The chef at Richard’s, Rozvin Pillay, has created a deliciously decadent butternut soup to shed away the winter cold. Served with freshly baked baguettes (our own secret recipe), it will have you wondering whether winter is really all that bad.

The soup is a steal at R35 – so don’t hesitate, join us today!

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She was specifically complimentary about our “Richard’s Chicken and Prawn Curry” and in her words: “…I picked up the bone and stripped it of every delicious piece of meat…”.

Jenny asked us whether we would share our recipe with her to use in the article, but our chef said that it was a closely guarded secret, so Ms Morris had to settle for one of her own recipes in the article. In her words: “I never got to squeeze the chicken curry recipe out of the Chef, but try my easy Butter Chicken recipe – it’s really tasty!” So we decided to try out Ms Morris’ recipe – just for good measure. And wow, we were blown away with how good it was! No wonder people are grabbing up her books and reading her articles vigorously! She truly is a wonderful chef!

We are still not ready to share our recipe with the world, but we have decided to do share hers, truly on par with our now-famous one!

“Butter Chicken: The way I like it” – The Giggling Gourmet

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
• 6 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned
• 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon, finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
• 3/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• pinch of sugar
• salt and pepper
• 3 cardamom pods, toasted and seeds ground
• 400g large juicy tomatoes, peeled and grated
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup fresh cream
• 100g cold butter, cut into small pieces

To garnish:

4 Tablespoons cashew nuts, lightly toasted and chopped. Fresh coriander

Method:

Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or oil in a saucepan, and gently sauté the chicken pieces in batches till half cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside till late. Add the remaining ghee to the saucepan and heat, now add the mustard seeds and fry for a few minutes so that they pop. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Stir in the garam masala, cumin, coriander and chilli powder – do not let the spices burn. Add a little more ghee and cook for a few minutes. Now add the sugar, salt, pepper, cardamom, tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and cook till the sauce has become fragrant. Pour the sauce into a food processor and blend till smooth. Return to the saucepan and add the cream. Bring the sauce to a simmer, adjust the seasoning, and return the chicken to the pot. Warm through. Just before you are ready to serve, stir in the chopped butter a few pieces at a time. Spoon the butter chicken into a bowl, and garnish with chopped coriander and chopped cashew nuts. Serve with steaming hot basmati rice.

~ Copyright Jenny Morris

Enjoy making this when the family is over – especially during the winter months!

By: Germandt Geldenhuys

(Venue Co-Ordinator)

27/03/2013

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“World-renowned”, “…back by popular demand”, “…mind blowing.”, are all phrases continuously used to describe South Africa’s foremost Mentalist and Illusionist, Larry Soffer.

Last night we were honoured to have Larry perform for the third time on the Richard’s Stage. He had performed for us before on New Year’s Eve, where he conjured up all his magical powers and swept us into 2013.

Once again, the evening and entertainment was nothing other that phenomenal. From breaking wine glasses with his mind, bending forks with out touching it, reading your thoughts, to levitation of objects we, once again, had goose bumps the entire evening. The audiences giggled with excitement and even moments of sheer panic as Larry read some of their minds. From guessing the names of their pets to completely reciting their ID number, this man has a talent like no other.

The illusion that both baffled and amazed me the most was one of Larry’s signature illusions: “The Gypsy Rope Trick”. In it, he ties Gabriela, his assistant, with a normal piece of rope, as normal as could be. He wraps it around her body, and firmly ties her hands behind her. He asks a member of the audience wearing a dinner jacket to come up on stage, asks him to check the knots and make one more knot for good measure. Larry covers the both of them with a cloth, removes the cloth and BAM! Gabriela is wearing the man’s dinner jacket! Not only is she wearing it, she is wearing it UNDERNEATH the tightly wound ropes. These ropes are so tight that one cannot get the dinner jacket off without completely removing the ropes! I was shocked and amazed!

Included was a wonderful two course meal with your choice of a main and our famous Creme Caramel for dessert. I had the Caprese Salad, which is one of my all-time favourites, as well as a juicy beef burger. A fantastic way to finish a weekend and definitely the topic of conversation in the office this morning!

If you did miss this amazing opportunity, be sure to look out for Larry on our stage, coming up very soon! I hope to see all of you there next time!

By: Sanet Bulpitt (Marketing and Sales Executive)

25/03/2013

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ITB Berlin was most interesting for me to visit as we at Richard’s are trying to continuously create awareness for our show “Kaapse Stories from the Mother City” in the international travel market that is targeting South Africa and obviously Cape Town in particular. The estimate is that about 90% of tourists are visiting Cape Town when in South Africa.

ITB – this year from 6-10 March is the world’s largest travel fair with about 10,000 exhibitors and 110,000 trade visitors (50 % from  outside Germany) and 120,000 consumer visitors during the last 2 days of the fair.

All of our major clients are exhibiting as DMC’s (Domestic Management Consultants) with their own stands or on the South African Tourism stand where you book a table to present your company/offering.

We have had very good responses to our show offering as it is considered unique and of great quality and we are encouraged for the coming months as most substantial DMC’s and their customers have now endorsed our offering, which is critical for our future sales…and, let me say it …being at ITB and selling “Kaapse Stories” after having performed 150 shows – was much more comfortable than being there last year – selling a show/concept when auditions had not even been held yet … or maybe I am just becoming a little lazy…

So Richard’s and “Kaapse Stories” is on the tourism map, thanks to our many loyal customers and friends who have been supporting us from day 1. Please keep on helping- the show is becoming more exciting all the time and will continue to introduce a vibrant part of Cape Town to the overseas visitor and will make locals even more  “proudly Capetonian” and of course “proudly South African”.

The German outgoing tourist sales to SA has increased by 12% year on year – so South Africa –…and especially Cape Town is a great favourite for travellers who are overwhelmed by its beauty and friendly people …..isn’t that wonderful?

By: Roland Seidel (Director & Co-Owner)

2013/03/13

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By: Kat Coetzee & Richard Loring

26/02/2013

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‘Kaapse Stories from the Mother City’, the show in residency at Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro in Sea Point that opened its doors last year, earlier this week celebrated their 150th show after little more than eight months. PETER TROMP sat down with three of the cast members, namely RUTH MARLEY, GERMANDT GELDENHUYS and MPUMI SIZANI about the journey they have travelled with the show so far.

What does it mean to you guys have made it to 150 shows, especially in a theatre climate where shows sometimes don’t even make it past their first week?
Germandt (G): Well, it’s obviously a milestone, but it is also a testament to the quality of the show and the performers that we have managed to rack up that amount of shows in such a short time, and is still going strong.

You guys all undertook this journey from the start. How did it initially take shape?
Ruth (R): Through many, many rehearsals with our director Basil Appollis.
G: We built the house with Basil, but with the help of Richard Loring we started to decorate that house.
Mpumi (M): We’ve grown a lot and audience members who saw the show at the beginning and again where it is now have responded positively to the changes we’ve made.
G: One thing that hasn’t changed is that the show remains as Capetonian as can be. It was important to preserve the local flavour.

Can you tell us about some of the most important changes?
G: You know how they say that life imitates art? Well the opposite is true with ‘Kaapse Stories’. There’s a lot more of ourselves that have been poured into our characters and I believe it makes for a more authentic experience for the audience.
R: Every show is exciting because every audience is different and we feed off of them. It is a very interactive show, but we’ve reached a stage now as performers where we are a lot more comfortable in dealing with different kinds of audiences, whether they are quiet or loud.
M: Also, we add new things to the show all the time, whether it is new songs or a different way of performing the older songs, so you never get the same show twice.

I attended one of the opening nights in July last year and remember Loring saying that the show has been conceived primarily with the international tourist market in mind. Are tourists still the primary target audience?
G: I would say to a degree they are, but then again we want Capetonians to also feel an affinity with the Kleintjies family, whose story we tell in the show. When you say “tourist” we also think of visitors to Cape Town from other parts of South Africa, or even somebody visiting the city from Durbanville. It has to appeal and be accessible to as many people as possible.

Tell us about your individual characters and how they have developed.
R: My character, Bergie Ruth, is stronger than when we started. I have also become bolder in my performance, but that’s natural as you become more confident in a role.
M: My character is a friend of the Kleintjies family and she’s along for the ride all the way. I would say that I feel more secure in my role as well.
G: My character has been scaled back, somewhat. When we started out, he was so obsessed with being accepted as a part of the Kleintjies family that it bordered on being aggressive. It took up a lot of the show, and perhaps that resulted in it being a bit unbalanced. It’s a lot more even now.

Can you elaborate on the music in ‘Kaapse Stories’ that forms such an important part of the show?
G: We tried to incorporate as many genres as possible to suit as many tastes as possible. It’s a Cape show, but Cape music isn’t just ghoema. It’s a melting pot of cultures and that’s reflected in the song selections.
R: Ruth, my character, was a copycat singer during the time when many of the international artists wouldn’t tour South Africa and that forms a big part of the show. So with the Cape Town music you also have a lot of Western music included in the mix like Gloria Gaynor and Queen.

You guys don’t shy away from Cape Town’s unpleasant past in the show. How do you make our sordid history palatable to overseas visitors who might only have wanted a good laugh?
R: Our people have always taken the good with the bad and turned it into comedy, so that is reflected in the show. It is educational for international visitors, because they walk away with a far better understanding of what it was like in Cape Town under apartheid, but at the same time they’re invited to celebrate all that is Capetonian with us.

* Book at Computicket, or on 076 1444 809. Bookings can also be made through www.richardscapetown.co.za.

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After 2 audition rounds, the Richard’s creative team was impressed by Roxanne Gabriel’s attitude, stories and talents and she won the part.

Here’s a little bit of background on the performer:

Roxanne grew up in Stellenbosch where she matriculated from Stellenbosch High School. She spent a year at Boland College studying Educare before moving on to UCT to study ‘Theatre and Performance’. She finished her studies at City Varsity where she did a three year course in Professional Acting for Camera, Television, Film and Radio. She is a self-taught singer and can also play the piano. She hopes to learn more instruments. “I cannot play by ear, but I’m able to play any piece of sheet music you lay before me”, she says. She has been dancing since she was six – for the most part, ballet, up until four years ago when she fell in love with tap dancing. She is thrilled that she now has acquired both these skills. She speaks three languages: English, Afrikaans, German and Japanese!

When Roxanne first got the part she said, “Whenever I would audition for shows the directors would say sorry you’re not really coloured enough for this part. Now finally I’m just the right amount of coloured!“ We are thrilled to have her as a part of the cast of “Kaapse Stories from the Mother City”!

By: Katherine Coetzee (“Company Manager – Kaapse Stories”)

21/02/2013

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We ended 2012 and kicked off 2013 with such a huge bang and have not stopped ever since. Here at Richard’s we never want the fun to stop and would like the opportunities for you to be entertained endless. We have thus lined up a number and variety of events suited for everyone.

In the upcoming months we will host events like our “Monday Night Jazz” evenings, “Classic Family Sunday Lunches“, “Comedy and Cocktails“, and also back by popular demand, we will have performers like Wendy Oldfield and Larry Soffer the Mentalist. That is not all as we have fantastic specials in our Bistro as well like our “Buy one get one Free Burger and Pasta Specials”, “Cocktails Happy Hour” and then of course our daily lunch and dinner specials.

It is clear that there will never be a dull moment at Richard’s Supper Stage subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook or add us on Twitter and you will never be left out if the loop!

By: Sanet Bulpitt (Marketing Coordinator)

06/02/2013

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On Friday the 10th of May, Richard’s Supper Stage will be rocking with laughter with its offering of ‘Comedy and Cocktails’. Headlining this event is Marc Lottering, who needs no introduction to the Cape Town comedy circuit! He will be joined by Schalk Bezuidenhout, Carl Weber as your host for the evening, Dylan Skews and Devin Gray. The evening is sure to be ‘one of a kind‘ with our R25-cocktails, including our colorful ‘comedy cocktail’ - sure to have you rolling on the floor….with laughter, that is.

Date: 10th May 2013

Time: 20:00

Price: R100 entrance (includes first cocktail free)

Bookings Essential! 076 1444 809

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by Desiree Haakonsen

My evening at Richard’s Supper Stage has skyrocketed to my number one dinner theatre experience. I’ve seen several shows, but none quite like “Kaapse Stories from the Mother City”. From the moment I stepped up the staircase, appropriately bearing the names of District 6 streets, to the last clap of the standing ovation, I was enchanted by the colourful warmth of true South African hospitality that is so prevalent at Richard’s.

With its vibrant music, culture, and food, this dinner theatre offers a view of the Mother City from the locals’ perspective. I don’t want to reveal the show’s carefully constructed secrets and ruin all the surprises; it’s an experience you can only understand when you see it for yourself. Trust me. What I saw on theRichard’s website got me excited, but what I saw at Richard’s was a whole lot more than I expected!

You can’t miss the bright red supper stage in Sea Point – it screams “Theatre!” We were welcomed by friendly staff, a complimentary glass of champagne, and a bright pink sequinned hat that begged to adorn my head. As we waited for the show to begin we were serenaded with live jazz music and I could tell that everyone (including the likes of Ferdinand Rabie) was as relaxed and cheery as I was.

Produced by Roland Seidel and Richard Loring (producer of the internationally-acclaimed African Footprint), the show is highly entertaining and interactive. Although based on the true story of a family who struggled through the racial divide of apartheid, I found it wasn’t as much of a story as an upbeat musical medley of local and international songs. It didn’t take long for the audience to sing and clap along.

But Richard’s doesn’t only dazzle with live entertainment. The 3-course meal, featuring Cape Malay cuisine with a Mediterranean twist, is a production of its own. My favourite was the starter – a delicately spiced samoosa on a bed of roasted veg with a dollop of the best homemade snoek pâté that I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. A generous Greek salad completed the tantalising first course.

The main course was a buffet of Korma Chicken and Prawn Curry, Cape Malay Vegetable Brayani, Baked Linefish, Sliced Beef Fillet, and an array of tasty vegetables. In my attempt to report back on the meal, I found my plate piled ridiculously high – despite the meagre helping of each dish. The food was good, but not as memorable as the starter. I do have a general aversion to buffet meals as they seem to lack the delicate balance of flavours that an individual dish offers, and I think this is where it missed the mark. My highlight of the main course was actually not the food, but rather the hilarious introduction given to it by the maître’d.

The dessert featured a mini-platter of traditional South African puddings; a mini koeksister, sliver of milktart, slice of malva pudding with vanilla custard, and a fruit kebab. Sadly the koeksister was dry and soggy, and the malva pudding was cold. The milktart and fruit kebab were delightful, however, but I had to force myself to taste them after the gargantuan buffet.

After the show, guests are invited to visit the Memorabilia Bar, decorated top-to-toe with highlights of Richard Loring’s 50 years in musical theatre, television, records, movies, and cabaret. It’s an impressive past and offers a cool peak into the world of show biz. You may even get the chance to enjoy a drink with one of the gregarious cast.

From here you can sneak downstairs to the Bistro, which operates as a regular restaurant, with an open deck and a colourful interior inspired by the Bo-Kaap.  The Bistro opens for breakfast at 8am and remains open after the show, so you can enjoy a wide range of food from freshly-baked muffins to salads, mouth-watering prawns, steaks, and home-made ice cream all day long.

The venue is popular and Richard’s is planning to extend the show from three to possibly seven nights a week. They are considering adding a second cast to keep up with the demand for performances. Aside from the regular Thursday – Sunday schedule of “Kaapse Stories”, you can also watch after-dinner shows on Saturdays, featuring new and established acts, and Sunday events that showcase local artists.

“Kaapse Stories from the Mother City” is on from Thursday to Saturday at Richard’s Supper Stage and Bistro, corner Glengariff and Main Road, Sea Point. Tickets are available fromComputicket. For more information, visitwww.richardscapetown.co.za, emailbookings@richardscapetown.co.za, or call +27 (0)21 434 6738.

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