The Sweet Service Award goes to the Minstrels Parade held on Monday this week, in which 20000 persons participated, marching from the Grand Parade to Bo-Kaap. There was a fantastic turnout, after a two-year absence due to the Lockdown. Despite many road closures, the event appears to have gone off without a hitch. Continue reading →
Cape Town and the Winelands is experiencing a restaurant boom, with new openings currently as well as openings announced for 2023.
The biggest restaurant opening extravaganza is that of JAN Franschhoek, the third restaurant in the JAN Restaurant Collection, opening at La Motte in Franschhoek. La Motte is undergoing a major renovation and changes at its wine estate, with a Bread-related Café & Deli opening in the La Motte Manor House in February 2023. Chef Chris Erasmus is working with La Motte as a consultant, until February. He is going overseas thereafter. Chef Peter Tempelhoff opens his third restaurant next week, a Japanese Street Food restaurant Ramenhead. Chef David Higgs has announced opening Continue reading →
This weekend my resignation from Zest in July has made news in the Restaurant industry.
To date I have not written about how disrespectfully I was treated by Zest, hoping that some degree of decency would prevail by its so-called ‘owner and operator’ Chef Pavel Dimitrov. I referred the matter to the CCMA, as I have not been paid outstanding compensation, and in the proceedings I was treated with the utmost disrespect by the labour relations consultancy representing Zest.
I have decided that the time is right to tell my story, and that of abused Zest staff too!
Conde Nast Traveller has selected two Cape Town Tidal Pools in their list of 14 prettiest ocean pools in the world’.
The Camps Bay Tidal Pool is about 500 meters from my home, and is a favourite for me to photograph at, especially at sunset. It is one of two Cape Town Tidal pools included in the list, even though the publication chose the wrong photograph of it for its article, using the Maiden’s Cove Tidal Pool photograph. The latter Tidal Pool is also based in Camps Bay, towards Clifton.
The Sea Point Tidal Pool at Milton Beach is the second Cape Town Ocean Pool on the Condé Nast Traveller List. Continue reading →
Coco Safar Pâtisserie and Restaurant has opened a second branch in Sea Point, now also at St John’s Piazza, with plans for a number of further store openings in South Africa as well as in the USA.
Coco Safar first opened in Cavendish in Claremont in 2016, and it is here that I met South African owner Wilhelm Liebenberg, who had returned to his home country after many years.
He and his Canadian partner Caroline Sirois opened a deluxe boutique outlet selling bespoke luxury coffees as well as Rooibos teas, each variant named after a world city, and the ultimate in Pâtisserie offerings. Continue reading →
Had I with my friend Ute Hermanus and German Tourist Gloria not been so keen to experience the Street Festival in Bo-Kaap, we would have turned around when we passed three local ladies coming from the Festival, telling us that there was barely any Cape Malay food available, hot dogs mainly offered.
We were surprised that parking was so readily available and that there was no traffic blockage at all. That should have been a further warning.
The Street Festival is one of a series which have seen various Cape Town streets in various suburbs closed off, and the community coming together to enjoy the food of the restaurants in the area, and entertained by musical entertainment. Continue reading →
The Sweet Service Award goes to Discovery Insure and its call centre agent Nomfundo for her professional dealing with my call earlier this week, for being honest in acknowledging that the company has a system problem in that one is not being rewarded for good driving or for zero driving on its App. She also organised that I receive four Discovery Gameboard plays for the month of May, which should have been available next week, but were made available on Wednesday this week already, a day after the call! Continue reading →
The Sweet Service Award goes to the Clicks Cape Quarter pharmacy, for its excellent quick service. I had spent 90 minutes in a queue at the Clicks Hout Bay pharmacy a week ago for a script, but had chosen to not have an asthma pump. Discovering that my pumps had all expired, I went to the Cape Quarter Branch of Clicks, being nearby, and the pharmacist efficiently and quickly found my script online via my Discovery Clicks card. It took all of 10 minutes. Strangely my Apple Pay did not work in the pharmacy, which happened in Hout Bay too. However, shopping elsewhere in the Cape Quarter, Apple Pay worked perfectly! Continue reading →
The Sweet Service Award goes to MiCaffè, and its Manager Melissa. I went into the restaurant to order an ice cream to kill time before a next appointment, and was served by a waitress who appeared to have no knowledge of the ice cream flavours available. She asked me whether I wanted it in a cup or cone. I said cone, and she brought it in a cup. Throughout my ordering, the waitress laughed at me. Melissa came to me when I sat down, and apologised. When I asked for the bill, she told me that I didn’t have to pay, and gifted me coffee pods on top of that! Continue reading →
New restaurants are still opening, or planning to open in Cape Town and the Winelands, despite it being on the eve of Winter.
The biggest planned opening is that by Chef Liam Tomlin, who will open The Bailey, a three storey Brasserie, Bakery, and two Bars across the road from Heritage Square. His opening is running late. He has closed down his Chefs Warehouse on Bree Street. Restaurant Artizian will open on Bree Street in July. Chef Peter Tempelhoff is said to open a Japanese Street Food restaurant on the ground floor of Speakers Corner, the building in which FYN operates. Misfits by Ideas Cartel has opened in the former Beluga in Green Point. TANG will create a big stir when it Continue reading →