Day 10
In the last 2 days I learned two new things. Apple lapacho is my new favorite tea and rock lobster legs, the part that sticks out of the the head resembling whiskers, are the best part of the lobster when cooked right.
I discovered apple lapacho my last night in Johannesburg when I asked the server for a cup of decaf tea to help me sleep better. He suggested Five Roses (a popular brand of tea in S. Africa) peppermint tea. I agreed since I usually like a cup of peppermint tea after dinner to help with digestions. A few minutes after taking my order he comes back to tell me that they are out of that brand but suggested a nice calming tea called apple lapacho. His accent made it a bit difficult for me to make out what he was trying to say but I thought I'd be a bit adventurous and just trust him on it. Great decision on my part!
When he brought the tea out I hardly paid any attention and continued to read my emails on my phone. Within a second of the tea streaming from the pot and hardly even having a chance to hit the cup, a sweet aroma grabs my nose and lifts my head up and away from my phone. It reminds me of when I bite into a crisp, sweet, juicy apple and my nose involuntarily grazes the inside of the apple, getting apple juice on the tip of my noise, then smelling that sweet flavor until I get a chance to wipe it off.
The best part was it tasted like green tea and had all the characteristics of a green tea - light and calming with a tiny bit of bitterness. Yet there was a sweet apple aftertaste that lingers on my taste buds long after I've drank the tea.
The server was right. I slept like a baby that night.
The next day I headed out to Cape Town and my first meal was at Panama Jack's. It was in the middle of the industrial part of the harbor surrounded by a bunch of big fishing boats that are dry docked. It also looks like a wooden shack. Inside the ceiling was draped with all sorts of flags and the interior is how I would imagine the lower deck of an old wooden ship would resemble.
I ordered a west coast rock lobster, steamed. The fun part was I get to go catch the lobster in their tanks. It was the first time I got to see a lobster swim. I never really gave it any thought before but it was pretty neat. They tuck their tails in and darts off!
The lobster was steamed perfectly, but the best part were the legs. This was a rock lobster so it didn't have any claws and its legs are quite thin so I didn't think much of it. My colleague told me that if I cracked the legs in half, I should be able to separate the shell and meat quite easily by just slowing pulling it apart. He was right! And the meat was sweet, juicy, tender and oh so delicious! Even better than the tail.
This is my third time in Cape Town, S. Africa. My previous trips here were all about the adventures - shark diving, chasing penguins, etc. This time I'm going to make it about food.
Stay tuned....
In the last 2 days I learned two new things. Apple lapacho is my new favorite tea and rock lobster legs, the part that sticks out of the the head resembling whiskers, are the best part of the lobster when cooked right.
I discovered apple lapacho my last night in Johannesburg when I asked the server for a cup of decaf tea to help me sleep better. He suggested Five Roses (a popular brand of tea in S. Africa) peppermint tea. I agreed since I usually like a cup of peppermint tea after dinner to help with digestions. A few minutes after taking my order he comes back to tell me that they are out of that brand but suggested a nice calming tea called apple lapacho. His accent made it a bit difficult for me to make out what he was trying to say but I thought I'd be a bit adventurous and just trust him on it. Great decision on my part!
When he brought the tea out I hardly paid any attention and continued to read my emails on my phone. Within a second of the tea streaming from the pot and hardly even having a chance to hit the cup, a sweet aroma grabs my nose and lifts my head up and away from my phone. It reminds me of when I bite into a crisp, sweet, juicy apple and my nose involuntarily grazes the inside of the apple, getting apple juice on the tip of my noise, then smelling that sweet flavor until I get a chance to wipe it off.
The best part was it tasted like green tea and had all the characteristics of a green tea - light and calming with a tiny bit of bitterness. Yet there was a sweet apple aftertaste that lingers on my taste buds long after I've drank the tea.
The server was right. I slept like a baby that night.
The next day I headed out to Cape Town and my first meal was at Panama Jack's. It was in the middle of the industrial part of the harbor surrounded by a bunch of big fishing boats that are dry docked. It also looks like a wooden shack. Inside the ceiling was draped with all sorts of flags and the interior is how I would imagine the lower deck of an old wooden ship would resemble.
I ordered a west coast rock lobster, steamed. The fun part was I get to go catch the lobster in their tanks. It was the first time I got to see a lobster swim. I never really gave it any thought before but it was pretty neat. They tuck their tails in and darts off!
The lobster was steamed perfectly, but the best part were the legs. This was a rock lobster so it didn't have any claws and its legs are quite thin so I didn't think much of it. My colleague told me that if I cracked the legs in half, I should be able to separate the shell and meat quite easily by just slowing pulling it apart. He was right! And the meat was sweet, juicy, tender and oh so delicious! Even better than the tail.
This is my third time in Cape Town, S. Africa. My previous trips here were all about the adventures - shark diving, chasing penguins, etc. This time I'm going to make it about food.
Stay tuned....
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