Tag Archives: New Zealand

Restaurant Review: New ëlgr. has most complex restaurant name, a breath of fresh air, food light and multi-cultural!

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The new ëlgr. restaurant which has taken over the space of the former Janse & Co is a breath of fresh air, having moved more of its restaurant seating to its newly created outside seating area, bar and pizza counter area. It opened on Kloof Steeet two months ago.

It has the most complicated restaurant name I have ever come across, a Swedish word that means moose, but the reason for the choice is not explained. It is pronounced like the composer Elgar. With such a Scandinavian introduction, one might expect the food to be from the region too, but it is local yet ‘multicultural’, its website informs, offering French cooking, South African dishes, and Italian pizzas., made with fresh ingredients, and to be enjoyed in a relaxed environment.  Continue reading →

International Travel regulations: its green for Germany and red for UK and the USA for Tourists to SA, from 1 October 2020!

 

A long list of 60 countries has been red-listed for non-Business Leisure Tourism to South Africa as of tomorrow, a list that the Government will update fortnightly, it was announced by International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor this afternoon.  Sadly for our Tourism industry, Tourists from our larger source markets, namely the UK, USA, France, Holland, India, Portugal, and Switzerland will not be allowed to enter our country currently. Good news for me personally is that Tourists from Germany will be allowed to visit South Africa. All visitors from African countries are welcome to visit South Africa, as are those from Asia, and from Australia and New Zealand.

A number of errors were made in the Government’s list initially, admitted to and apologised for by the Department of Home Affairs!

Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Cowboys & Cooks De Waterkant serves excellent food, but service lags!

I attended the opening of Cowboys & Cooks Sunset Beach about a year ago, and with it the Media Lunch, which was handled very impressively. Last month the second Cowboys & Cooks opened, in De Waterkant, and I was invited to the launch function, at which I received a voucher entitling me to eat at the new restaurant before the end of January. I somehow fell off the Media lunch invitation list for this new restaurant, so went to the try the restaurant on my own steam, armed with my voucher. Continue reading →

’25 reasons to visit South Africa right now’, urges Telegraph Travel!

CapeTownSA Tourism must be delighted that Telegraph Travel is doing its marketing at no charge! What better publicity than to get an article with ’25 reasons to visit South Africa right now’ written for free!

Obviously the benefit of the weak Rand relative to the pound sterling Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 20 May

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   SAA is pursuing a new procurement policy of aircraft parts, services, and supplies from ‘Black industrialists’.  A funding pool is to be established, to help such industrialists to set up their businesses.

*   All passengers travelling with children, arriving in or departing from one of our country’s airports, are subject to the new Immigration Regulations from 1 June onwards.  This applies to South Africans too, and not just to Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine new headlines: 19 January

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Esteemed British wine writer Jancis Robinson is in the Winelands this week, addressing a workshop and tasting our local wines. Micheal Fridjhon comments about her focus: ‘Robinson focuses on whatever is of interest to her readers. This means that the bulk of her notes and comments relate to European — in fact mainly French — wine. Once outside the so-called Old World she devotes her energies to the US, New Zealand and Australia. This leaves little column space for regular assessments of Argentina, Chile, SA, Central Europe and the dozens of other wine-producing regions of the world‘.

*  Vanguard Drive in Cape Town has officially been renamed Jakes Gerwel Drive, after the late friend of the late Nelson Mandela, a Director-General in the Presidency, Rector and Vice-Chancellor at the University of the Western Cape, and Chancellor of Rhodes University.  The Mandela Rhodes Foundation nominated the road-name change.

*   First Thursdays is launching Museum Night in Cape Town on 26 February, in conjunction with Iziko Museums of South Africa. Continue reading →

Aluminium closures increasingly used for wines instead of cork!

Aluminium Jordan branding Whale CottageAn invitation from Waterford Communications to attend a function of the Guala Closures Group, the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA), and South African aluminium producer Hulamin sounded interesting in terms of content. Eat Out Top 20 Restaurant shortlist Jardine at Jordan as function venue was an added attraction.  A passionate case was made for the benefits of using aluminium closures for wine bottling.

On  arrival we received a glass of Jordan The Real McCoy Riesling 2014 andAluminium Duck pate Facebook duck paté canapés, which were served with passion fruit jelly, and prune purée, on brioche.  Buffalo milk mozzarella, confit tomato and basil was also served as a canapé.  We sat at large round tables, covered with brown table cloths and a white overlay.  We received a bread platter, which included ciabatta, Cape seedloaf, and vetkoek, served with porcini butter, watercress pesto (with overpowering garlic), and aoili.

A number of parties with an interest in the use of aluminium in screw caps and closures was present at the Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 4 August

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   The 2015 Global Finals of Diageo Reserve’s World Class Best Mixologist competition will be held in Cape Town next September, it has been announced in London, where the 2014 Global Finals have just ended, with 48 competitors.  Mayor Patricia de Lille expressed her delight at the announcement: ‘As the City of Cape Town we welcome the Global Finals as another addition to our events calendar as part of our efforts to secure Cape Town as the events capital of Africa. The Global Finals have been hosted by many major cities in the world and Cape Town is proud to be ranked among the best in the world. We look forward to hosting the many dynamic talents that will take part in the event’. Councillor Garreth Bloor, Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events, and Marketing, accepted the announcement in London on behalf of Cape Town. Matteo Fantacchiotti,  Global Vice President Commercial of Diageo Reserve, said about the 2015 city choice: ‘WORLD CLASS™ is all about anticipating trends, being at the forefront of fine drinking culture and always looking for new and exciting innovations in our industry.  These are the key criteria we look at when we select the location of the Global Finals. Africa ticks all these boxes and more; it is a booming and ever-changing continent and we see it as a new frontier with huge potential.  When we bring the WORLD CLASS™ global final to a location, it has the ability to fundamentally step change the fine drinking scene and we strongly believe this will be the case in 2015‘. (received via media release from Communication Services Africa)

*   The most hard-hitting criticism we have read about the new Immigration Regulations is an editorial from Continue reading →

Lanique Restaurant & Bar opens within Andiamo in De Waterkant!

Lanique Board Whale CottageA month ago we were given the scoop of the then planned opening of Lanique Restaurant & Bar within Andiamo in the old Cape Quarter, which opened in the record time of two weeks thereafter.  The former Andiamo Deli space is unrecognisable as the new Lanique Restaurant & Bar, and its new look reflects the history and heritage of the Lanique spirit.

The venue is named after the exclusive Lanique 200 year old Polish crafted liqueur made with Attar of Rose, the oil said to be worth  its weight in gold.  A former employer of Nigel Price, Lawrence Huggler from Jersey, liked the liqueur so much that he bought the brand!   Nigel hasLanique-Liqueur-Spirit-cid_image001_jpg@01CF9154-209x300 been given the right to distribute Lanique in Africa, and Australia and New Zealand will follow.   The Lanique Restaurant and Bar within Andiamo is a collaboration between Nigel and Andiamo owner Bruce Walker, who got to know each other as Nigel’s mineral water company aquav supplies Andiamo.

The previous Deli space has been cladded with red brick, to give the space an old world feel.  A Lanique Bar Whale Cottage Portfoliostage for live music, a dance floor, and a door separating Andiamo restaurant and Lanique have been built.   Tables and bar stools have been made from wood, a banquette has blue and gold upholstery, and chandeliers have been added.  During the day the Lanique Bar counter will be closed off, but lunch will be served and its coffee bar will be open throughout the day. The Lanique Bar within Andiamo will stock a full complement of spirits, beers, and wines, and its liquor licence will allow it to remain open until 2h00.  Electro Swing Alternative is played when the dance floor operates.  Free wifi Continue reading →