The Sweet Service Award goes to Woolworths Camps Bay, and its staff member Nicole, who took the trouble to find two boxes of multipack Whiskas pouches which the store did not have in stock, to fetch them, and to alert me to the availability within 24 hours of my request. Fantastic service.
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 →
The 43rd edition of Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide has announced its 2023 list of 196 wines in 28 categories that were awarded 5 stars this year. A total of 8000 wines by 900 producers was evaluated this year.
Red and White Blends as well as Chenin Blanc are the biggest 5 star classes, with 28, 27 and 28 individual labels, respectively. The Chardonnay, Shiraz/Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wine categories also performed well, with 22, 16, and 12 brands, respectively.
The Top Performing Winery of the Year goes to the winery that achieves the most five-star ratings after the annual final tasting round, it being Mullineux this year, with 8 five-star wines. It is the Swartland- Continue reading →
Peter Tempelhoff’s newest restaurant (his third) is due to open next week. Ramenhead Restaurant is described as a Japanese Street Food restaurant, and is opening in Speaker’s Corner on Parliament Street, at street level of the same building in which his two star FYN Restaurant is located, and next door to Labotessa Hotel.
The restaurant opening has been delayed by a few months, it having taken over the previous space of a number of short-lived operations such as a French bakery and a Dim Sum kitchen. Continue reading →