Every winter is a tough time for the restaurant industry. With the dip in Tourism due to the water shortage, and the early and continued winter rains, the restaurants in Cape Town and the Winelands have felt the pinch, and many have closed down. We have experienced our first Summer weekend in the Cape, and more tourists can be seen and heard in our city. Will this mean a welcome boost for the restaurant trade? The new Cowboys & Cooks restaurant group is super optimistic, and plans to open more than twenty restaurants in the Cape Town area.
Chef Richard Carstens has left Tokara Restaurant, after an eight year tenure, one of our most creative and hard-working chefs, in researching and implementing international food trends. Chef Richard has not yet announced his future plans, but initially is taking a break. Continue reading →
It was at a dinner with Katie Friedman of Urban Lime that I heard about the opening of Victoire, a French Boulangerie, Pâtisserie, and Bistro in the newly redeveloped Speakers’ Corner building on Church Square in Cape Town. I attended the opening, as well as had breakfast at Victoire the following day. 
Every winter is a tough time for the restaurant industry. With the dip in Tourism due to the water shortage, and the early heavy winter rains, the restaurants in Cape Town and the Winelands are feeling the pinch, and many have closed down, even some on the iconic restaurant Bree Street, as well as in the Waterfront! 
New restaurant openings in Cape Town and the Winelands appear to still be on the slow side. Chef Oliver Cattermole’s Bovine Restaurant has opened. Chef Piet Huysentruyt of one Michelin Star Likoké restaurant in France has a pop-up at The Conservatory in Franschhoek, running until 15 March. Top chefs John van Zyl and Constantijn Hahndiek have left Thali and Hartford House, respectively.