When Cape Town was voted as the top city in the world in the Travelers’ Choice Destination Awards by TripAdvisor in April, we wrote about our scepticism about the value of the awards, given that this prestigious rank on TripAdvisor, with millions of reviewers the site brags, has not led to any increase in accommodation enquiries.
We also wrote about the laughability of any TripAdvisor accolade, knowing how easy it is for accommodation establishments and restaurants to have reviews written by friends and family, a growing criticism that TripAdvisor has tried to address. The height of absurdity was TripAdvisor’s list of Top 10 restaurants in Cape Town. My eye caught the name of Caffé Hausbrandt, a restaurant which I had never heard of before, which was number 3 on the TripAdvisor list at that time, and which has now dropped to 4th position, in the Top 10 company of Le Colombe, Opal Lounge, Miller’s Thumb, San Marco in the Waterfront, Constantia Uitsig, Fork, Brio, Savoy Cabbage, and Carne, none of which have ever made the Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant list, other than La Colombe!
A recent trip to the city centre was a good opportunity to try out this ‘top restaurant’, and I found Caffé Hausbrandt on Greenmarket Square, which opened nine months ago in a space where a competitive coffee shop to Vida e Caffé, owned by Ian Halfon, used to be. My first impression was one of disbelief, in seeing an information bureau and ice cream/coffee shop rolled into one. The entrance is dominated visually by the ‘Safari Information Centre’, which belongs to Searl Derman, the owner of Aquilla Game Reserve, sharing the space with Caffe Hausbrandt, but the latter’s branding is barely visible. The interior looks reasonably smart, but an ice cream chest, a coffee making counter and cash register, a shelf of brochures for Safari, and an upstairs seating area are an odd mix. Space is very limited inside, and that is why most customers would sit outside to enjoy the sun and the Greenmarket Square buzz. It is not without its irritation however, with street musicians and pushy salespersons trying to flog their CD’s and other wares. 
The Manager of the outlet is Margot, and I could hear her German accent immediately. She seemed very defensive, almost irritated, and less than friendly. Her waiter seemed to have a greater role in attracting tourists into the shop than waitering, proactively enticing them in to try the ice cream, irritating as he was very loud and pushy. He also was the ice cream dispenser with an attitude, and it was clear that he did not have much knowledge about the ingredients of the ice cream, only reading the labels that the customer can also see! Margot proudly told me that she had made the Apfelstrudel herself. When I switched to German, she seemed more friendly, and more ready to answer questions. Odd was that the cake was served with a standard size knife and fork.
Tables are white with red chairs outside, and an all-weather couch as well. Each table has a simple Hausbrandt menu and an Aquilla brochure in a holder. This is clearly a coffee shop aimed at attracting tourists, with the hope that they will make use of the Safari information and booking service too. The South African Caffe Hausbrandt branches are on Greenmarket Square, on the pedestrian mall on Waterkant Street, and in Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, and are owned by Austrian Gert Uppinger and local Jaco Viljoen.
The menu is simple – a selection of coffees, muffins (R14,50), croissants (R11,50), chocolate croissants (R14,50), Manner Schnitten (Austrian wafers at R15), waffle and ice cream (R28), and a few cakes served with cream (R25). Cappuccino costs R16,50, and was served on a smart silver tray, oddly with a small glass of luke-warm water. The ice creams take center stage, it appears, and seem to be the only reason why customers enter the shop, the Icezeit Gelato flavours changing weekly. A small cup of ice cream costs R15, and R18 on a cone. It was delicious, very thick and creamy, and is made at the Waterkant Street location, I was told, surprising given how small it is, really just being a take-away outlet with a few chairs outside, and even smaller than the Greenmarket Square branch.
Hausbrandt is an Italian brand of coffee established by Austrian Hermann Hausbrandt in Trieste in 1892 it would appear (the website is not very helpful in providing information), and has branches and sells its coffees around the world. In Cape Town Lufthansa’s call centre now has a Hausbrandt vending machine, and the brand is served at Raith Gourmet shop in Garden Centre (plus its new Constantia shop), and at Andiamo in the Cape Quarter. On TripAdvisor, 14 reviews had earned the Greenmarket Square coffee shop 4th place on TripAdvisor, many reviews being in German, and almost all praised Caffé Hausbrandt for its excellent ice cream! Most of the reviewers were from overseas, and not locals.
Caffé Hausbrandt, Greenmarket Square and 32 Waterkant Street, Cape Town, and Melrose Arch in Johannesburg. Tel (021) 422-3308/(021) 421-0901. www.hausbrandt.co.za. Twitter: @Hausbrandt1892. There is no information about the Icezeit Gelato on the local Hausbrandt website.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage
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Hi Chris
I do like reading your blog – it helps to remind me of Cape Town and its surrounds inbetween my holidays! However, not sure I agree with all of your comments on Trip Advisor. I do use Trip Advisor quite extensively and do contribute to their forums, trying to help people have the best holiday in South Africa (and for you, lots of people do return, me included!). I do agree with you on their restaurant recommendations. There are some very strange top restaurants for all towns – in Leeds, my home city, the top restaurant is a small Indian restaurant in the village where I live. This is definitely not the best restaurant in Leeds!! However, when I book accommodation, I always check Trip Advisor, but I discount lots of reviews from single contributors and any one off really bad reviews. This gives me an idea of the general trend. I do recommend places to stay and restaurants on the forums, but these are all my opinions and I hope that other people will then share my great experiences. Unfortunately, I never thought that winning the award would bring Cape Town lots of new business. We are in a serious recession in Europe and high air fares, coupled with a poor exchange rate (esp £), will be making people think twice about South Africa. One of my other gripes with the SA accommodation industry is their year on year 10% plus price increases. I’m not sure this is sustainable in the current climate. Just to put things in perspective, Page and Moy (a large UK tour operator) have just cancelled my holiday to Argentina, due to a lack of demand…
Sorry I have gone a bit off topic – but keep posting Chris. I check your blog most days and I am planning to be back in November 2012!
Lisa
Well you know what these Germans are like Chris, they need their home comforts!! 😉
Nick
A ‘Eiscafe’ on the same list as La Colombe?? That’s a bit scary. And a bit sad. I even found it surprising to have Opal Lounge and San Marco on there.
Agree Annika – most odd collection, purely based on rating!
And Nick, ze Germans are not that into Eiscreme!
Chris
Nice to hear from you again Lisa.
Your feedback about the airfares echoes what many of our latest WhaleTales newsletter readers wrote this week. I have passed the (unacknowledged)feedback onto our provincial Minister of Tourism, Cape Town Tourism and Cape Town Routes Unlimited – makes you think!
Chris
Shouldn’t we accept that tourists and locals do not always walk the same path? Millers Thumb? Sorry never heard of it – doesn’t mean it isn’t good- for me just means that it isn’t on the radar of me and my friends
Whilst living in London I could not imagine going to shit (or pigeon shit) Trafalgar Square – however many tourists flock there (excuse the pun)
I enjoy this coffee shop very much. I like strong black coffee and think they make one of the best in the area. I am often pausing on one of the tables outside while my guests are exploring and bartering amongst the stalls.
Thank you for your feedback Lesley, and yes, the coffee and ice cream were excellent. The service wasn’t, however, and there is no way in which this can be rated a Top 10 restaurant in Cape Town.
Chris
From the utter rubbish that spews from Van Schalwyks mouth about the great state of tourism in this country to Trip Advisor’s ill-advised top ten restaurants in Cape Town, the amount of bulldust in this industry knows no limits. Its such a short sighted mentality that can only damage the alreasdy fragile tourism indutry in a country that is teetering on a race war. The future is not so bright!!