Category Archives: Western Cape

Cape Town and Winelands see host of new restaurant openings: December 2020 update!

 

Cape Town and the Winelands is experiencing a restaurant boom, with new openings currently as well as openings announced for 2023.

The biggest restaurant opening extravaganza is that of JAN Franschhoek, the third restaurant in the JAN Restaurant Collection, opening at La Motte in Franschhoek. La Motte is undergoing a major renovation and changes at its wine estate, with a Bread-related Café & Deli opening  in the La Motte Manor House in February 2023. Chef Chris Erasmus is working with La Motte as a consultant, until February. He is going overseas thereafter. Chef Peter Tempelhoff opens his third restaurant next week, a Japanese Street Food restaurant Ramenhead. Chef David Higgs has announced opening Continue reading →

JAN opens long-awaited restaurant in the Cape, 8 years after opening in Nice!

 

About six years ago, when Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen launched his JAN series on Showmax, I asked him when he would open a branch of JAN Restaurant in Cape Town or in the Cape. He was evasive in answering at the time.

After opening KLEINJAN Restaurant at Tswalu Game Reserve a year ago, and his JAN Innovation Studio in Cape Town, Chef Jan-Hendrik has finally Continue reading →

SA restaurants awarded with stars for the first time in 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards!

 

The Eat Out Restaurant Awards were held for the first time in three years today, an eagerly awaited event, given the impact of the Lockdown on the restaurant industry, and the change in the restaurant awards system, restaurants no longer ranked, but rated with 1, 2 or 3 stars.

It was a surprise to read a year ago that Eat Out would reintroduce its Awards this year, and that Abigail Donnelly was heading up the judging for the awards again, after an absence of a number of years. Continue reading →

September Restaurant Opening and Closing Update: Cape Town and Winelands

 

 

Despite it being Spring, few new restaurants are known to be opening, or planning to open, in Cape Town and the Winelands.

The biggest recent restaurant openings are Dusk in Stellenbosch, a joint venture by Chefs Darren Badenhorst and Callan Austen. Chef Peter Tempelhoff is to open a Japanese Street Food restaurant on the ground floor of Speakers Corner, the building in which FYN operates. TANG will create a big stir when it opens in the Waterfront, already being a socialite’s haven in Sandton. Paul’s Bakery and Tiger’s Milk are said to be Continue reading →

Kfm Best of the Cape Awards 2022 launched!

 

After the successful inaugural Kfm Best of the Cape Awards of last year, the Cape’s largest radio station has announced that it is running the competition again this year, to seek the best in the Western Cape.

The Top 5 Finalists will be announced, and radio listeners can vote for their favourite in each of the 30 categories, where after the winner in each category will be announced in August. Continue reading →

Corona Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 175 of Level 1, 24 March 2022

 

Thursday 24 March 2022, Day 175 of Level 1 😷

Corona Lockdown Gratitude 🙏

#grateful for a slightly scary day turning into a fabulous day, getting better as the day progressed; for preparing Status Reports for Utopia and Anatoli, but not being able to print them as my right hand could not get to work today, getting it done at Wizardz in the Waterfront ; for getting an implant tooth replaced, made by my dentist with his high-tech 3D machine, being able to smile again 💙; for short and sweet Status meetings; for deciding to have a belated breakfast at Labotessa Hotel & Café Continue reading →

Platter’s announces 2022 award-winning wineries, and cultivar winners!

 

At an event in Stellenbosch on Friday, the new 2022 black-and-gold cover design and a refreshed corporate logo for the Platter’s by Diner’s Club 2022 South African Wine Guide  was presented, the three Award-winning wineries announced, and the Wines of the Year Awards in 28 categories were presented.

This 42nd edition of  the Wine Guide features more than 900 wine producers, merchants, and brands, including 36 new ones, more than 8000 locally produced wines, as well as brandies, husk spirits, and sherry-style wines.

For the first time in eight years the Platter’s Awards were not presented by its Publisher JP Rossouw, who left the publication earlier this year.

Continue reading →

How safe is the Western Cape from unrest and looting today?

 

KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces are in a war zone, a politically motivated looting and arson at factories and shopping malls in the main.  These provinces are already running low on petrol, and basic food items. Residents are standing in long queues at supermarkets, to stock up.

Fortunately the Western Cape is reasonably peaceful, and the only incidents which are occurring are related to a Taxi war, two associations being in conflict with each other. This is affecting the travel of staff to and from work. Continue reading →

Western Cape Government requests National Government support for its Hospitality industry, hard hit by Lockdown Level 4!

 

The Western Cape Government has requested the National Government to financially support businesses which have been partially or fully shut down by the Lockdown Adjusted Level 4 regulations.

Businesses in the restaurant, alcoholic beverages, cinema, casino, gym, theatre, and conferencing industries are once again hard hit, as was the case in January this year.

Western Province Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities David Maynier has requested the National Minister of Employment and Labour to reintroduce TERS/UIF, to assist the staff of businesses affected by the Lockdown to be able to pay their basics of rent and food.

 

President Ramaphosa announces new Lockdown Adjusted Level 4 regulations!

 

Minister Maynier wrote as follows:

With the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa last night that South Africa will move to Adjusted Alert Level 4 restrictions for the next 14 days it is critical that national government provide a support package for business whose operations are limited or shutdown.

And so, I have written to the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, to request that he reopen the UIF Covid-19 TERS scheme for the duration of the Alert Level 4 restrictions to assist businesses and employees who are not able to operate.

Many businesses, particularly in the hospitality and liquor sectors have already been hard-hit with significant job losses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Wine farms, restaurants and coffee shops cannot survive on takeaways alone. Two weeks of no income for these businesses, as well as cinemas, gyms, casinos, conferencing venues and theatres, will have a direct and sudden impact on people’s livelihoods – their ability to pay salaries, rent and buy food.

The UIF TERS funds could provide the lifeline that businesses and employees need to sustain their operations while these restrictions on the economy are in place.

The Western Cape government has focused on getting the balance right between preventing the spread of Covid-19 while keeping the economy as open as possible, saving both lives and livelihoods.

We have worked hard to support businesses to open safely by providing extensive guidance and assistance in implementing the necessary Covid-19 protocols in the workplace.

And we encourage both employers and employees to continue making use of our comprehensive guidelines and other resources to implement the necessary health and safety measures to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace: coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-resources-workplaces

We all have a role to play to stop the spread of Covid-19 and it remains all our responsibility to continue adhering to the health protocols required to stop the spread of Covid-19.

We can also support those businesses that are impacted by the restrictions. We know times are tough, but if you can, please support our restaurant sector and order takeaways over the next two weeks, especially from small businesses.

Together we will stay safe, and we will move forward so that we can save jobs and save the economy in the Western Cape.” – Minister David Maynier

 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whaletalesblog.com www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein, My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt Guide Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide