I had to get over the fact that Theo James was not going to manifest in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. It is, in my books, a great oversight. I firmly believe The Odyssey deserved at least one token Greek god descending in all his glory among the multiplicity of ethnicities represented in what was, after all, a Greek epic. A journey that took in innumerable lands and ports over the 20 years from the fateful day Odysseus left Penelope’s bed and Ithaca to go and pillage Troy.

In all that time and space, Nolan, it appears, could not find a single Greek to play any of the roles. But so be it. That is what happens when your childhood stories are transmuted into global mythologies: anyone can do with them what they will. So, no Greeks.

And then there is Elon. That great defender of … I don’t even know what. Taking up a peculiar cudgel to argue that Lupita Nyong’o could not possibly play Helen of Troy or her sister Clytemnestra because this was some woke aberration of historical truth. Of course, if you apply yourself to actual history, you might discover that what counted as being Greek or Hellene, both terms that were in use in that far distant time, was speaking the same language and worshipping the same gods. They did not specify that everyone had to look alike, nor did they station a doorman at Olympia to check for ethnic purity. That was never the criterion.

Paris was promised his Helen by the very goddess they all seem to have worshipped. The story I grew up with goes like this. In a Game of Thrones-worthy moment, the three great goddesses — Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite — competed for aesthetic supremacy by bribing a young shepherd, a certain Paris. The most handsome youth of antiquity had to choose the most beautiful goddess among them. A fool’s errand with disastrous consequences.

A golden apple was thrown into the field, which he rather foolishly picked up, luring him into making the fateful choice. But these goddesses played dirty. Hera, wife of Zeus and the embodiment of power, promised that he would become the most powerful man in the world if he chose her. Athena offered wisdom. Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world.

We know which prize he chose.

Of course, the Fates had the whole sorry tale of his life unspooling all the while, and the goddesses knew that this humble shepherd was in fact the lost prince of Troy. His mother dreamt she had given birth to a burning ember that would destroy the city. So Priam, his father and king of Troy, ordered the infant killed. Fortunately, the hired muscle took pity on the baby.

The rest is history.

The genius of Homer is that, throughout The Iliad and The Odyssey, he never actually describes Helen. She is simply said to be comparable to a goddess. We know she was beautiful, but for thousands of years the face that launched a thousand ships has populated countless imaginations with their own version of what that face might have been. That omission enables myth-making and creates a febrile fantasy in which Helen stands in for every beautiful woman across time.

She is also a profoundly wronged woman. What choice does she ever really have in this story? Her name and honour are toyed with from the moment the apple begins to roll. She becomes a troubled symbol, blamed by the people of her own age and by successive generations for igniting men’s passions and causing untold misery and destruction through her mere existence.

Powerful stuff.

And here she is, thousands of years later, still the fall girl — only now for the manosphere, with the richest man on earth battling it out on the interwebs, claiming to speak for her and for the ideal beauty she may or may not have embodied.

It’s a Trojan horse worthy of Homer himself.

Frankly, Elon should read his Homer, where the poet tells us that the Ethiopians were especially favoured by the gods and, because they lived closest to the sun, were considered the noblest of peoples. He might also note that Cleopatra was a Greek Ptolemy, descended from Alexander the Great, yet there is no definitive record of what she looked like, other than that she was evidently attractive enough to captivate both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.

I watched The Odyssey in an open-air cinema in a garden on the island of my forebears, Samos, fragrant with basil and fig trees, the birthplace of Pythagoras and Aristarchus. Pythagoras, like Odysseus, travelled the known world for 20 years, accumulating philosophies and a few rather useful theorems. Aristarchus worked out that it is we who travel around the sun, and not the other way around. And every summer, a thousand years after Pythagoras wandered these lands, Cleopatra is said to have spent time on the very beaches just over the hill, beneath the ancient fortifications. Down the coast stood the great temple of Hera, still ruling the roost.

I do not know what any of them really looked like.

What I do know is that I grew up with these stories and these ideas, and that it moved me beyond words to watch Nolan create his own version of this mysterious past in the very landscape where these legends took shape. He has put his own spin on a universal story that is older than any of us can truly comprehend, yet still feels strangely familiar.

We may no longer speak the same language or share the same gods, but this story belongs to all of us. Not because we look the same, but because we are all human.

Though, really, he should have thrown in a little Theo James for good measure.

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Aspasia

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Stellenbosch is really the wine industry heartland. It has the charm of a small-ish student town (and some of the disadvantages — such as traffic congestion and parking problems.) The landscape is diverse, yielding fine wines across a broad range of varieties. Many of the Cape’s best wines come from the region. Aficionados of cooler climate wines tend to gravitate to the coastal appellations of Elgin, Hemel-en-Aarde, Stanford and Elim. These are relatively young areas of origin, free to define themselves unburdened by the past.

And then there’s Paarl — whose claim to fame used to be that the wine industry was headquartered there. Those were the days when KWV was the arbiter of all things vinous. Its presence remains, in the same way that the presence of the Colosseum looms over Rome — only now there’s a vacuum where once the glow of its pure power suffused the town.

Paarl needs reinvention: it may not have the charm of Stellenbosch but it does have a plethora of superb wine properties. Not all of them boast Cape Dutch homesteads with long driveways, which hardly matters if you have great vineyards, insightful proprietors and ambitious, talented winemakers. The region needs a new paradigm and there’s a prospective example to show the way.

Brookdale was once a rundown grape farm nestled against the Klein Drakenstein Mountains. Then, about 10 years ago, an Englishman named Tim Rudd saw its potential. It has altitude and multiple aspects — there’s nothing flat or bland about the slopes on which its vineyards have been sited. As you drive up the road to the manor house, it’s clear the property has its own particular presence. Indeed there’s nothing ordinary about the wines emerging from this thoughtfully conceived investment.

So far Rudd hasn’t put a foot wrong. He appointed Duncan Savage as his technical consultant, Jaco Engelbrecht as his viticultural adviser and Kiara Scott Farmer as cellarmaster. In very little time she filled the Brookdale trophy cabinet with some very proper awards. In late 2024 she took up a position at Hazendal, opening the way for Xander Sadie, who had been working with Pieter Walser at Blankbottle, to take over the cellar. From the 2025 vintage onwards the Brookdale wines have the Sadie stamp on them.

You can’t go wrong with any of the Brookdale or Mason Road wines. The former are the seriously conceived products meant to express what is unique about the property; the latter are generally from younger vines, have no visible oak and are intended to deliver accessible but nuanced drinking pleasure. My favourite Mason Road wines are the chenin 2025 and the Serendipity Rosé. Both are bright, finely managed and harmonious: for less than R150 a bottle they deliver dollops of flavour, great purity, and instant uncomplicated enjoyment.

In the Brookdale range, the Old Vine Chenin is the obvious standout. Harvested over the season (15 different pickings), it delivers extraordinary, yet almost weightless intensity and great length. Running a close second is the Bradbourne white blend, made from grenache blanc, palomino, vermentino, marsanne and roussanne. Despite this fruit salad of component parts, it’s harmonious, nuanced and evocative. Among the reds, the 2025 Field Blend, an assemblage of 20 different varieties, is the most striking. More Douro than Rhone in mouthfeel and flavour profile, it plays to the strengths of the Paarl appellation.

Brookdale boasts what is probably the most luxurious accommodation in Paarl, a fine dining bistro and walking trails. All that Paarl needs to jump-start a regional renaissance is a few more establishments like it.

Business Day

Throughout August, the award-winning Johannesburg restaurant will donate 10% of its turnover to Women For Change, a nonprofit organisation that supports survivors of gender-based violence and advocates for women’s rights across South Africa. The initiative coincides with the launch of Cyra’s new winter tasting menu, giving diners an opportunity to enjoy one of the city’s most celebrated dining experiences while contributing to a broader cause.

Since opening at The Houghton Hotel less than two years ago, Cyra has quickly established itself as one of Johannesburg’s leading tasting-menu restaurants. Philip’s ingredient-led cooking has earned the restaurant South Africa’s Best New Restaurant title for 2025, alongside an Eat Out star and two Gourmet Guide plates. Yet despite the accolades, the restaurant has remained refreshingly approachable, with a style of fine dining built around warmth rather than ceremony.

“This menu is my interpretation of what winter tastes like,” says Philip. “If the season had a flavour, it would be earthy, comforting and surprising in the most unexpected way. Every dish is designed to feel familiar, but with something new waiting to be discovered.”

That philosophy is evident throughout the six-course menu. Kudu arrives with beetroot, walnut and duck liver; squid is paired with leek, cannellini beans and chorizo; while beef fillet is served alongside cauliflower, romesco and the savoury richness of Marmite. An optional wine pairing complements each course, drawing on the restaurant’s carefully curated South African cellar.

For Philip, the partnership with Women For Change reflects the wider role hospitality can play within a community.

“Hospitality, at its heart, is about caring for people,” she says. “For me, that care extends far beyond the walls of a restaurant. Partnering with Women For Change gives us an opportunity to celebrate Women’s Month by supporting an organisation doing vital work to protect, empower and uplift South African women.”

Women For Change founder Sabrina Walter says partnerships like this help turn awareness into action.

“Women’s Month is a time to celebrate the strength, resilience and achievements of women, but it must also be a time for action. We’re grateful to chef Candice Philip and the Cyra team for using their platform to help build a safer South Africa.”

Named after the Persian word for “sun”, Cyra overlooks The Houghton Golf Estate, where winter afternoons gradually give way to Johannesburg’s golden sunsets. It’s an appropriate setting for a menu that celebrates the season, but this August, every reservation also helps support work taking place far beyond the restaurant’s walls.

Cyra’s winter tasting menu is available throughout August. During Women’s Month, 10% of the restaurant’s turnover will be donated to Women For Change. You can also donate to Women For Change directly by visiting womenforchange.co.za/donate.

cyra.co.za

Wanted

What makes Maison Deux, and more specifically Marc’s by Marc Jacobs, so effortlessly magnetic is how the café anchors the entire space. This isn’t just any coffee stop; it’s the first permanent Marc’s by Marc Jacobs café in the world, and the first designer café of its kind in Africa.

Developed by the Al Capone Group, the part-concept-store, part-café brings together a mix of international fashion, homeware and food in a way that feels easy to move through. One minute you’re flipping through racks of Isabel Marant and Stella McCartney, the next you’re eyeing a Missoni Home cushion you absolutely don’t need but are now emotionally attached to. The fashion edit is strong, with Givenchy, Etro and Maison Margiela in the mix, but it’s the addition of interiors that softens everything.

Conceived by the Marc Jacobs team themselves, the interiors balance polish with playfulness through ambient lighting, tactile finishes and bold accents, while signature motifs like the daisy and the button thread the café visually to the fashion house. It feels less like shopping and more like browsing someone’s very chic apartment.

Just to the side of the entrance is the Marc Jacobs Café, a 20-seater, fully Halaal-certified space. And it’s hard to miss. Chartreuse walls, bold logos, that slightly tongue-in-cheek energy that Marc Jacobs does so well. It doesn’t whisper luxury; it has a bit of fun with it.

The menu follows the same mood. It’s broad but easy to navigate. You could start with all-day breakfast options like The NYC Brunch Edit, the Strawberry Dream waffle, or Build-A-Toast. Bagel lovers will find their match with The Uptown (salmon, caper aioli, pickled red onion), The Downtown (smoked brisket), or The Brooklyn (peppadew, goats cheese and avo).

For mains, bestsellers include Marc’s famous Mac N’ Cheese, the Wagyu burger, Hell’s Kitchen chicken, and pasta options such as lemon pasta with Cajun chicken and linguine, or the Rouge Remix with napolitana, garlic, basil, flavoured ricotta, and rigatoni.

At the launch, the Hell’s Kitchen chicken burger stood out for good reason: crunchy crumbed chicken, honey jalapeño sauce and slaw.

Salads, thankfully, are not an afterthought. The Harvest, with beetroot, butternut and goat’s cheese crème, feels balanced and fresh, while the Central Park leans into lighter, greener notes without feeling like a compromise. There’s a clear emphasis on ingredients, with much of it sourced locally, and small details, such as cream imported from France for the desserts, quietly elevating things.

Dessert is where things get a little theatrical, in the best way. The entremets are made in-house and styled like miniature tributes to Marc Jacobs fragrances. Glossy, detailed, and almost too pretty to eat, with chocolate discs stamped with the logo or shaped into daisies.

The Late Night Lemon cheesecake is sharp and light, the kind that keeps you going back for another bite, while Wild Pink, with raspberry and litchi, is soft and layered without feeling heavy. Even the carrot cake, spiced and fragrant, holds its own against the more intricate options.

For something smaller, “The Macaron” selection is playful and precise, each one stamped with the MJ logo and named after New York streets or references: Soho Cocoa, Tribeca Snow Day, Prince St Pistachio, Daisy Zest, Spring St Crème, Little Italy Espresso. Perfect for a sweet treat or as a gift.

Mocktails nod to the fragrances, with Blush on Fifth, Golden Hour and Runway Refresher, plus classics such as the Strawberry Social and Palm Avenue. The matcha, however, is a quiet highlight. Made with ceremonial-grade powder, it comes in a few variations, including Lavender Muse and The Strawberry Tote, an iced strawberry matcha layered in soft pink and green. Slightly nostalgic in a Strawberry Nesquik kind of way, it’s a gentle entry point for anyone who isn’t usually drawn to matcha.

The Italian-style coffee follows the same playful naming as their iconic handbags, with the words “The Latte” or “The Cappuccino” stencilled neatly across the foam. It’s simple, on brand and basically guaranteed to have Instagram girlies posting Marc Jacobs coffee all over their feeds.

What makes it all work is how the café anchors the space. You’re not just popping in and out. You sip, nibble, people-watch, debate a purchase you hadn’t planned for, and maybe sneak a macaron on the way out. Marc’s by Marc Jacobs has a way of making an afternoon vanish while leaving you feeling like you’ve stumbled into a little luxury universe, and somehow, Johannesburg just got a little more cosmopolitan for it.

Maison Deux is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm, and 10am to 3pm on Sundays and public holidays. The Marc’s by Marc Jacobs kitchen closes at 5pm from Monday to Saturday.

maisondeux.co.za / @maisondeux.za

Wanted