Thursday, January 18, 2018

To Russell's on the Port in Port Owen for lunch

This is a small 15 room boutique hotel in Port Owen, owned by Russell Foster, a British restaurateur from Durham in Sutherland in England where he and his son-in-law own and run 12 restaurants. He told us he had come here to retire, found this place on auction, saw the potential, bought it and opened just 16 months ago. It has been a success. We had recommendations from people we know in Cape Town long before we decided to come up to this area for a holiday, so when Carmen Lerm of West Coast Way asked if we would like to visit it and write a review, we were very keen to oblige
The entrance. Finding Russell's is not difficult, there are signs pointing the way from the centre of Velddrif, which is on the mouth of the Berg River. You cross over the causeway past the salt pans and Cerebos sea salt plant and then as you enter Velddrif, turn left and follow the signs If you get lost just head for the Marina, the hotel is alongside it
The enclosed terrace restaurant
And the outer terrace restaurant where they seated us. The views are lovely. The umbrellas are very necessary as it was a gloriously hot day. One very clever adaptation that we have not seen before and we are surprised it hasn't caught on: all the umbrellas were on wheels, so they could be trundled about by the staff with ease as the sun moved across its arc
Lots of yachts moored nearby. There are plans to make an hotel jetty right in front of these steps so they will have direct access
The 4 star hotel is probably the same age as our 3 bed house in Sea Point which was (solidly) built in 1924. We have the same pillars, balustrades and arches but in a very much smaller scale. Lynne calls the style Early Cape Tuscan! They have recently acquired the second house down on the right and it is now a nine suite Guest lodge
The starter menu has lots of temptations and a good vegan option. The Head chef is Charl Coetzee who was previously at Spier wine farm and the Alphen hotel in Constantia. He is very into local and sustainable food where possible, and does forage for samphire on the local beaches and estuary. The restaurant can seat 90 people
The main course menu also presented us with difficult choices! We both chose the same course then realised we do need to write about different courses so we happily changed our order
They serve pizzas and, at the moment, are serving Sangria at the weekends
And the final temptations
We have heard that the breakfasts/brunch are also worth going for so we asked to photograph the menu, in case you are tempted
"Mine Host" Russell Foster joined us for a chat and told us about how he bought the hotel and some of his plans for the future. His son-in-law will be opening a craft brewery (they have one in the UK) and they will have a riverboat where they can take guests on trips up the river while enjoying a gourmet meal. He sings and while we were having lunch they played a tape of his music, a customer having requested it. They do have regular musical evenings at the hotel with different artists
Lynne's starter of Seared Norwegian Salmon was perfectly cooked. Crisp caramelisation on one side and yet still pink and moist and flaky inside. seasoned simply with Japanese Ponzu sauce - soy flavoured with a crisp Japanese lime like citrus and sesame. Salmon this fresh and good does not need gilding. On sliced avocado and green leaves with coriander sprouts and sesame seeds, it was dotted with paprika mayonnaise. The small fried cube in front was very clever. It is plain sushi rice, cubed and deep fried. A novel and really good addition of a small amount of carbohydrate
John ordered the Salt and Pepper squid, which Lynne did covet a bit. Beautifully cooked and well flavoured tempura coated baby squid tentacles and polpetti, crisp on the outside and tender within, it was dressed with black ink aioli, paprika mayonnaise, lemon, tomatoes and pea shoots
Lynne's salmon with its dressing and the inside opened to show how pink and moist it was
We had a bottle of one of our favourite West Coast wines from Groote Post, their Chenin Blanc 2017 Fresh, zesty, full of classic Chenin flavours with a tropical hint of guava and pineapple. It seems that the Pentz family (who own Groote Post) also like Russell's on the Port. It paired so well with the food
Lynne's main course was a large piece of well glazed Pork Belly, served on good creamy mashed potato, with seared onions, pak choy and an onion broth. The cracking was world class - the best for a long time, the pork tender and falling apart, if a tad too fatty for her. It needed a bit more seasoning and the vegetables were a little superannuated and undercooked
John chose the Moroccan Spiced Yellowtail, one of his preferred fishes, served with Israeli cous cous, an aubergine cream, olives, tomato, basil and some homemade labneh (fresh cheese) flavoured with herbs. It was also perfectly cooked - they know how to treat fish - moist and not at all dry as it is sometimes served in restaurants, which is why Lynne doesn't order it
A lazy afternoon on the terrace
We had a friendly visitor to our table, this small wagtail looking for scraps, he seems to be a regular
"Who is that handsome bird I can see?"
Oh, they tempted us into having desserts. Joneve was our friendly waitress.
Lynne risked the dairy allergy and went for Affogato (drowned in Italian) . It is an ice cream drowned in espresso coffee. It had grated chocolate on top of the ice cream, and in the base caramel chocolate and nuts. Wicked beyond belief and worth the suffering
It was accompanied by two banana beignet's. Crisp on the outside, but rather raw on the inside
John's Chocolate Brownie Sundae with pecan ice cream, a cherry, nuts and crumbs. He managed to wolf it down without blinking, so much did he enjoy it
The hotel under manager, Enver, then asked us if we would like to see some of the rooms in the Guest lodge so, always curious, off we went
This is a lovely suite with its own terrace facing the marina. Prices per night for two people are in the region of R1,650 to R1899. http://russellsontheport.co.za/
Another front suite ...
... which has its own balcony and direct pool access
The private pool
We had a really good lunch and will definitely return when next in the area. It is nice to see restaurants of this quality opening in this area, which has long been rather lacking in quality dining. Now someone just has to open something good in Britannia Bay. Thank you Russell, Chef and all the staff who were so helpful
Posted by MENU at 5:42 pm 0 comments

Lunch at Leeto, Strandloper Boutique Hotel, Paternoster

One of our best chefs, but largely unrecognised and unsung, Garth Almazan, who was at Catharina's Restaurant at Steenberg for many years, had left and we heard that he was opening a restaurant in Paternoster at the Strandloper Boutique Hotel. We had this on our list of things to do when we were there on holiday and were absolutely delighted when their PR agent invited us to visit and sample the food. And we were not disappointed. Garth is a very good chef
The food is why you go to restaurants, but ambience is that little bit extra that can add so much to the experience. Leeto was, for Lynne, the perfect seaside restaurant. It is modern white, with clean lines, bright and open. It lets in the sea, the beach and the sky. The furniture is minimal but comfortable. They have not tried to go too formulaic and beachy. Just very relaxed. We particularly liked the tables with their unvarnished wooden cross-beam legs and the comfortable chairs. And the views
It is the perfect place for a small beach wedding or celebration
The hotel has 13 double rooms and the restaurant can cope with 40 to 50 covers
The bar is open. Garth told us he was used to having quite a large number of restaurant staff at his previous job;
here they just have four, all friendly and well trained. He also has two experienced chefs
Most of the staff have come from the 12 Apostles Hotel, where Garth worked many years go
They are attentive but not obtrusive. Garth's wife Cecile is the manager
Chef Garth Almazan is loving the West Coast life
He offered us a glass each of the Pierre Jordaan Belle Rosé Brut from Cabrière
and came and sat and chatted to us for a while until it was time for us to order and he to cook
The menu is short but concise, something for every taste, and we loved the fact that you can also order starters as mains
And the wine list is good, with mostly local wineries. We ordered a bottle of Tierhoek Chenin Blanc 2014 which is from Piekenierskloof
We have known Tierhoek owner Shelley Sandell and winemaker Roger Burton for many years and really respect what they do
They serve only sustainable fresh fish
Garth also buys and grows seasonal foods, locally where possible
And should you care to come in our secret season, winter, when the West Coast is fresh and lively
with winter storms and bright champagne days, they have a fire to warm the restaurant
and thick glass sliding doors to encapsulate and insulate, but still allow you to drink in that view
Table settings are nicely simple and the glassware is good
We were offered any table we wanted at the front and chose a sheltered one with a great view
Hotel and other guests can sit on the deck beneath and enjoy drinks there
Their own beach area, with access to the main strand
The owner of Strandloper Boutique Hotel has also bought the land to the right of the restaurant,
so that the area close to the restaurant will not be built on and the hotel overlooked
The South Easter came up every afternoon while we were on the West Coast
and the sailboarders were having lots of fun in the surf. No wind reached the restaurant
From the deck
Here comes our starter
Our waitress Justine, opening the Tierhoek for us
It was the perfect match for the food that was to follow,
full of grassy, warm hay notes on the nose with peaches and citrus on the palate
Lynne decided to try the West Coast Mussels in a rich curried broth as her starter. Mussels are one of the star foods of this area
They were briefly cooked, incredibly fresh and the warm curry sauce had just enough heat for Lynne, who has a medium tolerance level
while John can chew fire and raw chillies with impunity. The star was the tiny crisp potato samoosas perched on top
More please, Chef Almazan! Would make a very good Vegetarian course with a dipping sauce
John plumped for the Seafood risotto, full of tender calamari and prawns, topped with coriander sprouts and crisp crumbs for texture
The rice was cooked perfectly and had some masala, cream and, for richness, dill and chives to add some herb notes to the dish. Delicious
The beach is superb and seems to go on for miles and miles, good for long walks
 And whales and dolphins at the right time of the year
Time for the main courses. Lynne chose to have the Seafood risotto as her main, but in a starter portion and found it just as delicious as John had and very satisfying. John chose the Kudu loin and he says it was the best he has ever had. Lightly seared and perfectly pink inside and very tender, with a very good flavour. Served on a bed of parsnip purée, with spinach and roast potatoes, good sundried tomatoes (and that is saying something because we both usually do not like these dried and often sharp, ill-treated tomatoes). There is green basil oil and good crisp sweet potato crisps topping off a great dish
And then after a small pause to reflect, it was time for dessert. Lynne chose the lemon posset, not something you see often on menus in SA. It is creamy, almost a set panacotta, with good fresh lemon flavours, served with dots of berry compote, mini brandy snaps, blueberries and cape gooseberries and a pathway of crisp crumbs. Light and refreshing
John said he was expected to continue his reputation as the house chocoholic, so he ordered the Chocolate Delice, rich, creamy and decadent, on a bed of chocolate soil, accompanied by some strawberries, salted caramel sauce, nut brittle, a cocoa tuile and some very good coffee ice cream, quite a tour de force. We followed lunch with two very good double espressos, often hard to find
Cecile Almazan came to see if we had enjoyed lunch. Yes definitely
And then it was off to the beach to walk some of the lunch off and then back to St Helena Bay - only 20 minutes away - for a nap!
This is a view of both the restaurant and part of the hotel. The front rooms share the same sea views
Now this is what coastal holidays are all about
We shall return
Posted by MENU at 2:59 pm 1 comments

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Lunch at De Vrije Burger, Stellenbosch

We did go and visit one new restaurant before Christmas, Bertus Basson's burger house in Plein Street in central Stellenbosch. Die Vrije Burger - it's a play on words, it’s named after the original Free Burgers in the Cape in the 17th Century and fits nicely into Bertus' concept! (And no, these burgers are not free). It is already popular with the students and locals and tourists, offering just one thing, a very good burger, with accompaniments, chips and a soft serve ice cream cone to finish. We do like his witty logo
The seating is minimal, some outside in good weather, under shelter and some inside. All are on high chairs which were not the most comfortable we have ever sat on, but perhaps that is to encourage you to move along quickly? Trade and service are brisk
The open and on-view kitchen is shiningly clean and well organised by the fully trained staff
The 200g pure beef burgers on the grill with the buns toasting alongside. We saw a delivery of buns while we were there and if the numbers delivered at lunch time are anything to go by, they sell a lot of burgers
A message from the chef
The simple menu is on a board, you choose, place your order and take your seat while they cook them for you. It did not take long to get our order and we got a good seat in the window. Notice that the ice cream comes free with the order of every burger. There is a small but good wine list and two craft beers
Lots of take away orders too
Your order comes packed in one paper bag, so you can pack up the detritus in the bag when you have finished and put it into their recycling bin. Saves on mess. We like this very much
The burgers are huge, very juicy. The meat is of excellent quality and you can order them cooked medium rare, medium or well done according to your taste. We didn't do any extras this time, we just wanted to taste the standard burger. We shared one portion of the Potato Tjips, which had been double fried and were nice and crisp, and one portion (6) of the spiced onion fritters, which are gram flour Indian badjis; light, spicy and delicious. And with this large and very satisfying meal, we both had the Windpomp lager. Our bill came to R310 with service. We were done in less than an hour and the parking - almost outside, but then the students were on vacation - cost us about R6.50 It can be tricky to find but there are public parking garages a short walk away
When you order burgers, you are issued with these tokens
Which you then exchange for your free soft serve ice cream
Which can be topped with crunchy hundreds and thousands. (Bertus, can we possibly suggest some chocolate sprinkles as a less crunchy substitute?) Do go and try it for yourself
Or if you really want to go big, have another of Bertus' famous burgers, his Wagyu Cheese Burger at The Deck on the dam at Hidden Valley Wine farm. No reservations required, but it is weather dependent. You will need reservations at Overture, Bertus Basson's fine dining restaurant at Hidden Valley, see our recent review
Posted by MENU at 5:12 pm 0 comments
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