I always make a beeline for the foodie movies and this weekend was no exception. This one has been on my list for ages, even though it’s a real oldie. Tampopo is a parody of a spaghetti Western and is about a trucker who rides into a Japanese town and helps the main character set up a noodle restaurant. I spent the rest of the weekend craving a spicy bowl of beef pho.

Another memorable foodie scene also sprang to mind while I was watching – Catherine Zeta Jones smothering puffy profiteroles with copious amounts of caramel in No Reservations. Pastry chef Vanessa Quellec at The Roundhouse could curb anyone’s desire for these sweet sensations.

Chocolat and Eat Drink Man Woman also make my mouth water, but the last two films that Meryl Streep appeared in really took the cake. Julie and Julia got me to my nearest bistro, well, not really the closest, but definitely the newest, Wild Woods in Hout Bay. Chef and owner Pete Goffe Wood fed us sublime chicken livers, plates of slow-cooked veal brisket and a nectarine crumble with plenty of home-made vanilla custard. In the film Meryl professes, “I just love to eat” – and so do we. Her latest movie is It’s Complicated and even though it’s not really about food, I just fell in love with the beautiful French bakery scene and its pastel colour scheme.

I feel the need for a warm chocolate croissant right now, how about Jardine’s bakery? I hope they haven’t sold out!

The next time I watch one of these foodie films, I’ll make sure I keep the snacks close by!

Happy watching!

Abigail