Yesterday I met with Chef Oliver Cattermole and his wife Becky for coffee in Franschhoek, to hear the latest details about their first self-owned restaurant Bovine, which opens today in two weeks on Franschhoek’s main road. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Le Franschhoek Hotel
Restaurant Review: Haute Cabrière frames beautiful Franschhoek view!
As part of a three-day stay in Franschhoek last week, I made a point of revisiting some older restaurants. One of them was Haute Cabrière, a restaurant which I had heard little of, other than its appointment in November last year of new Chef Dennis Strydom, of late. Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 17 March
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Eclectic Brands is set to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange later this month, a restaurant group consisting of an eclectic collection of restaurants, a deli, and a catering company: Burger Perfect, ChickinTyme, Giovanni’s Deliworld, Green Catering, Slug & Lettuce, and more.
* By the end of June, the City of Cape Town will be offering 61 free wifi hotspots in its public buildings, including the existing services in the Civic Centre, Hillstar, Plumstead, and Harare Library in Khayelitsha. A total of 69 exterior wifi spots are also available, including in Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain.
* An evaluation of the ‘State of the Nation’ by ‘High Road Low Road’ Clem Sunter, Justice Malala, and Continue reading →
Are there enough top chefs left to make up a credible 2014 Eat Out Top 20 Restaurant list?
In the past week three further Top 20 Restaurant candidate chefs have announced their resignation, making the restaurants at which they work ineligible to be nominated for the 2014 Eat Out Top 20 Restaurant shortlist. This year is the most volatile we have ever seen as far as top restaurant chef departures go, opening up the opportunity for a fresh 2014 Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards list.
The latest chef resignations are the following:
* Chef Oliver Cattermole left Mondiall Kitchen & Bar two weeks ago, today joining the Leeu Collection as its Executive Chef for its five star Dassenberg Estate hotel and 
Rusthof Country House in Franschhoek, both opening next year. Chef Oliver has worked locally at Dash at the Queen Victoria Hotel, the Le Franschhoek hotel, and Mondiall, as well as internationally at Ivy Restaurant, La Gavroche, Novelli, and at Cannizaro House hotel.
* Chef Brad Ball, who helped open Bistro Sixteen82 at Steenberg, leaves in two weeks to start up what sounds like a collective of three restaurants at Pedlars on the Bend in Constantia
* Chef Christiaan Campbell leaves Delaire Graff Estate, after opening up the main restaurant more than Continue reading →
FedEx Sweet Service and Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa Sour Service Awards
The Sweet Service Award goes to FedEx and its manager Peter, who assisted in getting the Kokkedoor cookbook delivered, after various attempts to receive it failed. Despite an instruction to call and make a delivery appointment, the delivery staff just arrived, when we were not at the delivery address. We were then sent an sms, detailing how many times they had attempted the delivery, requesting that we call FedEx! I did call them, although I felt that they should have called me. The duty manager could not divulge what was in the parcel – 2 weeks prior the same delivery company had put me through Continue reading →
‘Hayden Quinn: South Africa’ episode 4: Franschhoek food and wine highlight, Fairview moves to Franschhoek!
Last night’s episode 4 of ‘Hayden Quinn: South Africa’ was good marketing for Franschhoek, known for its food and wine, combined with its beauty, being filmed on a perfect summer’s day. There was minimal, if any, Woolworths punting in the episode!
Hayden started his Franschhoek journey at the Huguenot Monument, erected in honour of the French Huguenots, ‘exiles‘ who picked Franschhoek to grow vines viewers were told, a bit of creative licence, as they were given the land. Hayden explained that the village name, which he pronounced close to perfectly, means ‘French Corner’. He said that the monument represents peace, agriculture, and viticulture, copywriting nonsense, as the monument (erected in 1948) represents religious freedom, something the Huguenots could only experience in Franschhoek, having to flee France. The village was previously called Olifantshoek, after the elephants roaming in the valley. The main road of Franschhoek was shown, and Hayden referred to it as having buildings with ‘French style architecture‘ (sic)! Continue reading →
Franschhoek Bastille Festival 2014 celebrates 21st anniversary!
Franschhoek is celebrating the 21 st anniversary of its Bastille Festival this weekend, and is adding a spicy new touch of the Seychelles to the festivities. The Festival has a brand new location in Franschhoek too.
The Food & Wine Marquee has been moved next door to the Huguenot Monument, where the Champagne Festival is held successfully, and will no longer be located in the village centre, as in the previous years. Entrance to the Marquee is limited, and in the past Saturdays have always been sold out in advance, at an entrance cost of R200, making it imperative to buy tickets in advance On Sundays it is easier to get into the Marquee, with the entrance price reduced to R180.
The Food & Wine Marquee will be home to 25 Franschhoek Vignerons, including Allée Bleue, Babylonstoren, Anthonij Rupert Wines, Backsberg, Bellingham, Black Elephant Vintners, Boschendal, Dieu Donné, Grande Provence, Haute Cabriere, Holden Manz, La Bri, Leopard’s Leap, Môreson, Noble Hill, Plaisir de Merle, Rickety Bridge, Rupert & Rothschild, Solms-Delta, Vrede & Lust, La Petite Ferme, La Motte, Akkerdal, Morena, and Glenwood. Ndlovu beer will also be available to taste. Local restaurants serving food are Anthonij Rupert Wines, Backsberg, Grand Provence, Holden Manz, Le Franschhoek Hotel, Noble Hill, Rickety Bridge, Solms-Delta, L’ermitage, Bread & Wine, Reubens & Racine, and Wild Peacock.
The atmosphere on Franschhoek’s main road is electric and fun, with visitors wearing red, blue and white, and donning a beret, to get into the French spirit! Almost every business on the main road is draped in bunting in the French colours, and has a table of Continue reading →
Many new restaurants open in Cape Town and Winelands! How long will they last?
Many restaurants are opening and have opened this summer, with only three months of the summer season left in which they can create awareness and make an impact before the dreaded winter arrives after the Easter weekend. New restaurants are far more casual, with informal dining.
This list of restaurant openings and closings is updated continuously, as we receive new information:
Restaurant Openings
* Umi Asian restaurant opened in December with The Marly hotel in the Camps Bay Promenade, owned by The Cove (Kovensky) Group (photograph above).
* Equus restaurant on the Cavalli stud and wine farm on the R44 has opened.
Carl Habel left the Mount Nelson Hotel as Restaurant Manager and Sommelier to join the restaurant, but left before it opened. Chef Henrico Grobbelaar from the Twelve Apostles heads up the kitchen.
* Shake your Honey is to open in the original Madame Zingara building on Loop Street this year, according to an iolTravel report. The ‘vibrant spirit of India’ is to be reflected in the 5-storey building, with a theatre, markets, restaurants, and shops.
* A new restaurant and micro brewery is to open next door to The Bromwell in Woodstock (name not yet known).
* TriBakery has opened on Bree Street.
* Vida e Caffe is opening coffee shops at Shell petrol stations, 40 initially and 300in total. It has also opened in Garden’s Centre, and in St John’s Piazza in Sea Point.
* The Black Sheep Restaurant has opened on Kloof Street. Continue reading →
Wild Peacock supplier of ‘fine delicacies’ to Top 20 Eat Out restaurants!
On Thursday I met writer and recent Winelands resident David Bullard, Shan Pascall from Oneiric Wines, and Sophia Hawkins of Vilafonte for lunch at Wild Peacock Food Emporium in Stellenbosch, after we had connected at the pop-up lunch by Chef Bertus Basson at Oneiric Wines last Sunday. I met new Wild Peacock Chef Andrew Jordaan, and we were told by co-owner Andrew Baker that they supply all 2013/2014 Top 20 shortlisted Eat Out restaurants on their wholesale side, run by Sue Baker with son Ross. Wild Peacock is synonymous with oysters, and other ‘fine delicacies’ served by our country’s leading restaurants, the wholesale operation having opened more than 20 years ago.
Andrew said that the space of their deli and The Larder restaurant had seen a number of different retail outlets previously, and none had been successful due to the lack of parking. He and Sue had the vision for the deli, which was initially managed by their daughter Sarah, 
who now focuses on the company’s artisanal cheese selection. Parking has been addressed, and from next week onwards there will be parking marshalls operating outside their door, ensuring a regular replacement of shoppers, now able to pop into the Emporium, and to have a bite to eat and a glass of wine to drink. The deli has grown to become the 2013 Eat Out (previously run by former sister publication Eat In) Produce Awards Best Food Outlet in the South of South Africa!
Andrew created the wine section of the Emporium, and its offering has won a Diners Club Diamond Award as well as Best Small Wine List Award. Andrew runs The Wine Worx in his day job, selling, marketing, and distributing a range of wines of 21 boutique wineries. He is also a keen winemaker, having made a house Pinot Noir, which we enjoyed with our lunch. We were told by the waiter Danny that Andrew uses the cellar at Fryer’s Cove on the West Continue reading →
Restaurant Review: Mondiall Restaurant in the V&A Waterfront is out of the world!
After a superb sail around Table Bay, for the media launch of the Cape2Rio Yacht Race, during which we were escorted back into the harbour by a school of dolphins, my birthday lunch at Mondiall, previously The Green Dolphin, was a super spoil on Friday, both by Nicolette Waterford and the restaurant.
Mondiall is co-owned by Chef Peter Tempelhoff, Executive Chef of the McGrath Collection and Eat Out Top 10 Chef of The Greenhouse, and Patrick Symington, previous owner of Café Dharma and Asoka. Chef Peter remains at the McGrath Collection (we were told Mrs McGrath has eaten there four times since the restaurant opened at the beginning of the month), and pops in regularly. Patrick was in the restaurant on Friday, and was a most charming host, sitting down at our table to chat. I asked Patrick about their incorrect spelling of ‘Mondial‘, 
meaning around the world, apt for the V&A Waterfront location as South Africa’s leading tourist attraction. Patrick had a most plausible esoteric explanation for it numerologically (it’s a very lucky number 8, and balanced too), as well as design wise, the two legs of the ‘M’ balancing with the two ‘l’s at the end of the word! He said that it is a unique word, and is theirs now! Patrick is involved in solar heating now, when he is not at Mondiall. He said that they are ‘in for the long haul‘ with the restaurant, having signed a lease for 5 years, with an option to renew for a further five. Patrick led the staff in singing for my birthday! Chef Oliver Cattermole is one of my favourite chefs, having met him when he was at Dash at the Queen Victoria Hotel, whereafter he had a short stint at the former What’s On, and then he worked at the Le Franschhoek Hotel before joining and setting up the kitchen at Mondiall, the menu design being a partnership between Chefs Peter and Oliver. Suzanne Taylor, previously of former Constantia Uitsig, was a gracious Restaurant Manager. Continue reading →