Our restaurant reviews We have a note about this at the end of every MENU, but we believe that we need to say this here. When we review restaurants, we do our best to give an honest evaluation. We do this if we have been invited by the owners or their PR agents, or if we have decided to go and pay from our own purses. Our objective is to improve the dining experience for all of us who love good food and to encourage dining out if the restaurant is good. We try to be constructive and to promote, but if we receive food which is not good or poor service, we owe it to you and to the restaurant to say so. Our credibility matters to us. We believe that our being honest is in the interest of the restaurants that we visit. If their food and service are sub-standard, customers will not return and they will not survive. They need to know if they need to improve. We do not want to destroy them, but to help them thrive. If we don't talk about the food, it was not worth talking about. We have arranged these reviews alphabetically and in geographical areas. These reviews were written during 2011.
Cape Town and Surrounds
15 on Orange Savour Restaurant We had supper with John’s brother at 15 on Orange’s Savour restaurant. They have a new chef, Sonel Esterhuizen who comes from the V&A hotel and has lots of top local hotel and some overseas experience. Lynne decided to try the Crab cakes again and this time they were full of good succulent crabmeat. Beef Carpaccio and steak tartare were enjoyed by the men. Very fresh pan fried Sea Bass topped with a tomato Sauce Vierge was a good main for Lynne, who decided to stick with the fish side of the menu, while William had a NY Sirloin steak with green pepper sauce, asparagus and the restaurant’s signature truffle chips. John tackled a large portion of lamb shank and we somehow did find room for dessert which was a rather soggy tart tatin with added thick caramel sauce while John, sensibly, had the three sorbets. We drank Buitenverwachting Sauvignon blanc and Stellekaya’s Hercules red and had some super coffee to end the meal. We will be back soon to attend one of their winemaker’s dinners, possibly the Christmas in July one with Warwick wines. 9th June 2011
15 on Orange - Christmas with Warwick After the Waterford tasting, we went straight off to dinner at 15 on Orange to celebrate Christmas in July with Warwick wines. Mike Ratcliffe and his wife Pip hosted this lovely dinner and the tables were festively decorated with crackers and candles. The chef had done a pairing of some of the Warwick wines with the food. We started with their lovely tropical, crisp Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc and, having had one really awful cold sole paupiette in Franschhoek, we were served a perfect one, on cauliflower puree with confit of preserved lemon, olives and a beurre blanc which matched the wine perfectly. The next wine was the beautiful buttery chardonnay which was paired with an outrageously rich and unctuous duck foie gras brulée with roast quail breast and a walnut crostini. It was superb BUT we didn’t think it went well with the Chardonnay and cried out for a good red wine. Then we had a very interesting palate cleansing litchi and ginger sorbet with a cinnamon tuille – one to copy for dinner parties we think. The main course was a traditional Butter roast Turkey Ballotine, with a sage and prosciutto stuffing, a fondant potato, citrus jus and caramelised tinned mini pear. It was served with the Warwick Three Cape Ladies (Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) red blend. Sadly the turkey was (isn’t it always?) rather dry and disappointing. The wine, which has big, bold fruit flavours, made up for it, but it was not a perfect match for the food. The Warwick website recommends spicy tomatoes and black mushrooms as companion foods and the Chardonnay might have been a better match. Then came a dessert of Christmas pudding parfait, Italian meringue and eggnog crème anglaise. It was a bit soupy and oversweet for our palates and absolutely fought with the flagship wine from Warwick, the superb Trilogy which, we thought, was the wine that should have been served with the Duck brulée. Perhaps the Chardonnay would have been a match here, but the extreme sweetness of the dessert cried out for a sweet dessert wine. Lovely service from the staff at 15 on Orange as usual, they are very friendly and professional. They are doing a series of these Food and Wine pairing dinners. See their link for the next one you can attend. 29th July 2011
15 on Orange's Winning Buffet In the winter, we won a prize of Sunday lunch in the Savour restaurant at 15 on Orange Hotel and, as we suddenly had a free Sunday last week, we decided to go and use our voucher. We have to say that, in our opinion, this is STILL the best buffet in town. See pictures. At R265 per person, it includes a bottomless glass of Graham Beck Brut or Brut Rosé. See the menu. Lots and lots of fresh food, lots of sashimi, carpaccios, salads and they don’t pile dishes high with pasta, rice and potatoes and other starches. There is one soup, this week it was Hungarian Goulaschsuppe, and four bains marie of hot dishes, the best of which was the kingklip thermidor. The cheeses were mostly local this time and needed a bit more ripening, but they were very welcome. The dessert sideboard groans with different options, many of them chocolate based, for those of you who cannot resist the sweeter side of life. We drank two glasses of the Graham Beck Brut Rosé and had another cup of what we think is the best espresso in town. We didn’t overeat, but one could! It is very tempting to go back to the buffet again and again… and many people do. 27th October 2011
Bihari, Newlands We went with our fish eating friends to this restaurant in Newlands a few days back. We had heard very good reports of the food and, as avid Indian food fans, we were keen to check this out. We have very different opinions of the restaurant. John says it has a huge hotel-echoing style (it is in, but not part of, the Newlands Sun) but Lynne liked the compartmentalisation – we were in a booth with good warm lighting and she didn’t feel it was overwhelmingly vault-like, because the ceilings have been lowered. Certainly no flocked wallpaper anywhere and it has a nice modern feel, even if they do have fake orchids. Good pappadums and chutneys are served on arrival while you wait for your food. We took wine (Christina Van Loveren MCC and a Chilean Concha y Toro Gewürztraminer, which handled the spicy food very well), but the wine list appears to be well-priced and chosen. We shared two starters between the four of us: four small spicy rolls of chickpea and cashew nut and six large tandoori style prawns. The first was not overly impressive, but Lynne could have eaten the prawns as her main course all on her own. Our friends ordered a Paneer & tomato dish and peas & mushrooms in a hot and spicy sauce, which they enjoyed immensely; it was not their first time here. John ordered a green methi (fenugreek) lamb curry and we had to send it back to the kitchen because, besides being a bit grey, somewhat soapy and quite creamy, it was lacking in spice and salt. It returned a little improved, but not much and left him regretting that he had not ordered his favourite Rogan Josh. Lynne’s dish of Butter Chicken was ordered to see how they do it, after she had been watching Gordon Ramsay travelling and cooking in India, tasting what he says is the best. It was full of lively spices, creamy and had lots and lots of tomato, which was rather unexpected but very enjoyable. We all had rice and shared two garlic naans. No pudding or coffee and the bill with service and corkage (2 bottles) came to R620 for four, rather supporting our argument that R450 for 1 course each at lunch in Paternoster is rather expensive. Others we have spoken to, who visited that venue, have echoed our opinion. 26th May 2011
Bombay Brasserie at the Taj Hotel in Wale Street – the Maitre d’s Tasting Menu. We are aware that this meal is probably one of the most expensive we will recommend, but we so enjoyed it that we want you to know about it and perhaps go and blow your budget when you have a special birthday or anniversary. The cost for the meal is R575 per person (R395 without wine) for what is advertised as a four course meal with wine pairing. It is so much more than that. The 8 wines we had paired with the foodare all 4 or 5 star, Often, restaurants will count their amuse bouche and sorbets as courses, the Bombay Brasserie doesn’t do this and you get several treats and extras with compliments from the chef. You will be told that they don’t do traditional Indian but your meal will be full of tastes of India. It IS. All the courses will be small helpings from the normal menu. We also recommend that you take your time over this meal so that you can do justice to it – there is a lot of food. The service is very slick and professional, but they do whip your plate away quickly when you put your cutlery down and the next dish tends to appear a few minutes later, so do tell them if you want some breathing space. We were in by 7 and out by 9 and could have done with another hour of slower eating. While waiting for your first course, you start “compliments of the chef “with a tazza dish of Indian snacks – poppadoms, deep fried rice crisps, crudités with a very good tomato dip, plus others we had not encountered before. Then comes a superb amuse – a small ball of gram flour, cashew nuts, tamarind, packed full of herbs and spices that melts then explodes with flavour in your mouth, truly a taste of India. Then comes the Sorba – a spiced sweet corn broth poured over popcorn at the table, which was accompanied by our first wine – a Klein Constantia Rhine Riesling. This was followed by a platter of three starters from the normal menu. A huge tempura prawn partnered with Teddy Hall Reserve Chenin blanc, an amazing piece of tandoori broccoli which had been soaked in mustard oil – still crisp and spicy rather than heat hot, accompanied by Paul Cluver Gewürztraminer and a tender lamb kebab with the texture of fine pate (created for the nobles who preferred not to chew) which is minced up to 18 times. This was served with an excellent match, Dunston’s 2007 Merlot. Then another stunner from the chef, a palate cleansing orange and fresh coriander sorbet served smoking excitingly with dry ice. We are now feeling quite replete and expecting small tastes of mains when five square dishes appear – our mains - and we get a sinking feeling, because we know we can’t do justice to the amount of food presented. The most succulent melt in the mouth Allepey Fish Curry with an Eagles Nest Viognier, a slightly dry chicken tikka with Vin d’Orrance Syrah 07, a wine new to us which completely seduced us, Black Lentil and Kidney bean Mukhani Dal with Paul Cluver Pinot Noir, Basmati Rice and a Palak of sautéed Spinach with garlic. And then came dessert! Served with a glass of Vin de Constance, we had a perfect single gulab jamon in a fragrant rosewater syrup, which John could not get enough of, and a memory of one’s childhood: an Ovaltine Kulfi. Made with salty Carnation milk, cardamom and Ovaltine it was the perfect end to a hugely enjoyable meal. Expensive, as we said, but considering the quality and quantity of the food and the wine, it has to be regarded as good value. Thank you Hilton Ruch (our Maitre d’ that evening) for taking such good care of us and being so entertaining in the true sense of the word. 5th May 2011
Buitenverwachting Restaurant new menu We were invited recently to try Executive Chef Edgar Osojnik’s new summer menu and spent a very jolly evening with other members of the social media. Edgar is very interested in using foams, reductions, and jellies to accompany his food and we had several dishes which included these. We started with Three ways with Olives and Pepperonata and Olives, one of their vegetarian dishes, and this was served with the farm’s best selling white wine, Buiten Blanc – always deliciously crisp, mainly sauvignon blanc and deservedly one of this country’s most popular restaurant wines. Then came a lovely piece of fresh and moist Tandoori Kingklip with a prawn dhal, definitely one to return for again. This was accompanied by one of our favourites, Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc. Next, a deep bowl of creamy mielie bacon soup with a tiny roulade of lamb and pesto on the side of the plate. “One to try at home!” thought Lynne, but you must use fresh sweetcorn. This went perfectly with the Chardonnay, which has had 10 months in French oak. This was followed by Saddle of rich Springbok, served three ways with a Port wine couverture chocolate sauce accompanied by the equally rich and deep Cabernet Sauvignon. And finally a perfect honey saffron ice cream with dark chocolate, rhubarb and blood orange compote, with which we were treated to a glass of the excellent “1796” muscat dessert wine. Luckily this meal was served in quite small portions and did last quite long time, so we were not totally unable to move when it finished. Go and see this new menu for yourself with its many different facets. 27th October 2011
Café Sofia, Kloof Street We don’t often write bad reviews of restaurants; most of you know that if we don’t mention the food and only talk about the décor, it is because the food was not worth writing about. However, this week, we just have to speak out and we hope that this reaches the owner/creator Roman. Café Sofia has been a favourite place to eat tapas since we discovered the first one in Sea Point several years ago. They have now expanded with branches all over Cape Town and in other cities. Perhaps this expansion has been too fast. We love the concept of Balkan Tapas and Lynne had her 60th birthday at the Sea Point branch with our friends; we took over the restaurant and had many plates of good nibbles. After a wine tasting at the Mount Nelson recently, we popped into the Kloof Street branch for a quick supper and ordered 8 “samples” – the tapas sized snacks. From fresh and good, the food now seems to be produced in an airline catering kitchen. The menu descriptions simply do not match the food. What was sold to us as Serrano ham was a thick piece of composite pressed local ham, topped with a mean sliver of sour feta and doused in burnt balsamic reduction. The chorizo was a local sausage which bore no relation to a Hispanic sausage. The once crisp filo borek were made with thick undercooked pastry and contained a mush of some undistinguishable meat. The spinach and feta pies, which we remember as having delicately thin, crisp filo pastry, were soggy, greasy messes – also tasteless. We could go on but won’t. The most shocking thing was the beef kebabs – the meat was horribly off and we were very worried indeed that we would get food poisoning, so only had that first bite of them. This is unacceptable and we hope something is done about the people preparing the food who, we think, don’t have a clue and are seriously compromising this restaurant chain. We paid the bill, but we were very unhappy. The very attentive, professional and good staff were extremely apologetic and understanding and their manager, whom we know and who was previously at a good restaurant which we like, gave us money off vouchers for another meal, but the problem is not the people, it’s the food. The restaurant was empty, while next door there was a full crowd. Get the message - you are not doing yourself any favours at all. We have already written that the pasta and ribs we had at Café Sofia in Camps Bay was the sort of thing restaurants buy from a bulk caterer in boil in the bags and are worth missing. It is so sad to see a really innovative concept spoiled by bad food. It must be very discouraging for the keen staff who, we have been told, work on commission. Note: there is no connection between this establishment and Sophia’s at Morgenster, where we had an excellent meal recently. 10th March 2011
Chai Yo, Canal Walk We tend to avoid the Valentine’s Day promotions, preferring to eat in a more normal environment, so we were pleased to be able to accept an invitation to try the new Chai Yo Thai restaurant in Canal Walk on Monday. It is an offshoot of the restaurant of the same name in Mowbray, and is a member of the group which also owns Wang Thai and Taste of Asia. This is a hidden secret behind the food court; it has a wonderful terrace which opens out onto a lovely canal and lake. It reminds us of sitting on the terrace at the One and Only! On a hot evening, we were seated inside because the terrace is reserved for the smokers. We think this is very, very unfair. Smokers, thankfully, are now in the minority and there is an area of the restaurant where they could be sequestered and removed from those of us who prefer clean air. Sadly, the smoke drifts in through the open doors and we feel that the restaurant should address this. The menu has all the usual Thai dishes, Tom Yum, Panang and green and red curries, Angry Duck, etc. We started with the spinach cones – you fill a tiny piece of spinach leaf (actually Swiss chard, but it works well) with fresh chilli, onion, roasted coconut, lemongrass, ginger and lemon, add a little sweet palm syrup, then wrap up, and pop into your mouth for a taste explosion. We followed this with a selection plate of delicious sushi. We think their sushi chef, Alex, is excellent - the rice was perfect and the fish very fresh indeed. They currently have a special on with sushi at half price from 12 to 6, Mondays to Saturdays – a great way to have supper before catching a movie. On our waitress’ recommendation, we ordered Angry Duck, medium heat - always a favourite but, sadly, this duck was only mildly annoyed, just a little ticked off.. It contained far too much lemongrass, which appeared rather old and was very fibrous. Again on her recommendation, we had Prawns with cashew nuts. We like quite spicy food and it is certainly what we expect at a Thai restaurant. This resembled Chinese chicken and cashew nuts and was very bland indeed. Both our main dishes appeared to be aimed at those who are challenged when it comes to chilli. Perhaps that is the taste of Canal Walk customers. For dessert, we shared a portion of deep fried bananas. These needed a crisper batter and much more syrup. If the dishes are given a more typically Thai dash of chilli and spice, this branch of Chai Yo will be a good place to eat and recover in a restful atmosphere after a hectic bout of shopping. We spoke to the manager about these issues and we hope that she will make a few small changes. She said that several people had made the point about the deck being preferred as a non-smoking area. Good coffee and a quick trip home followed. Canal Walk is only about 12 minutes drive from our home and is close to most places in Cape Town. We took a bottle of Van Loveren’s Wolverine Creek Viognier with us. We find, frequently, that Viognier’s peach and apricot flavours, with a good dollop of acidity to cleanse the palate and calm down spicy flavours, make a delicious partner to the spicy Asian flavours. 16th February 2011
Chapman’s Peak Hotel Visiting Hout Bay with friends celebrating their anniversary, we were led to a table on the verandah of this Cape Town landmark. Most of us have memories of meals here in the past and it’s so comforting to know that it is still there and still producing the same good food. Known for its calamari, most of us had no intention of having anything else although we did have combos, so some of us tried the prawns and others the fish of the day which was yellowtail. John was tempted by the sardines, which he said were excellent, and we had a lovely time. We drank a bottle of bubbly and the owner, Lydia - a wine diploma course classmate - sent us some wonderful tastes of some Pinot Noirs her party was tasting with their lunch. We had excellent service and, of course, superb views of the sea and the bay. They now have redeveloped the hotel and have done a very good refurbishment.. We will write more about this soon. 5th May 2011
Dash restaurant. The Queen Victoria Hotel We had been sitting, for a while, on an invitation to visit Dash Restaurant (named after Queen Victoria’s favourite dog) at the Queen Victoria Hotel and write about the food, but we haven’t had an opportunity. We decided to go on Father’s Day, together with John’s daughter Clare, to spoil John but, first, we visited the sister V&A Hotel because we had been invited to their &Union beer and Black Bottle whisky tasting. We also got to check out their Sunday buffet which does look interesting enough to return to sample. Then up the stairs to the top of the cliff and what is probably the best view of the entire Waterfront, next to the Time Ball Tower. Alton van Biljon, the Newmark Group’s charming Food and Beverage Manager, escorted us to the Hotel and showed us around the suites, including the Presidential suite. Newly decorated by a (very) creative team, this has a very modern and luxurious feel. Lots of black marble, soft grey and taupe walls, crisp white paint, especially on the curved staircase which is right out of the Guggenheim, the décor has been warmed up with lovely touches of deep purple on couches, pillows and other quality furnishings as well as stunning modern crystal chandeliers. The restaurant and the elegant bar follow the theme and we especially liked the dark steel-topped tables, comfortable club chairs and the cut-out fireplace. Alton has a signature cocktail, Pomegranate Martini which he insisted we all try. Lynne, who never drinks cocktails, is completely hooked and in love with this sensational drink. It is made with a wonderful elderflower cordial that comes from the UK, pomegranate juice and Bombay Sapphire Gin. More, more… Award winning Stephen Templeton is the Executive chef (he was previously at the Mount Nelson, and then had his own hotel in Montagu) and his menu has been getting lots of good attention and recommendations lately. We were really delighted and surprised to see the price levels on the menu too. Starters are from R55, mains average R125 and desserts about R60. It is full of fresh, seasonal, local food with some good vegetarian and fish choices as well as a couple of serious luxuries. The wine list is very well planned and offers some of the best wines in the country, but not all are priced beyond one’s budget. Clare and Lynne had the rich and meaty wild mushroom ragout on puff pastry with a divine béarnaise sauce and truffle crisps while John succumbed to the Pear, Stilton and Chicory salad. We had glasses of one of our favourite Semillons, the layered fruit, lanoline rich and complex Ghost Corner from Cederberg and it went perfectly with both dishes. We were then treated to a selection of the delicious sorbets which are served between courses. Rose, Apple and cinnamon, lime and lemon, orange citrus, vodka, tomato. Just right for a pause in the meal. Lynne had decided to have the scallops as her main course the moment she saw the menu – they have been seriously recommended and she loves them. She was surprised to see that there are no meat starters on the menu at present, but the mushrooms were a good choice because she didn’t particularly want to do two fish courses in a row. The menu description read “Hazelnut crusted scallops on braised baby fennel and cauliflower puree with curry oil” – she had five wonderful pieces of sweet fresh scallop but thinks the braised baby fennel might have been missing? All the dishes are stunningly presented and the scallops came with a huge parmesan crisp filled with salad leaves and micro greens, which was demolished. See our blog for pictures and the menu, as well as some pics of the hotel interior. Clare loves duck and really enjoyed the rich Duck confit risotto with citrus and a very aromatic herb “potpourri” which accompanied the dish – you are meant to add the herbs to your own taste. Both girls were able to predict with complete accuracy what John would order for both his main course and dessert! We do know his taste. And he loved them both. First there was the superbly tender Pan fried loin of venison with parsley mash, carrot puree and turnip gratin which came with a lovely boat of unctuous gravy. With our main courses, Alton decanted a rich, full-flavoured Mullineux 2008 Syrah, which was a perfect partner to the food. Then John’s dessert, which Lynne and Clare want to go back and order – SOON: Hot chocolate fondant with orange ice cream and bitter sugar brittle. It was sensationally dark bitter Valrhona chocolate with a slight salty tang, warm and liquid in the centre and oh so decadent. Clare had to have some more of the lime sorbet, so her dessert was a coconut panacotta with lime sorbet and passion fruit coulis and she loved it. Lynne chose the interesting sounding liquorice macaroons with tangerine jelly cubes and they were deliciously black and salty and not too sweet. There are only four desserts on the menu and a good cheese board, but the selection is so good that you will find something you like. We moved to the lounge area on the other side of the fireplace for coffee and a 15 year old Joseph Barry brandy for Papa - Clare was our chauffeur for Father’s Day. And, suddenly, we found that it was four o’clock and a lovely Sunday afternoon had slipped away delightfully. A sincere thank you to all who so helped to make it a very special day, especially Alton and our excellent waiter, Joseph. 23rd June 2011
Dunes - Brunch by the Sea We live in what is possibly the most beautiful place on earth, with a huge variation in scenery literally every few kilometres. Cape Town has a long coastline on the Peninsula, most of it absolutely stunning and much of it accessible from the road. It has therefore always surprised us how few restaurants and places of entertainment and enjoyment are actually right on the coastline. We have previously written about Dunes, a pub restaurant on the beach behind the (once high) dunes at Hout Bay as being one of our favourite places to chill after work with a draught beer and a plate of calamari while watching the whales in the bay. Dunes is currently offering a very good value Sunday Brunch for R100 and we were invited to sample it last Sunday. We met a couple of friends there and had a lovely table downstairs on the terrace underneath an umbrella with a perfect view of the beach and the bay. The buffet is divided into three cost areas and for your R100 you can have all of them. Or you can have just one section and pay only for that. The first table has fresh oysters, all the necessary trimmings for them, snoek pate and smoked salmon. This costs R60 if this is all you want. There is also a table filled with bains marie, where you are served your selection of breakfast items starting with creamed spinach, scrambled egg, bacon, fried tomatoes, pork sausages, mushrooms, hash potato, French toast, even fried bananas, amongst other things for R70. There is also a table with fruit juice, and another with fresh fruit, muesli, cereal and milk. You have to get toast or bread or croissants from the coffee, tea and pastry table. The kitchen was obviously working overtime as there were small waits while they replaced the eggs or the bacon or sausages. We were very impressed at how patient the customers were and how polite. No-one barged in, was too greedy or was demanding, noisy or rude. John doesn’t do cooked breakfasts and he had some oysters, salmon and snoek paté and followed this with a chocolate muffin, a pain au chocolat and a cup of coffee. Our friends just had the hot breakfast and paid R70 for their food. Lynne had some smoked salmon, paté, and oysters and then had a small plate from the hot buffet. The scrambled eggs were described by Loraine as ‘folded eggs’ rather than scrambled and were indeed like a wet omelette. The bacon varied from very crispy, almost caramelised bits to some quite soft slices so you can choose which style you like. All in all, a good breakfast plate. Even the addition of fried bananas, which Lynne had never had with egg and bacon breakfast before, worked. Good coffee, nice pastries and koeksisters too finished off a good feed. We had a bottle of Christina Van Loveren MCC bubbly to wash down breakfast and we think you should go and investigate this lovely venue for yourself. The star, of course, is the location on the beach. Cool breezes aided a warm day and we stayed on for a while to finish our wine. The Brunch only runs till 12, when they clear the buffet and start serving lunch. If you don’t like the buffet selection, you can order breakfast items à la carte and we saw some beautiful poached eggs being sent to a table. The crowd is young and is often reviving from parties the night before, so it is not rowdy. There are families (they have a play area for children), dogs and lots of us baby boomers. 10th February 2011
Dunes We were invited to Dunes restaurant for a media dinner to try out their Bistro menu. Quinton Spickernell, who cooked our dinner, says Dunes is, apparently, known only for its calamari and chips and its very child friendly garden and attitude. He wants to change this perception. Their reasonable Sunday buffet breakfast has been doing this, now he wants to draw attention to the restaurant rather than the pub. We have been fans for years and take all our overseas visitors there for: Yes! a plate of calamari or nachos, a good draught beer and a fantastic view. We have to confess we have never eaten downstairs in the restaurant. The restaurant has always served very good meals and to draw people in: both locals and us from other suburbs, he has come up with the well priced Bistro menu. Adding up the most expensive starter and main course we worked out this might cost you a maximum of R120 per person for two courses. Drinks, service and dessert will add to the bill but we still think it is a very good deal. We started with a good fish soup which had a thin, well-flavoured broth and contained mussels, fish and a scallop. The other starter, which we were not expecting to wow us but did, was a crisp phyllo-wrapped vegetarian spinach and feta parcel with a tomato and basil sauce. Our main courses were, for John, a Chargrilled Beef fillet with a green peppercorn cream sauce and good chips and vegetables and for Lynne, perfectly cooked, soft and flaky Kingklip with a slightly singed hazelnut, thyme and lemon coating and a butter sauce – even John who is not a fan of Kingklip, liked this dish. There is a vegetarian butternut and lentil bobotie on the menu and we might return for the scallop starter (R40) and the Bouillabaisse main (R59). The wine list is good, with lots of wines served by the glass at very reasonable prices. Desserts are on the main menu and Quinton spoilt us with the White chocolate cheesecake, which everyone went crazy for. Good coffee finished a good meal. One negative for us is the restaurant does smell very strongly of cigarette smoke even though it is not allowed and we suspect this is seeping in from the pub area above the restaurant. Sealing the floor up there might help. The views are marvellous at sunset and of course, during the day. Now that the whales are back, it is well worth a stop for a good meal and a bit of whale watching. 25th August 2011
Dynasty (Nedbank Centre, Sea Point) has dumplings! We always get together with John’s daughter over Easter and this year we decided to go out for Easter Sunday. We had discovered that Dynasty, our good local Chinese restaurant, where we always rave about the sushi, has started doing dumplings for lunch and we had to try these as we are all very fond of them. Even better, when we were there, we found we could order three and only pay for two. You can have all the dumplings either steamed, pan fried (known in China as Pot stickers) or deep fried. They have special tasting menus which introduce you to the different types and at R59 for 6 different dumplings we had to try them. We did two portions steamed and one pan fried and immediately ordered another six of the prawn dumplings pan fried. We did start with a small portion of sushi each, took our own wine and the bill for three with an extra portion of beef dumplings for John was only R387 before tip and including R20 corkage on our bottle of Buitenverwachting Sauvignon blanc. Do go and try it to encourage them – perhaps we can then get them to do other more adventurous dim sum like Shar siu boa (buns), paper wrapped prawns and shu mai, etc. 28th April 2011
Foodbarn - Fabulous Food. Last night, we and a group of other members of the food media were invited to the Foodbarn to watch a cooking demonstration by Franck Dangereux, which he does weekly in the winter, and then had a superb dinner, accompanied by Steenberg wines. Check out details in our Winter Specials list if you want to book. We so recommend that you do. We were invited for 6pm and had a very social time, chatting to all the participants with a glass of the house wine, a Cape Point Sauvignon Blanc. Charming Franck Dangereux turns out to be an extremely good teacher and his demonstration was clear and seamless. He has a large work surface in his demo kitchen, all his ingredients prepared in advance, and a huge mirror above it so that everyone can see a bird’s eye view of exactly what he is doing. He works quickly and cleanly, but you understand each thing he does and he explains the reasons for it. Simple enough for those who do not cook much and delightful for those of us who do; we all learnt things. One of the dishes he demonstrated was a choice on the dinner menu later, fresh Yellowtail tartare on a base of avocado with his own garlicky aioli, topped with salmon caviar, sushi/sashimi soy sauce and sushi ginger. Then he made what looked like really easy gnocchi from ricotta cheese and parsley, which we can’t wait to replicate- we hope it is that easy. We made a video and, if we can get his permission, we may put it on YouTube. This was accompanied by honey baked beetroot cubes – we were shown the entire process. He taught us all something very valuable, which was how to debone a quail, (especially because we have six in our freezer). It is so much easier to be shown how to do it than follow instructions in a book. Lynne does debone chicken, but this is quite different. He made a superb classic jus to go with the gnocchi and the quail and reduced it and reduced it. We all got to taste the final results. Then we went to our tables and had a choice of two starters, one being the Yellowtail tartare. Both of us chose the other starter (we’d tasted the yellowtail), a single large ravioli parcel filled with chevin cheese and ratatouille and surrounded by an unctuous cheesy sauce. The pasta Franck made was perfect, light and thin. Plates were wiped clean. This was served with a good match, the delicious wooded Steenberg Semillon. Steenberg are providing the wines for the demonstration and tasting evenings. The next course was Grilled Bluenose fish, served in a garlic sauce on a crisp anchovy pissaladiere (from Franck’s roots in the south of France). The accompanying wine was an absolute cracker, Steenberg’s deep and delicious Nebbiolo – only available on the farm and made in very small quantities. And, just when we were thinking we couldn’t eat another thing, the third course arrived: lovely beef fillet in a three pepper sauce – the sweet and pungent red peppercorns predominating, rich wine jus served on what is described as a mash fritter. This was a very good match to the Merlot, one of Lynne’s all time favourite Cape Merlots. And, yes, there is dessert to follow - a wicked chocolate slice served with Horlicks ice cream. Are childhood drinks becoming the flavour of the week, we asked - having had an Ovaltine khulfi at the Bombay Brasserie the week before. We expect to see Milo and Instant Postum appearing on menus somewhere soon. We drove home slowly, feeling very spoilt and full. And all this costs only R165 per person for 3 courses paired with 2 Steenberg Wines, R185 pp for 4 courses paired with 3 Steenberg Wines or R215 for 5 courses paired with 4 Steenberg Wines. Fly off and book yourself a wonderful evening. The demos with dinner run until further notice. Check with the restaurant. 12th May 2011
Garden Court Holiday Inn, Nelson Mandela Boulevard. World Chefs Tour against Hunger You may have been aware from the huge newspaper advertisements that there were foreign chefs visiting for the Bidvest World Chefs Tour against Hunger. We saw them advertise only three countries: Holland, USA and Egypt and, as it was a busy week and these cuisines are not particularly inspiring to us, we didn’t plan to go. Apparently there were 200 chefs from 44 countries here for the tour. Then, on Saturday morning at the Biscuit Mill, Pete Goffe Wood told us what a fantastic meal he had had with the Singapore team who were cooking at the Holiday Inn Garden Court, just off the Mandela Boulevard. On the spur of the moment, and because Lynne knows and absolutely loves Malaysian food (she used to eat it at least once a week in London for many, many years and has visited Malaysia) we decided to book and go that night. Cost was R155 per person, a portion of this going to the charity. Pete did say that the two top chefs would be cooking at the Banquet on Saturday, but that the other chefs would be cooking at the hotel. Sadly, they were not and the food was a bit of a disaster. It seemed as if it had all been prepared a lot earlier (possibly the day before?), and was languishing in bains marie, dried out, overcooked and in pools of oil. The presentation was appalling, dirty spoons lying around and everything looked like slop. The hotel staff were mostly unable to tell us what we were eating and the added complication was that Egyptian food dishes were mixed up with the Singapore. The prawn curry had all been eaten by 7.30 and all that was left in the dish was a little sauce and a few large prawn shells. There was an enormous dish of expensive scallops in a spiced sauce. They were ruined because they had stewed to hard disks, such a waste. We did manage to taste the chilli soft shell crab Pete had so sung about, but it was dry and not hot - we think someone had been a bit shy with the chilli - and it had little texture and flavour. The rice was transparent and crisp with age, the egg on it solid rubber. One dish they could not ruin was a Nonya Laksa where the noodles, fish balls and bean sprouts had to have the Laksa sauce poured onto them at the last moment and this tasted fresh and very lively indeed, if a little oily. An in-house cook did grill some fragrant fresh chicken satay while we were there, but provided no dipping sauce. Luckily there was some Gado Gado salad covered in peanut sauce, so we added some of that. Some of the dessert dishes had been placed next to savoury so we had a few surprises eating our main courses, like finding an Egyptian sweetmeat which we had mistaken for a meatball. There was one super Malaysian dessert hidden in a lidded pot of fragrant ginger and lemongrass broth – a sweet rice dumpling stuffed with sweet soya paste. The other desserts were a disgrace! See our pictures which include the childrens’ party dessert plate: green lime jelly, packet chocolate mousse, packet crème caramel and a melk tart. And some of the food was a complete mystery – Lynne got a huge surprise tasting some of them as they were completely unidentifiable as food. Besides the residents of the hotel and an entire visiting football team (who we think were a bit shell shocked with the food selection), there was only one other foodie couple eating there. We enjoyed comparing notes with them. If we had seen this advertised earlier in the week, we would have been there when the Singapore chefs were cooking. Just before we left, the manager gave us a menu of what ‘should have been’. Made you weep. We hope the money we paid went to the charity. Sadly, we think that this exercise was very badly done and we feel so embarrassed for the chefs who were not given any publicity. We met several senior Czech Republic chefs at the Biscuit Mill that morning and gave them tastes of some of our local specialities, which they loved. But we hadn’t known beforehand that they were here, either. 1st September 2011
HARBOUR HOUSE, Kalk Bay On Tuesday, we paused our stock hunt with a lovely lunch at Harbour House in Kalk Bay, whose manager, Daniel Evans, had invited us to come and taste their winter special menu - so that we could tell you all about it. The specials will continue during winter and the menu will change each month; they are not available for Sunday lunch. The restaurant is decorated mainly in white and has a lovely beachside atmosphere with a topping of elegance and huge windows which give marvellous views of the harbour and the wonderful expanse of False Bay with the mountains in the distance. Getting there is easy now - the road has been finished and you travel south on the Main Road and back to town on Boyes Drive. The menu has three starter and main choices and two desserts and is extremely good value at R140 for two courses and R165 for three. John started with a tender Beef Tataki with a good soy and sesame sauce topped with a crisp salad of slivered vegetables. It also comes with pickled mushrooms. Lynne opted for the Lobster Bisque. Due warning – you get a swimming pool portion of this beautiful rich and creamy soup, not over-extracted and completely correctly seasoned. Swimming in the centre of the pool is half a small crayfish tail. John opted for the line fish, Kabeljou, which was moist and perfectly cooked and served with cubes of roast potato, lightly grilled pieces of artichoke heart and fresh citrus (See pictures). Lynne was torn between the rack of lamb and her final choice which was the Prawn and calamari ragout. Tender baby calamari with lots of small, slightly floury prawns: the dish has two sauces surrounding it, one a robust tomato, the other a gentle cream and chive and they combine perfectly with the seafood which is sandwiched together with crisp pastry feuilles (sheets). John still had the courage for dessert and polished off a very good New York baked cheesecake accompanied by a rather gritty cinnamon ice cream. Their coffee is excellent and we enjoyed a huge glass each of Brampton Sauvignon blanc during the meal – both are extra. We had lovely service too. It is very relaxing. We recommend you go and try it. 12th May 2011
Il Cappero – New and different This Sicilian restaurant in Barrack Street in central Cape Town has been open for a few months and is owned by Aldo Bezzicheri, the Maitre d’, who is from Rome, and his Sicilian wife Cetti Romano, who is the chef. Aldo was an international yacht captain and a qualified helicopter pilot and, as he puts it, they have now berthed in Cape Town. The food is, we believe, authentic Sicilian. We have had very little personal experience of the food from this part of Italy, both of us having travelled extensively through the country, but neither has gone that far south, yet! Lynne won a Sicilian cookbook three years ago and has made some very good dishes, so we know that the food features fish, capers, lemons, olives, pine nuts, tomatoes, chillies and other very strong flavours with hints of North Africa in it, due to their rich culture and the wonderful produce on the island. Because we had been invited, we asked Aldo to bring us what he thought would best showcase the food and we ate royally. As we usually do, we shared all the dishes. John drank a glass of Chianti and Lynne a glass of the house white wine. We started with raw fresh local longfin tuna (which has been sensational over the last couple of weeks as the catch comes in) and it was prepared in large chunks in a timbale with pine nuts and a Balsamic reduction. It was delicious. It had an avocado puree and a rather pedestrian potato salad on the side. Our other starter was Soufflé de Melanzane, a beautiful aubergine mousse rather than a soufflé, with thyme, parsley, pine nuts and cheese - very rich and creamy and filling – for some of our friends this would be a main course portion. Our first main course was completely new to us, pasta with Ricci di Mare (sea urchins). Such huge flavours of the sea, it was in a pale orange sauce that looked almost like a caviar or Bottarga, a preserved fish roe, also from Sicily. The accompanying pasta was a home-made linguine and it was perfect. Lynne found it slightly bitter but suspected that this was from the good raw olive oil used. We will definitely order this again. The other course, Involtini di Vitello alla Siciliana, consisted of several small tender rolls of veal, stuffed with pine nuts, raisins, onions and bay leaves and served with vegetable and was a huge helping. We had coffee and declined dessert, but they insisted be take home some Cannoli, which is a speciality of the island. Crisp deep fried rolls of pastry filled with ricotta cheese, cream and jewels of glace fruit, chocolate chips and nuts. Yum, but rich. Service was superb. The average starter price is about R65 and main courses about R95. We will return and we hope you try it out; people are talking about this restaurant. Parking in the street is safe and there were no car ‘guards’ hounding us, probably due to the proximity of our central police station, Magistrates Court and Parliament. They do have some very ordinary things on their menu to please locals and guests from the adjacent hotel who do patronise the restaurant. 12th May 2011
Il Cappero’s Gattopardo dinner This Sicilian restaurant in Barrack Street has been running a three course special all week long and pairing each course with a glass of Italian wine. We went on Tuesday night to find the restaurant full of well known and also not so well known (to us) diners. Two friends of ours arrived and were allowed to join our table. There were three starters on the menu, so we ordered one each and did our usual swop half-way through. John had the Caponata de Melanzane salad – layers of fried aubergine sauced with tomato, capers, olives and pine nuts, soft and rich. Lynne ordered the artichokes in four juices, a very unusual way to cook artichoke hearts in a rich and very tangy sauce made from orange, lemon, clementine juices and white vinegar with capers and anchovies added. Both of these went perfectly with the recommended Pinot Grigio. Again, we had three main courses to choose from and went for the Swordfish and the Prince’s Pasta. Both came wrapped in parcels of quite substantial pastry. The swordfish had sweet raisins and onions, capers and olives in the parcel which made it taste like a meat rather than a fish, but it was very pleasant. It was surrounded by a trail of puree of courgette. Lynne’s pie, Timbala di Principe (the Princes Pasta), was filled with macaroni, small pieces of chicken, chicken livers, mushrooms, ham and quail eggs. It was interesting, if a little dry, and cried out for a sauce of some sort. John had the recommended chardonnay – very light and low in alcohol, slightly buttery, Lynne’s dish came with a very typically Italian red wine, Nero d’avola Sedara; soft, light and fruity with characteristic hints of violets on the nose , which we all liked so much that we ordered a bottle (R180). Service was a little slow due, we think, to the restaurant being so busy, and our desserts came quite late. John had a Cassatine di Ricotta with almond marzipan and Lynne Gelo di Anguria, a rather solid jelly made from watermelon with jasmine flavour, on a base of what tasted like coffee grounds. Both were very sweet indeed. We paid R575 for our meal, including service but excluding the bottle of red wine, the price of which we shared with our friends. The 1963 Visconti movie Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) starring Burt Lancaster - wearing an hysterical wig - an amazingly handsome and young Alain Delon and a sensational teenage Claudia Cardinale played on the flat screen in the corner while we ate. All in Italian without subtitles, it nevertheless added a bit of atmosphere to the meal. Pictures of the dishes are here. 27th October 2011
Knife and Glenwood Last night, we had another great food and wine pairing dinner, (and a great deal of fun) this time at Knife restaurant, which is in Canal Walk and is situated behind the Crystal Towers Hotel, where there is lots of parking. Knife has a cool cocktail bar and is unashamedly a steak house, but one with a difference. We sat with the winemaker, DP Burger, and his wife and we had lots and lots to chat about with this charming couple, whose farm is in Franschhoek. We started the meal with DP’s 2011 Sauvignon blanc, paired with a huge beetroot and smoked goats’ cheese salad. Knife have their own smokery and both the cheese and the ribs which followed were smoked in house. The lovely Glenwood merlot accompanied a plate of their signature smoked sticky BBQ baby back ribs. On chatting to Ed Saunders, the owner, Lynne said they reminded her very much of those she used to love at the Rib Shack in Knightsbridge in London and, indeed, that is where Brit Ed used to work - for the brilliant Bob Payton who had a string of successful London theme restaurants. You get down and dirty, eating these ribs with your fingers, but huge tea towels and hot towels are provided to clean you up. Even John, who prefers to keep his fingers clean to avoid transferring sticky stuff to his camera, enjoyed them. Next, we had a round of good tender beef sirloin on a crisp mushroom crouton with a great black pepper sauce, crisp onion rings and proper French fries. There are so few restaurants who make proper chips/fries and it is a huge treat when we find one. This paired well with the soft fruity and spicy 2010 Shiraz/Merlot blend which, we were delighted to learn, costs only about R35 a bottle, so some will definitely be coming home with us soon. The dessert, a wicked sticky toffee pudding with lots of caramel sauce and cream, finished a lovely meal. DP served his Semillon 2006 noble late harvest wine, which he explained is not for sale to the public. He said it was a complete accident in the making, because a few rows of his Semillon, accidentally left on the vine, were discovered when they returned from holiday and successfully vinified. Knife are running these dinners regularly, check out their web site for details and do not hesitate to visit this fun restaurant with your friends for an enjoyable night out. We think it’s a great place for singles to meet. 29th July 2011
La Bohème, Sea Point - The right formula What restaurant is consistently full, a booking has to be made well in advance and is converting the youth of South Africa to really good food and wine? La Bohème in Sea Point comes up with consistently excellent food and service at really good prices. We had friends down from Tzaneen, who rode in the Argus Cycle Tour, so we went there on Wednesday and had a ball. Four of us had a starter and a main course each, plus one dessert for the hungry farmer, with a bottle of Sterhuis sauvignon and 2 Jack Black lagers for R575 including tip. Faisal and Anna are looking a bit thin though from overwork. Wish it worked on us. 18th March 2011
Live Bait, Kalk Bay - A seaside lunch We have friends here from Holland – they now come every year and we love to take them somewhere good for lunch. Using the Eat Out Guide, we booked a table at Live Bait, which is downstairs from Harbour House on the dock at Kalk Bay. Very fresh food, served simply and they let you take your own wine and pay corkage. Two people ordered three oysters each – they were enormous, superb and so another six were ordered immediately. John had a plate of salmon Maki rolls as his starter and Yvonne had to try sushi, so she had her first salmon rainbow rolls. Lynne decided to eat only sushi and had a well prepared mixed platter of about 14 pieces – sadly only salmon was available, even though she had been promised some prawn. Main courses were huge plates of seafood pasta for the two men and small portions of garlic prawns on rice for the Yvonne and Nicolette. We saw lots of people eating the fish and chips – a huge portion for a very reasonable price. With one dessert and five coffees, the bill came to R880 for five, including corkage on 3 bottles - not cheap, but not bad at all. Lovely views and good service means we will be back, probably in the depths of winter, to see what they can do then. 18th March 2011
Mint restaurant at the Taj Last Friday, we were invited by the management of the Taj hotel to join them at a tasting and dinner - #3 in their regular Wine Tasting Series. For the princely sum of R310 you get to take part in a superb tasting of wines from a selection of vineyards and meet the winemakers. This is then followed by a four course dinner at Mint matched to some of the wines you have just tasted and the winemakers join you in the restaurant. We had a marvellous time tasting Bartinney, Kleine Zalze, Eagles’ Nest, Mischa and Groot Constantia wines. The menu included very good Norwegian salmon sashimi, a super light Japanese style mushroom soup flavoured with truffles and divine braised veal shanks. Because John is allergic to mushrooms, they were kind enough to serve him a superb Tom Yum soup. We finished with a plate of apple desserts. 8th July 2011
Pure Restaurant - Hout Bay Manor We were invited to a media lunch yesterday - to meet the chef and to sample his new menu. Ian Bergh was previously with Five Flies restaurant in town and his style of food is exactly what we like: fresh, local and adventurous. We started with some of the long fin tuna that has been coming in since last week. He seared it, wrapped it in Nori and served on a platter drizzled with oil, ginger, soya and spring onions. Very pretty presentation too. Then we had a salad with buffalo mozzarella, tomato, sweet mini figs and micro greens. Next course was prawns in a divine citrus sauce and then came roast duck with a heavy mushroom reduction sauce on a celeriac puree with baby vegetables. The pièce de resistance and no, we couldn’t, was a whole poached nectarine served with a very rich vanilla ice cream which Lynne had to pass on. Bending down later that afternoon to unpack all our goods for the night market was extremely difficult after this huge repast. This was a selection from their regular menu. Do Google them and see what you might choose. There is a R200 lunch menu which looks good. 18th March 2011
The One & Only - Vista Lounge Afternoon Tea and the Lindt Chocolate Fondue Lots of members of the media were invited to the One and Only Hotel yesterday afternoon to sample first their Lindt Chocolate Fondue, which costs R145 for two, AND THEN we were let loose on the laden buffet for the tea choices – the afternoon tea costs R145 per person. We must say that most of us were being good and not overdoing it, but the temptation is there. The Executive Pastry chef, Rene Smit, used to make those marvellous macaroons for us to sell in the shop, so we knew that she and her tea would produce quality pastries. Rene has had great international experience having worked at the Dorchester in London and in Dubai as well as in other places. For those of you who don’t have much of a sweet tooth, they do have tiny quiches and some small - rather thick - cucumber, egg and salmon brown bread sandwiches. Amongst many other treats, we recommend the superb éclairs, a marvellous dark chocolate mousse cake topped with fresh Raspberries, the macaroons and the fondue itself, which was a deep dark, not too sweet Lindt chocolate and is accompanied by very pretty boxes of delights to dip. Lots of choices for tea and you can order coffee if you prefer – you get a whole pot. Great service too. They do require booking in advance, so call 021 431 4511 or email restaurantreservations@oneandonlycapetown.com. You can also buy gift vouchers for the two teas. 12th May 2011
The Square restaurant at the Vineyard Hotel - Dombeya Food and wine pairing dinner. On the first Friday of each month, there is a dinner where the chef matches dishes to wines from a specific wine producer. This, and the lead-up to it, was probably one of the most interesting and intriguing things we have done this year - to sit in on a pre-dinner planning session with a chef and a winemaker, come up with flavours we found in the wine and then make a few suggestions about what other flavours they might match. We also had a table full of different foods to taste with the wines, to see what matched or what absolutely clashed. They were not looking for specific dishes, just suggestions, e.g. that the butter tasted in the chardonnay might match well with butternut and the tomato nuances found in the rich red blend might match with fresh or cooked tomato. Then, last Friday, we were able to attend the dinner and see how the chef had interpreted the initial tasting session. What was even more interesting was that the Executive Chef Alex Docherty, who cooked the meal, did it from the notes of Chef JB Louw, who sat with us in the first tasting and, in our opinion, he got it very right. The restaurant was The Square, at the Vineyard Hotel in Newlands, with winemaker Rianie Strydom and her Dombeya wines. Our welcome drink was, unusually, a red: the Dombeya Shiraz. Lynne is fairly traditional about the order in which she likes to drink wine and would normally have preferred a dry white but, because this Shiraz is so soft, fruity and ready, it was lovely to drink through the meeting, greeting and speeches before dinner. With our first course, we had the Dombeya Chardonnay. It is full of lime and apple flavours, with some buttery backing but lean and crisp, rather than flabby. The chef’s choice was, for us, a stroke of brilliance and it certainly echoed what we had found at the first tasting session. A rectangle of Norwegian salmon was wrapped in Parma ham, gently cooked till the ham crisped and the salmon just fell apart - with a lovely butternut puree, accompanied by lime and apple jelly cubes and some micro greens. The second course was an unctuously soft, almost jellied, long cooked neck of lamb, topped with a caramelised onion and black cherry chutney with a Nicoise style salad to accompany the very cherry flavoured 2008 Merlot. The main course was served with the Dombeya Samara 2006, a blend of traditional Bordeaux grapes, meaty full-flavoured and many layered. This was served with a traditional oven-roasted beef sirloin, served in 2 cm thick slices of perfect pinkness and tenderness. It was accompanied by a rich braised oxtail and bone marrow stuffed single ravioli, sitting on a wild mushroom and fennel fricassee with, for us, the absolute stroke of brilliance - the confit vine cherry tomato and liquorice cream. Who would have risked this combination in a reduction? And yet it worked amazingly, highlighting both flavours in the wine. Lynne had tasted and smelled forest floor aromas in this blend, as well as the tomato and liquorice, and there it was on the plate to match the wine. Dessert was matched to the Dombeya Sauvignon Blanc - not everyone’s idea of the perfect match but, for a wine so full of tropical litchi and passion fruit flavours, matching it with a passion fruit cheesecake, litchi cream and passion fruit custard was adventurous: a rather sweet and rich dessert matched with quite a dry white wine. An interesting and brave match indeed, you certainly could pick up the matches with the litchi and passion fruit. The wine had just been bottled when we tasted it at the planning session, where it came across as being more fruity and with lower acidity than we tasted at the dinner – perhaps this was a challenge associated with tasting a just-bottled wine. Coffee, and then carriages, saw us home to bed, not too late which was good as a bad cold was vengefully asserting itself. These food and wine pairing dinners are a monthly event and we hope to be at another one soon. You can see the details of each month’s dinner in our Events column and you can see a few pictures from the Dombeya evening here. 10th August 2011
The Square restaurant at the Vineyard Hotel - Wine Concepts’ Food and wine pairing dinner. Late in August, we joined Mike Bampfield Duggan and Corlien Morris of Wine Concepts, the hotel management team and of course the chef, Alex Jenkinson, to taste the food and choose from the selection of wines Mike recommended to go with the dinner. Normally at these tastings, the wine comes first and the chef then has to come up with food to match. This time they gave the chef his head and let him choose the food for a wonderful four course menu, which Mike had to find wines to match. Mike chose so well that we had no problem at all in choosing the four that were served. No arguments at all. At the dinner, last Friday, we were welcomed with a glass of Genevieve bubbly, met lots of people attending the dinner and then went in to the feast. Our first course was a goat’s cheese panacotta with cucumber gazpacho, pine nuts and salad leaves matched with Adi Badenhorst’s Secateurs 2010 Chenin blanc. Second course was pan fried Norwegian salmon, confit beetroot, with a hollandaise sauce and accompanied by a confit duck egg – cooked in a water bath at 51degrees for one hour, which is very soft and jellylike and acts as a very rich sauce to the salmon. This was served with a wine we were not familiar with: Beau Constantia’s Cicely 2010 Viognier. Main course was a very good Springbok loin Wellington which accompanied Gabrielskloof Red Blend. And the dessert was an American baked cheesecake with honey and lavender ice cream, served with Ridgeback’s lovely Natural sweet Viognier. The good news for all of you who missed this wonderful evening and menu is that most of these dishes or something very similar are currently on the à la carte menu at The Square, so you can rush off and taste them yourselves. And you can book for the next food and wine Gourmet events in October. See the Vineyard’s web site. 22 September 2011
The Taj - We Love Real Beers Last Friday, we had a most enjoyable evening at The Taj, with a tasting of craft beers in the Twankey Bar, followed by dinner prepared by the head chef of the Bombay Brasserie. All the dishes were paired with craft beers from five independent brewing companies: Brewers & Union, Camel Thorn Brewery, Darling Brew, Jack Black Beers, Mitchell’s Brewery and Napier Brewery. Each brewer provided a selection of beers (sometimes we were presented with more than one beer per dish), so the tables were soon covered with an impressive array of glasses. There was far more beer than one person could decently drink, so we still had glasses with a generous amount of beer in them at the end of the meal, but it was most enlightening to be able to pair the flavours of the different beers with the dishes, all of which were spicy, but not all of which were hot. Our favourite combinations were Spicy tempered prawns and Darling Bone Crusher Witte, Tender lamb kebabs and Mitchell’s 90 Shillings ale, Broccoli in pickle spices and Jack Black premium lager, Chicken Tikka with vinegar shallots and Brewers & Union Versus Goliath amber lager, Stir fried potatoes with Pickle Chilli spices and Jack Black premium lager, Spiced lamb curry and Napier Brewery Ale and Black lentils and kidney beans with Camelthorn Fresh weissbier. The meal ended with Spanish CSG Touro Tripel Blond ale accompanying cardamom scented ice cream and brandy snaps. A huge feast taken over several hours. It was not only a demonstration of excellent Indian food but showed how delightfully varied real beers are, especially compared with the boring sameness of most commercial lagers. Pictures can be seen here. They are planning more of these tastings. There is an encouraging number of real brewers in the Western Cape. In addition to the names who were at this dinner, try some of the others, like Boston, Paulaner and Birkenhead. They are well worth trying. You can find some of them at the markets, like the Biscuit Mill and Hout Bay and at places like the Waterfront. 4th August 2011
Cape Winelands and Country
Eight restaurant at Spier We had made a lunch booking, having been there for a function in the winter, when we vowed to try to come back. By one, the heat was getting horrible at 36ºC and we were very thankful that the restaurant was cool and that they seated us by an open window. We only ordered one course each as, when it is this hot, there not much incentive to eat, or drink anything other than lots of water. John had a rather average (but beautifully presented) Chicken and Leek Pot Pie and Lynne decided to order the Courgette Soufflé. We agreed to swap plates again half way through. Eight is geared to local, fresh, seasonal ingredients and their chef, Lorianne Heyns, is very talented. There are lots of interesting vegetarian options on the small menu. The desserts, however, did not sound that compelling. The soufflé looked absolutely beautiful and, surrounded by a rich and creamy tomato sauce, was delectable. Comparisons are odious but if we mention it was as good as Robert’s twice baked cheese soufflé at the late, lamented Rozenhof, you will get the drift. We had ordered a bottle of their Private Collection Sauvignon blanc to accompany our meal and this was a perfect foil for the tomato sauce, something not easy to pair with wine, but we only managed a glass each and rest of the bottle came home with us. Fleeing the rising heat to our car, where we noted the temperature had reached 38ºC. 7th January 2011
Fraai Uitzicht, Robertson Immediately after sending out last week’s edition of MENU, we jumped into the car and sped off to Robertson for the first of four days of the Wacky Wine weekend. This was all the time we had to spare, but we didn’t want to miss supporting what has always been one of our favourite festivals. We went first to Robertson winery to see if they had their Pinot Noir, sadly sold out, then to Springfield where we bought some of the absolutely delicious Special Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc, flew past Burcon when we saw what was on offer and then had a lovely relaxing one dish lunch at Fraai Uitzicht. The sun was shining in the Breede River Valley and lunch on the terrace had to be in the shade because John’s eyes are a bit light sensitive after his cataract operation a couple of weeks ago (now he’s a less blind photographer!) He had rich venison fillet in a red wine jus with caramelised onions and a polenta cake. Lynne enjoyed crusted lamb cutlets, ratatouille and roasted rosemary potatoes. We drank a glass each of Springfield Life from Stone and tasted Fraai Uitzicht’s lovely Merlot. We had stayed at Fraai Uitzicht during the Robertson Hands on Harvest in February. It is in the Klaas Voogds area above the Robertson to Ashton road. We were given the Chardonnay suite – white and orange, comfortable, modern and cool, with French doors out onto the terrace and garden. Set in beautiful gardens, with vineyards and a beautiful small lake, Fraai Uitzicht is a tiny slice of peaceful heaven. Karl and Sandra Papesch are a charming couple who own and manage this four star accommodation and restaurant. 9th June 2011
Gabriëlskloof On the way home from De Kelders, we made a detour via Caledon to have a really good wine tasting and lunch at Gabriëlskloof wine farm and restaurant on the N2 between Caledon and Bot Rivier. We were taken through the wines by Bernhard Heyns, the owner of the farm, and were most impressed with the overall quality of their wines. Lynne predicts some awards to come in future. Friends who have a weekend cottage in Hemel and Aarde valley joined us and we all went home with very good selections of the wines for our cellars. One of the challenges faced by the people who have the huge task of evaluating wines for publications is that tight deadlines can mean that the wines are tasted too soon after bottling. Bernhard Heyns is pretty sure that this is the case here. Our unanimous view was that all the ratings in the Platter guide could be moved up between a half and one star. We started with the 2010 sauvignon blanc, which has hints of asparagus and limes and a rich mouthfeel, influenced by a helping of Semillon, which also helps to keep the acidity in check. There is also a good backbone of minerality; a very elegant wine. This was followed by the 2009 Viognier. We have found too many SA Viogniers to be overwooded, which flattens the crispness we expect and gives too much of a vanilla overcoat to the apricot/peach flavours. Our tastes have, perhaps, been conditioned by the Viogniers from Condrieu on the Rhône. Although this wine was produced in new oak barrels, the wood does not overpower the grape; it has delicious white peach flavours and will be a good accompaniment to spicy food. The star among the white wines was the 2009 Magdalena blend, which is made from Semillon and Sauvignon blanc – slightly more of the former, and fermented in new French and Romanian barrels. The typical fat mouthfeel of the Semillon has not masked the Sauvignon flavours and the minerality of the sauvignon helps to give this wine great elegance, with just enough wood influence to make a complex mouthful. There are two red wines, The Blend 2009, made from the five traditional Bordeaux varietals, but dominated by Cabernet franc and bottled under a screwcap. We have bought this wine to drink in four or five years. It is still very youthful and tannic, but has blackcurrant and cherry flavour, with a hint of cinnamon a little smoky tobacco. The 2009 Shiraz is a rich, full mouthful of spicy black cherry with a creamy mouthfeel and we loved it. We ended with a taste of the Rosebud 2010, a light, slightly off-dry Rosé, made from Viognier and Shiraz and it was delicious with braaied Angelfish last night. Lunch was a very relaxed affair in the huge, cool high ceilinged restaurant. The wind was blowing fiercely, so we didn’t sit outside, but the verandah which surrounds the internal square has tables for relaxed al fresco meals and is fairly sheltered. Children could play on the central lawn without being a distraction. Friendly staff brought us lovely bread and we were delighted to see that all their own wine is on the menu at the cellar door price. We drank a bottle of their Magdalena white blend while we waited for our food and followed this with the excellent, soft and juicy Shiraz. Our host for the weekend had a simple but delicious smoked trout panini; the fish of the day was the same fish he had been braaiing over the weekend and you can have too much of a good thing. John had an amazing lamb shank and Lynne the duck. We ate half of each dish and then switched plates, something we love to do when neither of us can make up our mind which to order. It was easy with both plates - they were huge, the duck being a serving of two complete legs. Both are served with lovely, different sauces - the duck with a lightly spiced orange sauce and the shank, which came with very delicious mashed potatoes and just-cooked vegetables, had a rich tomato based gravy. Pete also had the duck and Michele ordered two starters instead of a main course – chicken liver terrine and spring rolls. The heat was getting to us girls and we both took doggy bags home with us. The bill for five with service was R800 so a reasonable R160 a head, including two bottles of wine and coffees. We will return and do recommend that you try it. Don’t forget to make time for the wine tasting beforehand. They do charge R15 for the tasting, but if you buy wine, it will be deducted from your purchase. 7th January 2011
Harbour Rock, Hermanus On the way home from Malgas, we fancied some fish for lunch and just made it to Hermanus where we wanted to try Harbour Rock restaurant in the old Harbour as we had heard very good reports of it. We were given one of the last available tables at a quarter to two, for which we were very thankful because, after that, they had to turn people away or they had to wait for an available table. This was where what could have been an ordinary plate of fish and chips was transformed by attention to detail and great service into a poem on a plate. There is lots of great looking sushi and some Thai curries and stir fries but the normal menu is quite small and there are specials of the day. Lynne was tempted by the Seafood soup as a second choice or the special of the day, Crispy Duck, as a third. There were sensational looking fresh oysters but what we really fancied was simple fish and chips. The fish of the day was Blue Nose and it came with a lemon butter sauce, rice and vegetables. We asked if we could substitute crispy chips for the rice and our super efficient and very professional waitress said “of course!” We paid R30 corkage to drink a bottle of Elgin Vintners Sauvignon Blanc, we were given a large jug of tap water with ice immediately upon request (this is, surprisingly, still a rare event because some restaurants want you to buy bottled water, something we green-minded people just won’t do) and warm freshly baked bread arrived very soon afterwards. The simply cooked fish was fresh, moist, full of flavour and the lemon butter sauce was the perfect accompaniment. The chips were magnificent in their golden crispness and the dish of lightly steamed vegetables was perfect to our taste. It could have been dry fish, greasy slap chips, split sauce and overcooked veg with very long waits but it wasn’t. We will definitely be back and, nexts time, book a table so that we can get some of their amazing views of the bay and the huge swells and perhaps, in season, some close sightings of whales. 28th April 2011
Jardine’s at Jordan - The Jordan lunch We were invited by Gary and Kathy Jordan to lunch, at Jardine restaurant on their Jordan wine farm. The lunch had a dual purpose: the launch of their new wooded Sauvignon blanc, The Outlier, and a new Syrah, The Prospector, and also to thank all the people in the social media who helped them and other farms in Bottelary and Durbanville in their successful fight against the government sponsored mining company which wanted to dig up vineyards all over the Western Cape last year. The names of the wines both have geological connections - Gary was a geologist before he became a wine farmer and they celebrate the victory over the mining vandals. The lunch was a wonderful occasion, not only for the excellent food and wine, but for the company, which included a very good selection of our favourite writers, wine farmers and winemakers and, at our table, a celebrated chef whose food we have written about and enjoyed. The Outlier (in geology, an outcrop of rocks which is entirely surrounded by older rocks – the term describes the soil in the vineyard where this wine was grown) is a delicious barrel fermented Sauvignon blanc, which has a rich, full mouthfeel, tropical/citrus aroma and complex tropical fruit flavour with gooseberry and hints of minerality. We enjoyed it with a beautiful carpaccio of barrel smoked yellowfin tuna, which was served in a square shape on an oiled square slate tile with a narrow border of mousse, which was made from miso charred aubergine and topped with aubergine, tomato caviar and micro greens. It was such a beautiful presentation that one wanted to hang it on the wall. The Prospector is a Shiraz from a single vineyard whose soil contains some of the minerals, including traces of tin, which were the target of the rapacious mining company. Typically spicy with dark chocolate, Shiraz signature black cherries and pepper, it was perfectly matched with pan-roasted blesbok served with a garnish of tiny mushrooms, foie gras and a fig purée. A rich but light chocolate dessert followed, served with Jordan’s delicious Mellifera noble late harvest. 29th March 2011
Jardine’s at Jordan - The perfect Birthday Lynne caught up with the Beatles song on Sunday and confirms that she is not yet getting older, losing her hair(!) or mind. Where to go for our usual celebration dinner? As it was Sunday, it was a lunch date - so she chose to visit one of her favourite restaurants in the winelands: Jardine on Jordan wine estate in Stellenbosch. And where else could one possibly imagine a more perfect meal, view, or day – just look at the pictures. We sat on the front of the terrace, the weather was damn near perfect for a winter’s day (although Lynne always says she knows Spring is on the way on her birthday) and, indeed, the countryside was a lovely shade of spring green after the recent welcome rains. We were welcomed by a celebratory glass of Villiera Cap Classique and we were started off with a plate of two super breads, a creamy garlicky aioli and a black olive tapenade, both of which were so good on the bread. We could not make up our minds about the starters, so we did what we usually do, ordered two and swapped half-way through. The delicately smoked (by the Chef himself in a Jordan oak barrel) Gurnard with a chick pea puree and sage butter was a nice gentle start to the meal, the “awesome” roasted Rabbit Terrine was very, very moreish, small whole pieces of rabbit held together tightly in a lovely herby jelly, on a base of Puy lentils with a smoked garlic sauce and a wonderful gooey Kumquat jam. Nice to see rabbit on a menu – it’s a rare sight, but is suddenly making an appearance in more places. Europe is overrun by rampant bunnies, so it’s a normal thing to eat there. Here they are seen more as pets, which you don’t eat. It does resemble chicken in texture but the flavour is more gamey. John drank a glass of Jordan’s beautiful Chardonnay and Lynne had an enormous glass of their Sauvignon Blanc which lasted her for two courses. While admiring the stunning view and both of us taking lots and lots of photographs from our table, we were served a lovely amuse of a crisp deep fried rice Suppli ball (imagine a spoonful of cheesy risotto covered in a crisp batter) on a beetroot cream and a very interesting Nasturtium sauce. It was inspiring if them to use Nasturtiums in dishes, our garden jungle is suddenly full of them. Hmmmm – watch this space. The menu is not vast, but all the dishes sound delicious, so choosing a main course was again not easy. John opted for the herb crusted Chalmar ribeye beef with pumpkin, butter poached turnip and “bourguignon” sauce which was slightly bitter, we think affected by the herb crust… Lynne had a honey and soy glazed pork loin chop with tiny roasted baby beets, wilted bok choi and apple. Very tender, and perfectly cooked, this was a triumph. John had spotted the Valrhona chocolate torte, with vanilla chantilly and poached pear when he first looked at the menu, so that was a given for our chocoholic but Lynne wasn’t tempted by the desserts until she saw someone eating one of George’s soufflés. We both have very good memories of his Grand Marnier Soufflé at his Cape Town restaurant, so she succumbed. It was a light apple soufflé and did remind her of that 50’s dessert Apple Snow which every hotel served as a standard back in the day. It was served with a vanilla crème and a tiny Confit apple tart. It was rather more eggy than apply and the soufflé dish had been lined by rather course brown sugar which gave it rather a crunch. John had a coffee, we stayed for another hour in the beautiful gardens taking even more photos and then it was time to go home. Our bill was R720 including a 10%+ tip, so this is definitely a celebration meal. 19th August 2011
Johan’s at Longridge Winery We met their sales manager at a recent trade tasting and she invited us to visit and sample Johan’s, the restaurant at Longridge. Situated in the Helderberg on the Eikendal road, just off the R44, Longridge is the winery with the Blue roof and has wonderful views over the valley towards Table Mountain. The restaurant is run by Chris Olivier, whom we know from other locations, and he and the chef, Marissa Chandansing, have a passion for using the best possible local produce available and treating their ingredients with the utmost respect. Their gardens are planted to bursting with vegetables, fruit and herbs, all grown organically, planted higgledy-piggledy amongst each other and are a treat to see. More plantings are on the cards. The menu is small, but every course looked like something we would relish and choices were difficult. Lynne started with a seasonal garden herb salad with tempura of vegetables, tiny verjuice jelly cubes and quail eggs. Very fresh and lightly dressed in more of the Longridge verjuice, it was a deliciously light start to a meal. John had delicate smoked trout with crème fraiche, broad beans and mint. For mains Lynne chose the rich but not fatty belly of pork, served with beetroot and broccoli with butternut chutney and John had the very tender seared venison (kudu) fillet with potato cakes, red cabbage, apple, celeriac and sherry. We absolutely could not resist desserts and Lynne so enjoyed her small chocolate fondue and all its wonderful accompaniments that she is going to do one at home quite soon. John’s Sablé, strawberries, black pepper and lemon sorbet was sensational. We were served tasting portions of the wines with our food and were able to taste all the whites and all the reds. We particularly liked their very different Sauvignon Blanc. Its flavour was intriguingly familiar to Lynne, but it took quite a while to recognize it as fresh white nectarine. Please note that this hidden secret (but not any longer!) of a restaurant is open on Monday Tuesday, closed Wednesday and Thursday and then open again on Friday and Saturday and on Sunday for lunch only. As it is right behind one of our favourite wineries, Grangehurst (which we visited after lunch), we will be going there again. 13th October 2011
Le Bon Vivant, Franschhoek, a restaurant which had been recommended and which we had never visited previously. Sadly, the restaurant has a rather off-putting smell of deep frying pervading it – perhaps their extractor fan is not functioning correctly. We tried their 3 course winter special, ordered both dishes from each course, ate half and then swapped plates; the perfect way to get the full picture of their style of food. We liked the Kingklip with the prawn sauce, which was fresh and very well cooked. Some of the other food was a little tired and uninspired, perhaps because they had had a very busy festival. Good service did help. 22nd July 2011
Mimosa Lodge, Montagu We left Fraai Uitzicht at a quarter to seven to drive the 20 plus minutes to Montagu, where we had been booked in for dinner at another 5 star property, Mimosa Lodge. They have a lovely tradition of sitting in the garden with all the dinner guests for a preprandial glass of Montagu’s best dark Muscadel. We met some lovely people. The Lodge was fully booked for the weekend, so we didn’t have a chance to see the rooms but we hear they are very luxurious. We were then ushered into their small wine cellar where we had a private dinner with Anel Grobler and her man Jan from Spit or Swallow and the owner and chef of Mimosa, Bernhard Hess. First course was Quail on spinach in a truffle cream sauce, served with their excellent, crisp Mimosa Sauvignon Blanc 2010. Tender and juicy quail, the remaining sauce was scooped up on pieces of bread afterwards. A chilled Vichyssoise, interestingly garnished with small slices of poached prawns, followed and went well with Danie de Wet’s Good Hope Rosé 2010. Main course was Chalmar beef with black pepper and brandy sauce, truffle mash and seasonal vegetables and this was served with Mimosa’s own 2010 Shiraz, which is spicy and powerful and still has much room to mature. We were very flattered at the personal attention and good conversation and had not a little merriment in the cellar. Dessert was a classic crème caramel and was served with Lourens’ new and limited release Viognier Natural Sweet dessert wine, which we had so enjoyed that morning. This dinner normally costs R395 per person; the wine does change with the food. 2nd March 2011
Mogg’s Country Cookhouse, Hemel en Aarde Valley We went from Beaumont to have a super lunch at Mogg’s Country Cookhouse, across the small valley from our friends’ cottage. We both started with twice baked gruyere cheese soufflés (R50, accompanied by Woolworths’ 2009 Cape Point sauvignon blanc) and Lynne followed with a slow-roasted lamb shank, covered in a rich tomato and basil sauce (R120), which despite early reservations, really came off. John’s delicious main was pork fillet in a stack with bacon, rocket and blue cheese on a bed of mashed potato, drizzled with a plum sauce (R95). We enjoyed a 2004 Delaire Bordeaux blend with these. Mogg’s is not licensed and does not charge corkage, so these were wines from our cellar. Payment is by cash only. We finished with coffee and went home for a nap. 4th February 2011
Olivello, Marianne wine farm, Stellenbosch Lovely Lynne Aberdeen and Laurille Krug were very generous and invited us to come and enjoy their Mediterranean Sunday buffet again, because we had not been there for a long while. It is still as good as it ever was. We took friends with us, who only eat fish and vegetarian. They were very enthusiastic about the food and the ambience by the water lily lake. We had a super table outside, under the edge of the verandah (John’s favourite table, nearest the lake) and it was an idyllic afternoon. Chef Lynne had just made some fresh mozzarella and she gave us a plate with mozzarella, tomato and basil, drizzled with dressing and it was soft and unctuous. From the starter table, we enjoyed koftes, stuffed eggs, aubergine slices, humus, olives, tsatsiki, pork rillette, and superb roasted red pepper in a sweet vinaigrette, amongst many other choices, with their toasted ciabatta. The main buffet had wild mushroom risotto, a leek and cheese bake, beef in balsamic, Greek lamb slow roasted with aubergines and roast potatoes amongst a panoply of delicious choices. You get all this for R165 per person. Children are welcomed and the charge for 12s and under is R55, which includes an ice cream cone. Dessert, coffee and drinks are extra. The dessert price averages R29. We didn’t have room for one! The wine list is well chosen and attractively priced. We had a bottle of Laibach Chenin Blanc; delicious and versatile enough to cope with the wide variety of flavours. They do very good cooking demonstrations. John’s daughter, Clare, enthused about the bread making demo she attended last year. 16th February 2011
Paternoster – Contrasts by the sea We spent Sunday and Monday up at Paternoster – a typical West coast village of smart white thatched cottages and houses with green trim that have overtaken the fishing village facing the sea. We were invited to Abalone House, a small boutique guesthouse with a restaurant called SaFFron. On arrival on Sunday we had lunch at one of the two restaurants we had been recommended, Gaaitjie, (photographs) which is on the beach, and were surprised at how expensive our meal was, of one course each with a bottle of wine. At R450 with tip, it makes some of the Cape Town Winter special menus seem extremely good value. The food was good but should a small (very fresh) sole with a sauce cost R135? John had flaked yellowtail mixed with a tomato sauce with pasta and we had a bottle of The Ollo (wonderful) from Altydgedacht. Off to our accommodation (see pics) next on what was a rather cold and dank wintery day. We found it charming and comfortable with welcoming staff. Keatlen, the acting manager, was superb. The house looks very interior decorated and full of Tretchikoff prints and paintings, with lots of ‘chachkes’ (nick nacks), and the downstairs layout works very well. From the reception, you go into a small snug bar lounge with a fire, which leads into the morning breakfast conservatory and then into the cosy dining room. That in turn leads back to the reception. There is a pair of ducks in residence in the garden called Christmas and Thanksgiving (!) and a couple of large and friendly visiting cats. Our room was at the back upstairs and did not have a sea view, but there several that do and there are lovely views from all the open walkways and the terrace where there is an open Jacuzzi – but it was definitely not the weather to try this. Our large spacious room had a good en suite bathroom, an enormous bed and was beautifully and comfortably decorated. It has aircon and underfloor heating throughout which you can regulate yourself and we were very warm and cosy. Tea is served at 4 and we were treated to a cake stand of small salmon fingers, wonderful light, melt-in-the-mouth scones, cream and jam, cantucci biscuits and slices of a huge gooey cake. We sampled just one or two things. Dinner at 7.30, however, was pretty awful; the chef, we think, was off for the evening. We were given the set six course meal which costs R265 a head, and a bottle of Bay View pinotage (labelled in Norwegian and exported by Spier). We started with a tiny espresso cup of carrot and saffron soup, no sign or taste of either but it was hot. The winter salad comprised a smear of goats’ cheese mousse (so named, but it was rather like junket) with half a raw Brussels sprout, the same size piece of beetroot, a 2 cm slice of raw leek and a strange tasteless blob of something soft and orange on top that might once have been a cooked tomato or a persimmon, but was described on the menu as a tomato fondue. Decorated with two teaspoonfuls of beetroot chutney which bled all over the ridged plate, and five pieces of inedible brown grass, it was rather like the leftovers from the fridge. Then came the strangest thing we have eaten. A purple gelatine globe which looked like something you put in your bath, with vague berry and licorice tastes with a watery liquid centre, served ice cold on a Chinese spoon with a fingernail sliver of dry smoked salmon on top – molecular gastronomy at its worst. The main course was beef fillet floating in a sea of completely tasteless ‘consommé, which meant that after five minutes the pink beef was grey and all the juices were floating in the water – a rather strange concept. It might work with fish but definitely not with fillet steak. It promised a hint of truffle but didn’t deliver any. The pre-dessert (so-called) was a small shot glass of sour pineapple yogurt on crushed Marie biscuits – what were they thinking? Dessert was a thick chocolate risotto (rice pudding) topped with a lovely brandy snap and topped with a marmalade ice cream. Pastry and desserts are obviously a skill here. The chef redeemed himself the next morning with a plate of thick French toast, fried banana, crisp bacon and syrup for Lynne, while John had muesli, fruit and a croissant with very good raspberry jam. They do buffet and traditional breakfasts.
Reuben’s at the Robertson Small Hotel On a balmy Saturday night, we had dined on the terrace at the Robertson Small Hotel. It was good to sample Reuben’s concept food, prepared by their executive chef, Anneri Pienaar. The three course set menu with wine (good value at R275) started with sesame and olive oil seared salmon in a light lemony dressing, with slivers of fresh sushi ginger and strange, crisp lard-fried pieces of pastry. This was served with a glass of De Wetshof’s elegant Bon Vallon chardonnay. We have to say that the main course was not enjoyed by all; there were calls of tough lamb, but Lynne loved it’s huge echoes of travels in Greece. Large succulent lamb pieces (you did need to cut them smaller), marinaded in lemon juice, were served on a salad with feta cheese dressing and accompanied by a lovely yogurt and mint sauce. Strangely this dish was decorated by three carrots and 3 Brussels sprouts. We had this with the Lord’s very dark and heavy Pinot Noir, not a great match. Dessert was a small individual apple Tart Tatin and had a lovely surprise. It had a thin layer of crisp caramel poured over it – something we will definitely copy at home. Served with a rich cinnamon and vanilla ice cream and a small glass of Bon Courage Noble Late Harvest dessert wine, it topped off a good meal very nicely. We would have loved to have stayed the night in this exclusive hotel but of course they were fully booked for the weekend. 2nd March 2011
Salmon Bar, Franschhoek We stopped in town for a small bite to eat and sadly we came to the conclusion that perhaps the day after a festival is not a good day to eat, as our meal that evening was also not up to scratch. Chefs were tired, or had taken the day off and our Tempura calamari at the Salmon Bar had to be sent back twice - it was hard rubber and we were unable to cut it, let alone chew. Tempura needs very hot oil so should be cooked really quickly or it soaks up lots and lots of nasty oil and overcooks the contents. However delicious steamed salmon and prawn pot sticker dumplings were substituted. 22nd July 2011
Sofia’s at Morgenster, Somerset West We were delighted to be invited to dinner last Saturday by Craig Cormack, the chef at Sofia’s restaurant on Morgenster olive and wine farm in Somerset West. Not to be confused with the Café Sofia chain, this sophisticated restaurant was named by the owner of Morgenster, Giulio Bertrand, after the woman who inspired him, Sofia Loren, and the photos on the walls pay homage to her. They have converted the former olive oil maker’s house into the restaurant. It is a traditional, thick walled cool white farm building with a vine covered terrace very suitable for lunch time or warm evenings. The building is covered in thatch and the exposed thatch and wood ceilings inside make it a lovely airy place, with French doors opening onto the terrace and lovely views of the estate and the vineyards and olive groves. Lunch is every day except Tuesdays and dinner is on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. Our very experienced waiter for the night, Bongani , proved to be quite a flamboyant character. He comes from Rustenburg and he and John managed to converse in Setswana for a while. John lived in Botswana as a small boy and learned to speak the language. He made sure our evening was filled with lovely little touches, much amusement and fun and a great deal of spoiling. We were served the four course tasting menu which currently costs R340 per person. Each course is accompanied by a very generous tasting of some super wines included in the price. Our first course was a layered smoked salmon terrine with deep fried capers, a battered onion ring and a touch of horseradish cream. This was served with Jordan’s wonderful creamy unwooded Chardonnay 2010. Next came an inspired Caprese salad. To the really excellent fresh local mozzarella (from Buffalo Ridge) were added small plum tomatoes and basil and good Morgenster oil but Craig has added lovely counterpoint - dark rich onion which is braised in balsamic vinegar. They do turn an ordinary Caprese into something quite divine – we shall be copying this at home. The wine accompanying this was Giorgio Dalla Cia’s marvellous racy 2010 Sauvignon Blanc. Our main course was kabeljou with micro greens served with a very rich thick tomato and olive sauce which was delicious. We were served the Radford Dale Viognier 2008 which we found a little heavy and uncharacteristic. It rather collided with the sauce and the fish, so we didn’t think it did justice to the dish and rather cheekily asked the Sommelier if perhaps we could share a taste of their house wine, Sofia 2002 a Bordeaux blend of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc and Merlot, made especially for the restaurant by Morgenster, as well as their Caruso Sangiovese Rosé to see if the match was better. The Rosé was also a little overwhelmed by the rich sauce, but we found the Sofia to be the perfect match - it sang. At R125 a bottle this is a serious bargain. Dessert was cheesecake, vanilla ice cream with a poached pear and a pear and a lemon sauce and was matched with Waterford’s Heatherleigh Noble Late Harvest; not too sweet, it added a nice fillip to the rich dessert. Good coffee and our carriage followed soon afterwards. We must mention that Craig is an expert at matching food and different salts from around the world which he is passionate about and he regularly holds salt tastings at the restaurant. We were very conscious of how well seasoned all the food is and you do notice the presence of different salts as you eat. There was black Hawaiian volcanic salt on the table to go with the fresh and fruity Morgenster olive oil and the delicious bread you are served. 24th February 2011
Tokara restaurant – the perfect lunch We have been promising ourselves a visit to Tokara for at least a year, ever since we learnt that Richard Carstens, one of our favourite chefs, was cooking there and this was the perfect chance to go there when we crossed the Helshoogte Pass from Franschhoek to Stellenbosch. Modern in the Waterkloof manner, lots of concrete, steel and glass, this wine farm and restaurant is owned by banker GT Ferreira. Their winemaker is the very talented Miles Mossop, who rightly gets the farm lots of awards every year for the wine he makes. They have fantastic views and although the day was warm, so high up that there was a nip in the air, so we chose to eat inside - but right up against the window, gazing down the valley. Sadly Richard was not in residence on Tuesday, but he has such good staff who are so well trained that the food was completely, authentically his and of a very high standard indeed. Jaap-Henk Koelewijn, the appropriately named sommelier/manager, whom we know from Jardine in town, took very good care of us and we let him choose the wines to pair with our dishes. We decided to stick to Tokara wines and have them by the glass. His pairings were sensational, so if you go there, do trust him to give you a very good choice. We did the same as we had done at Bon Vivant – each of us ordered different dishes, ate half then swapped plates. For descriptions and beautiful pictures of the food, see the attached blog. We nominate Richard to be on the top ten chefs list this year. He is doing an El Bulli tribute meal on the day El Bulli finally closes in Spain. Book NOW if you want to attend what sounds like a superb adventure. 22nd July 2011
Zevenwacht – Dinner on the (wine) farm Zevenwacht (it means seven expectations) on the Bottelary Hills in Kuils River probably has one of the best views of the whole Cape Peninsula – from the top of their hill overlooking the Cape Flats, you can see both Table Bay and our wonderful mountain and then the whole spine of the mountain range to False Bay and beyond. We were invited to go and sample their new menu last Thursday night and, thankfully, they also offered to put us up in one of their lovely suites at their Country Inn so John didn’t have to do the drive home and could sample all the wines with the food. The evening began with canapés, singing by the Mangwanani Spa staff and drinks in the Lapa tent on the lawn in front of their lake. We keep forgetting that the temperatures in the Boland at night are a lot lower than in our temperate coastal abode and Lynne went with just a jersey, which was a huge regret. However, after some speeches, Villiera Monro bubbly and some excellent crisp and green Zevenwacht Sauvignon Blanc we moved into the restaurant. Built in 1800 this is a classic Cape Dutch farmhouse and the layout inside reminded us very much of Kronendal in Hout Bay. Wonderful wood floors and ceilings, thick white walls and beautifully proportioned windows with that view. They have also kept the furnishing classic Cape and it so works. Jason Pillay has been recently been appointed as the Executive Chef after working at Buitenverwachting as Head Chef under Executive Chef Edgar Osojnik for the last 10 years and before that at several interesting places. He has now put together his own menu and we were there to taste some of it, paired with Zevenwacht wines made by winemaker Jacque Viljoen. We will attach the full menu so you can see what the choices are should you wish to dine there. We started with gratinated chicken livers and a small cream cheese covered in honey and nuts, served with the 2010 Chenin Blanc, a very good match to the sweet nutty flavours of the wine. Then came pan-fried kingklip (we didn’t get any of the promised creamy leek sauce), served with a basil and bacon pesto linguine and this went with Zevenwacht Tin Mine 2010, a complex white blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Chenin. The main course was perfectly roasted saddle cuts of pink lamb with its own juices and a Mediterranean vegetable tart. This was served with Zevenwacht’s 2008 Shiraz, Mourvedre, Viognier and Grenache blend. For dessert we had two menu samples – a white chocolate Mocha cheesecake and an Amarula panacotta with a strawberry compote and vanilla oranges. These both went wonderfully with the superb honeyed sweet Semillon 2010 which is made as a straw wine and is like caramel toffee on peaches; sadly very little of this wine was made. We had charming company at dinner and sat with John Johnson, the son of the owner, who told us all about the farm and the restaurant as well as all the other facilities they have there like the spa and the conference centre. We are already aware of the excellent cooking school run by Tim Woodford and we enjoyed meeting head chef Justin Pillay again. Our suite was very comfortable indeed and “well appointed” with everything you could need, a football field sized bed, huge bathroom and it had wonderful views over the vines and then the Cape Peninsula from its own terrace. We enjoyed a good breakfast in the manor house before driving off to work at Cavendish at 9 am. You can have a full cooked breakfast, a continental full on buffet breakfast or just coffee and croissants if that is your taste. Zevenwacht also supply picnic baskets if you wish to picnic on the farm and they also have many braai sites on the farm. You buy your picnic or your braai pack, wine and beer from the deli and off you go. They even provide you with firelighters, charcoal and matches, as well as glasses, cutlery and plates. Something we suspect that we might be doing in the summer with friends from Holland. 29th September 2011
Durban
Britannia Hotel - Rule Britannia Everyone in Durban says you must have a curry lunch at the Old Britannia hotel. So this is where we went next and had a mutton and a chicken curry in their Capsicum restaurant. Classic curries served in a rather dark and sombre room. If you like a lot of buzz and a lot of cigarette smoke and sport on TV the place to eat (but not for us) is the bar. Super service, nice food. Don’t try to Google it, we couldn’t find it anywhere and had to phone for directions. It’s at 1266 Umgeni Road alongside the river behind the new stadium. 8th September 2011
Eating Greek When we wrote last week that we were going to be in the area, Nick Papadopoulos, who runs the successful Eat Greek caterers with his partner Eric Edwards, invited us to come and have lunch at the Hellenic Community Centre (pictures here) near the river in Umgeni Park, Durban North. This is where he holds the monthly Food Market, which is held on the last Saturday of every month which sadly was the week before. This Greek food buffet must qualify as one of the best deals in Durban. Held every Sunday from 12.30, it costs R90 per person and we suggest you check out all the serving tables before you start piling up your plate with the cold mezze. There is a cold mezze table with tarama, humus, melanzane dips, pita, fried slices of aubergine, pepperoni, Greek salad, olives, fish cakes and aubergine slices wrapped around haloumi cheese; then a hot mezze table with the lightest spanakopita and tirokopita (triangular spinach and cheese pies) we have ever eaten, crisply crumbed soft calamari rings, and spicy chicken livers, delicious courgette patties amongst others; a main course table with herby, tender Greek roast lamb, chicken, a curry (this is Durban after all and they can’t live without curry) rice, potatoes and vegetables and a very full dessert table which includes a classic Greek desserts like baklava, rice pudding, as well as pecan pie, crème caramel and proper ice creams which the children flocked to. Corkage is R25, but they do sell a very good selection of wines, and other drinks. 8th September 2011
Morningside Lodge Hotel restaurant - HOW NOT TO We found a Groupon offer for a buffet at the Morningside Lodge Hotel restaurant in Durban just before we left: R70 instead of R150 a person and, not knowing Durban, we took a chance. How bad could it be? It turned out to be a fairly Fawlty Towers experience. We were told to be there by 7.30, but we think the locals arrived an hour earlier, because all the starters were finished and the curries were nearly depleted. Not bad food, but pretty ordinary and the curries (a prawn & chicken, and a lamb biriani) were very bony and very mild. The puddings were scary, solid rice pudding and a very strange bouncy finger they called a chocolate brownie which had no flavour and a most peculiar texture, like a very solid floury jelly. We asked for the wine list – blank looks from our waitress. “We have wine, led (red) wine (pause…) and white” she said. We asked, what kind? “Led wine or white wine.” We asked what name, what label – no label she said, “in glass”. In the end we gave up, realised we were being pretentious and said, “just bring us two glasses of the red”. It was absolutely awful! Oxidised, thin, sour and quite undrinkable. But it was included in the price…. They did eventually bring us a wine list as we were leaving – they have five wines on it (see picture). That was when we realised that a lot of Durban doesn’t drink. 8th September 2011
Moz-am-Bik Prawns, Ballito Our next two days were spent at the time share, both working on our laptops writing MENU amongst other things. Weather is blustery and there has been a little night rain (could this be Camelot?) Last night we asked locals for the best restaurant for prawns and they sent us to Moz-am-bik, in Boulevard Centre, corner of Jack Powel and Compensation Beach Road. This has a Moçambiquan beach bar feel, it has Kingsley Holgate’s Dhow on the top balcony converted to a function venue and we had lovely Mozambican inspired food. Prices are low and yet they are very successful and busy. Lynne started with a Prawn Thermidor, 6 large peeled prawns in a rich cream, mushroom and garlic sauce accompanied by a Portuguese roll and chips (which we declined) for R56. John had calamari tubes in a peri peri and lemon sauce with a roll to soak up the juices and they were really stunning. Everyone seemed to be eating the Prego rolls so we had these with chips (and another roll) for our main course (R50 each) and they made lovely crisp chips. Bill for the 2 of us with corkage was R262. We took along a bottle of Cape Point 2009 Stonehaven Sauvignon Blanc which we were excited to discover on sale at the local Checkers. 8th September 2011
Oyster Box Hotel - The Pearl of Umhlanga We had been invited to the Oyster Box Hotel for dinner by their PR department, which made us very happy because one of our friends, Eric Botha one of SA’s Sommeliers, moved there recently from the One and Only. Eric welcomed us and gave us a tour of this lovely colonial style hotel, right on the beachfront next to the lighthouse. It was like stepping back into the 50’s (yes, we are that old and it so reminded Lynne of the old Clarensville Hotel in Sea Point, where she lived briefly when very young) looking at the colonial style uniforms of the staff who were all so welcoming and friendly. We were addressed often by name which so impressed us. It has quite quirky style, lot and lots of exotic décor, paintings, flowers and colour and amusing touches. It has a frivolous, sophisticated and fun atmosphere. We don’t often stay at hotels, preferring the privacy of self-catering, but this is one where we would enjoy spending some time. It looks a lovely place for conferences. Breakfast on the Ocean Terrace, marvellous Indian and other Asian food for lunch from the curry buffet, high tea in the Palm Court lounge, cocktails in the Oyster bar and then dinner in the Grill Room And then home for a diet. We met Joanne Hayes, their PRO, in the lounge for a glass of Kaapse Vonkel and were then ushered into the Grill Room for dinner. We chose from the Chef’s Signature menu (Kevin Joseph is the Exec Chef): Lynne started with Tongue in Mustard sauce, tongue finely chopped with gherkin and capers in a mustard sauce, rather like a fleischsalat from a German deli, served with melba toast. John had a twice baked crab and shrimp soufflé with an anchovy cream. We drank Bouchard Finlayson Reserve Sauvignon blanc. Next Lynne opted for Prawns ‘Benedict’. Six fat peeled prawns and a lovely piece of just seared salmon atop a huge raft of noodles and covered in a Benedict Arnold Hollandaise sauce and a herby Vermouth cream. A huge portion, so lots of the noodles returned to the kitchen. She had a glass of the Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale Chardonnay. John chose the Duck à la Peach: A tender confit duck leg, a slightly tough seared breast flavoured with Five spice, accompanied by a peach and honey sauce with a French potato cake and spinach. He drank a glass of Sumaridge Pinot Noir with this rich dish. Room for dessert was hard to find so Lynne opted for the simple but beautiful Crème Brulée while John had the Gingerbread and Butter pudding with bananas and bitter chocolate and orange sauce. A huge portion again of quite a dense pudding, KZN like big portions we decided. And then it was time to drive back to Ballito. We have to mention the Maitre D, the charming and urbane Henry Pakiri, known to his staff affectionately as Mr Henry. He started at the Oyster box as a lad of 13 in the children’s dining room and has been there for over 40 years. Many of the staff have been with the hotel for a good few years. 8th September 2011
