Three days after its opening, writer Llewellyn Lambert, architect Jan de Wet, and I visited The Silo Hotel, Cape Town’s new Tourism jewel located in the V & A Waterfront. We enjoyed lunch at The Silo Rooftop on its eleventh floor. Nine days later I returned for another Rooftop lunch. I compare the two lunches and document the changes which have taken place between my two visits below. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Laurent Perrier
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 18 July
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* The Reserve Bank has increased the repo rate by 25 basis points, giving a new interest rate of 5,75%. Governor Gill Marcus blamed inflation for the rate increase.
* Brazil welcomed more than 1 million visitors during the Soccer World Cup, almost double the estimated 600000 travelers. Most tourists had never been to Brazil before, visiting from more than 200 countries. The infrastructure and tourism services generally, and the hospitality and cuisine specifically, were praised by the visitors. The soccer matches were seen by 3,4 million soccer fans in the stadia over the month-long event. Visitors stayed in Brazil for 13 days on average. Brazilians were good soccer fans too, more than 3 million travelling around their own country during the soccer tournament.
* Melanie Verwoerd has compiled a book ‘Our Madiba: Stories and Reflections from those who met Nelson Mandela‘, containing short stories of numerous persons that met the late Nelson Mandela, including Pieter-Dirk Uys/Evita Bezuidenhout, Adam Small, Francois Pienaar, Amanda Strydom, Sir Richard Attenborough, and many by Mrs Verwoerd herself.
* The Drinks Business and Intangible Business in the UK evaluated the world’s ‘most powerful Champagne and Continue reading →
Restaurant Review: De Brasserie European style food, beer, wine, and service!
On Saturday I was introduced to De Brasserie in Strand by Annette Beller-Sogor, whom I had met at an art exhibition recently and who lives in Gordon’s Bay. She raved about the excellence of the restaurant, and mentioned that it is owned by the Belgian wine family Van Almenkerk from Elgin. We found an unexpected European haven in a most unlikely town!
It was the most beautiful clear day, with the snow capped mountains of Somerset West visible from Beach Road. False Bay looked flat and one could even see Cape Point, the raised former Kaapzicht restaurant offering an excellent view. The restaurant exterior looks very modern from outside, but the restaurant name could be difficult to read, being partially
blocked by beams. In smaller type size it states ‘Est 2012 by Almenkerk’, which one cannot read from the road. Having booked last minute, we were seated at the bar counter first, but were promised a table as soon as one became available.
De Brasserie is Joep van Almenkerk, who is a most amazing host, friendly, attractive, charming, attentive, and he makes one feel that he knew what was happening at each table, and that he made every Continue reading →
Restaurant Review: Bosman’s back on Top 10, fired up, much more friendly!
After having been announced as a Top 10 restaurant a month ago, a sojourn in Franschhoek gave me the opportunity to try Bosman’s for lunch on Monday, and to celebrate a special birthday at dinner last night. I was amazed at the radical change in the “personality” of Bosman’s at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl, from a restaurant that was stiff and unwelcoming on my last visit, to one that bends over backwards, oozes friendliness, and has made some important changes which clearly are paying off, in that Bosman’s is back on the Eat Out Top 10 restaurant list, after a long absence, and it was the joint winner (with Zachary’s at Pezula) of the Diner’s Club of the Year Winelist Awards. Whilst is offers excellent value for lunch, it probably is the most expensive Cape restaurant for dinner.
The person who is probably most responsible for the changes is the Food & Beverage Manager Alan Bailes, and is now also acting-GM. He impressed when he contacted me after my last visit to Bosman’s, and was non-defensive in his reaction. Bailes is so hands-on that he walks the floor and makes time to chat to the restaurant patrons, something I have never seen of a hotel GM before. He laughed when I said that to him, and he said that he still is the F&B Manager, but even then these are rarely seen inside a restaurant in general. The restaurant’s flexibility is commendable, in that I overheard Bailes telling other guests that the kitchen can prepare anything for them, with 24 hours notice.
Bailes is one of a number of new GM’s at Grande Roche, after Horst Frehse left, and told me that the most important change that they have made was to cancel their Relais & Chateaux accreditation, without dropping their standards, he emphasized. They have chosen to use the marketing power of the Mantis Collection to attract business. The Relais & Chateaux decision came from the unsatisfactory return received for the high cost of the accreditation. Ironically, Horst Frehse was known as “Mr Relais & Chateaux” when he was the (cigar-smoking) GM of the Grande Roche. I wrote about Asara Hotel’s recent Relais & Chateaux accreditation, and that it may be dropping the accreditation, having just obtained it with the help of Frehse, who has left and is heading for the Twelve Apostles Hotel as GM next month. The only local Relais & Chateaux properties are Asara Hotel, Le Quartier Français, Cellars Hohenhort, The Marine and The Plettenberg. The focus has also been on making the lunch far more casual, and the prices far more affordable. Whilst the dinner menu is far different to that for lunch, and offers two Tasting menu and a la carte options, the formality has been removed, especially when the restaurant was literally moved outdoors on a lovely 30+C evening.
The service experienced at both lunch and dinner was outstanding and attentive, Glenroy du Plessis, the Wine Steward who recently was crowned as best in the country by Diner’s Club, and who must be one of the nicest hospitality staff around, spoiling us. Nothing is too much trouble, and he crosses the line between waiter and wine steward. The sommelier Josephine Gutentoft recently moved across to Bosman’s, and while we clashed badly at Reuben’s, she was charm herself last night. Raymond is another manager I know from Reuben’s. Two German staff gave an extra dimension to service quality. Charming Restaurant Manager Alessandro de Laco talks with a heavy Italian accent, but can speak French and German, coming from Switzerland. He and waiter Stefan had come to the Grande Roche earlier this year due to the World Cup. Waitress Loreen had come to the Grande Roche with her boyfriend, who works in the kitchen, and will stay until April. Staff look smart in a white shirt and black tie, and black apron.
There were some rough edges, like Ra-ida getting my booking wrong for the dinner, mixing up the date and the number of persons booked. I also noticed two broken umbrellas on the lunch terrace, probably due to the wind. A Manager should have picked this up, given that the Grande Roche is a 5-star hotel. My pet hate is security and a boom, and while it was perfect for my arrival for lunch, the chap who was on duty in the evening mumbled something about whether we wanted a table for two, but we had made a reservation. Yet he did not ask for the name. They are an outsourced service.
Lunch 3 January
My lunch was extremely relaxed, and was probably made so because of the friendly service by Glenroy and Raymond, who were both on duty, and looked after me, together with German waiter Stefan.
The outside tables have granite tops, and underplates that have a similar look, but these plates are removed before the food is served, so are purely decorative. Good quality serviettes are on the table, but while mine was clean, it had a stain on it. An unusually large collection of glasses is on the table, for a lunchtime. The cutlery shows its age, in being heavily used. A waitress brought a lovely cool facecloth to the table, a nice way to cool down on the 30 C Paarl day. Tokara olive oil was brought to the table with a nicely presented plate of three undescribed bread types – baguette, rye and wholewheat – wrapped in a serviette. The menu is a narrow page, set in a red and black menu holder. I did not see initially that the winelist was on the reverse. As a starter I chose a delicious chilled cucumber soup, with two crispy crumbed prawns (R50). The prawns were brought to the table first, and then a waitress came with a jug of the soup and poured it with far greater style than the asparagus soup I had at the Planet Restaurant at the Mount Nelson recently. Other starter choices are Caesar salad with chicken leg and quail egg; Beef Carpaccio; Salmon Trout; Braised Roma tomatoes and mozzarella, all costing R75. Mixed baby salad with avocado, goat’s cheese and biltong costs R65; and Asian marinated yellowtail tartare costs R70.
Main courses clearly have been kept as close to R100 as possible, and makes the portions a little smaller, not a bad thing for a lunch, especially when one has more than one course. I ordered the Pan-fried kingklip with pea risotto, beurre noisette foam, and biltong (R95), the biltong not adding anything to the fish dish, and adding a saltiness I would have preferred to do without. The kingklipwas firm and well prepared, and the peas in the risotto gave the dish a colourful touch. A fish knife was served with the dish. Other main courses choices include Seafood Bowl (R115), Pan-fried prawns with seafood ravioli and Bouillabaisse broth (R115); Linguine (R80), Asian stir fried beef fillet (R140); and Free-range chicken breast (R95). Dessert options are “Mohr im Hemd” (rum and raisin ice cream), nougat potato ravioli and Amarula Creme Brûlée, costing around R45, and an Exotic Trio at R50, consisting of Creme Brûlée, fruit salsa, and passion fruit sorbet.
The lunch winelist is short and sweet! Ten wines-by-the-glass are offered, starting at R40 for Newton Johnson ‘Felicite’ Dry, and peaking at R280 for 87ml of NV Laurent Perrier Brut Rosé. The Migliarina Shiraz seems expensive at R75 a glass. Six white wines can be ordered by the bottle, Maison Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc costing R150, while A.A. Badenhorst’s Family White Blend costs R580. Eight red wines start at R280 for a bottle of Rainbow’s End 2005, up to R650 for a Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2005.
Dinner 5 January
We went to celebrate my son’s birthday today with dinner last night. The table outside was perfect, was laid with a good quality tablecloth, and three sets of knives and forks as well as a spoon. A staff member put the serviettes on our laps, an old-fashioned touch. There were fewer glasses on the table than at lunch. Glenroy brought an ice bucket, and kept it filled up throughout the evening. There are no salt and pepper containers on the table, as Chef Roland feels the kitchen should spice the food correctly. One may request salt and pepper however.
The winelist dominates one’s impressions at Bosman’s, and obviously is the definitive one, judging by its Diner’s Club accolade. It is a weighty document bound in a grey leather cover, and runs to 62 pages and the hotel’s wine collection exceeds 600 labels, Glenroy told us. Unfortunately it uses pages that are hooked in, to give flexibility in terms of availability, but a number of these pages had slipped out, making the winelist look just a little unprofessional, despite its impressive collection. Sommelier Josephine wants to increase this number, by adding smaller producers. Similarly to the Asara winelist (Frehse probably used that of Bosman’s as the benchmark when preparing the Asara one), the Bosman’s winelist provides a history of the winemaking in this country, describes the winegrowing areas, dedicates a section to South African wine awards, and provides a map of the wine regions. I joked and said that it would take me the whole evening to go through the winelist alone, and therefore it was recommended that the wine steward advises one about the wines, which is probably what usually happens. Something I have never seen on a winelist is the name of the winemaker(s). Obviously regions, vintages and descriptions are provided per wine.
The wines-by-the-glass section spans two pages, and four are MCC sparkling wines: Silverthorn Blanc de Blanes Brut (R85), Silverthorn Genie Rosé (R95), Colmant Reserve Brut (R65) and Graham Beck Bliss Demi Sec (R65). Laurent Perrier can be ordered in a dinky at R280, and Billecart Salmon Rosé Brut costs R290. Eight white wines are available by the glass, starting at R 48 for AA Badenhorst Family Secateurs as well as Crios Bride Sauvignon Blanc, and peaking at R70 for Scali Blanc. The Rosé is by Newton Johnson, at R40. Six red wines are available: starting at R70 is the Ataraxia “Serenity” and going up to R185 for a Kanonkop. By the bottle, 25 MCC sparkling wines are offered, starting at R175 for Seidelberg’s Blanc de Blancs Brut at R175, up to R540 for La Motte’s Brut. There are 42 Shiraz wines listed, Veenwouden “Thornhill” the best priced at R260, and Mont Destin’s Destiny the most expensive at R1150. 
A cold facecloth was brought to the table, to cool one down and to wipe one’s hands, also an old-fashioned touch, but welcome in the heat. A young waiter came with the bread basket, and offered us a choice of seven breads, the largest choice I have ever seen, and one looked more attractive than the other. Choices include parma ham and garlic, pumpkin seed loaf, tomato rolls, pretzel rolls and a lovely seedloaf. Bosman’s is generous with its bread offering, and the waiter came by at least three times. The bread is served with a collection of three trademark Bosman’s spreads – unsalted butter, lard with garlic and bacon, and cottage cheese with chives. A gazpacho with white tomato jelly and agar was brought as an amuse bouche, the spicy soup poured out of a jug at the table. It did not impress me, if one takes an amuse bouche to be a small taste of the chef’s skills.
The menu has a welcome by Executive Head Chef Roland Gorgosilich: “We trust you will have a relaxing and enjoyable evening with us”, the new Planet Restaurant also having such a ‘personalised’ signed touch in its menu. Gorgosilich is Austrian, and has a low profile. It is a shame that he does not come out of the kitchen, to chat to the guests. One can enjoy a 9-course European-style tasting menu at R 660 per person, as well as a reduced “Harmony of the South” menu, 4-courses costing R 520, and 5-courses R580. This menu is meant to be a representation of South African cuisine. 
For his starter my son had a hot butternut soup (R55) off the a la carte menu, despite the hot evening, which was also poured at the table over three little pieces of braised duck breast. It was not an exceptional soup, in my opinion. My foie gras order, billed to be served with Baumkuchentorte, and costing an extravagant R175, was a let down, as the layered cake was barely visible and could not be tasted around the slice of foie gras. The foie gras itself was wonderful, served with a cherry, and red cabbage puree, which did not add to the foie grasenjoyment. Other starter choices include quail (R95); wild mushroom risotto with parma ham, which looked delicious served at neighbouring tables (R75); poached salmon trout (R105); and poached veal fillet with pan-fried scallops (R155). 
The highlight of the dinner without a doubt was the Fillet Mignon flambee (R200). It is usually prepared at the table inside, but due to the outsideseating, and the fire danger, we went inside to see Alessandro prepare it for us in the dining room, a most dramatic preparation, especially when the Martellbrandy was added. The steak was butter soft. It was served with tagliatelle and mushroom ragout, the most delicious I have had in a long time, simple and focused on providing enjoyment. An excellent serrated steak knife was served for this dish, barely necessary due to the soft steak. Other main course choices include Beef fillet Rossini (R285); springbok loin (R210); vanilla milk poached kingklip (R175); pan-fried hake and crayfish (R225); sole and stuffed calamari (R195) and oddly a tomato consommé at R145.
What adds class to the dinner at Bosman’s is another old-fashioned touch – presenting the main course dishes with domes, which the waiters all lift simultaneously at the table. The waitress then reminds each diner what he/she has ordered, a nice touch.
For dessert, one is presented with a separate menu, to which is added a number of further beverage options. Strawberry rhubarb, and an interesting sounding peach lavender soup served with chocolate ganache and peanut croquant cost R65; chocolate fondant costs R75; crepe suzetteR80; and a cheese trolley R150, presumably which can be shared. I had arranged with Alessandro for a surprise birthday chocolate cake, which was decorated with strawberries on the side, came with a candle, and looked beautiful on a glass plate. We were not charged for this birthday treat. I had a good cappuccino.
The bathroom entrance is attractive and luxurious with a beautiful orchid display. But when one steps inside, the wooden doors are still there, not in keeping with the quality standards of the hotel.
Bosman’s is not an everyday dinner venue, but one for a special celebration, given how expensive it is. Yet for lunchtime visits to Paarl it is perfect, as it is affordable and and the food light. I enjoyed both my visits to Bosman’s this week.
POSTSCRIPT 22/7: Being in Paarl, I popped in at Bosman’s for lunch today. Once again, I had a problem with the poor quality of outsourced security staff manning the boom. I was refused entry for lunch at the boom initially, and asked for the phone number, so that I could call. Instead, the security person decided to call the Restaurant Manager himself, and this caused a traffic jam at the boom! I was eventually allowed in and welcomed on arrival, and wondered why this had been necessary in the first place. Thereafter the service was excellent. I was happy to meet the new GM Anja Bosken, She told me that they are working hard at increasing the awareness of the Grande Roche, and went onto Twitter last week. They are also working on being less stiff and more friendly. Seven members of staff were retrenched before her arrival, she said, and some staff members did not renew their fixed-term contracts. Bosman’s is very professional, and I enjoyed a main course of kingklip and prawns, with Mediterranean vegetables and seafood ravioli (R95), followed by Apfelstrudel (R45), prices which are very reasonable for a Top 10 restaurant at a 5-star hotel. Alan Bailes and Alessandro de Laco have left the Grande Roche.
Bosman’s Restaurant, Grande Roche Hotel, Plantasie Street, Paarl. Tel (021) 863-5100. www.granderoche.com (The website has an Image Gallery, with few food photographs, and all the menus are listed). Twitter: @Grande_Roche
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
Franschhoek gets ‘bubbly’ this weekend with Cap Classique & Champagne Festival
The fifth Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival started last night, and continues until tomorrow, celebrating the “The Magic of Bubbles”. Leading local Cap Classiques and imported champagnes will be paired with some of the best restaurants Franschhoek has to offer.
Bubbly brands that will be on show, representing some of South Africa’s 100 or so sparkling wine brands, include Franschhoek’s first and recently-crowned Platter 5-star Blanc de Blancs Brut from Topiary Wines, and Franschhoek ‘colleagues’ Graham Beck, Colmant, Morena from Franschhoek Pass Winery, Allée Bleue, Dieu Donné, Boschendal, La Motte, My Wyn, and Pierre Jourdan. Other bubbly brands on show are Simonsig, Steenberg, Villiera, Krone, Avondale, Backsberg, Bon Courage, Bramon, Laborie, L’Avenir, Nitida, Pongracz, Genevieve MCC, Groote Post, Silverthorn, Sterhuis, Van Loveren, Waverley Hills and Weltevrede. Imported champagne brands include Billecart Salmon, Laurent Perrier, Gosset, Verve Cliquot and Tribaut.
Food can be bought from the following Franschhoek restaurants at the Festival: The Restaurant at Grande Provence, Mange Tout at Mont Rochelle Hotel, La Petite Ferme, The Restaurant at L’ermitage Hotel, Monneaux, Salmon Bar, Dieu Donné, Allée Bleue and the Le Franschhoek Hotel. The Wild Peacock is selling oysters.
Entertainment will be provided by CODA. The dress code is “black and white”, with a prize for the best-dressed couple today and tomorrow.
Cap Classique & Champagne Festival, 3 – 5 December, 12h00 – 18h00. Huguenot Monument, Franschhoek. Tickets cost R180 and can be bought at www.webtickets.co.za or at the gate.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
Restaurant Review: Aubergine new top Cape Town restaurant, yet inconsistent
Cape Town’s only Eat Out Top 10 restaurant, Aubergine, went about its business as if nothing had changed for the team of Harald Bresselschmidt the day after receiving its special honour, it seemed. The Eat Out plaque is on the shelf in the entrance hall, and if one had not read about the Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Award winners announced on Sunday evening, one would not have known that Aubergine has been crowned as Cape Town’s best restaurant, except that the restaurant was fully booked on a Monday evening.
I took relatives from Germany to try out Aubergine last night, and had not been there for many years. My overall reaction was one of uncertainty of how I felt about the evening there. I was not sure if I could agree with the Eat Out judges that this is the one and only top restaurant in our city, as judged by them.
The building is Victorian, located in Gardens, but the interior was very unmodern, functional, almost old-fashioned, with some interesting looking lampshades (looked like serviettes hanging over the light fittings), with wooden tables and woven chairs seating 60 – 70 guests, woven beige placemats, and some paintings of aubergines downstairs (including one by Father Claerhout), and more modern artwork upstairs. One enters past a bar counter, and a wine storage system separates the restaurant from the bar counter. I was fascinated by the changing lighting effect on this wine storage section, and wondered whether it enhanced the wines. We sat in the upstairs section, with just four tables, a reed ceiling, and a triangular window offering a peek of Table Mountain. It became very hot upstairs, and the small open window did not cool things down much. Lighting was very low upstairs, from interesting wall light fittings creating the shadow effect of branches on the walls. Serviettes are of good quality, as is the glassware, but the cutlery seemed too ornate compared to the unfussiness of the decor.
The lovely hostess Jacqueline heard us talk, and immediately switched to German, and served us in German for the rest of the evening, which impressed my relatives. Jacqueline has only been at the restaurant for three weeks, and is a most efficient and helpful hostess, answering our many questions. The menu is divided into an a la carte section, and a degustation menu, but one is allowed to “mix and match”, which caused confusion at the time of the presentation of the bill, as every item ordered was itemised and not charged as per the set degustation price. The menu is attached to a leather holder, with Aubergine branding. The menu has a welcome from the “Cuisinier”, as Bresselschmidt calls himself on the business card. The introduction to the menu states: “Ingredients come first”. As Chef Patron he emphasises the “honest use of prime South African products, often enhanced by Oriental spices and cooking styles, leads you to appreciate the subtleties of what I try to produce”. The degustation menu costs R344/R485 for three courses, R 420/R600 for four and R 525/R745 for five courses, the second price reflecting the cost with a wine paired to each dish.
Howard Booysen was a very knowledgeable sommelier, who studied at Elsenburg, and makes his own Weisser Riesling under the HB Wines label, which is on the Aubergine winelist. He shares the sommelier honours with Dominic Adelbert, who studied hospitality in Geneva and Adelaide, and learnt about wine at Gleaneagles in Scotland, he said. The winelist is impressive, neatly bound in a leather folder, with 30 pages each in a plastic sleeve. Vintages and regions are mentioned, and each vintage of a wine stocked is priced separately. The winelist contains about 490 wines, and a full page is dedicated to wines by the glass. A good spectrum of local and imported brands, and prices, is included in the extensive winelist. We ordered the Catherine Marshall 2004 Shiraz at R 225. The champagnes include Pol Rogers (ranging in price from R580 – R2200), Le Mesnil (R790 and up), Billecart Salmon Rosé (R1300), Drappier (R375 – R500), Tribault Rosé(R696), Laurent Perrier (R1000 – R1450) and Duval Leroy (R795 – R 3300). Local brands of bubbly are Steenberg (R220 – R425), Teddy Hall R(385), Villiera (R220 – R300), Simonsig (R430), Krone Borealis (R270 – R3000), Silverthorn (R280) and Jaques Bruére (R230). Shiraz choices start at R52/R215 for Migliarino, with 27 brands offered, Signal Hill and Eben Sadie ranging in price between R1000 – R1200, depending on the vintage. White wines by the glass cost between R35 and R50 a glass, and red wines R45 – R65 per glass. Bresselschmidt told us that he is a Riesling fan, and calls himself the ‘Riesling ambassador in South Africa’. He is importing 500 bottles from Germany. His cellar at Auslese, the events venue he opened close by in the past year, holds 25 000 bottles in total.
A number of bread options was offered, and the wholewheat bread I chose was crispy and crunchy, freshly baked. We tried to order a variety of dishes amongst the three of us, to be able to taste as widespread a range as possible. The amuse bouche was an unexciting kingklip terrine, topped with salmon caviar and vinaigrette, served with a mini cucumber salad. The triangular plate it was served on did not hold the knife, and it kept falling off, a frequent complaint one has of restaurant plates these days. The support staff, wearing burgundy shirts, did not match Jacqueline’s level in any way, even though the lady that served us had been at the restaurant for four years. I found her hard to understand, and she kept stretching in front of my cousin to pass on plates and cutlery to me, an absolute no-no for a top restaurant. We were surprised that more senior staff do not bring the food to the table and explain the dishes. The waitresses tried hard but lacked polish. 
I had the Delice of smoked salmon trout and caper butter, served with roccula dressing, and poached quail eggs in a potato nest (R85). No fish knife was served with this course. My cousin had the Carpaccio of cured beef, served with marinated Burrata mozzarella, and a tomato and herb salad (R89). She expressed surprise at how thick the beef slices were. Her husband had the fish soup (R65), and felt the fish taste too pronounced, not something he is used to in German restaurants, being prepared in the French style.
The highlight of all the dishes was an ‘in-between’ dish, being steamed crayfish served with black noodles and a saffron sauce. Then came a sweet melon and mint sorbet palate cleanser, too sweet to our liking.
Something odd happened with the serving of the “Cape Sea Harvest” main course (on the degustation menu), which my cousin and her husband had ordered, described as a duo of kingklip and kabeljou when the menu was explained and our order taken. When it was served, it only had one piece of fish. We were not told proactively that the kingklip had run out, and whilst Jacqueline expressed her sincerest regret about a communication error between herself and the kitchen, it seemed unacceptable that an order taken was served incorrectly and was only reacted to when questioned. I had a most unusual tender tongue dish, with very finely sliced marinated tongue, served with asparagus and a delicious vanilla and green tea velouté (R160). Other main courses are duck (R182), lamb (R178), beef sirloin (R175) and ostrich fillet and tartare (R174).
For dessert my cousin had a very generous duo of Aubergine Créme Brûlée (R65). I chose a Beignet of Tomme Obiqua cheese from Tulbagh, served with Golden Delicious apple (which I could not taste), roccula and walnuts (R105). Other dessert options included a Charlotte of pear and ginger served with prickly pear sorbet (R75), assiette of chocolate (R84), Delice of lemon and strawberry meringue (R58), and a chef’s surprise (R94). I had ordered a cappuccino with the dessert, but it was only brought to the table after we had finished it, sweetened by a lovely plate of friandises served with the coffees.
Bresselschmidt came to our table and was very generous with his time in answering all our questions. He opened Aubergine 15 years ago, and chose the name because of his respect for a vegetable that is flexible and offers versatility. He had come to South Africa in 1992 to work at Grande Roche, and thereafter at Rhebokskloof. He has lost track of how many times he has been on the Top 10 Eat Out list, and thinks it is six or seven times. He told us how hard it is to run a restaurant, when you have to double and triple check everything, something that can affect one’s creativity, he said. He called for a score from the Eat Out judges, so that restaurants making the Top 10 list can get feedback about their performance relative to their colleagues, and not just on a ranked basis. We discussed the variability in the Eat Out Top 10 list, and Bresselschmidt felt it may be the magazine’s way of keeping interest in the Awards. Rust en Vrede is his favourite restaurant, and Bresselschmidt plans to take his team there next month to allow them to experience the country’s top restaurant. He is also loyal to Bosman’s, celebrating his wedding anniversary there, having met his wife at the Grande Roche. Nobu is another favourite.
I am yet to be convinced that Aubergine is the best restaurant that Cape Town has to offer. I did not experience it last night, mainly due to the inconsistency of the service and of the food served.
Aubergine Restaurant, 39 Barnett Street, Gardens, Cape Town. Tel (021) 465-4909. www.aubergine.co.za Mondays – Saturday evenings, Wednesday – Friday lunches.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
Restaurant Review: The Kove winter special only value relative to its normal high prices
Our blog has been running a Restaurant Winter Specials list for the past few months, with more than 100 restaurant offers attempting to attract locals into restaurants in Cape Town and the Winelands towns, in what is traditionally a poor time for the hospitality trade. The winter special of The Kove in Camps Bay only is good value relative to what the restaurant normally charges for its dishes, and does not compare favourably to many of the restaurant specials offered.
The Kove is part of a quartet of restaurants owned by Paul Kovensky (the surname being the inspiration for the naming of The Kove, no doubt), three of them being almost next door to each other in The Promenade building in Camps Bay (The Kove, Zenzero and Paranga). Pepenero is located in Mouille Point. The latter restaurant occupies a large space, and clearly was not able to attract enough custom to fill the space, and since last year has attracted food bargain hunters by offering specials. The Kove is the only other restaurant in the Kovensky Quartet to be offering winter specials this year.
When we entered the restaurant on Saturday evening, after having left the over-heated and over-priced Zenzero next door, we were offered a table closest to the fireplace, which we declined, not without some attitude from the Manager Bevan (the type that knows better than you do where you would like to sit). The first thing I noticed was the tattoos on Bevan’s arms (I am sorry, but it is the most off-putting thing, something that I experienced at Leaf Restaurant recently as well). Waiter Casper presented himself soon thereafter, and gave me one of those looks that declares attitude without saying it. By “mistake”, waiter Richard also presented his services to our table, and he was genuinely nice and we requested that he be our waiter, and he did a great job in looking after us with what seemed like genuine interest.
The restaurant has a raised back section, with different chairs compared to the street level section, in which the chairs look like lawn furniture, in smart white and silver frames, with white or green chairbacks (the same grass green as at Leaf Restaurant), with green blankets over the chairs, should one still be cold inside the warm interior. The lighting is dimmed to very low, making it difficult to read the menu. We had flashes of white light from the World Cup TV above us, when it changed its picture! Music was vibey, from an iPod playlist, along the lines of the Gotan Project. Riedel glasses are on the table, and good quality linen and cutlery is used. A faux library on both sides of the restaurant is meant to add a homely touch, I assume. The ceiling of the street level section of the restaurant is adorned with a mock grapevine in autumn colours, and there are plastic marigolds on the table.
The menu for the Winter Specials covers two pages almost hidden at the back of the menu, and one is not told about them spontaneously (as at Five Flies and 1800 Restaurant at the Cape Royale). One has a number of choices of specials, making it feel like one is really getting a good deal, but the Specials prices are average compared to other Cape Town restaurants. First, one has the option of a two-course special, consisting only of a starter and a main course, and a glass of wine, at R 120. The problem starts with the wine. Why would a reputable restaurant offer an unlabelled unidentified white and red wine as part of the special? It cheapens the Winter Special immediately. They must have paid next to nothing for it, if they have to hide the wines’ origins. Starter choices are mussels, Prawns 3 Ways, calamari, chicken livers and a house salad. My partner had the prawns, brought to the table with a finger bowl, and the “3 ways” are 2 minute prawns each served with mustard and brandy, garlic and ginger, and orange and cumin. It was a struggle to get them out of their shells. The main course choices are fresh line fish, sirloin steak, baby chicken, beef burger and pork ribs. The portion sizes are not indicated, and a starch is served with these. (On the a la carte menu, one has to pay extra for starches, sauces and salads). The steak was served medium rare, as ordered, but was not as tender as my partner would have liked it to be, with a tendon running through it, showing that a cheaper cut of meat had been used. A good spicy and creamy Pepper Sauce was served with the steak. No desserts are offered as part of this special. Two small slices of older white bread were served, which I did not even bother to try. To do the mathematics on the special: normal price for 1/2 prawn portion R45 + sirloin steak R85 + sauce R 20 + mash R20 = R170 (Special price charged plus glass of unidentified wine R120) – however, paying R125 for the 200 – 250 gram sirloin, mash and sauce on the a la carte menu is excessive anyway.
In addition to the two-course special, one can order oysters at R 9 each, 1 kg of prawns or Karoo lamb chops at R99, fish and chips at R79, 400 gram ribs at R75, and a seafood platter at R129. On the surface these prices are not bad at all, until you realise that these are standard prices elsewhere, and more expensive than some of the other specials offered elsewhere at the moment (e.g. a 6-course dinner for R150 at Myoga and at La Mouette). I had the lamb chops, three served on a large plate with the mash served lukewarm after the meat was brought to the table, in a side dish. The steak knife provided was super in getting to the bone. I loved the ‘braai’ taste of the chops, which Richard told us came from the special basting sauce. I would have liked to have a finger bowl. The chops were ordered medium, but the meat closest to the bone was raw. Ten cocktails are part of the specials list, at R25 each, but we were given the cocktails menu (with peeling plastic cover), showing a Mojito at R40, and were not told about the specials. As part of the Winter Special, The Kove also serves “tappas” between 3 – 7 pm, and two cost R 45 and three cost R60. One has a choice of twelve, including hake goujons, pop-corn prawns, deep-fried halloumi, teriyaki salmon and stuffed jalapeno poppers.
The a la carte menu has starters ranging from R 50 for a mussel pot, seafood chowder, goat’s cheese tartlet and buffalo wings, to R 90 for 12 of the prawn 3-ways (having seen them on the special, and being seawater prawns, this is hugely expensive for what one gets), and salads cost R 40 – R 75. A wide selection of steaks (fillet, sirloin, entrecote, chateaubriand), each in two weight options, is offered, a 250 g sirloin costing R85 and a 500g Chateaubriand costing R200. Unspecified Venison costs R120 for 250g, as does baby chicken. Starches are extra at R 20 each, as are a selection of five sauces, also at R 20 each. A Braai section offers a 1,2kg fillet to share at R395, “kreef” at R 195, ribs, an identified skewer and fish. A number of seafood options are available, a seafood platter costing R295, calamari costs R80, and baby kingklip R130.
For dessert we shared an odd item on the a la carte dessert menu, being waffles with syrup and cream, perfectly executed, at R 45. Other desserts include apple crumble, and pecan nut pie, costing between R35 – R45. The Cappuccino was made with LavAzza coffee, but was thin and not the best I have had.
The wines-by-the-glass at The Kove are very expensive, being based on three glasses out of a bottle. The difference in price between the cheapest shiraz (Spier 2009) at R 30 and the next up at R95 per glass of Kevin Arnold made me choose the former, a grave mistake, in that it was so bad that I could not finish it. I asked for the wine to be poured at the table, but the manager was about to refuse this, when he changed his mind. I wondered what I would have been served (perhaps the same unlabelled wine for the special?). No vintages are specified on the winelist, nor are the wine varietals or brands described. The 15-page beverage list is Fleur du Cap-branded throughout, on every page, even though only two of their wines are offered out of the more than 100 wines on the winelist (and typed as “Fleur de Cap”!).
The winelist is introduced with notes on “Matching wine with your food”, highlighting the essence of “paring” being “seeking to achieve a balance in your personal tastes”. It indicates which wine types (e.g. “high acid wine”) go with which food types, and lists white wines with high acid as including Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and sparkling wines; and red wines with high acid level Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Gamay. The effect of adding salt to the taste of the wine was an eye-opener, in that it reduces the astringency of wines. Riedel gets a half page punt and branding, and the benefits of decanting wine is highlighted (although not practised, in that it may have made the young Spier more palatable).
Fifteen champagnes are offered, ranging from R1 000 for Laurent Perrier Brut Rose and Louis Roderer Brut, to R6000 for Dom Perignon Rose’. One can order seven of these by the glass, starting at R 140 for the Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial to R 220 for Veuve Cliquot Vintage. Only five Methode Cap Classiques are offered, two Graham Beck and Pongracz each, and Boschendal, ranging from R180 – R320. The Graham Becks are served by the glass too. A large selection of Chardonnays is offered, dominated by Hamilton Russell (R420), with Muratie Isabella at entry level (R175), and Sauvignon Blancs (between R180- R250). Fewer red wine choices are offered by varietal – the Shiraz category costs from R200 – R280, but has the Spier at R130. Four Organic wines (Avondale Chenin Blanc, Reyneke Reserve white, Waverley Hills Cabernet Sauvignon and Stellar Merlot), and two Kosher wines made by Backsberg, are also available.
Bevan came to the table, to give us our Loyalty Card, and annoyed me when he told me that it is only for South Africans. 10 % of the value of one’s meal is added as points to one’s Loyalty Card ‘account’, redeemable at any time on presentation of the card. This would bring value to dining at The Kove, but problems with the system in the past two years has made me sceptical about the accuracy of their record keeping, as they claim to have lost details of our guests having eaten there in the past, and therefore the redeemability of the points.
The Kove is one of the few places that has served a good steak in Camps Bay in the past, but the winter special does not reflect this quality. It is expensive if one orders off the a la carte menu, and its “winter specials” are only specially priced relative to the normal high prices the Kovensky Quartet charges, and seem to be poorer quality cuts, with unacceptably poor quality wine, thus not making The Kove value for money.
The Kove, Shop 2A, The Promenade, Victoria Road, Camps Bay. Tel (021) 438-0012. www.thekove.co.za (full menu and winelist featured).
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com
Restaurant Review: Indochine at Delaire Graff a fine high note, after flat start
It is not often that an evening that starts as a disaster ends off on such a high note. Our evening at the two month old Indochine at Delaire Graff could have gone horribly wrong, but the service recovery from the Duty Manager Sabrina D’Agrossi, chef Jonathan Heath and waiter Nick all combined to rescue the evening, pulling out all the stops to ensure that we were made to feel very special, and to enjoy the outstanding unique and special Asian-fusion menu.
I had booked a table for a Thursday evening two days earlier, and confirmed that I had pronounced the name of the new restaurant correctly, so there was no mistaking at which of the two restaurants on the estate I wanted to book. We drove through the open gates at the security entrance, passed the Delaire restaurant, looking for the new Hotel, designed by French architect Pierre Bories, but there was no signage yet for the hotel, and the security guard we asked in the parking area had never heard of Indochine, nor had the person he asked via his walkie-talkie! I then Googled the telephone number on my phone, and had the luck that Sabrina answered the phone. She gave me the news that the restaurant was closed as they had no bookings! I told her about my booking, and she told me where to find the hotel, through the gates, ‘guarded’ by the two Dylan Lewis cheetahs. Nick met us outside, and walked us into the restaurant, showing us the tiny cinema, and we noticed the outstanding artwork inside the generous hotel reception area. The chef was called and he came to the restaurant from Stellenbosch, to prepare our meal, with such graciousness that you could have sworn that it was a pleasure for him to be called away from home.
The owner Laurence Graff (owner of Graff Diamonds International Ltd, victim of one of the biggest jewellery robberies in London last year) is known as an art collector from the original Delaire restaurant, and he has invested in four further Dylan Lewis cheetahs on the lawn outside the restaurant, each costing R 250000, we were told. He has also focused on father Anton and son Lionel Smit, with sculptures and paintings by the Smits, especially the latter featuring strongly.
The restaurant is a large open plan one, with the bar at the entrance, and two comfortable chairs if one wants to sit at the fireplace. The interior design has been done by London-based David Collins, who did the Delaire restaurant and wine centre too. If the Delaire restaurant leans to the orange side in terms of its decor, Indochine is definitely blue – blue leather chairs (strangely low, indirectly admitted by Sabrina as not intended to have been so low), and small blue leather couches with round dining tables, one could say “cut-up” and small versions of the large orange couches in the Delaire restaurant. The tables have a copper top, the colour a warm decor touch, but with a wooden bar underneath the tables facing one, which means that one can bump one’s knees against it, and one therefore has to put one’s legs on each side of it, an uncomfortable position. There is little art inside the restaurant, and it is understated relative to the sister Delaire restaurant. The view must be magnificent by day, onto Stellenbosch. The glassware probably is from Riedel, the cutlery is the most modern chic Italian, and a wooden board on the table holds a lantern with a candle. The music is reasonably soft Eastern style. The Hotel building only houses the spa and restaurant, and guests are accommodated in 10 “lodges” outside the hotel, with Cape Dutch style gables (the cost for one night starts at R8000). Graff has so much faith in his team, that he has supervised the building work via DVD, the staff tell us, and he has yet to see his new hotel and restaurant.
We were presented the blue-cover menu and winelist, and were served a glass of Delaire Sauvignon Blanc (initially the Chardonnay was brought to the table in error) for my guest, and a Red Blend 2006 for myself (the Delaire Shiraz was a 2009, so I declined), expensive I felt at R50 and R60, respectively. Only the Delaire wines are served by the glass. Nick told us that they had not intended to serve wines by the glass, but have realised that there is a demand for it, so they will be added to the winelist. Nick struggled to get away from serving us bottled water, when I asked for fresh Stellenbosch water. The Delaire wine labels are beautifully designed. The winelist is interesting, in being only two pages (not likely to win the Diner’s Club Winelist Award), and offering a very restricted choice of no more than four/five brands, but in many cases only one or two per varietal. Only the champagne (Billecart-Salmon Rose, Laurent-Perrier and Louis Roederer Cristal), and six other wines are imported (the Chateau Pichon Lalande 2005 costing R 5500, Hospices De Beaune 2002 R 1950), and Delaire Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose’, and the Red Blend are offered. Vintages are specified on the winelist, but no wine descriptions are provided.
I noticed references to chilli, pepper and curry in the menu, and did not want to order anything that was too hot. The chef came to the table, and explained the menu to us (what a great touch, given that the menu creation is his “baby”, so who better to describe it?). I had not heard of Chef Jonathan Heath before, and most of his experience after he started his apprenticeship at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West was at Southern Sun Hotels both domestically and in Africa, his last stop having been the opening of a Southern Sun in Nigeria. He loves Asian-fusion food, and is therefore in his element. Mr Graff does too, and that is why such a style of restaurant was selected for the hotel. It also contrasts the cuisine of the Delaire restaurant, is healthier in that the food is only steamed and poached, and is light. Chef Jonathan is a big fan of Heston Blumenthal, and is into foams and froths, and molecular gastronomy, he says. He also sources organic produce where he possibly can.
Sabrina came to the table with a customer feedback form, so that the problems experienced can be addressed by the management, as well as a media pack. She also brought a gift pack with a bottle of Delaire Shiraz, to express her apology. She offered me her card, so that I could book directly with her in future.
The menu offers 2 courses for R 225, 3 courses for R290, 4 courses for R385, and 5 courses for R 470. Like Overture, one may choose the dishes from any of the sections on the menu. The Chef quickly sent an amuse bouche of duck liver parfait and a home-made paneer cheese, with a strong lingering aftertaste. Chef Jonathan impressed us by bringing each of the dishes to the table, and explaining the ingredients to us. My guest’s Tikka Duck Marsala was served with curried lentils, coriander, cumin, spring onion and red pepper, garnished with pea shoots, and had a wonderful cucumber and cumin riatta. My duck springroll was made from rice paper and was steamed, Chef Jonathan saying that it has close to zero calories, with julienned carrots and beans, and served with pickled cucumber and daikon radish, a bamboo shoot salad and dipping sauces. Other starters are marinated beef salad, tuna loin, poached tiger prawns, and wild mushroom salad. This was followed by a wildberry and litchi sorbet.
My guest had the salmon trout, topped with squid and caviar, with tomato and chilli broth poured over it by the Chef at the table. My four 7-Thai-spice braised pork belly slices also had caviar on them. We ordered a bowl of Jasmine rice and a butternut salad with the main course (one is allowed one side dish each). Other mains offered are seared scallops, steamed line fish, duck breast, and Green tea poached Quail Breast. We did not order dessert, but were served a trio of treats with our cappuccino – pistachio mousse, a chocolate amaretto cycle, and a macadamia nut spear. Dessert choices are de-molded chai brulee, butternut sponge, citrus baked cheesecake, 5-spice malva pudding, and passion fruit panna cotta.
Chef Jonathan impressed us with his ability to interact with his guests, with his creativity in food preparation and presentation, and the generosity of what was sent out of the kitchen (a 2-course meal had an added amuse bouche, sorbet and sweet treats). He comes to greet and chats with guests as a matter of course. One hopes it stays this way. But none of this would have been possible without the calm and efficient way in which the Duty Manager Sabrina dealt with the problem, and had turned it into a wonderful evening. The restaurant is one of the finest in Stellenbosch, its addition strengthening our call for Stellenbosch to be given the Gourmet Capital crown, and to develop a Restaurant Route. Another fan of foams and froths, Richard Carstens, opens across the road at Tokara in October.
Indochine, Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa, Helshoogte Pass, Stellenbosch. Tel (021) 885-8160 (Ask for Sabrina to book). www.delaire.co.za. On the Stellenbosch Restaurant Route.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com
Restaurant Review: Pepper Club on the Beach spices up Camps Bay
The Pepper Club on the Beach was a safe refuge on a night that a black southeaster swept through Camps Bay, keeping potential restaurant patrons at home. Whilst its name makes one think of summer specifically, its menu is suitable for all seasons, as it has one of the most extensive menus, challenging Tuscany Beach further down the road on number of menu items!
The Pepper Club on the Beach was called Summerville before it went into liquidation, and was taken over by the owners of The Promenade in Camps Bay. The Solomon Brothers are not the favourite landlords in Cape Town, but they have money, and they invest heavily in the projects they take on. When they built the Pepper Club Hotel in the center of town, on the corners of Pepper, Long, Loop and Bloem Streets, they came up with a novel idea of bringing their hotel guests to Camps Bay, by renaming Summerville as Pepper Club on the Beach, offering the Pepper Club hotel guests a free transfer to Camps Bay in the hotel’s Rolls Royce Phantom, and usage of deck chairs, beach towels and a shower facility, in the hope that they will eat at the Camps Bay restaurant. The manager was honest in telling us that the Pepper Club Hotel guests are still slow in making the journey to the beach in Camps Bay, given the weather, and that the hotel only opened in April.
As the owner of a guest house in Camps Bay, I received a voucher to try out the restaurant a few months ago. Somehow I never got to go. A call from the General Manager of Pepper Club on the Beach, Gavin Lockitch, inviting me to try the restaurant, was the call to action which my colleague and I needed to get us to try out the restaurant. Our “welcome” outside the blustery entrance to the restaurant was odd, in that the hostess would not let us inside until we told her our name. We could see that only one other table was occupied, so that availability of tables, or matching our booking with that on a list, would have been simple. She did not appreciate my feedback in this regard.
The restaurant is large, probably seating 100 – 150 persons, so it needs lots of guests to make it buzz. With three tables filled in total during the evening, this was difficult, although the Buena Vista Social Club CD playing initially helped “fill” the space. In some sections of the restaurant the tables are further apart, which makes it feel even bigger. A private smoking dining room can seat up to 20 persons. The colour scheme is neutral, with white and beige. Nothing stands out decor wise, but many tiny downlighters give the restaurant a sophisticated touch. The chairs are comfortable. The only splash of colour is the collection of red menus. The deck outside the restaurant has new furniture, and new heaters will make it comfortable to sit outside on cooler evenings.
We met two Managers, one newer, and the other, Lynn, had been at Summerville. Ten of the Summerville staff are at Pepper Club. We had the feeling that we were almost “over serviced”, there being more staff on duty than patrons in the restaurant. The Austrian chef Reinhard Schwaihofer came to visit our table, to tell us about his favourite dishes on the menu, a welcome touch. Reinhard was previously at Summerville, and has worked at Zerbans, Fancourt and the Paternoster Lodge, amongst others, in his 20 years in this country. Carsten Kocke was the Executive Chef previously, and was a Michelin-starred chef. It was surprising to receive an e-mail from him recently, requesting that his past connection to the Pepper Club be removed from the www.campsbayinfo.com/blog. No one wanted to tell us why the chef had left after such a short time at the Pepper Club.
Our waiter offered us a drink while we paged through the big red plastic menus and winelist, branded on the outside but difficult to read, and therefore difficult to differentiate between the two documents. The menu contains a vast choice, and contains many of the Summerville items, to which has been added burgers, sandwiches, and other light meals which are served outside of lunch and dinner times. Starters are expensive, in ranging from R 64 for Calamari to a Lobster avacado cocktail at R 105. Five salads are offered, including a Prawn and Avocado salad at R 89. Steaks range from R 120 for a 200g ladies’ fillet to R 150 for a 300 g beef fillet, and they are served with a choice of two side orders, including chips, salad, mushrooms, and mash. Four sauces can be ordered additionally, each costing R 25. Other interesting dishes are the Cape Malay lamb curry (R 130), Trio of game (R 165), 13 fish dishes (the cheapest seafood platter for one costs R265), and six pasta dishes start from R 70, five pasta types available for each dish. Close to 30 sushi options are available as well.
Once we placed our order, we received European style rolls with cumin seed, served with the most attractively presented garlic butter, herb butter and paprika butter. My Avocado Ritz (R79), a favourite, was excellent, with the avocado taken out of the skin, and the three prawns thick and juicy. I could only fault the over-decoration of the plate with bits of lettuce, paprika and tomato. My colleague was very happy with her grilled calamari starter (R64). For the main course I enjoyed veal cutlet (R130), looking and tasting as if it came straight off the “braai”, absolutely tender, placed on top of the best mash I have ever eaten, as well as three asparagus spears. My colleague’s herb-crusted ostrich steak (R148) was too large (250g) for her to finish. The portions are generous, and so too was the Apfelstrudel (R55), which Chef Reinhard recommended as his speciality. It was served warm, with well-cooked apple and large raisins, “oven fresh” the Austrian way, said Chef Reinhard. A very generous portion of real fresh cream came with the dessert.
The winelist is even more extensive than the menu, running to ten pages, a page per variety. Laurent Perrier is the most pricy of the three champagne brands stocked, at R1490, and Pongracz Desidirius the most expensive of the four sparkling wines, at R395 – however, the standard Pongracz costs R169. Sauvignon Blanc wines feature most prominently on the list, including Southern Right (R149), Neil Ellis Groenkloof (R158), Steenberg (R167), and Iona (R198). Twelve wines-by-the-glass are offered, and the reds include L’Omarins Terra Del Capo Sangiovese (R38), Warwick 3 Cape Ladies (R58), and Porcupine Ridge (R32). The Ridgeback Shiraz, one of the two shirazes which can be ordered by the glass, was out of stock, but the waiter brought an Asara with the same vintage in its place, a commendable gesture. Corkage is R25 for the first bottle, and R40 thereafter.
My colleague and I were most pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed our dinner, and would return and recommend it to our guest house guests. One would hope that it would fill up, to give the large restaurant more of a buzz and a vibe,
Pepper Club on the Beach, The Promenade, Victoria Road, Camps Bay. Tel 021 438-3174. www.pepperclubonthebeach.co.za. (only the menu is available)
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com
Restaurant Review: Rust en Vrede almost faultless
One of South Africa’s Top 10 restaurants, Rust en Vrede, did a special dad’s 94th birthday celebration proud on a weekday night 2 weeks ago, just four days after it was announced as 3rd place winner on the Top 10 list, as winner of the Service Excellence Award in the Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards, and a week after it was named the best Restaurant in the winelands in the world, by the Great Wine Capitals Network.
A terrible drive due to after-hours roadworks near the airport made the journey from Cape Town doubly long. The arrival at the wine estate wiped away the frustration, it being dark already, and the lighting romantically showing off ancient oak trees and a beautiful garden.
A staff member stood outside the door to welcome us, and we were taken to the rest of the party, having a drink on the terrace outside. Our table for 6 was set apart from the rest of the restaurant, in its own alcove, two sides filled with wines on glass shelves. This gave a feeling of privacy, yet one felt to be part of the restaurant.
The menu and winelist covers were one of the few aspects to criticise, looking like plastic “mock-croc”. The menu is informative, with a foreword by Jean Engelbrecht, the owner of the wine estate, David Higgs the chef, and Neil Grant, the sommelier. The menu is simple – one has two choices – 4 courses at R 400, or 6 courses at R 550 without paired wine, or R 800 with wine paired per course. The only catch is that all persons in the party must have either the 4- or 6-course meal.
As the 4-course meal allows one an option of three choices per course, our party chose this option. A first course choice offered was a scallop “gazpacho” that was not a soup at all, foie gras and cherries, and sweet onion soup. The second course choice consisted of a salmon trout, organic chicken, and fennel and creme fraiche risotto. The third course offered tuna, loin of lamb and springbok. The 4 th course choice was between goat’s cheese and melon, strawberry and nut parfait with marzipan, and baked apple and pastry with cream cheese ice cream.
The 6-course meal starts with tuna, followed by scallop, rabbit, Chalmar beef, Tetede Moine and ends with Chocolate Marquis. No options are provided within each of the 6 courses.
The menu also contains the supplier information, looking a little like an add-on to the otherwise slick menu. Beef and venison come from the estate’s Kalahari farm, herbs come from the estate’s herb garden, Magic Steve supplies the vegetables, The Wild Peacock supplies ingredients, duck and rabbit, Neil Jewel the chacuteries, and Wayne Rademeyer from Wellington the Buffalo Mozzarella. Reubens is the only other known restaurant which states its suppliers in its menus.
The meal was preceded by an amuse bouche of scallop. As each dish is brought to the table per course, the waitress reminds one of the choice one ordered, pointing out what is on the plate. She explained everything so well and efficiently, that everything seemed to taste even better.
The winelist reflects about 270 wines on 28 pages, and a neat index at the start of the winelist categorises the wines on offer, and an easy reference to the page. An oddity is the fact that only Champagne is served, and that South African Cap Classiques are not available. This is justified in the menu on the grounds of David and Neil being fanatical about the Champagne region in France! The winelist has 24 Champagnes, ranging from R 500 for a Mailly to R 1 800 for a Laurent Perrier. Wines by the glass are available, at R 30 for a Cederberg Chenin Blanc to R 50 for a Fryer’s Cove.
Similar to The Big Easy, a Portfolio of Wines is referred to in the winelist, and all wines from Rust en Vrede, Cirrus, Guardian Peak, Ernie Els, and Engelbrecht Els are listed separately in the winelist. The Rust en Vrede wine offering is extensive, and a separate price is quoted for each vintage. So, for example, the Rust en Vrede Merlot ranges from R 200 for a 2008 to R 900 for a 1989, the shiraz from R 230 for a 2006 to R 750 for the 1992, and R 95 for a Cab blend. Other wine brands are offered as well, and the Meerlust Rubicon costs R 350, and the Schalk Burger costs R 700. A Pol Roger bubbly was followed by the Rust en Vrede Shiraz, and was decanted by Neil. So professional is the wine team that when a second bottle of the same Rust en Vrede Shiraz was opened, a new round of Riedel glasses was brought to the table.
The spacing of the serving of the four courses was just right – not too slow nor too fast, and one lost track of time, not necessarily a good thing on a weekday evening! Service is unobtrusive, polite, reserved, and no proactive conversation is made – all communication relates purely to the meal and the drinks. An interesting but professional looking touch is the pouring of the bottled water with a cloth, to prevent the bubbles from wetting the guest or the tablecloth. This has not been seen anywhere else ever.
Unusual too is the multi-gender bathrooms – one does not expect to see a gentlemen coming through the door! Molton Brown bathroom products are available, being of a very good quality.
What was missed relative to a visit a year ago was David Higg’s regular visits to the table, after each course, to check on the guests’ satisfaction with and feedback about each course. David appeared more hands-on in the open-plan kitchen than a year ago, and would not have had the time to do so. He did come to chat after the meal, and impresses with his modesty, charm and gentleness. Even more commendable is the pride and dedication to his restaurant – if he should be ill, or is travelling, he closes the restaurant, he said. He will not allow it to operate without him being present. This places a huge burden on him in the five nights a week that the restaurant is open, but ensures consistent service – David Higgs probably is the only chef in the country to take his craft and reputation so seriously.
A small irritation, which Rust en Vrede shares with almost every restaurant in the country, is a bad habit of staff stretching past one from the left to place a knife or spoon on one’s right. This was the only aspect of the service that can be faulted. The music is nondescript and irritating, and sounds too canned – it is not well-matched to the decor, and quality of the food and wine, and does not add to the ambiance. Smoking is strictly forbidden on the estate, but an exception is made for cigar smoking when one is outside with no one else present, the cigars are for sale on the menu!
The 4-course meal for 6, a bottle of Pol Roger champagne, 2 bottles of Rust en Vrede Shiraz, some pre-dinner drinks, cigars as well as the mandatory 10 % service charge for a table of 6 came to R 4 700. The birthday boy received a tiny chocolate cake to take home, and each guest receives a roll wrapped up as a “gift”, an oddity, as rolls are not served with the meal, when one leaves.
POSTSCRIPT 9/4: Sommelier Neil Grant tonight telephonically denied the rumour on Twitter that David Higgs is leaving Rust & Vrede and moving to Johannesburg in June.
POSTSCRIPT 15/4: It has been announced that David Higgs has resigned, and is leaving Rust en Vrede mid-June. John Shuttleworth will step into David’s chef’s shoes.
Rust en Vrede is open from Tuesday to Saturday evenings. During the day one can enjoy only one dish – steak and chips – for lunch. Bookings are not taken for lunch. Tel 021 881 3881, www.rustenvrede.com. On the Stellenbosch Restaurant Route.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com