Tag Archives: Bodum

Neighbourhood treasure The Blue Café opens in Tamboerskloof, as Deli and General Dealer!

The Blue Cafe Exterior Whale CottageThe Blue Café opened in Tamboerskloof on Saturday, after a few months of renovation, having operated as The Daily Deli for 18 years.  The small building with attitude has a heritage dating back to 1904, and is set to become the new secret food treasure in the hood of Tamboerskloof.  Pricing is very reasonable.

I drove past yesterday afternoon, having seen a Tweet referring to its opening, and met the charming Murray von Hirschberg, co-owner with his wife Jeanne, with input from her mother Lynda Loubser.  Jeanne started working at Melissa’s Kloof Street as a teenager, first as waitress during weekends and school holidays, and then joined them full-time doing product development, having worked there for 13 years, The BLue Cafe Murray and Jeanne 2 Whale Cottageand giving up a dream to study medicine.  She told me that she loved working for Melissa van Hoogstraten.  It is Jeanne’s distinctive handwriting that was used for all price labels at Melissa’s for all the years that she worked for them. Murray told me proudly that Jeanne was accepted to do an MBA at UCT without a base degree, that she received a scholarship to study Organisation Development at Cornell University in the USA, and will start working on her PhD shortly.   Murray was an investment banker in New York, owns a massage company Enmasse, and has launched a unique Enmasse rooibos tea blend, telling Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Craft Bakery and Craft Wheat & Hops in Stellenbosch chalk and cheese in service!

Craft logoI had heard that Craft had opened in the space from which Apprentice operated for a number of years earlier this year, having been a ‘test kitchen’ for the students of Letetia Prinsloo’s Institute of Culinary Arts.  An unfortunate association with Le Chocolatier owner Daniel Waldis led to the closure of the restaurant. In its place is a dual restaurant and bar, separated only by a bar counter, but the difference in attitude of the two managers is massive.   The two Crafts are owned by Francois Jooste, who also owns Java and Apres Bistro, all close to each other in a tourist rich area of Stellenbosch.

I visited on Monday, entering on the left, at Craft Wheat & Hops, which I did not immediately associate with a bar specialising in beers.   Once oneCraft Wheat & Hops Exterior Whale Cottage enters, it is very clear what it serves, with 16 beers on tap offered, and a similar number of beers displayed on shelves.  I recognised the voice of the friendly lady behind the counter, and she reminded me that she was the Chef and Manager of The Stall in Franschhoek when it first opened eighteen months ago.  Marilie van Niekerk left when she had her baby.  She made a menu available for me immediately, without having to ask for it, it being such a pleasure to experience her excellent service.  The bar had not yet been set up, tables having been placed on top of each other, as the bar only opens at 15h00 on week days.  Interestingly Craft Wheat & Hops offers food as well, but with only two options. Flammkuchen is prepared in what look like a massive pizza oven inside the bar, seven options offered in a price range from R40 (for Caprese) to R52 (smoked salmon, red onion, rocket, and caviar).  An extensive list of Tapas dishes is offered, ranging from R29 (crumbed mozzarella sticks with berry compote) to R45 (roast chicken and cheddar quesadilla served with homemade salsa, guacemole and cream cheese).   Other tapas include lamb meat balls, ‘corn dogs‘,  chorizo and mozzarella crostini, mini mushroom burgers, and ‘beer brats wrapped in bacon‘. Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: High Tea at opulent MannaBay a low!

MannaBay Graham Beck Whale Cottage PortfolioIt was a blogpost by Tony Ward that attracted my attention to the High Tea at MannaBay, a little-known boutique hotel high up in Oranjezicht.  The High Tea we were served yesterday in no way compared to what is reflected on the MannaBay website, nor is the effort it took to make the booking for the High Tea reflective of its claimed five star rating.

I have a date with my longest-standing school friend Jenny, spoiling her on her birthday, and she does the same for me.  From what I saw on Tony’s blog and on their website, MannaBay seemed a nice spoiling surprise for Jenny’s birthday treat.  I called late afternoon about ten days ago, wanting to book the High Tea, and the phone was answered by a waiter.  The communication with him was poor, and his answers vague, so he passed me on to the Assistant Manager Nolu Dube.  She told me that one would have to pay for the High Tea in full in advance, which I queried.  The telephonic interaction was very poor, and seemed out of sync with the five star rating claim, and I couldn’t understand that she could not just accept my telephonic booking! She told me her GM was out, but soon thereafter Justine Ryan called, rather aggressively, saying that a non-refundable deposit of 50 % of the total has to be paid upfront.  I asked her to send the invoice, but received nothing.  I followed up, and discovered that she had written down the e-mail address incorrectly, despite it being spelt for her a number of times.  I did receive the e-mail eventually, and wanted the invoice faxed, so that it could be paid.  The invoice did not arrive, despite  an over-assertive confirmation that it had been sent!  Jenny had to change our date, so I wrote to Justine, informing her of our new date.  There was no further communication about payment, so I stopped begging for the invoice. Continue reading →

Liam Tomlin Food at Leopard’s Leap: Chef’s Table is cooking!

A new service which Liam Tomlin Food is introducing at its new Leopard’s Leap venue is a series of Chef’s Table lunches, allowing one to experience first-hand not only the cooking methods and recipes of international Chef Liam Tomlin, but also to eat his food.

Liam Tomlin Food Culinary Studio opened about a month ago, and has a state of the art demonstration kitchen for 24 students at a time.  It also has ample seating for about 50 food lovers, who can follow what the demonstration chef prepares on TV screens above the work counter. Cooking classes and food demonstrations have been scheduled, as have a number of  Chef’s Table events, both at which Chef Liam will prepare meals which are paired with Leopard’s Leap wines.

The Chef’s Table food preparation is interactive, allowing participants to ask questions, and they will receive recipes for the dishes which the chefs prepared.  On scheduled weekdays a 90 minute 3-course lunch will be offered, at R250, and on weekends a 2 ½ hour 4-course lunch costs R350. The programme for the first quarter of next year is as follows:

13 January:  Italy (11h00 – 13h00)

20 January:   Gourmet Fast Food (11h00 – 13h00)

27 January:  Chinese New Year (11h00 – 13h00)

3 February:  Cape Winelands Cuisine cookbook demonstration with Pierneef à La Motte Chef Chris Erasmus and writer Hetta van Deventer

4 February:  Grape, focusing on which food one should pair with which wines (11h00 – 13h00)

10 February:  Poultry (11h00 – 13h00)

24 February:  Feasting on a budget (11h00 – 13h00)

2 March:  Gone Fishing (11h00 – 13h00)

9 March:   Vegetarian (11h00 – 13h00)

16 March:  France (11h00 – 13h00)

23 March:   Meet the Meats (11h00 – 13h00)

30 March:  Spanish Fiesta (11h00 – 13h00)

Cooking classes and food demonstrations have been scheduled for the first three months of 2012, many of the four-hour classes falling on Saturdays, but some on weekdays too. Participants receive a recipe folder. The programme is as follows:

14 January:   Around the World: Italy, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

21 January:   Gourmet Fast Food, 9h30 – 13h30, R450

28 January:   Chinese New Year, celebrating the Year of the Dragon, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

8 February:   Valrhona Chocolate Valentine’s Day Dessert with Vanessa Quellec, 9h30 – 13h00, R700. Includes plating, tempering chocolate, the emulsion method, pastry dough, and ice-cream making and churning.

11 February:  Poultry, demonstrating how to use every part of a bird, how to make duck confit, tunnel boning and stuffing the legs, and making savoury mousse, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

14 February:   Valentine’s Couples Evening, with Chef Liam preparing a 4-course meal built on indulgence, including oysters, caviar, strawberries, and chocolate, paired with sparkling wine, 18h30 – 21h30, R650

18 February:  Knife skills for slicing, dicing, and chopping, 9h30 – 13h30, R400

25 February:   Feasting on a budget, providing handy tips on how to stretch core ingredients, 9h30 – 13h30, R400.

29 February, 7 March, 14 March, 21 March, and 28 March: Back to Basics on Stocks, Soups and Consommé, Savoury Sauces and Compound Butters, Meat and Poultry, and Desserts, 9h30 – 13h30, R3000 for the five courses.

3 March:  Gone Fishing, providing guidance on how to scale, fillet, trim, portion and prepare fish. 9h30 – 13h30, R650.

10 March: Vegetarian, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

17 March: Little Chefs: Learning to Bake, for 8 – 12 year olds, 10h00 – 13h00, R200.

24 March:   Meet the Meats, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

31 March:  Around the World: Spain, 9h30 – 13h30, R650.

Liam Tomlin Food also has a Chef’s Store, selling kitchen equipment, appliances, crockery, cutlery, glassware, knives, utensils, spices, chocolate, teas, and preserves.  Gift vouchers, gift wrapping and a wedding registry service is also offered. The Store will be selling fresh produce from the Winelands next year, and we were told yesterday that Chef Liam will prepare a number of food items that can be bought to enjoy at Leopard’s Leap.  A new rotisserie has been installed, and one will be able to buy roast chicken too.  Chef Liam will only make a certain number of items per day.  Picnics will commence in the summer of 2012/2013.  Brands stocked in the Chef’s Store include Valrhona, De Villiers chocolate, Staub, Lavazza, Bamix, Scanpan, Riedel, Maxwell & Williams, Wüsthoff, Bodum, Nielsen & Massey, Krups, Kitchen Aid, and Le Creuset.

Liam Tomlin’s Banc Restaurant was named Sydney’s best in 2001.  He is a member of the British Airways Taste Team, and moved to Cape Town in 2004, initially as a consultant to hotels, restaurants, and wine estates.  Last year he opened the Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School in Cape Town. He has written a number of cookery books, including ‘A Season to Taste’.

POSTSCRIPT 8/1: We have added a new Chef’s Table lunch for 3 February to the list above.

POSTSCRIPT 13/1:  We received an e-mail today, announcing that all but one of the Chef’s Tables on Fridays have been rescheduled for 11h00 – 13h00, to accommodate Franschhoek mothers having to fetch their children from school.

Liam Tomlin Food, Leopard’s Leap Vineyards, Main Road/R45, outside Franschhoek. Tel (021) 876-8822. www.liamtomlinfood.com. Twitter: @LiamTomlinFood

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