Tag Archives: Annandale

Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro a welcome new Sea Point entertainment venue

A chance Facebook post about Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro earlier yesterday took me to the entertainment venue last night, and I was delighted to meet entertainment legend and director/producer Richard Loring, who is the co-owner with Roland Seidel, who had owned Seidelberg wine estate.

A double story venue which previously housed Adega restaurant, next door to the 7-Eleven on Main Road Sea Point, will become a 200-seater ‘Supper Stage’ upstairs, with entry via Glengariff Road (the new striking red and white striped awning is a promise of great things to come).  Richard has redone the paving outside the entrance, and received permission to plant a garden on the pavement, to lift the tone of the neighbourhood.  Even 7-Eleven owner Elia Hadjidakis has promised Richard and Roland that this branch will become their flagship, to match the quality of the new entertainment venue.  Upstairs the massive space will sport Richard’s white piano, and some of the guests will see Robben Island from there. Upstairs too will be Richard’s Bar, which will be decorated with all Richard’s memorabilia spanning the past 50 years, the anniversary being celebrated later this year.  All the walls will be covered with wallpaper of Cape Town images, some of Adderley Street in black and white, and others in colour, such as of Bo-Kaap.  On Main Road a new red canopy with see-through ‘windows’ protected the Bistro deck downstairs from the strong southeaster wind.

Richard’s wife, former model Jeanette Stuart, is in Johannesburg, packing up their house there for the move to Cape Town.  Richard owned a house in Camps Bay for many years, but has now bought a house in Gordon’s Bay. In Johannesburg Richard ran the Sound Stage Theatre and dinner venue for 18 years, having put on 40 productions in this period. After selling the theatre he worked for the 1100-seater Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City as theatre show consultant before moving to Cape Town in November.

I asked how Richard and Roland had met.  ‘African Footprint’ promoter Wolfgang Bocksch introduced Richard to Roland about eight years ago, and they talked loosely then about doing a theatre in Paarl.  Nothing came of this, but Roland did make an African Footprint wine to be sold at the ‘African Footprint’ shows. After an illness, which necessitated the sale of Seidelberg to Fairview last year, Roland contacted Richard, and they rekindled their idea of a show, choosing Sea Point. Originally the idea was to get Adega to provide the food service, but increasingly Richard and Roland realised that they should be in control of this side of their business too, and appointed Chef Ulli Stamm.  Richard and Roland have developed the story for ‘Kaapse Stories from the Mother City’, with Basil Appollis writing the script for the show.  They are busy casting for the show, which will be specifically aimed at tourists, but also at locals.  The cost of the show and buffet dinner should be around R350.  The show will be a fun mix of dance, humour, pathos, and history, a celebration of what Cape Town is all about, Richard said. Richard sees their venture making a contribution to tourism, in informing tourists about the history of the Cape, in allowing the employment of about 40 staff members to run the operation, and the development of new local entertainment talent.  While we were chatting Richard was keeping an eye on his staff all the time, giving them feedback about do’s and don’ts.

Chef Ulli previously worked at Arnold’s, Papino’s in Hout Bay, and then owned Trattoria Maranello in Camps Bay.  Despite his German background, there are no German dishes in his extensive menu, instead being more focused on Mediterranean cuisine, and specially Italian.  The tables on the deck outside have grey tops, and the chairs are grey plastic.  There are no table cloths but there are material serviettes.  Each table has a red candle in a glass, a salt and pepper grinder, and Willowcreek decorated olive oil and balsamic vinegars jars were brought to the table. Cutlery is ordinary. Small self-baked seed loaf slices were brought to the table. The menu is introduced by Chef Ulli in English, French, and Italian, and he writes: “It has always been my passion to bring the real culinary traditions of the Mediterranean to my table and ‘Richard’s’ is my way of sharing this experience. We proudly use locally raised and organically grown ingredients wherever possible and make sure high quality imports are used wherever necessary. Our menu is designed to encourage you to sample many different items. My team and I are honoured to cook for you and look forward to seeing you again and again and…” . The rules of the house are also listed, children under three years generously eating for free, food tolerance information is welcomed, all dishes are prepared ‘al minuto‘ and can be ordered without chilli. All dishes come with a side of salad or vegetables, and a choice of starch.

Ten starters have a good price range from R26 (foccacia) – R79 (carpaccio of smoked salmon), typical Italian dishes including minestrone, calamari, bruschetta, and antipasto. Six salads range from R45 – R62 (Moroccan lamb), including Caprese and Greek salads. Sandwiches (around R50) and burgers (even a salmon one at R89) are available. Pasta dishes range from R58 (Capellini al salmone) to R89 (prawn risotto). Fish dishes include cod, queen and king prawns, and calamari.  I had a fish dish off the specials board, a kabeljou with plain white rice and the most heavenly caper cream sauce (R108).  Steaks range from R96 – R135, and chicken dishes cost R69 – R88. Thirteen pizza options, made from Eureka Mills stone ground flour, include two Flammkuchen choices, and range from R46 for margherita – R97 for a salmon pizza, ensuring that no one will go hungry at Richard’s. Dessert options are plentiful, and cost R34 – R 49, including a good Tiramisu (R37), gelato, cassata, and Créma Catalana.  Coffee is by Italian Makamba. There is a separate breakfast menu.

The winelist has about three brands per variety, the regions are specified but the vintages are not.  Bollinger Special Cuveé Brut costs R1500, and Moët & Chandon R850. Prosecco Tereza Rizzi (R38/R220) and Maximilian (R240), Krone Borealis (R35/R199), and Pongracz (R194) sparkling wines are offered.  Shiraz options are Excelsior Paddock (R34/R115), Annandale (R440), and Rickety Bridge (R169). Local wines made from Italian grapes Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Barbera, and Nebbiolo are on the winelist, as are imported Italian wines, including Brunello (a 2006 at R1350, and a 2004 at R3800).  A wide selection of commercial beers is also available.  I was spoilt by Chef Ulli with a small taste of Limonché, made by local Belgian Jochen Nickmans.

It’s early days for Richard’s Bistro, the menu perhaps being too extensive and unfocused, and the service needing finetuning.  When Richard is there, things will run more smoothly, but no manager seemed to be in charge.  The opening of the new theatre/dinner venue in May is an exciting new tourism attraction for Cape Town, and can be expected to be a slick show.

POSTSCRIPT 31/3: I returned to Richard’s Bistro for breakfast, and had a long chat with co-owner Roland Seidel.  Attractive murals have been added to the walls on the deck downstairs, giving a strong message of the music that will be performed upstairs from May onwards.  The Italian Eggs Benedict cost R47, and included spinach.

POSTSCRIPT 27/7: Chef Ulli Stamm has left Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro.

Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro, 229A corner Main and Glengariff Roads, Sea Point.  Tel (021) 434-6738 (Bistro)/(021) 434-4497 (Supper Stage from May). www.richardscapetown.co.za Twitter:@KaapseStories Monday – Sunday 7h00 – 1h00. Free wi-fi.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Monaco Marriage of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene puts South Africa on world map

Today Prince Albert and Princess Charlene will wed religiously, after they wed in a civil ceremony in the Throne Room of the palace in Monaco yesterday afternoon.  Their marriage is an exciting marriage for South Africa too, with Princess Charlene proudly bringing her South African pride into interviews and profiles published about the dream royal couple. The streets of Monaco are lined with South African flags, and those from the Princess’ new home country.

Gracing the pages of Vogue for the first time, and Bunte in Germany regularly, as well as the subject of regular TV programmes on European TV stations, including ZDF, Germany’s largest TV channel, as well as The Guardian, New York Times, and Associated Press, the couple and their dream wedding are being widely profiled around the world, the first royal marriage in 55 years in the principality.  The wedding media hype and interest increased dramatically earlier this week, when a French on-line agency reported that Charlene Wittstock had almost become a ‘run-away bride’. 

VIP attendees at the religious wedding ceremony today include the German Chancellor Christian Wulff, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni, President Pal Schmitt of Hungary, President George Abela of Malta, King Carl Gustav of Sweden, King Albert of Belgium, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Prince Frederik from Denmark, Prince Edward, Prince Faisal bin al Hussein of Jordan, models Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurkova, Sir Roger Moore, President Michel Sleimane of Lebanon, President Mary McAleese of Ireland, Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk representing the South African government, Jeff Radebe, Johann Rupert, Leruo Molotlegi of the Kingdom of Bafokeng, King Letsie of Lesotho, Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Yves Piaget, Gerard Butler, Nadia Comenici, Bernard Arnault, Renée Fleming, Ryk Neethling, Roland Schoeman, Francois Pienaar, Elana Meyer, Terence Bray, as well as Sarah Poewe, ex-Cape Town fellow Olympic swimmer with Princess Charlene, and now resident in Germany and swimming for the German team. 

The royal couple impressed with its care for the environment, their bridal hybrid Lexus car having been especially made by Toyota, driven only under electric motor power, reported the Sunday Times.  More than twenty years ago Princess Charlene expressed her care for the environment, in a school composition she wrote about the ozone layer.  She loves Blushing Brides so much that 500 stems have been flown in from Citrusdal for her wedding flower arrangements.

South  Africa’s cuisine is also in the spotlight, with Chef Dean Uren of Zimbali Lodge and his colleague Peter Mtshali being part of the team which catered for 6000 guests attending the civil ceremony yesterday, and will head the preparation of a special South African meal for 200 guests on Monday, before the royal couple head for Durban, to attend the 123rd session of the International Olympic Committee, the first time that it will be held in Africa.  Chef Dean’s menu is still a secret, but will include pastries stuffed with ostrich bobotie, and kudu prepared with typical boerewors spices, including kameelhout spice, coriander, pepper and cloves, reported the Sunday Times.   The main wedding meal, served in the Opera for 850 guests today, will be prepared by top chef Alain Ducasse and a team of 350.   He owns 20 restaurants, opening two more this year, in Russia and in Doha.  He has 19 Michelin stars in total across his collection of restaurants, and three of them have three stars.  Chef Alain has not revealed what’s on the menu yet, but he will represent the smell, colour and taste of the Mediterranean with fresh line-caught fish, vegetables and fruit for dessert, all ingredients coming from within 10 km of the principality.  Perrier-Jouët champagne will be served, alongside the Haskell Vineyards’ Dombeya Chardonnay and Shiraz, the owner Preston Haskell being a long-standing friend of Prince Albert, and the royal couple have partied at Haskell’s Fresnaye home in the past.   The wedding cake will link to South Africa’s national flower, the protea, reports Bunte.

Although Princess Charlene is now married to the 9th richest person in the world, her tastes are simple, and she longs for Mrs Balls chutney and rooibos tea.  South African music talent was also represented in the wedding celebrations, with Idols co-winner Jason Hartman, who was chosen by Princess Charlene to be the supporting act to an open air concert by The Eagles on Thursday evening. Local boy band Romanz will perform ‘With all my Heart’ tonight, and do a duet with Italian pop star Umberto Tozzi.   Jean-Michel Jarre put on an electronic music show last night, to which all Monaco residents were invited.

Princess Charlene is turning into a style icon, and the most recent Bunte had a feature of beautiful dresses photographed by Karl Lagerfeld.   Her wedding dress has been designed by Giorgio Armani, her favourite designer, an honour shared with designer Albert Kriemler of Akris.  Increasingly Princess Charlene is wearing bold Africa-inspired jewellery with her outfits, reinforcing her heritage.  She looked beautiful in the blue pants suit she wore for the civil ceremony, which she had designed herself and had made by Chanel, reports Associated Press.

Next week the Royal couple leave for their honeymoon in Durban, where they will be hosting a reception at The Oyster Box in Umhlanga next Thursday 7 July, for 300 local friends, family and VIP’s.

We congratulate Prince Albert and Princess Charlene on their marriage, and wish them lots of happiness and a large family.

Ex-Miss South Africa and Top Billing presenter Jo-Anne Strauss will be covering the wedding on SABC3 today, from 14h00 – 20h30.

POSTSCRIPT 2/7: The Weekend Argus has reported that Princess Charlene will be in Cape Town next Friday 8 July, attending a function of the Giving Organisation Trust with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Noordhoek, and visiting the Cotlands HIV/AIDS hospice in Somerset West, and the Fynbos Project at Lourensford.

POSTSCRIPT 2/7: Princess Charlene looked very serious, if not sad, at her religious wedding ceremonyin the palace this afternoon, crying when she left her bridal bouquet at the Sainte Devoté church, as the late Princess Grace did too.  Talk about a third child of Prince Albert is not going away. 

POSTSCRIPT 2/7:  Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk attended the wedding on behalf of President Zuma and the South African government, reports the Weekend Argus:“And as tourism minister he’s really happy there is such a big South African influence in the wedding.  The name of South Africa will be all over the world again as it was a year ago at the World Cup. That will be very good for tourism and for the country”, said the Minister’s spokesman Riaan Aucamp. 

POSTSCRIPT 5/7:  Interestingly, the wine selection at the wedding appears to have caused a swirl in a wine glass!  It would appear that Dombeya wines were not the only South African ones to have been featured at the Royal wedding on Saturday.  Neil Pendock of The Times wrote that Vins D’Orrance claimed that their Chardonnay 2009 Cuvee Andis was the ‘only South African wine chosen for the wedding’, incorrect given the Dombeya wines selection from the Haskell wine estate, which belongs to Prince Albert’s friend Preston Haskell, and confirmed by a Royal Palace-approved media release earlier this year.  A total of 1000 bottles of Dombeya Chardonnay 2010, Boulder Red Shiraz, and Samara 2005 went to Monaco,  and 700 bottles of the Chardonnay and Samara have been sent to the Oyster Box for the cocktail function on Thursday.  Hempies du Toit of Annandale is also reported in Die Volksblad to have made a wine for the wedding, and he called his six year old Merlot Charlbert, with French labels, and supplied 150 Magnums as well as a ‘bunch of 750ml bottles’ as souvenirs of the wedding.  Du Toit is a friend of the Wittstock family, and the year of the Merlot bottling co-incides with the year in which Prince Albert and Princess Charlène started dating. 

POSTSCRIPT 9/7:  The Financial Times has an interesting article on the preparation of the wedding meal by Chef Alain Ducassse and his team, with beautiful photographs.  

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Twitter:@WhaleCottage

Restaurant Review: Sofia’s at Morgenster set to become a star!

Sofia’s at Morgenster in Somerset West opened a month ago, and has been named after the star that Morgenster owner Guilio Bertrand admires most, being Sophia Loren.   When one enters the restaurant, photographs of the Italian actress welcome one.   Sofia’s adds cuisine class to Somerset West, a town that has not been blessed with good restaurants (The Restaurant at Waterkloof being an exception), but has some service problems to address.

We had to go to Somerset West, and made a last-minute decision to call for a table.  Manager Michelle did not hesitate in saying yes, despite a full restaurant as a result of a birthday celebration by guests, for which we were grateful.  We arrived a little later than planned, but were happy to be given a table just to ourselves outside under the trees.  

Sofia’s at Morgenster is run by chef Craig Cormack, a partner of Bertus Basson of Overture, on the Morgenster estate, probably better known for its olives and olive oils than it is for its wines.   One drives through the estate, seeing the olive orchards on the hill, past the winery and tasting room, to get to Sofia’s. The rustic thatch-roofed building has a grape trellis, offering the perfect shade for sitting outside on a hot summer’s day.  The building has a number of rooms, not making it feel as large as it is.

The Fortis Hotelware cutlery design is contemporary, and I was delighted that I was offered a fish knife for the kingklip, something I missed at Aubergine at our dinner a few days prior.  We did not receive serviettes, and had to ask for them.  The menu changes weekly, and the week number is specified on the menu.   The waitress looking after us was very willing to check when she did not know something, which was quite often.  She brought the menu, a thin strip on a dark plastic clipboard, and talked us through the menu, describing every item.  She got stuck with the difficult words, and tried her best to come up with definitions (e.g. ‘parmentier’ she described as ‘shredded’, when it means that it is potato-based).  She did admit that she was new to the hospitality industry, having worked in the cosmetics industry before.  Every starter she described to us with warts and all of how chef Craig and his team prepares it (I would have preferred to not have known so much detail), and described every dish as “very delicious”.  I felt sorry for her, as she was out of her depth in taking orders and in talking through the menu – some names she mentioned I asked her to spell.  She told me that they are just taught the words, without the spelling!   

Chef Craig sent an antipasto platter of olive-based treats to the table, to demonstrate the partnership with Morgenster.  I loved the tapenade, and the marinaded black olives, but did not eat the mini-pizza slices, as they were topped with anchovies, a personal dislike.

The menu is compact, with four options each per starter, main course and dessert.  A two-course meal costs R155 and 3-courses R220.  Despite the restricted choice, it was hard to choose what to order, it all sounded so “very delicious”.   I chose the chicken liver parfait as a starter, which was served with a peach chutney, as well as a light and fluffy brioche.   Other starter options are smoked snoek parmentier, Asian squid salad and onion tarte tartin.  The main course was ordered as a “parma ham wrapped over roasted fish” on the menu, but there was no parma ham when it was served.   It was served with a vanilla risotto, an unusual taste, and a truffle froth.  My partner’s beef stroganoff was tasty, but not exceptional.   Other main courses choices were pork fillet and braised lamb shoulder.  The dessert choice was a difficult one, all four sounding wonderful – chocolate royaltine and vanilla ice cream; watermelon soup; crème brule (sic); and the most interesting sounding beetroot ice cream, beetroot cheese and smoked and pickled beetroots.   A cute touch was a small Father Christmas gingerbread biscuit that came with the cappuccino served in an unusual glass cup with silver handle. 

We ordered the Graham Beck Brut Rosé by the glass (R45), only listed on the winelist per bottle (R130).   The Graham Beck Brut is charged at the same price, which is unusual, given that the Rosé bubbly usually is more expensive.    The white house wine is the Collaboration chenin blanc, a collaboration between chefs Craig and Bertus, as well as the Hidden Valley winemaker Louis Nel.   Wine vintages are specified, and the price spectrum fair.  White wines start at R30/R150 for Lands End Sauvignon Blanc and Kleine Zalze Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc (R150), up to R250 for Rustenburg Wooded Chardonnay and Radford Dale Viognier.  The red wine selection is restricted, at R30/R105 for Sofia’s 2002 vintage house wine made by Morgenster – R 300 for Catherine Marshall Pinot Noir 2009 and Annandale Shiraz 2003, to allow the presentation of Morgenster’s Bordeaux Blend wines.  The flagship Morgenster range is priced per vintage (R350 – R460), as is their Louren’s River Valley range (R160 – R185).  The Morgenster Tosca, Nabucco and Caruso wines are also available.   The Morgenster wines have a small mark-up of about R30 per bottle for the Lourens River valley wines, and of R60 for the Morgenster range.

I liked the peaceful country farm setting, the character renovated thatched roof building, the hand-picked ingredients where possible from the Morgenster gardens, and chef Craig’s creativity and weekly menu changes.  Staff training needs attention.  The hardest challenge for chef Craig is to use culinary terms which the staff can pronounce and explain correctly.    The starter arrived almost too quickly after placing the order, while the second course dishes took too long.   I will be back, to try more of chef Craig’s creativity.  Sofia’s is a star in the making, but the restaurant still needs time to settle in.

POSTSCRIPT 22/4: Returned to Sofia’s for a food and wine appreciation society. In a cosy room with fireplace.  Evening started with a tasting of Morgenster wines: Caruso Rosé, Tosca (60 % Sangiovese), Nabucco, Lourens River Valley, and the Platter 5-star Morgenster Bordeaux blend.  Two canapés were served: Ham hock terrine and pea spoom, and chicken liver parfait with brioche and green fig, both excellent.  The Calamari and coconut curry starter was accompanied by a 2010 Doolhof Sauvignon Blanc, with a very sharp chilli taste, and the least successful dish of the evening.   The main course of pork neck, prune and almanad jus was paired with the Sofia’s red blend.   Lovely dessert of chocolate truffle cake with raspberry compote and raspberry ice cream.

Chef Craig Cormack is an avid salt collector, and he sent around six of the 42 salts he has (there are 129 kinds of salt in total): Black Hawaiian Lava, Red Lava, Cervia, Bolivian Rose, Pakistani Volcanic, and Persian Blue Crystal.

Sofia’s at Morgenster, off Vergelegen entrance, Lourensford Road, Somerset West.  Tel (021) 847-1993.  http://www.facebook.com/Sofias.at.morgenster (No website, which is hopefully being worked on, to allow a professional profile of the restaurant, without the grammatical errors on the Facebook page, and photographs of the beautiful plating in an Image Gallery).  Open Mondays, Wednesdays – Sundays for lunch, and Wednesdays and Saturdays for dinner.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com   Twitter: @WhaleCottage