July has seen the opening of new restaurants Burger & Lobster, Unframed Ice Cream, ASH, and more, despite it still being the middle of winter. Shock news is that long-established Kitima is closing next week (see Postscript). A number of other restaurants have closed.

We update information about newly opened and closed restaurants continuously, and welcome information.

Restaurant Openings

#   The Stack has re-opened as a restaurant and members’ club, after stunning renovations due to fire damage last year. (photograph)

#  Chef Luke Dale-Roberts’ Shortmarket Club, with Chef Wesley Randles, former Pot Luck Club Chef, has opened

#   Mulberry & Prince has opened on the corner of Bree and Pepper Street, with owners American Cynthia Rivera and local Cornel Mostert 

#    Villa 47 has opened on Bree Street, with Locando restaurant on the ground floor.  Stuzzico Italian finger-food and bar has opened on the second floor, and The Restaurant ‘fine dining with a twist‘ on the third floor is to open in September, with Chefs Clayton Bell and Vittorio Bianchi.

#    Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen of one Michelin star JAN restaurant in Nice could open a restaurant in Cape Town!  Chef Jan-Hendrik’s first step is to host occasional dinners at his Higgovale home.

#   Chef Luke Dale-Roberts opened Naturalis as an ‘incubation hub’, for lunches, and a venue for occasional dinners and events. (NOTE: Naturalis is currently closed for lunches, and will re-open as a Wine Bar in the evenings when it has received its liquor licence).

#   Melissa’s is opening in Franschhoek, and in Camps Bay.

#   Charango Grill & Bar Peruvian restaurant is to become a franchise operation.

#   Chef David Higgs’ 250-seater Marble restaurant in Rosebank in Johannesburg, with business partner Gary Kyriakou, has finally opened! Chef Werner Spöhr has joined them, as has Wikus Human, the Wine & Associate Manager.

#   Tiger’s Milk has opened in the SanClare Building in Claremont, in Century City, and is opening in Stellenbosch, in Bryanston in Johannesburg, and in Dubai.

#   Mon Desir has opened in Hermanus.

#   Raya Kitchen by Kitima has opened in the city centre.

#   The Tasteroom and Brewery has opened at Darling Brewery

#   The Press Burgers and Craft Beer has opened in Sea Point

#   Harbour House is to open in Johannesburg

#   Hard Rock Café is said to open in the V&A Waterfront.

#   Marigold Indian restaurant is to open in Franschhoek in winter.

#   ASH restaurant has opened inside Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants/Publik, with Chef Ash Heeger and the former chef of Culture Club Cheese.

#   Restaurant Jardine has opened in Stellenbosch, the kitchen headed up by Chef Brendan Thorncroft, owner Chef George Jardine alternating between the new restaurant and Jordan Restaurant.

#   Jason’s Bakery has opened a new branch on Loop Street

#   Jamie’s Italian is to open in Cape Town next year.

#   Guts & Gizzards has opened on Loop Street.

#   Dunkin’ Donuts will open 250 outlets in our country, the first four in Cape Town.

#   Crumbs & Cream has opened on Regent Road in Sea Point.

#   [spasie] Upstairs has opened on Bree Street, as an art gallery and cocktail bar.

#   Madison Ave Night Club is opening

#   Manor House Restaurant has opened on the Stanford Valley Guest Farm.

#   An interesting rumour is that Chefs Liam Tomlin and Ivor Jones are to jointly open a restaurant at The Silo hotel development in the V&A Waterfront. The Silo hotel is due to open in March 2017, and will have the Rooftop Restaurant, Rooftop Champagne Bar, and The Silo Café as its offering. Chef Liam is consulting to The Silo.

#   Baked Bistro has opened a second branch, on Regent Road in Sea Point.

#   La Colombe Executive Chef Scot Kirton and Pastry Chef Glen Williams are opening an additional more informal restaurant, to be called Foxcroft, at High Constantia in Spring

#   Shego Turkish restaurant has opened in Cape Royale Luxury Hotel in Green Point.

#   Jerry’s Burger Bar is to open another branch, in Sea Point

#   The Tea Bar has opened on Long Street.

#   Idiom Wines has opened its new Restaurant and Wine tasting room.

#   Papa San, previously of Takumi, is opening his own restaurant Obi in conjunction with Ben Bettendorf, on Long Street.

#   The Catch Fish & Chips has opened in Hout Bay.

#   Cheyne’s is opening a cocktail sake bar, to be called Fire Monkey.

#   Chef Ivor Jones has teamed up with Chef Liam Tomlin, to open a second Chef’s Warehouse at Beau Constantia wine estate.

#   Easy Tiger has opened in Kenilworth.

#   Marthinus Ferreira is to open another restaurant alongside DW Eleven-13 in Johannesburg.

#   Chef Cheyne Morrisby is opening a Ramen and Japanese Grill House called SHIO in Green Point.

#   I Love Coffee, the first deaf-run coffee shop in SA, has opened inside the X-Body Fitness Gym in Claremont

#   A new Slip Slops restaurant is to open in Cape Town.

#   Marta Dalla Cia has opened Marta’s Kitchen at 11 Papegaai Street (off Dorp Street) in Stellenbosch.

#   The Harbour House Group is to take over The Grand on the Beach, promising to make it grand again!

#   Chef Garth Almazan, previously of Catharina’s at Steenberg, is opening a restaurant in Paternoster.

#   Jarryd’s is opening a second branch, on Hout Street. It has also opened a bakery section, called Bentleys Bakery Co.

#   Burger & Lobster has opened on Bree Street, its third restaurant after London and New York.

#   Three Wise Monkeys Izakaya and Ramen Bar has opened on Regent Road in Sea Point.

#   Unframed Ice Cream Parlour has opened on Kloof Street.

#   Coco Safar has opened in Cavendish Square

Restaurant Closures

#   Rafiki’s has closed down.

#   Takumi has closed down

#   The Flagship in Simonstown, formerly the restaurant of the late Bruce Robinson, has closed.

#   Tuscany Beach in Camps Bay is closed for renovations. The new restaurant The 41 will open in October.

#   Ranoushe restaurant has closed down, after only three months!

#   Active Sushi in Portside on Bree Street has closed.

#   Chandani has closed.

#   Borage Bistro has closed down at its Bree Street premises, to relocate to new premises, and reopens in September.

#   Dropkick Murphy has closed down on Kloof Street.

#   The Salmon Bar appears unlikely to reopen in Franschhoek.

#   [spasie] on Church Street has closed

#   Kitima is closing on 16 August.

#   The Nunnery has closed on Bree Street. A new bar The Station will open in September.

#   Palma has closed on Bree Street.

#   Isola on Wale Street has closed down.

#   Mimmi to Go in Hout Bay has closed.

#   Café Dijon in De Waterkant has closed down

Restaurant changes

#   La Parada and Harbour House are opening in the former Constantia Nek restaurant building.

#   Breakaway Café has opened where Keenwä used to be

#   Reuben’s Franschhoek will move to new premises, and its past space is to become a Woolworths.  It has closed for renovations, and reopens at its new location at 2 Daniel Hugo Street in March 2017. They will operate a pop-up restaurant at the Riffel-owned Racine at Chamonix.

#   OYO at V&A Hotel has closed, for a few months, for a complete renovation.

#   The Harbour House Group is to take over The Grand Camps Bay.

#   Chef Johann Breedt has bought Viva Cafê in Green Point, which is to be renamed Bernie’s.

#   Tiger’s Milk Smokehouse is opening where Emily’s used to be on Kloof Street.

#   Chefs Warehouse’s Streetfood has closed, and has been replaced by their No Reservations Bar.

#   The Long Table Restaurant and Café at Haskell Vineyards closed in March, and will re-open after an extensive renovation, upgrade, and general maintenance, to be run by the winery itself when it re-opens.

#   La Cuccina is to open an outlet in the former Andiamo in the ‘old’ Cape Quarter.

#   Kan10 has opened in De Warenmarkt, offering lunches, ‘grab-and-go’, and dinners, with Chefs Nic van Wyk and Westley Muller.

#   The Bakery @ Jordan is no longer operated by Chef George Jardine.  It has been taken over by Jordan Winery 

#   Chef Liam Tomlin is on a major expansion spree. He is taking over and renovating the former Takumi space as an Indian tapas bar, on two floors, opening in about three months. His chef Sheldon Raju will head up the (as yet unnamed) restaurant, and the project partner is Dimo Papa Christodoulou of Fat Cactus and Long Street Cafe. They will not take reservations.

#   Chef Warwick Taylor, ex-Creation, has opened SOURCE restaurant in Hermanus,where Season and Biga used to operate.

#   The Village Tart has opened where Gideon’s Pancakes used to be in Franschhoek.

#   Chef Eric Bulpitt and his team are leaving The Restaurant at Newton Johnson at the end of September, and are opening Faber at Avondale on 1 November.

#   Chef Bertus Basson is renovating Overture in winter 2017.

#   The Fat Butcher has opened in Stellenbosch.

#   The Creamery is to open in Claremont in September.

#   Open Wine Taste Pair Shop has opened on Wale Street.

#   The Mess has opened in The Rockwell, previously Café Dijon

Chef and Restaurant staff changes

#   Chef Angelo Scirocco has left Chef’s Warehouse, opening a new restaurant Urbanologi in Johannesburg,  as its Head Chef

#   Chef Archie Maclean has taken over at Catharina’s, having left Neethlingshof.

#   Chef Jaco Grové is the new Executive Chef at Creation.

#   Neill Beningfield and Kyle Gray are the new owners of Eat @ Altydgedacht.

#   Chef Dean Correia has left Chef’s Warehouse, and is the Head Chef at Bliss Boutique Hotel.

#   Louise Starey, former Manager of  The Bakery @ Jordan, has joined Bertus Basson at Spice Route.

#   Luis Pinheiro is the new GM of the new Silo hotel in the V&A Waterfront.

#   Jeremy de Matteis is the new chef at Grape Vine Eatery at Silvermist.

#   Stephen Mandes is the new Head Chef at Mondiall, having formerly co-owned La Vierge restaurant in Hermanus, and was a co-winner of Ultimate Braai Master Season 3.

#   Chef Dean Jones has moved from The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français to Copperleaf at The Els Club golf course in Centurion.

#   Leopard’s Leap Culinary Manager Martell Smit has moved to Leeu Estates.

#   Marie-Louise Oosthuizen has moved from Café BonBon to Leopard’s Leap as its new Culinary Manager.

#   Chef Duncan Doherety is said to be moving back to Franschhoek, to take over Café des Arts, or Le Verger at the Le Franschhoek Hotel.

#   Chef Richard de Wet is the new chef at Nomad Bistro Fusion in Cape Town.

#   Chef Thomas Sinn has left Rivendell Restaurant, exploring new opportunities.

#   Calim Anderson is the new Chef at Equus at Cavalli Estate.

Restaurant News

#   Haute Cabriere is open for lunch on Tuesdays – Sundays, and for terrace lunch as well as dinners on Fridays and Saturdays during winter. (3/5)

#   A complete list of the 40 restaurants on Bree Street can be seen here.

#   Borage Bistro:  Closed for winter hibernation

#   Reuben’s Franschhoek: Closed for move to new building. Open as a pop-up at Racine (Chamonix).

#   Bistro13:  New winter hours:  as of 1 June- 30 September 2016 – Lunch Tuesday- Sunday, Dinner: Wednesday – Saturday.

#   Four&Twenty Café will be opening for Tapas dinners from 22 September, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

#   Massimo’s is now open for Lunch and Dinner Mondays to Sundays.

#   The Test Kitchen closes for six weeks from 15 August, reopening on 10 October for Dinners only, for extensive renovations.

We welcome all restaurant news: chrisvonulmenstein [at] gmail.com

POSTSCRIPT 12/8:   Kitima representative Tim Harbich has emailed the following response: ‘Recent rumors that the restaurants are closing are untrue. The businesses are currently undergoing some restructuring, but are operating as usual’.  Yet Kitima staff is applying for jobs at other restaurants with the information that the restaurant is closing next week.

POSTSCRIPT 14/8:  Tim Harbich has sent a further email of clarification: ‘Some of our staff may not be happy with the current restructuring of the operations and are seeking alternative employment. This doesn’t change the fact that Kitima isn’t closing. The “closing date” may have been confused with the previously annual closing time during August, which is no longer happening’.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog  Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein