Tag Archives: Bombay Bicycle Club

MasterChef SA finalists have become more than friends, they are family!

Since we have started interviewing the Finalists for MasterChef SA, three things have stood out – they are incredibly nice, and they care about each other, being kind enough to assist in setting up interviews with their fellow Finalists, and they make time available to meet for interviews.  The media attention that the four Finalists (including Samantha Nolan and Guy Clark) we have interviewed to date have received does not appear to have gone to their heads, and they come across as wonderful people who are in awe of their success as a result of MasterChef SA, no matter how they rank on the Top 18 list.  Yet all have big dreams in how they want to develop in future.

Having read on Twitter that Finalist Thys Hattingh was coming to Cape Town to do a demonstration with fellow Finalist Ilse Fourie at the Good Food & Wine Show, we requested an interview. He agreed immediately, and we arranged to meet at the airport. As fellow Finalist Sue-Ann Allen was fetching him from Cape Town International, she agreed to be interviewed as well.  A bonus was that Top 18 Finalist Fortune Kangueehi was at the airport too.

I recognised Thys immediately, as he came into the Arrivals Hall with a bounce, a smile, and the cutest gelled hairstyle, almost as one has got to know him over the last ten weeks on MasterChef SA (except for the gel). He hugged me as if we have been friends forever (we have only ‘met’ on Facebook and Twitter to date).  We met Sue-Ann shopping at Woolworths, and he reprimanded her immediately about the top she intended buying, and she decided against the purchase as a result.  They told me that one of the MasterChef SA highlights has been that the Finalists have become more than friends, they are now ‘family’,  and they have listed each other as such on their Facebook pages!  They go on outings together, meet for dinner when they are in the city of a Finalist, and support each other’s new ventures. For example, they recently ate at Bombay Bicycle Club, where their fellow Finalist Guy Clark is now working as a chef.

Seeing Thys on screen in almost every MasterChef SA episode, it was a surprise to hear that he was nervous about the first public cooking he was to do at the Good Food & Wine Show, saying that being watched by unknown workshop attendees was scary, nothing compared to cooking for 30 Finalist friends and judges and six cameras following their every move.  Thys made desserts and cakes with his mom. Both are ‘addicted to sugar’, he said, and ‘nothing could ever be too sweet‘ for them, he said with a laugh. He will always eat dessert first, before he has other courses, and Sue-Ann confirmed this.  As a child he wanted to attend a Rustenburg school offering a cooking and hospitality specialisation, but his dad would not allow him.  To ‘punish’ his dad, he chose Home Economics as a subject instead of Woodwork, the only boy to do so in his year.  He had to endure learning needlework and other related topics taught in the subject, but really bloomed when they got to the cooking.  Thys previously worked as a bookkeeper, and his MasterChef SA success has led to his appointment as Project Manager at the Compass Group, which sets up and improves staff canteens on a consultancy basis.  He trains the staff, identifies the equipment they require, he does the paperwork, and he gets to cook too, combining his love for cooking and bookkeeping. He had heard about MasterChef SA through his sister, and she encouraged him to enter.  Thys’ home cooking was augmented with self study, his collection of cookbooks exceeding 1000, more of them being dessert related.  He proudly took out his latest acquisition, Chef Michel Roux’s ‘Desserts’ , and one senses that he cannot wait to get stuck into it, to try the recipes, and to add his own personal touch to them. Thys is working on a new website www.sweetmafia.co.za, a name chosen for him by Finalist Guy, reflecting his ‘addiction’ to Caramello Bears, and this led to the red-haired gingerbread man for his Facebook page, and will be present on his website too.  The site will contain his recipes, articles he is writing for the Rustenburg Herald, and will feature his fellow Finalists as well.  A book is in the pipeline too for next year, and ultimately he wants to own a patisserie one day.  MasterChef SA has changed his life in that he has been blessed with offers for a book – he had written four before MasterChef SA, and no publisher was interested in them! Guy and Thys are also working on a ‘Top Gear’ type TV program for food for next year.  It has given him a new job which he loves, and it is a huge ego boost.  People come up to him in supermarkets, and check what he has in his trolley or what he is eating, which was echoed by Sue-Ann.  The public seems surprised that the Finalists are not buying ingredients to cook all the time, not recognising that the Finalists are human too.   Thys emphasised that while he loves desserts, he should not be written off for this focus, as he is well-rounded and cooks savoury dishes too.  The most amazing end to our getting together was at the parking pay machine, when Thys offered to pay for my parking, because I had taken the trouble to meet him at the airport – a most generous offer which I declined, but once again reflected how nice he is!

Sue-Ann Allen made a massive sacrifice to be on MasterChef SA, in giving up her job as a lighting consultant, and selling her car.  She confidently said that she knew that she would reach Top 18 in MasterChef SA because of her ‘desire to make it’, and not necessarily because of her cooking skills.  She has no job now, and is using this time to prepare for what is to come. Cooking is the industry that she wants to be in.  She is working on recipes and is cooking a lot. She loves writing recipes, and says that it is easier now, having grown in confidence.  They had ‘flavour pairings‘ drilled into them in a one day educational on MasterChef SA, and she is building this knowledge into her recipes. While they were at Nederburg, they actively read cookbooks.    She said that viewers should remember that they are amateur cooks who need to still learn a lot, and that they can’t turn into professional chefs just because they have been on the show.  She will be researching recipes for the next six months, and will make a decision of how to take her dream further. Sue-Ann is 100% self-trained, her love for cooking coming from her mom and her late grandmother, both excellent cooks.  She cooked her first meal at the age of 4 years, asking her mom to leave the kitchen while she prepared it herself.  Her gran cooked all day, and Sue-Ann tasted her food. She gave Sue-Ann confidence, always praising what she had prepared.  She has reached an ‘inner sense of peace’, she said, and that is why she is taking time to decide what to do next.  She was at the lighting company for ten years, and needed a change in her life – MasterChef SA has given it to her. Her dream is to have her own cooking show, wanting to teach South Africans to cook well, and to show that our local chefs are as good as the international ones. MasterChef SA has been a door-opener, which will help her make the dream of the show for next year come true, she believes.  The judges were super, and she loved them from the first day. She respected who they are in the food industry, and she accepted their criticism because it was constructive, and the judges are serious about food.  Chef Pete Goffe-Wood referred  to Sue-Ann as a ‘demon in the kitchen‘ when he saw her in the audience while he was doing a demonstration for Sea Harvest at the Good Food & Wine Show.

No matter where Thys and Sue-Ann land up on the Top 10 list in the remaining eight weeks, it is clear that they will be successful in their new endeavours, all because they followed their dream to participate and do well in MasterChef SA!

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

Kloof Street Cape Town’s FoodHood, with new additions!

Kloof Street in Gardens must be the city’s most densely populated restaurant streets, there being at least 35 restaurants.  With the ‘Name your Hood’ campaign, I propose that Gardens be renamed FoodHood, as there are many other restaurants in streets leading off Kloof Street, and in the Gardens suburb.  Frommers’ travel guide calls it “The Dining Mile”.

The restaurant list ranges from inexpensive food on the run (McDonalds, Nando’s, Scooters, and St Elmo’s) to fine Milanese pastries (Caffe Milano), Basque cheesecakes (Chez Chez), the Eat Out Top 20 finalist fine dining Planet Restaurant at the Mount Nelson Hotel, and numerous other restaurants.  The street venues offer food served over long hours, meaning that one will always find something to eat on Kloof Street, even if it is late at night.  It was my discovery of Chez Chez and Cocoa Oola on Friday that inspired this blogpost about the restaurants on Kloof Street, starting from the bottom of Kloof Street, and working up towards Table Mountain:

*   Depasco Café Bakery:  Sit-down or take away cooked meals, sandwiches, etc. 8 Kloof Street. Tel (021) 424-7070. Monday – Friday 6h30 – 17h30, Saturday and Sunday 7h30 – 15h00 (Now called Sabrina’s).

*   McDonalds – Monday – Sunday, open 24 hours a day.

*   Tong Lok Chinese Cuisine: 8 Kloof Str. Tel (021) 423-5552. Monday – Thursday 11h30 – 22h30, Friday 11h30 – 22h30, Saturday 12h00 – 22h30, Sunday 17h00 – 21h30

*   Bardelli’s – Italian cuisine, with pizzas.  18 Kloof Str.  Tel (021 423-1502.  Monday – Thursday 18h00 – 22h00, Friday and Saturday 18h00 – 23h00, Sunday 12h00 – 22h30

*   Opal Lounge – probably the most pretentious restaurant in Cape Town. 30 Kloof Str.  Monday – Sunday dinner only.

*   The Black Pearl Restaurant, Tapas and Cocktail Bar: Newly opened, previously Seven Sins.  39 Kloof Str.  072 127 8831.  Monday – Thursday 7h30 – 22h00, Friday 7h30 – 23h00, Saturday 9h00  – 23h00, Sunday 9h00 – 18h00. (Closed down)

*   Vida e Caffe – good coffees, light snacks. 34 Kloof Str. Tel (021) 426-0627.  Monday – Sunday

*   Mozzarella Bar – salads, sandwiches and other dishes all contain … mozzarella, plus Puglia Cheese mozzarella to buy.  R10 LavAzza cappuccino excellent value.  Some Caffe Milano (sister restaurant) pastries to buy. Giorgio Nava-owned.  51 Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 422-5822.  Monday – Saturday 7h00 – 19h00.

*   Nando’s : chicken, chicken, chicken! – 42 Kloof Str.  Tel (426-0240.  Monday – Sunday

*   Hudson’s Burger Joint:  burgers highly regarded. 69A Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 426-5974. Monday – Sunday 12h00 – 23h00

*   St Elmo’s: pizza, pasta, as well as salads.  71 Kloof Str. Tel (021) 422-2267.  Monday – Friday 9h00 – 22h00, Saturday & Sunday 9h00 – 22h30 (Closed down, now Mitico).

*   Ocean Basket: Part of a seafood chain. 75 Kloof Str. Tel (021) 422-0322.

*   Café Sofia Meze & Tapas:  Breakfast and Lunch,  part of a chain.  60 Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 426-0801.

*   Arnold’s on Kloof: Well known for (early) breakfasts, but also large lunch and dinner menu, cocktails, salads, burgers, pasta and sandwiches.  60 Kloof Street.  Tel (021) 424-4344.  Monday – Friday 6h45 – late.  Saturday & Sunday 8h00 – late.

*   Planet Restaurant at Mount Nelson Hotel: fine dining, Top 20 Eat Out list.  Tel (021) 483-1000

*   Van Hunk’s:  South African cuisine, comfortable dining.  Corner Kloof and Upper Union Str.  Tel (021) 422-5422.  Monday – Sunday 11h30 – 22h00.

*   Royo Kloof Asian Restaurant: 115 Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 422-1888.  Monday – Sunday 11h00 – 15h00, 17h30 – 22h00.

* Tokyo Restaurant & Sushi Bar: 115 Kloof Str. Tel (021) 424-5108.  Monday 17h00 – 22h00, Tuesday – Saturday 11h00 – 23h00, Sunday 12h00 – 23h00.

*   Saigon: Vietnamese and some Japanese food. 110 Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 424-7676.  Monday – Sunday 12h00 – 14h30, 18h00 – 22h30.

*   Scooters: – pizzas, mainly take-away and delivery. Corner Kloof and Union Str.  Tel (021) 422-5995.  Daily until 20h00.

*  Asoka: light meals. 68 Kloof Str. Tel (021) 422-0909.

* Mason’s Café and Grill: light meals, including Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Free wifi.  64 Kloof Str. Tel (021) 422-5325.  Monday – Sunday 9h00 – 22h00. (Closed down)

*   DaVinci’s: pizzas.  110 Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 424-7504.  Daily 11h30 – 23h00.

*   Toni’s on Kloof Mocambique Portuguese cuisine:  88 Kloof Str.  tel (021) 423-7617.  Daily 12h00 – 15h00, 18h00 until late.

*   Shelley’s Gourmet Deli: Bistro, health and light meals served.  90 Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 424-2740.  Monday – Wednesday 8h00 – 16h00, Thursday – Saturday 8h00 – 22h00, Sunday 8h00 – 15h00.

*   Melissa’s:  Deli, part of a chain. Breakfast and lunch buffet, cakes, coffee.  Monday – Sunday.  Tel (021) 424-5540. Monday – Friday 7h00 – 19h00.  Saturday 8h00 – 19h00.  Sunday 8h00 – 18h00.

*   Buzz: Light Meals. 96 Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 426-2797.  Monday – Sunday. (Closed down)

*   Cocoa Oola Café and Pizzeria:  Part of the Cocoa group, with other branches in Rondebosch Cocoa Wah-Wah), Observatory (Cocoa Chaa-Chi) and on Foreshore (Cocoa Expresso).  Large menu, with pizzas, sandwiches, wraps, breakfast (14 options), tramezzinis, burgers, pasta, craft beers, and cocktails served in quirky spacious turquoise and lime green interior. Wireless internet.  TV screens.  Corner Kloof and De Lorentz Str.  Tel (021) 422-3638.  Monday – Saturday 7h00 – 23h00, Sunday 8h00 – 20h00.

*  Chez 2 Chez Cheesecake and Espresso Bar: Newly opened and operated by mother Nicole Baiae and son Chris.  Basque theme, with red beret and scarf, red scarf pictures, and strong red decor.  Double-shot coffee R13,50 excellent value.  Thirteen cheesecake choices (e.g. Tiramisu, Pineapple and coconut, Blueberry sour creams, Palm sugar and Lime, Frozen Peanut Butter, Mint Choc Magic, Killer Kit Kat) at R25, fresh-baked croissants, and brownies offered.  Corner Kloof and De Lorentz Str. Tel 082 085 2848.  Monday – Friday 7h30 – 17h00, Saturday 8h30 – 14h00, Sunday 9h00 – 13h00.

*   Café Paradiso:  Part of the Madame Zingara group, beautiful view onto Table Mountain, seating inside and outside, inexpensive comfort food.  110 Kloof Str. Monday – Saturday 8h00 – 22h00, Sunday 8h00 – 14h30.  Tel (021) 423-8653

*   Manna Epicure:  Once a trendy eatery, good breads, cakes and sweet treats, deli.  Attractive cottagey interior.  151 Kloof Str.  Tel (021)    Tuesday – Sunday   8h00 – 17h00.

* Caffe Milano:  Milanese pastries, salads, few cooked foods, excellent breakfast (all day on weekends). Giorgio Nava-owned.  153 Kloof Str.  Tuesday – Sunday, 7h00 until 17h00.  Tel (021) 426-5566.

* Bombay Bicycle Club: wacky-looking inside and outside bohemian decor, also owned by Madame Zingara group.  Comfort food, inexpensive.  Kloof Str.  Tel (021) 423-6805. Monday – Saturday

*   Bacini’s Ristorante & Pizzeria:  Italian style restaurant. 177 Kloof Str. Tel (021) 423-6668.  Monday – Sunday 12h00 – 23h00.

*  Liquorice & Lime: Coffee shop, Breakfasts and light meals.  162 Kloof Str.  Tel (021) Monday – Friday 7h00 – 17h00, Saturday & Sunday, 7h00 – 17h00.

POSTSCRIPT 11/2: I discovered Myög today, at 103 Kloof Street.  A fresh-looking outlet serving only frozen yoghurt with fruit and other toppings.  The serving staff are French, and the person I spoke to is not allowed to divulge the name of the owner nor the supplier of their yoghurt, fruit or any other ingredients. What do they have to hide?  Tastes like Marcels.  No website yet, but on Facebook and Twitter (@Myog_SA).

POSTSCRIPT 11/2:  Driving down Kloof Street about a week ago, it was sad to see that so many restaurants on this list have closed down: Black Pearl, Buzz, St Elmo’s, Mason’s, Depasco (now Sabrina’s), and Tong Lok.  However, Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants, Mitico, and Knead have opened on the street.

POSTSCRIPT 18/2: Chez Chez closed its doors yesterday.

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

Restaurant Review: Café Paradiso re-awakened in its perfect setting!

Café Paradiso re-opened three weeks ago under the new hand of Richard Griffin, the fourth restaurant in his Cape Town collection, which now also incorporates the Bombay Bicycle Club, The Sidewalk Café, and Café Mozart.   We wrote recently about Griffin’s talent in turning around existing restaurants, and giving them his restaurant magic.

Café Paradiso has no apparent Griffin decor quirks to make it appear different or improved – it has the most beautiful landscape of all in its dramatic view onto Table Mountain from the outside terrace area, fully occupied last night with more patrons queuing for tables.   We were extremely grateful to Peta, the manager of Café Mozart, who happened to arrive at the same time as we did, and who helped to wave her magic wand to organise a table for us with Myra, the Spanish hostess.   And what a table it was outside.   The infamous Cape Town Southeaster was an angel, and stayed away, making it a magical evening.  Griffin has turned the previous smoking-area of the restaurant into the new kitchen, while the old kitchen at the back is a Madame Zingara test kitchen, bakery, an home-made pasta section, of which Angus is in charge, as well as a section in which butter is made.  Whilst I was wandering through inside the restaurant, the Executive Chef Heinrich came up to me to say hello (this is how friendly the staff are), and told me that he was the chef at the original Café Paradiso ten years ago.  He looked very happy to be back “home”.   So what has changed?  Not much, other than the kitchen changes – there seem to be more tables outside than I can recall.   The pin oaks in the courtyard have grown, offering excellent shade.  The lighting inside was far darker than I recall it.   Surprisingly, there was no music, a missing finishing touch, in my opinion.   I was bowled over when the hostess Myra welcomed me by name, remembering me from the Madame Zingara restaurant in Loop Street more than five years ago!

Our waiter John brought the jug of water, which looked extra refreshing with orange and lemon slices and ice, as well as the creamish A4 paper menu and winelist printed on reverse sides of the sheet.  The table cloth is a material one, and therefore the paper serviettes were a disappointment.  Olive oil and balsamic vinegar are from Olyfberg.  The restricted menu and winelist choice makes it easier to choose what to order.   The menu starts with “Beautiful Day” and ends with “Beautiful Night”, and states that “This store lovingly created by The Royal Countess Madame Zingara”, clearly a ‘promotion’ for the Madame!   John brought two beautiful slices of home-baked wholewheat seed-topped bread, and I was lucky enough to get the end crust.   The menu starts with the breakfast collection (served until a respectable midday), and as at Café Mozart, there are some quirky sounding items on the breakfast list, including scrambled egg with rosti, feta, avocado and tomato;  and French toast with grilled haloumi, basil pesto and tomato, both R45.   I’ll be back for the poached eggs with spinach, hollandaise sauce and smokehouse salmon (R55).  There is a choice of four sandwiches, and the young ones are not neglected, with chicken nuggets and lasagne, and “fish fingers royale”.  

Antipasti can be ordered, at R60 for one, or shared at R90 for two, either a meat/cheese one (proscuitto, coppa, salami felino, pecorino, bocconcini, with olives, caperberries and rocket) or a vegetarian one.  Starters include mussels, squid, haloumi, and black risotto with chorizo, none costing more than R50.  Salads (R45 – R60) sound unusual and interesting, the Greek salad being the only standard.   Eight pasta dishes are offered, in a range of R 50 – R65, even with a ‘Ravioli del giorno’, which was filled with wild mushrooms last night, sprinkled with olives, pinenuts, rocket, and parmesan shavings, and served with a tasty white wine sauce. There are only five main course choices: rack of veal stuffed with four cheeses at R145; an ‘organic sirloin’ at R135; “feathered steak” (as I understood it, parma ham is beaten onto the surface of the steak to make it as flat as a feather and then flash fried) at R90; linefish at R89; and a most generous charred lemon and rosemary chicken-half, served with a colourful collection of root vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and turnips (R85).   A range of familiar sweet treats, cakes, scones, muffins, ice creams, and desserts are offered, costing R25 – 45.  I couldn’t get John to get a frothy cappuccino from the kitchen, but it did come with a biscuit on the side, and the word ‘smile’ on the foam. The cappuccino seemed somewhat more expensive than the going rate, but this is a small price to pay for the excellent value for money of the rest of the meal.  

We were bad news for the sommelier Eron, in not ordering any wines, both being on medication.  He was not switched off, and treated us as long-term customers, and gave us some of his background.   I asked him to consider stating vintages of the wines on offer and the region from which they originate, as well as offering more wines-by-the-glass (there are only two white and two red, and one bubbly by the glass).  The housewine is called Paradise on the menu, costing R22/R85 for the red and the white, but when Eron brought a bottle to the table, it was a label-less bottle, with a neck label stating the name “Unbelievable”, the wines made especially for Café Paradiso by Mount Vernon in Klapmuts.   Fifteen red and white wines each are on offer, a mix of varieties, peaking in price at R175 for Jordan Chardonnay and R210 for Hartenberg “Cabernet”.   Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel costs R30/R155, Graham Beck Brut R185, and Moét & Chandon R650. 

Café Paradiso is a new affordable friendly ‘home from home’ at any time of the day and evening when one is in town, especially on a gorgeous wind-free Cape Town day.   I’ll be back.

Café Paradiso, 110 Kloof Street, Cape Town.   Tel (021) 423-8653.  www.cafeparadiso.co.za  (website goes to www.madamezingara.comsite, listing all the Griffin ventures, each with their own page – not containing much information, and with few photographs, but the menu and winelist are featured).   Monday – Saturday 8h00 – 22h00, Sunday 8h00 – 14h30.

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

Restaurant Review: Cafe Mozart is Cape cool!

I have the highest admiration for Richard Griffin, who must be one of the most creative restaurateurs in Cape Town as far as restaurant ‘theatre’ goes.  Café Mozart has been a Cape Town institution on Church Street, in the section that is a pedestrian mall between Long and Burg Streets, in the antique center of the city, and is one of the latest additions to the Griffin restaurant collection.   It is a friendly inexpensive pitstop for locals working close by and for shoppers, given the shortage of parking in the area.  Unfortunately, there is no Mozart at Café Mozart!

You cannot miss Griffin’s new improved Café Mozart when walking down the lane – it has a little wooden fence around the outside seating area, decorated with lots of plastic flowers, attracting one to the restaurant.   In a corner there are a number of wacky ‘cakes’ decorated in a floral hat theme.  Looking lost is a wire and beaded goat (I saw a similar one at The Sidewalk Café), which is the inspiration for a Facebook competition which Griffin is running across all his restaurants.  Black table cloths are covered with thick red velvet cloths and lace overlays.   Centre point is a wonderful tree giving shade to the restaurant area, making it perfectly cool for  a hot Cape summer’s day.  The restaurant interior is tiny, although there is an upstairs seating section.  The open-plan kitchen is visible as one enters the restaurant, the new counter having changed position since Griffin took over the restaurant in September.  In the window is a lovely display of cupcakes and other treats.  Plates decorate the walls of the interior.  Cutlery and paper serviettes are brought to the table in a mini-champagne bucket.  Beggars coming to the table is off-putting, and spoil the magic.

I drink a lot of water, and loved the water which was poured from a jug with lemon slices, mint and nectarines, a refreshing summer drink.  The wine list is short and sweet, with only 13 wines.  A Mozart House wine is inexpensive at R22/R90 for the white and red wines, vintage, variety and origin unspecified.  Jordan Chardonnay costs R165, De Grendel Rosé R22/R90, Simonsig Shiraz R105, and Warwick’s First Lady R135. 

The menu is dedicated to Griffin’s parents Jean and Malcolm Griffin.  It is an unassuming photocopied A4 page, cleverly folded to separate the food items from the beverages.  The menu introduces the restaurant as follows: “Nestled in the heart of the Cape Town CBD, Café Mozart is a renowned landmark which has been charming both locals and visitors alike for just under 30 years.  This beautiful historical building has been witness to the growth and evolution of the Mother City and has been home to many a business, including a locksmith in 1939, one of the first recorded enterprises on this site”.  

Breakfast is served until a generous midday, and eleven options are offered, from the predictable muesli, fruit and yoghurt (R30); French Toast (R32); and omelette (R35); to such unusual items as “Cumberland bangers, eggs, baked beans and toast (R35);  Eggs Royale with smoked salmon (R48); and The Full Mozart (R48).   Gourmet sandwiches are served on a choice of ciabatta, wholeseed molasses, and German rye, with a side salad.  They range from R35 for brie, to R45 for an interesting sounding Bobotie sandwich!  Plain “Toasted Governments” are available in nine variations, reasonably priced from R26 – R31, which includes a salad.  Salads can also be ordered from a “chef’s salad table” on weekdays, costing R40 per plateful.   Fifteen lunch dishes are offered, quite a mixed bunch including further salads (R35 – R45), mussels (45), Bobotie (R65), a Mozart Royale burger (R45), sirloin (R85), and a delicious Chicken Schnitzel, three pieces served with linguine are excellent value at R65.  

Peta Synn is the Manager, and has come a long way with Griffin, since 2006.  She is very friendly, and eager to help.   Griffin first attracted attention when he opened Madame Zingara in 2001, the first time a Cape Town restaurant had seen “foodtainment”, with belly dancers and jugglers wandering through the Loop Street restaurant.  An overnight fire in 2006 closed down the restaurant, but became the inspiration for the new Madame Zingara Theatre of Dreams, which Griffin set up underneath the highway outside the harbour, and put on the most amazing circus-type entertainment whilst serving hundreds of patrons in the middle of nowhere.  It became the talk of the town, and of the country, to such an extent that a backer attracted him to open in London, unfortunately just as the recession started biting, and the backer withdrew, leaving Griffin and his team high and dry, forcing him to close both the London and the local operation two years ago.   A Cape Town backer couple supported him to get him back onto his feet, to help him reappear on the restaurant scene with the opening of the Bombay Bicycle Club, at the top of Kloof Street.  Then came The Sidewalk Café in Vredehoek, Café Mozart, and his most recent conquest is Café Paradiso on Kloof Street, which has just re-opened under his direction.   Alongside this, he resurrected Madame Zingara earlier this year, this time located at Century City, and now touring the country.

Café Mozart is hard to get to if one is reliant on parking close by, but if one is in town, it is well worth making a stop, sitting under the Café Mozart tree to catch some Cape cool, whilst watching the hustle and bustle of the city pass by. 

Café Mozart,  37 Church Street, Cape Town.  Tel (021) 424-3774. www.themozart.co.za.  Monday – Friday 7h00 – 17h00, Saturday 8h00 – 15h00. 

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