Tag Archives: Eat Out

The Bailey new Bakery, Brasserie, and Bars on Bree Street, to be opened by Chef Liam Tomlin!

 

Now that Chef Liam Tomlin’s planned Russian restaurant in Moscow is unlikely to see the light of day for some time to come, he is putting all his energy into the renovations of an historic three-storey Tintswalo-owned building across the road from his first-ever Chefs Warehouse in Heritage Square, now called Pinchos.

It is said that Chef Liam is planning to leave or close Pinchos, the branch just not as successful in attracting customers as the Chefs Warehouses at Beau Constantia, Tintswalo, and Franschhoek. Tomlin has recently walked away from his Mazza and Local establishments in the former HQ, also located in Heritage Square.

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Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 159 of Level 1, 8 March 2022

 

Tuesday 8 March 2022, Day 159 of Level 1, International Women’s Day 😷

Corona Lockdown Gratitude 🙏

#grateful for a fabulous 27C day, with no wind; for a day of working, working, and working, having to catch up for yesterday and work ahead for the rest of the week; for a sunset walk to Camps Bay; for not being affected by Loadshedding today 💙; for the end of eye drops three times a day for four weeks; and for being happy, healthy and free. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

La Colombe Group to make a double restaurant splash in the V & A Waterfront!

 

The La Colombe Group is growing its portfolio by adding two restaurants in Cape Town, both in the Waterfront, reports Eat Out.

This makes La Colombe the largest company-owned restaurant group, with 3 Franschhoek-based restaurants, and soon 4 Cape Town Restaurants. Continue reading →

Meet Chef Christina Semczyszyn of Tjing Tjing: 2021 Top 10 Woman Chef!

 

Chef Christina Semczyszyn is the Head Chef at Tjing Tjing, previously Dear Me, in the City centre. She put Tjing Tjing Momiji on Eat Out’s Top Restaurant list at 19th rank in 2019,  and was named a Rising Star by Eat Out in the same year. She wins a bottle of Adhara Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil for being named a 2021 Top 10 Woman Chef.

She has been instrumental in transforming Dear Me into a three storey Japanese restaurant: Tjing Tjing Torii, Tjing Tjing Momiji, and Tjing Tjing Rooftop Bar.

Sadly Chef Chridtina is leaving Tjing Tjing st the end of this month, emigrating to Canada. Continue reading →

The Test Kitchen to close down end September, Third Top 10 Restaurant to close down in 18 months!

 

What a shock announcement it was today: The Test Kitchen, South Africa’s best known restaurant internationally, having climbed up (and down) the World’s 50 Best Restaurants ladder over the past 11 years, and having worn the Best South African Restaurant crown for six years running, until 2017, is to close down at the end of September. This was announced in Cape Town today.

Top Ten restaurants which have also closed down since the beginning of Lockdown are Mosaic at The Orient and Waterkloof.  Ironically both Mosaic and The Test Kitchen announced in 2019 that they would no longer accept nominations for The Eat Out Awards, the 2019 awards being the last to have taken place, due to the Covid pandemic and impact thereof on the restaurant industry since the Lockdown commenced on 27 March 2020.

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Chef Bertus Basson is ‘In die Sop: Restaurant Evolusie’, a restaurant turn-around TV series, including that of controversial journalist Jacques Pauw!

 

I cannot resist writing a story about Chef Bertus Basson’s latest TV series, ‘In die Sop: Restaurant Evolusie’ on kykNet, a Gordon Ramsay-style ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ reality TV series in which restaurants are given 72 hours in which to be transformed.  It is aired on Wednesdays on KykNet at 20h00, the first episode airing last week. The title of the series ‘In die Sop’ refers to restaurants being in trouble.

The irony is that Basson himself has been no expert in restaurant design when one considers his ‘crap’ Spek & Bone off Dorp Street (one of the most widely read reviews on my Blog), and De Vrije Burger on Plein Street, both in Stellenbosch. Surprisingly, Basson admits to his restaurant faults: ‘I’ve achieved great success, but I’ve also made a lot of mistakes and learned lessons that have cost me dearly. I want to share these insights with other restaurant owners.’!  His admission should lead him to unban me from his restaurants!  Continue reading →

SA Top 10 Restaurant List loses one of its stars as Restaurant at Waterkloof closes down in two weeks!

 

It was a surprise message from Chef Gregory Czarnecki this morning that his Restaurant at Waterkloof will close down on 22 November, a Covid casualty. His future plans nor those of the restaurant space at the Waterkloof Winery are not yet known. Chef Gregory opened the restaurant eleven years ago, and he soon became known for his magnificent food presentation, and for his desserts in particular.

Restaurant at Waterkloof was named the number one restaurant in our country in the Eat Out Top 10 Awards in 2018.  Last year it was ranked third on the list. Continue reading →

Secret Supper Club at Homespun by Matt is unique Magic Music Food Wine Theatre at its best in South Africa!

 

It has taken three days for me to get back down to earth after experiencing the Secret Supper Club at Homespun by Matt in Bloubergstrand on Monday evening, a unique Magic Music Food Wine Theatre experience which places this restaurant amongst the best in our country. Sadly it has never been recognised by Eat Out in any of its awards, and I too had never previously visited Homespun. Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 15 of Level 1, 5 October 2020.

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Monday 5 October 2020, Day 15 of Level 1, Day 193 of Lockdown. 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for such a fabulous Monday and start to a new week; for being spoilt with two restaurant invitations for today, the reopening day of Yumcious of Chef Jennifer Morris, and at Homespun by Matt in Bloubergstrand; for Henry finding Maya’s Sarong at the bottom of the pool when he cleaned it today; for a lovely weather day after a misty start; for a short sunset walk in Bloubergstrand, my only walk of the day; for a quick catfood shop at Checkers in Sea Point, offering by far the best Whiskas prices compared to Pick n Pay and TakeaLot, but such a pity that the service is so bad; for meeting such nice persons at our joint table at the Secret Supper Club at Homespun by Matt; for getting home safely from Blouberg just before curfew; for there being no damage to my car after last night’s taxi incident; and for being happy and healthy.🙏💙 Continue reading →

Extraordinary Chef Prim Reddy starts a new chapter with Indian Chapter Restaurant!

 

Yesterday I met Restaurateur and Chef Prim Reddy for the first time in her new Indian Chapter in Blouberg, on my way to the West Coast. She recently moved into smaller premises across the road from her former venue, grateful for this fortunate misfortune, focusing on her 20 diners with even more care and personal attention. Chef Prim is a kind restaurateur without any ego, yet strong and has exciting future plans. Continue reading →