stolen and our new one being delivered! Hahahahh The Universe works in very mysterious ways! We hosted some amazing events, met some fascinating people, made new friends and lost some old ones! I count myself lucky that I never murdered anyone this month, restraint is such a wonderful thing to practice. I will attempt to use it on my tongue as well in the future…………just not today!

Indulgence had a fabulous review on the Joburg’s Darling site, please click the link if you would like to read it http://www.joburgsdarling.co.za/post.aspx?id=509

The Month that was…………..
At the beginning of February we hosted our first AuthorTalk of the year with guests Animals in Distress and authors Anton Harber and Adriaan Basson. It was a wonderful event, really nicely attended. Thank you everyone for your very generous book donations throughout the year as well as all the food and other goodies for the animals that were dropped off before the event. We ended up donating a whopping R2200, Amiga’s pocket money to Animals in Distress, money that you guys brought to the party with the purchase of Amiga T-shirts and by coming to her birthday party. Thank you so much, please give yourself a huge pat on the back from us and Animals in Distress.
Our two speakers were great speakers and both had their audiences captivated. The stories and tales around Diepsloot are fascinating. What fascinates me the most is the human condition and how we all deal with the same issue from our individual view points and based on our very different needs! Our president, The Never Ending Story of Jacob Zuma was shown to us in a whole new light by Adriaan Basson. Personally I would have preferred the lights to be kept somewhat dimmer as, being so well illuminated the flaws do tend to show up. No wonder we Jozi had an earth tremor on Tuesday night! We cooked the brunch based on the Animals in Distress cookbook, Respectful Recipes which is a vegetarian cookbook. As such there was no meat included in the meal but that didn’t stop it from being an absolutely fabulous repast and no one went away hungry or disappointed at the lack of hors in the food. It was a very lovely morning all in all and we have begun our 2013 book collection for next Feb!

meet our very own Christian Gray

Adriaan Basson and Anton Harber

Anton Harber enjoying a glass of bubbly

Adriaan Basson, A lovely smile

Bubbly Antique Style

Hot on the heels of the AuthorTalk was a delightful Valentine’s dinner which was incredibly well supported. I had one somewhat unhappy lady who walked in with a very long face because she felt she was eating in the car park. Cannot really fault her as the patio used to be the parking lot but it is now the prettiest four parking bays in town. I will admit that my feelings were bruised somewhat. In Feb we also had the first of our floating Wednesday nights, namely quiz, bridge, singles social and sushi. Of the 4 nights the quiz evening and the sushi evening really rocked, the others are going to take some working on. Bridge will probably change to a games evening and the singles evening to more of a social dinner evening open to a wider age group if that is where the need is! I have brought along a canvas to keep me company on Wednesday and Friday nights that are still quiet and you are very welcome to bring along a canvas or some paper and come join me whilst I work or pretend to.

Valentine’s Dinner

Our first foray into Sushi was a fabulous evening!

The one thing that did slip quietly passed this February was our birthday! Indulgence turned 7 and Lollipops Catering came of age at 21, next year we can give the two a joint birthday party as they turn dirty thirty! Happy birthday Indulgence and Lollipops Catering, many more foodie years!

I cannot go any further without saying how incredible the Auriol Hays concert was! She is a “Rockstar” of note with the most incredible voice and she absolutely blew her audience away! What an incredible evening. Thank you so much Auriol, you are Amazing girlfriend! (Dinner wasn’t to bad either :))
And a special treat of the evening was the surprise arrival of Keira Witherkay, acoustic guitarist of note !

That is enough about February, shall we tackle March now…………..?

March 2013 Quick Calendar:
6th Quiz dinner
7th Thursday Dinner
8th Pot luck Dinner
9th AuthorTalk
13th Games Dinner
14th Thursday Dinner
15th Pot Luck dinner
20th Wednesday night singles social evening!
21st Human Rights Day, public holiday: Thursday dinner
22nd Pot Luck Dinner
23rd Fetish and Kink market
25th 1st night Pesach Monday
26th 2nd night Pesach Tuesday
27th Wednesday sushi evening
28th Thursday dinner
29th Good Friday closed
30th closed
31st Closed
1st Monday OPEN

A jam packed March lies ahead…………….
Wednesdays………..These are fun mid-week evenings to get you over the hump and on the roll down to the week end

QUIZ!!

6th March
Quiz dinner, teams of 3 or 4. We have changed this a bit in that the winning team will get a 50% discount off the cost of their food, and not their entire meal for free like the first month. Only teams no bigger than 4 people are allowed to claim the prize, so sorry if you are a team that is bigger than that. We are introducing bonus round sheets and as soon as we are a little bigger we will introduce spot questions as well. A truly fun evening for people who can have a good laugh…………..at themselves mainly! The cost per head is R120, includes food, excludes drinks and gratuity
13th March
Games evening….bring friends, pop down, have a bite to eat, play cards, board games, scrabble etc etc. You are welcome to bring your own games along although we do have backgammon, a few decks of cards and scrabble right here. Bringing family fun back the old fashioned way! Dinner is a self service buffet, simply but filling. Cost R90 per head, games free, evening Priceless J
20th March
Our second singles social. The idea of these is to mingle and meet new people instead of going home straight from work to an empty house. Stop here, have a drink, have a light supper, unwind and meet some weird and wonderfully strange people. I got lambasted for the age limit last month so this month I am daring anyone of any age to come down and hang out with us! The next day is a PUBLIC HOLIDAY, come out and play!
27th March
This is unlucky for some as the Jewish holiday of Passover will have kicked in, so not everyone will be able to enjoy sushi this night but as always there will be another dish available for the evening to eat. The chicken curry and basmati rice of February was very popular so I will make an even more delicious chicken dish for the sushi night. Sushi is ala carte so pay for what you order and eat. We will work on streamlining the process to get the sushi out a little faster than February.

Thursdays…………
Best value in town evenings still, at just R100 per head for a fabulous 3 course meal you really cannot go wrongggggggggggggg
7 March
Stuffed baked potato half with sour cream sauce
Roast pork belly, potato croquettes, apple sauce, green beans and carrots
Or
Roast chicken leg quarter, potato croquettes, green beans and carrots with gravy
Or
Brinjal and tofu tomato curry with basmati rice and sambals
Custard cream eclairs

14 March
Grilled baby tomatoes with fresh basil and garlic on toast rounds
Grilled line fish topped with spicy avocado salsa, served with cous-cous and button mushrooms
Or
Chicken sosaties in apricot marinade with cous-cous and button mushrooms
Or
Spinach roulade filled with roasted vegetables and served with mashed potatoes
Chocolate mousse and Frangellica tarts

21 March
Vegetarian sushi with wasabi, ginger and soy sauce
Beef curry and basmati rice with sambals and topped with a poppadom
Or
Chicken and mushroom lasagne with a Caprese side salad
Or
Vegetable & nut burger topped with tomato and pepperdew salsa, with quinoa
Yoghurt ice cream and fresh berries

28 March
Fantasy salad with seasonal fresh fruits and cheeses
Spaghetti with sun dried tomato seafood sauce
Or
Beef roast with roast potatoes, creamed spinach and pumpkin fritters
Or
Bean and lentil hotpot with sweet potato mash
Peach Melba

AuthorTalk with Hagen Engler

Our March AuthorTalk is with Hagen Engler who has self published a few books already. He sounds like a real character if his writing is anything to go by! The event starts at 2pm, if you are planning to eat or drink anything then please be seated a whole bunch of time earlier so we can get you settled well before he starts to talk at 2pm. This is an event that requires books, so please remember to bring along your two books, one to swap and one to donate, all for a good cause! Please pop me an email to book lollipops@telkomsa.net

http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-12-13-comrade-baby-review-a-hitchhikers-guide-to-mzansi-madness” Link to the Daily Maverick review of Comrade Baby

Hagen Engler’s Comrade Baby

Fetish and Kink Market
It is time again for our Fetish and Kink market, so if whips and chains excite you, if you would like to know more about the Story of O, buy a paddle, meet a few kinks, have a fun, relaxed and chilled day amongst some very interesting and unusual characters please come and join us! If you would like a stall on the day please contact me lollipops@telkomsa.net
The date is the 23rd of March from 2-5pm

http://www.facebook.com/events/530123680344746/?ref=2 Link to the FB event

Easter and Passover
I need to chat to you about Easter and Passover but I think I shall leave that for next week’s blog post

Have an incredible March, welcome Autumn with open arms and above all else, love yourself!
Love ‘n Lollipops
Mandi Friedman
Lollipops Catering

“Food, Passion, Life”