Tag Archives: Blaauwklippen

First signs of winter as first Cape Town/Winelands restaurants close down!

March 13, 2014

Many restaurants opened this summer, but the industry is taking its first toll, with restaurants closing down. It may be a tough winter ahead, given the poor state of the economy. Yet Neil Grant and Barry Engelbrecht (Burrata), Clayton Howard and Mico Botha (I Love my Laundry), and Michael Townsend (La Parada, Lucky Fish, Harbour House) are expanding their portfolios.

This list of restaurant openings and closings is updated continuously, as we receive new information:

Restaurant Openings

* Chef’s Warehouse & Cookery School has moved to Bree Street, in the Cape Heritage hotel building, where Awestruck/Caveau used to be, and is now called Chef’s Warehouse & Canteen, with Chef Liam Tomlin in the kitchen. Street Food has also opened as a take-away outlet (7h00 – 15h00)

* Diesel & Creme, a diner, restaurant, and coffee shop, has opened on the R62 in Barrydale.

* Idiom Wines is said to be opening a restaurant.

* The Tap Room has opened at Devils’ Peak Brewery

* I ♥ my Laundry has opened another (its third) branch on Buitenkant Street.

* Jordan Wines has launched a Deli and Bakery.

* Lucky Fish & Chips has opened on Bree Street, on Regent Road in Sea Point, on Long Street, in Kalk Bay, and in Muizenberg, belonging to Michael Townsend of the Harbour House group.

* Tümi has opened as a health food café in St John’s Piazza in Sea Point, being part of the Col’Cocchia group. Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 5 December

December 5, 2013

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* Wine judge and writer Tim James, and winner of a number of wine writing competitions, including the inaugural Du Toitskloof Wine Writer of the Year as well as the Franschhoek Literary Festival wine writing award, has expressed his strongest criticism of the announcement of the 2014 Franschhoek Literary Festival wine writing competition. It has been announced that the competition and its prize money will be split into short writing (less than 1500 words) and long writing (3000 – 4000 words). No award will be given to any writing submitted of between 1500 – 3000 words! Earlier this year the Franschhoek Literary Festival, and the convenor of its wine writing judging committee John Maytham, were lambasted when they chose to not award the prize at all, stating that no entry was of a good enough standard. (Note: the category definitions have subsequently been changed to under 1000 words, and 1000 – 4000 words)

* Only 8% of South African tourism and hospitality businesses plan to appoint more staff, according to tourism consultants Grant Thornton, compared to 25% by their global counterparts.

* South African restaurant brands operating in the United Arab Emirates include Nando’s, Butcher Shop, Meat & Co, Mug & Bean, and Debonairs Pizza.

* Argentina is encouraging its citizens to stay home with a punitive 35% tax on all credit card payments made outside the country, to protect its monetary reserves.

* The Stellenbosch Wine Festival will take place from 24 January – 2 Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 16/17 November

November 17, 2013

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* Nando’s, Prince Harry’s and Beyonce’s favourite chicken take-out in London, will be opening its first store at Gatwick airport.

* Heathrow needs a third runway to deal with the estimated doubling of traffic by 2030. One plan is to build a floating runway on an estuary of the Thames, instead of demolishing houses in a village close to Heathrow.

* Wide-spread flooding hit Somerset West, Franschhoek, Hermanus/Stanford, Strand, and Cape Town on Friday evening. The Franschhoek Pass, Chapman’s Peak, Betty’s Bay/Gordon’s Bay road, and Victoria Road* between Camps Bay and Hout Bay are still closed.

* Eben Sadie of The Sadie Family Wines is the winemaker featured in the weekly Terroirist blog interview!

* Not only is Stellenbosch famous for its many wine estates producing excellent Continue reading →

Many Mediterranean-style restaurants open in Cape Town!

October 28, 2013

Despite one of the worst winters ever experienced by the Cape hospitality industry, most restaurants appear to have survived it. A surprise trend is the number of Mediterranean style restaurants opening, with true Spanish and Italian owners and/or staff. This list of restaurant openings and closings is updated continuously, as we receive new information: