Tag Archives: Antipasto Bar

Corks pop at 19 ‘Franschhoek Uncorked’ wine estates this weekend!

franschhoek-uncorked_logo-1_841For the first time in six years Franschhoek Uncorked is blessed with excellent weather, having had the most unfortunate bad weather luck in the first five years of the event, which sees wine lovers drive from wine estate to wine estate in Franschhoek today and tomorrow.

Each wine estate offers a unique mix of entertainment and food to serve with its wines, many launching its latest vintages.  Highlights include:

*   Antonij Rupert:  ‘La Dolce Vita’ at the Terra del Capo tasting room and Antipasto Bar, with free tastings of latest releases, and antipasto platters (R120).  Private Italian food and wine pairing lunch at R280 per person for 3 courses including wine. Newton& Co live music. At the Anthonij Rupert tasting room exclusive tasting of top Continue reading →

Cape Restaurants booming, The Pot Luck Club re-opens, new openings Latitude33, The Dining Room, Baked Bistro!

There have been a number of restaurant openings, and no restaurant closures have been reported this year to date, a good sign of recovery.  A very strong tourism February as well as many weddings and general Valentine’s celebrations mean business is booming for restaurants. This list of restaurant openings and closings is updated continuously, as we receive new information:

Restaurant Openings

*   The Pot Luck Club has re-opened in its new venue at the top of the Old Biscuit Mill.

*   Café Blanc de Noir has opened on Brenaissance wine estate in Stellenbosch

*    Latitude33 has opened on Bree Street

*   Baked Bistro has opened in Bakoven, where Marika’s and Saboroso used to be

*   Orphanage Cocktail Emporium has expanded into an adjoining property, opening on Orphan Street, creating The Dining Room downstairs.  It is opening Orphanage Club upstairs, with 1920’s style music by live performers, later this year.

*   Antipasto Bar has opened at the new Anthonij Rupert Wines tasting room, where Graham Beck used to be, outside Franschhoek

*   Kloof Street House has opened where Opal Lounge used to be.

*    Honest Chocolate has opened a second outlet, with a ‘production kitchen’, in the Woodstock Industrial Centre

*   Cavalli restaurant is said to open on the stud farm on R44, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, this year or next

*   Camphors at Vergelegen has opened, with Chef PJ Vadas.

*   Cousins has opened in the Parliament Hotel, where Il Cappero used to be.

*   Thai Café has opened on Plein Street, Stellenbosch

*   It’s a House has opened on Jarvis Street, as a bar, coffee shop, and design art space.

*   Lion’s Head Bar opened on Bree Street, selling craft beer and food

*   Shake your Honey Mumbai is to open in the original Madame Zingara building on Loop Street, in August.

*   Chef Nic van Wyk, previously with Terroir, has opened The Eatery at Diemersdal in Durbanville.

*   Jimmy Jimanos sports bar is opening on Long Street

*   Burger King will open its first South African branch in Cape Town later this year!

*  A coffee shop, chocolaterie, bar, and fashion boutique will open in a 3-storey building on Long Street, as yet unnamed.

*   Wilderer Distillery and La Grapperia at Spice Route restaurant have opened at Spice Route wine estate, in addition to their existing location

*   TriBakery has opened near Moyo in the V&A Waterfront

*   Luke Dale Roberts appears to be continuing his expansion trail, and is said to be opening on Long Street.

*   Mischu: The Coffee Showroom has opened on Regent Road in in Sea Point.

*   Deluxe Urban Café has opened in the old Cape Quarter.

*   Gourmet Cakes has opened on Kloof Street

*   A new restaurant and micro brewery is to open next door to The Bromwell in Woodstock (name not yet known).

*   Le Venue has opened at The House of JC le Roux

*   The Harbour House group is opening a new restaurant at 107 Loop Street.

*   Goloso Pizzeria has opened in Regent Road Sea Point.

*   Frères Bistro has opened next door to Col’Cacchio on Hans Strydom Avenue in the city centre.

*   De Dorf Krug has opened in Hermanus as a Bavarian/Austrian restaurant.

*   La Parada has opened in Kalk Bay.

*   The Crypt at St George’s Cathedral has opened as a jazz restaurant.

*   Cheyne’s has opened in Hout Bay.

*   Chef Reuben Riffel is to open an artisanal beer bar.

Restaurant Closures

*   Wale Rose Lifestyle has closed down in Bo-Kaap.

*   Café Sofia in Camps Bay has closed down.  None of the other branches are answering their phones, so they may have closed down too.

*   Rhapsody’s in Green Point has closed down.

*   Cape Town Fish Market has closed down in Somerset West

*   Café Le Chocolatier has closed down in Franschhoek.  The owner has taken over Apprentice in Stellenbosch.

* Pepperclub on the Beach has closed down in Camps Bay, to make way for a luxury boutique hotel.

*   Eastern Palace has closed down.

*   Urban Garden has closed down

*   The Reserve nightclub and Brasserie have closed down.

*   St Yves in Camps Bay is closing down on 4 May, to make way for the new Boutique Hotel in The Promenade.

*   Bar1 in Camps Bay, which was planned as a summer ‘pop-up’ bar and restaurant, has closed down.

Restaurant staff/venue changes

*   Fyndraai Restaurant will move to another building on the wine estate, and will offer fine dining.  The current restaurant will serve light lunches and picnics.

*   De Oude Bank Bakkerij is expanding, and will open a retail section selling charcuterie, fresh meats, home-made ice cream, and wines, collectively called De Companje.

*   Taste Restaurant has moved to Bilton Wines

*   Bar1 has opened where Sunbird Bistro was in Camps Bay.

*   Chef Reuben Riffel and his colleague Maritz Jacobs have been contracted to design the menus and prepare the food for weddings and events at Allée Bleue.

*   Thai Café is to open where the coffee shop was at the entrance to Piazza St John in Sea Point

*   Sensei Deon de Jongh has left Okamai at Glenwood wine estate in Franschhoek.

*   The Urban Garden Restaurant has opened where Bistro on Rose was.

*   Isabella Immenkamp, the excellent service-orientated hostess at Burrata, is leaving for Jordan Restaurant at the end of February.

*   Chef Alessandra Masciadri and her husband Chris Kennedy from Milan have taken over Goloso Deli and Restaurant on Regent Road, Sea Point.

* Bukhara is said to be opening in the V&A Waterfront, where Passage to India was

*   Jewel of India has opened upstairs in the ex Wale Rose Lifestyle building in Bo-Kaap.

*   Josephine’s Cookhouse has closed down in Newlands (ex Caveau), and Toad & Josphine has opened in its space.

*   Awestruck is said to open in the ex-Caveau space on Bree Street.

*   Sinn’s Ice Cream Emporium has re-opened in the Camps Bay Promenade, with a reduced space, and much cleaner interior and new furniture.

*   Wild Peacock Emporium has named its restaurant The Larder for dinners.

*   Patty September (ex-Boschendal) has taken over as the Manager of Haute Cabriere Restaurant from Lasse Presting.

*   Bayside Café has closed down in Camps Bay after 24½ years, and has moved to Portico Building, corner Marine Drive and Athens Road, Blouberg.

*   Flatteur is to open where Gesellig was, on the corner of Regent Road and Church Street in Sea Point.

*   Sage Restaurant has moved to Chabivin Champagne and MCC Farm on the Blaauwklippen Road.

*   Massimo’s in Hout Bay is changing its name to Amici di Massimo’s for 10 – 12 months, to be run by Johan, while Massimo undergoes medical treatment in Italy. It will revert back to Massimo’s when they return.

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

The Rotisserie at Leopard’s Leap, Antipasto Bar, Café Blanc de Noir, Kloof Street House, and more restaurants have opened in Cape Town and the Winelands!

There have been a number of restaurant openings, four in Franschhoek in December alone, and restaurant closures are minimal at present, a good sign of recovery. This list of restaurant news is updated continuously, as we receive information:

Restaurant Openings

*   The Rotisserie at Leopard’s Leap has opened in Franschhoek, with Chef Pieter de Jager (left), moving across from Pierneef à La Motte

*   Antipasto Bar has opened at the new Anthonij Rupert Wines tasting room, where Graham Beck used to be, outside Franschhoek

*    Sacred Ground has opened as a Deli and Bakery in The Square in Franschhoek

*   Kloof Street House has opened where Opal Lounge used to be.

*   Col’Cacchio has opened a new outlet in Westlake, and new ones are coming in Claremont and Hermanus.

*   New Vida é Caffe new branches are to open on Maindean Place in Claremont, at the new Wembley Square 2 development, at The Paddocks, Groote Schuur, and Roeland Street.  Two more branches are planned for Mauritius.

*    Honest Chocolate is opening a second outlet, a ‘production kitchen’ in the Woodstock Industrial Centre

*   Moyo has opened, where the Paulaner Braühaus was, in the V & A Waterfront.

*   FEAST is to open where Franschhoek Food Emporium was, in Place Vendome

*   Cavalli restaurant is said to open on the stud farm on R44, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, this year or next

*   Camphors at Vergelegen has opened, with Chef PJ Vadas.

*   David Higgs (ex Rust en Vrede) has opened Five Hundred,  a new 30 seater restaurant in The Saxon in Johannesburg.

*   Cousins has opened in the Parliament Hotel, where Il Cappero used to be.

*   Gourmetboerie has opened at the bottom end of Kloof Street

*   Kushi Indian Restaurant has opened a branch on Main Road in Sea Point

*   Thai Café is opening on Plein Street, Stellenbosch

*   Bellini’s is said to be opening on Greenmarket Square

*   Moksh Authentic Indian Cuisine restaurant has opened in Paarl

*   Alfama’s has opened on Waterkant Street

*   It’s a House is to open on Jarvis Street, as a bar, coffee shop, and design art space.

*   Lion’s Head Bar is to open on Bree Street, selling craft beer and food

*   Shake your Honey Mumbai is to open in the original Madame Zingara building on Loop Street, in August.

*   A new bar and Café is to open underneath the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, where Bamboo used to be

*   Café Blanc de Noir has opened on Brenaissance wine estate in Stellenbosch

*   Chef Nic van Wyk, previously with Terroir, has opened The Eatery at Diemersdal in Durbanville.

*   Lizette’s Kitchen has opened in Vöelklip, Hermanus.

*   Paulina’s Restaurant has opened at Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek

*   Buitenverwachting has opened Coffee Bloc Coffee Shop and Roastery

*   Wakaberry has opened on Kloof Street

*   Rock Sushi Thai has opened in Meadowridge

*   Jimmy Jimanos sports bar is opening on Long Street

*   The Salzburger Grill has opened in Sea Point

*   The Stall has opened as a Bar and Family Café in the old Pippin Farm Stall, at the entrance to Franschhoek

*   Burger King will open its first South African branch in Cape Town later this year!

*  A coffee shop, chocolaterie, bar, and fashion boutique will open in a 3-storey building on Long Street in February, as yet unnamed.

*   The Beer Bar is to open on Long Street

* Eataria is to open on Long Street

*   Portuguese restaurant Alfama has opened on Bree Street

*   Shimmy Beach Club has opened in the V&A Waterfront in December, involving Chef Seelan Sundoo.

*   McDonald’s is opening new branches in Wynberg, Lansdowne, and Claremont in Cape Town

*   The Red Table Restaurant at Nederburg has opened for lunches Wednesday – Sunday

*   Wilderer Distillery and La Grapperie at Spice Route restaurant are opening in Spice Route wine estate, in addition to their existing location

*   Tridici has opened on the N2 near Swellendam.

*   TriBakery is to open near Moyo in the V&A Waterfront

*   Latitude33 has opened on Bree Street

*   Luke Dale Roberts appears to be continuing his expansion trail, and is said to be opening on Long Street.  He has been seen with plans together with Giorgio Nava of 95 Keerom Street and Carne, as well as with Bertus Basson of Overture.

*   Mischu: The Coffee Showroom has opened on Regent Road in in Sea Point.

*   Deluxe Urban Café has opened in the old Cape Quarter.

*   Gourmet Cakes has opened on Kloof Street

*   Peter’s House has opened on Kloofnek Road

*   A new restaurant and micro brewery is to open next door to The Bromwell in Woodstock (name not yet known).

*   Le Venue has opened at The House of JC le Roux

*   The Harbour House group is opening a new restaurant at 107 Loop Street.

Restaurant Closures

*   French Toast Wine and Tapas Bar has closed down, following the death of co-owner John Harrison.

*   The Kove in Camps Bay has closed down, its space has become part of sister restaurant Zenzero

*   Sinnfull has closed down in Camps Bay

* Planet Green Salad has closed down

*   Freedom Hill Restaurant has closed down (and subsequently burnt down).

*   Wale Rose Lifestyle has closed down in Bo-Kaap.

Restaurant staff/venue changes

*   The V&A Waterfront Food Court has re-opened, with Primi Express, Anat, Carnival, Nür Halaal, Royal Bavarian Bakery, KFC, Boost Juice, Simply Asia, Steers, Debonairs, Subway, Marcel’s, Haagan Dazs, and Nando’s.

*   Fyndraai Restaurant will move to another building on the wine estate, and will offer fine dining.  The current restaurant will serve light lunches and picnics.

*   Giulia’s Food Café Restaurant has opened where Miss K was on Main Road, Green Point. Serve Italian-style lunch and dinner, but have retained some Miss K breakfast and pastry items.

*   Orphanage Cocktail Emporium has expanded into a property at its back, opening on Orphan Street, creating The Dining Room downstairs.  It is opening Orphanage Club upstairs, with 1920’s style music by live performers, in about 6 months.

*   Marcellino’s Bakery has changed its name to EuroHaus, with a restaurant added to the bakery.

*   Maryna Frederiksen is the new Executive Chef at The Franschhoek Kitchen at Holden Manz.

*   The ex-Caveau owners have taken over the running of the Twankey Bar of the Taj hotel.

*   Sand at The Plettenberg hotel has changed its name to Seafood at The Plettenberg.

*   Lasse Presting is the new Manager of the Haute Cabriere restaurant

*   Chef Alistair Lawrence has taken over from Fernando Romano at 5 Rooms at The Alphen Hotel

*   De Oude Bank Bakkerij is expanding, and will open a retail section selling charcuterie, fresh meats, home-made ice cream, and wines, collectively called De Companje, from February

*   Taste Restaurant has moved to Bilton Wines

*   Bar1 has opened where Sunbird Bistro was in Camps Bay.

*   Oppie Dorp has opened where Cognito was on Dorp Street in Stellenbosch.

*   Chef Reuben Riffel and his colleague Maritz Jacobs have been contracted to design the menus and prepare the food for weddings and events at Allée Bleue.

*   Thai Café is to open where the coffee shop was at the entrance to Piazza St John in Sea Point

*   Sensei Deon de Jongh has left Okamai at Glenwood wine estate in Franschhoek.

*   Baked Bistro has open in Bakoven, where Marika’s and Saboroso used to be

*   The Urban Garden Restaurant is to open where Bistro on Rose was.

*   Sadly Isabella Immenkamp, the excellent service-orientated hostess at Burrata, is leaving for Jordan Restaurant at the end of February.

*    The Pot Luck Club has re-opened in its new venue at the top of the Old Biscuit Mill in February.

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

2012: a year of Tourism ups and downs!

Looking back at 2012 on the last day of the year, every business will be grateful that it is still around, given that the international world is still in recession, and the impact thereof has made itself felt in South Africa too.   It is heartening that fewer hospitality businesses closed their doors this year, but it is clear that fewer restaurants have opened, and few top-end ones in particular.   So what stood out in 2012?:

*   The worst winter season ever for the hospitality industry, following a poor winter 2011, not just related to the poor economy and traditional Seasonality, but also to the exceptionally wet winter, which deterred Johannesburgers from coming to the Cape, and prevented Capetonians from taking weekends off in Western Cape towns and villages.

*   No marketing of Cape Town and the Western Cape. Cape Town Routes Unlimited was amalgamated into Wesgro in April, yet no visible marketing has been done for the Continue reading →