Saturday 13 November 2021, Day 44 of Level 1 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#grateful for a relaxed social day, going back to my roots; after an admin morning responding to very many restaurant reviews, I met Gary Peterson at The Winchester Boutique Hotel (no more Mansions) to explore the refurbished 99 year old lady, which reopened on Monday, it being my first home for 9 months when my parents and I arrived in Cape Town from Germany, when I was 3 months old, an apartment block at the time, and also where I got engaged in its fabulous Orangerie Restaurant, one of few exceptional restaurants in Cape Town at the time, and also where my sisters and I and our families celebrated the life of both my parents; for being shown the room in which we lived when it was an apartment, now a Junior Suite; for having a relaxed lunch in the Courtyard at the new Shoreditch House restaurant in the hotel, a very small menu, it being hard to choose what to order; for meeting Chef Tim Pick whom I’d not met before, and for being invited into his very hot kitchen, having a coal fire grill; for popping in at Zest, which led to a very early spontaneous dinner with Werner and Rose Klein there, they having been in Camps Bay, being able to return a specs case to Rose Klein, we leaving as diners came pouring into Zest restaurant; for lovely music to dance to on the Kfm Blokparty; and for being happy, healthy and free. 🙏💙

I didn’t achieve my goal steps today, sitting more than walking 😱

Anyone who has been a fan of The Winchester could be disappointed with the old lady. The rooms have been refurbished, and the bathrooms especially look very snazzy and modern. The reception desks and lifts opposite are very modern. The courtyard has been tiled and covered with black and white striped umbrellas. Harvey’s has been moved to the Bar and previous lounge area, there being no lounge anymore, this area looking very bare except for the restaurant tables and chairs and bar counter, and set to serve Tapas. What was Harvey’s previously is now Shoreditch House Restaurant, intended to have a more upmarket food offering. What was confusing was that despite there being two restaurants one could only order from the Shoreditch House menu, offering 5 Small Plate and 4 Large Plate options. Sharing is the mantra here.….. except that the Small Plate Springbok Tartare dish was so tiny that we had a third of a toast and a forkful of the tartare each, at R95. We shared a R65 bowl of chips with a horrid spice on top, just dreadful. We shared the two desserts offered at R75 each: churros filled with a cream liquid and served with horrid Miso ice cream 😱, and three small ice cream sandwiches with flavours that the chef was not even sure of 😱. Large Plate dishes range between R165 and R225. The Small Plates are supposed to be the Tapas of Harvey’s too……. 😱. Don’t expect to find any dishes you have ever had there before.

We saw an Afternoon Tea set up, with a Baked Cheesecake (price per slice unknown by anyone), Lamingtons, and scones (R40), with disgusting looking marmalade, and blackberry jam, and cream, nothing like their fabulous scones from the good old days.

I would strongly advise you stay away from ordering the food until they have settled in. The staff only started working in the kitchen 10 days ago, and things felt very disorganized. Food is extremely expensive for the minute portions you get!

SA Corona Status: 2,925,677 cases 89746 deaths 23,911,477 vaccinations

FitBit 5000 steps 3 km 👣

LovemylifeandloveGaryslife 💙❤️

The Corona Virus Lockdown (Level 5), announced by our President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier to commence on 27 March 2020 and to continue until 16 April, subsequently extended to 30 April, lowered to Level 4 from 1 May, lowered to Level 3 from 1 June, lowered to Level 2 from 18 August, lowered to Level 1 from 21 September, and moved back to Adjusted Level 3 from 29 December,  extended to 15 February on 11 January 2021, extended but relaxed on 1 February, and relaxed back to Level 1 on 1 March 2021, moved back to Adjusted Level 2 on 31 May, moved back to level 3 on 16 June, and moved back to Adjusted Level 4 on 28 June, extended by two weeks on 11 July,  returned to Level 3 on 26 July, returned to Level 2 on 13 September, and returned to Level 1 on 1 October is an unprecedented event in my lifetime. I am posting my daily Facebook post to journal this Corona Lockdown Journey, perhaps to serve as material for a future Book.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whaletalesblog.com www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein, My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt Guide Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide