Tag Archives: Dear Me

Leopard’s Leap and Liam Tomlin Food leap onto Franschhoek culinary scene!

I was very impressed with the new state-of-the-art Leopard’s Leap Tasting Room and Liam Tomlin Culinary Studio and Culinary Store in Franschhoek, which opened yesterday with a demonstration to 80 chefs by Wild Peacock Pastry Chef Vanessa Quellec of Valrhona chocolates, and opens officially on Saturday.

Liam Tomlin is an international chef, and opened the Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School in Cape Town two years ago. He has created a joint venture, Liam Tomlin Food, with Hein and Hanlie (Rupert) Koegelenberg, and Hanlie’s daughter Berdine Neethling, who is the Project Manager.   The venue will be shared with Leopard’s Leap wines, which has a central winetasting station, a dedicated group winetasting room, as well as a Boardroom and offices.  The building impresses with lots of woodwork on the exterior, which is carried through into the interior.  One walks in (carefully) through a glass floor over water, into an open plan space, starting with the Boardroom, and then the Lounge/Library decorated in the Leopard’s Leap colours of black, red and gold. The Lounge will have information about the Cape Leopard Trust projected onto one of the walls. Then comes the large interestingly-shaped winetasting desk, with contrasting white and natural wood, followed by a generous space for more than 50 chairs for cooking demonstrations, some chairs set up cinema style, and some around tables. Two large-screen TV’s project what is happening on the food preparation counter. Behind the demonstration counter is the shiny stainless steel kitchen, with 6 work stations for 4 persons each. The idea is for Liam Tomlin Food to get into culinary tourism, hosting cooking workshops on specific culinary themes.  Along the side is a group winetasting room, a wine storage area, and the Culinary Store, all with glass walls.  The shop will contain a selection of top quality products for chefs and food-lovers to buy, as well as produce from the Winelands, such as cheeses, charcuterie, mushrooms, and fresh herbs and vegetables.

The emphasis is on education in the building, and hence the tables have meat cut diagrams on them. I loved the whisk lamps in the demonstration seating area, and in the wallpaper in the shop. Whisks are very in all of a sudden, the ‘i’ in The Kitchen logo at Maison across the road being a whisk too!  The building was designed by Makeka Design Lab, and the interior decor was designed by Christo Barnard, who also designed the stylish Pierneef à La Motte.  A herb and vegetable garden will be planted alongside the building. Picnics will be introduced next summer.

The inaugural function was to celebrate the appointment of Vanessa Quellec as Pastry Chef at Wild Peacock, a ‘dream job’ she said, her sole focus being to promote Valrhona chocolate and to assist chefs in making the best of this delectable French chocolate.  I first got to know Chef Vanessa at Caffe Milano, and she only used Valrhona in her baking.  She left the restaurant earlier this year, and went to Valrhona’s training school in Paris, as well as its head office in the Rhone valley, where the chocolate is hand-made by locals, using the best cocoa beans sourced from around the world. Relationship-building is important to Valrhona, and Chef Vanessa is an excellent ambassador for its products, if the amazing turn-out of chefs from more than fifty restaurants, such as The Tasting Room (including Chef Margot Janse), Delaire Graff (with Chefs Christiaan Campbell and Jonathan Heath), The Mount Nelson, The Roundhouse, Bushman’s Kloof, Dear Me, and Aubergine is anything to go by.  Attendees were welcomed by Charlotte Codron from Valrhona in France, telling us that the company was established in 1922.  Its Ecole du Grand Chocolat provides a training facility for top pastry chefs around the world.  Eleven Valrhona couvertures are available locally, ranging from 85% dark chocolate to 34% milk chocolate.  Chef Vanessa demonstrated the making of a truly African dessert, which consisted of cocoa almond streussel, Valrhona Nyangbo (made from cocoa beans from Ghana) 68% cremeux, pink grapefruit sauce and segments, Rooibos infused ice cream, Valrhona Ivoire tempered chocolate shards containing rooibos tea, as well as Valrhona Nyangbo 68% chocolate shards.  Each attendee was served the dessert at the end of the demonstration, which I chose to have with a LavAzza cappuccino, available from the winetasting station, as an alternative to Leopard’s Leap’s wines.

Valrhona is imported from France by Wild Peacock, and will be for sale at Liam Tomlin Food Culinary Store, from its Deli in Stellenbosch, as well as on order.  I have only got to know Sue Baker more recently, seeing each other at many functions.  She told me that she was once a nursery school teacher, and found an opportunity to sell oysters from Knysna to leading restaurants in 1992.  Over time the chefs requested more and more lines from her, and she started sourcing foie gras, duck, mussels, free-range chicken, porcini mushrooms, French cheeses, and many more products.  Now she sources mussels and oysters from the West Coast. Her son Ross is responsible for adding more product lines and attracting new clients, while daughter Sarah, previously Manager of Rust en Vrede restaurant, runs the Food Emporium.  Husband Andrew is MD of Wineworks, handling the local distribution of eighteen wines, such as Warwick, Muratie, Veenwouden, and Etienne le Riche wines.  The Wild Peacock Food Emporium has just started a wine section.

The new Leopards’ Leap venue will help to regain Franschhoek’s gourmet reputation, with this new state-of-the-art Liam Tomlin Food Culinary Studio and Culinary Store, as well as Leopards’ Leap winetasting centre. The wine brand is a very successful one, making significant inroads into the Chinese market, thanks to the passion of Hein Koegelenberg.

POSTSCRIPT 3/12: Leopard’s Leap and Liam Tomlin Food have delayed the opening to Tuesday 6 December.

POSTSCRIPT 9/12:  I popped in at Leopard’s Leap today, where great strides have been made with the landscaping as well as building interior. Inge helped me to photograph the building interior from the upstairs offices.   Liam Tomlin showed me his completed cooking stations in the kitchen.  Next week the produce is expected to be sold in the Liam Tomlin Food Store.  The Leopard’s Leap branding has been erected on the wall facing the R45.

POSTSCRIPT 28/12: A leopard sculpture has recently been erected at Leopard’s Leap, made by artist Marco Cianfanelli.

POSTSCRIPT 17/2:  I attended the official opening of Leopard’s Leap Winery and Liam Tomlim Food last night, an amazing event attended by 300 guests, including Premier Helen Zille and Ex-President FW de Klerk.

Leopard’s Leap and Liam Tomlin Food Culinary Studio and Culinary Store, R45, Franschhoek.  Tel (021) 876-8822.   www.leopards-leap.com www.liamtomlinfood.com Tuesday – Saturday, 9h00 – 17h00.

Wild Peacock Products and Food Emporium, 32 Piet Retief Str , Stellenbosch.  Tel (021) 801-3663.  Tel (021) 082 923 1582 (Ross Baker) 082 088 1629 (Vanessa Quellec). www.wildpeacock.co.za www.valrhona.com.  Food Emporium Monday – Sunday.

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

Pendock Fleur du Cap ‘top’ Cape Town Restaurants PR paradox: knocks food writers and bloggers!

Neil Pendock, writing on his blog yesterday, knocked bloggers and food writers by applauding their absence at the inaugural Fleur du Cap 100 Places to Eat Cape Town 2011: “What made the awards cocktail party unusual was that the usual cast of thousands – journos, hacks, bloggers, twits and hangers on – was conspicuous by its absence..” Yet the ‘Awards’ were organised by ‘little Irish devil‘ (his words) blogger Clare (‘Mack’) McKeon-McLoughlin!  How embarassing for sponsor Fleur du Cap, wishing to gain support from the media and bloggers for its brands, given that Pendock no doubt had an organising hand in the ‘Awards’!

Neil Pendock can be a really nice guy, as I experienced at the Compass Box Whisky Co tasting and blending afternoon a week ago.  But he has a nasty side too, as poor Su Birch of WOSA well knows, being the target of regular attacks in his Pendock Uncorked Sunday Times blog.   We can attest to his fierce loyalty to McKeon-McLoughlin, as he has blocked us on Twitter, due to our criticism of Cape Town Tourism’s involvement in his and McKeon-McLoughlin’s organisation of the frivolous ‘100 Women 100 Wines’ in August.

Now poor Abigail Donnelly is the next target, being the sole judge and editor of the Eat Out DStv Food Network Top 10 Restaurant Awards for the first time.  This year the judging committee of Pete Goffe-Wood, Anna Trapido and Arnold Tanzer, who received a substantial remuneration, it is said, fell away, and whilst there has been some muttering about this, I have not heard any chef denigrate Mrs Donnelly because of the organisational change. The Top 20 Eat Out finalist list has been announced, and the only rumblings about it is that Rust en Vrede is not on the list, having been the winning restaurant on the Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant list last year, but its Chef David Higgs left mid-year, and that Chef Henrico Grobbelaar has not been at Azure Restaurant of the Twelve Apostles Hotel for a full twelve months, which is what the Eat Out rules dictate.

On Sunday McKeon-McLoughlin had invited some of the Fleur du Cap ‘Top 100’ restaurants and announced the following (alphabetically listed) restaurants to be the Top 10 Restaurants in Cape Town, out of an initial list of 100:

95 Keerom – Giorgio Nava.

Aubergine – Harald Bresselschmidt

Bizerca – Laurent Deslandes

Dear Me – Vanessa Marx

The Foodbarn – Franck Dangereux

The Greenhouse – Peter Templehoff

Hemelhuijs – Jacques Erasmus

Planet Restaurant at the Mount Nelson – Rudi Liebenberg

Societi Bistro – Stefan Marais

The Test Kitchen – Luke Dale Roberts

If one compares the list to the Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Top 20 Finalist list, Azure at the Twelve Apostles Hotel, The Round House, and Nobu at the One&Only Cape Town are obvious exclusions, while The Test Kitchen, The Greenhouse, and Planet Restaurant also feature on the Eat Out Top 20 list.  What makes the list above lose all credibility is the inclusion of Societi Bistro – whilst very popular amongst bloggers, who are regularly invited for lunch or dinner, and appears to be the McKeon-McLoughlin’s permanent dining room, it certainly does not feature on anyone’s top restaurant list for Cape Town!  Amusing is that Aubergine fell off the Eat Out Top 20 Finalist list, whilst having been an Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant last year, and appears on the above list!  A number of restaurant lovers queried its Eat Out inclusion last year.   Hemelhuijs and Dear Me Foodworld are great lunch venues, but only open in the evening once a week, and therefore are not in the same league as the other restaurants on the list, which serve lunch and dinner.

Ironic too is that Cape Town has lost its reputation as a top restaurant city, this accolade now having moved to the Winelands, Stellenbosch in particular, and therefore a list focusing on Cape Town only is like only handing out a second prize!   Pendock writes about the judges Bianca Coleman, Jos Baker and Anna Trapido that they are the ‘biggest culinary cannons’, an extreme exaggeration!  Trapido lives in Johannesburg, and hardly would have been able to judge all 100 Cape Town restaurants, especially given the short time between conceptualisation and execution of the Fleur du Cap Restaurant list.

A request sent to Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly for a list of the finalists in the new categories of the Eat Out Awards has surprisingly been declined, even though some restaurants on the list are ‘bragging’ about their inclusion.  All eyes will be on Eat Out and Abigail Donnelly on 20 November, when the country’s Eat Out Top 10 Restaurants will be announced, in ranked order!

POSTSCRIPT 8/11: Interestingly, the Fleur du Cap website has no reference to the Top 100 Cape Town Restaurants list, nor to the Top 10 Cape Town Restaurants.  The media release issued by the Fleur du Cap PR consultancy GC Communications oddly does not provide any quotes by nor contact details for the Fleur du Cap Brand Manager Danelle Kietzmann!

POSTSCRIPT 8/11: This evening I chatted to Jos Baker, one of the four judges of the Fleur du Cap Top 100 and Top 10 Places to Eat Cape Town 2011, at the Platter’s launch.  I asked what the criteria for inclusion were, and she said it was to find restaurants that would ‘not be intimidating‘, ranging from the top-end to the ‘hole-in-the-wall’, to give a good spread!  She told me that most of the judges’ deliberations were done via e-mail.  When I asked her about Eat Out having one judge only, she said ‘no comment’.  When I asked her if further regional lists would be published, she gave me a look that confirmed this, without answering directly.

POSTSCRIPT 9/11:  One would have thought that the Mount Nelson Hotel’s marketing department would have known better than to have described their inclusion in the Fleur du Cap Top 10 Places to eat list as ‘a most sought after achievement’ in their November newsletter today!

POSTSCRIPT 10/11:  Food24 has included a link to this blogpost in its newsletter today.

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

Summer Cape Town and Winelands Restaurant Specials

We are delighted that many restaurants in Cape Town and the Winelands have seen the benefit of offering specials, and are continuing to do so.  The Spring/Summer 2011/2012 specials for Cape Town and Winelands restaurants follow below, and will be updated continuously:

*   Pure at Hout Bay Manor: 3-course dinner for R 220. Summer. Tel (021) 790-0116.

*   Pepenero in Mouille Point : sirloin and chips R79, seafood platter R 129, 1 kg prawn platter R99, oysters R9 each, sushi platter R109.  Half price sushi all day.  Indefinite. Tel (021) 439-9027

*   Sinn’s Restaurant at Wembley Square:  Lunch (6 options) at R50.  3-course dinner with glass of wine R150.  Summer. Tel (021) 465-0967

*   Theo’s on Beach Road, Mouille Point: Oysters R 8 each, 15 prawns R99, line fish R99, 250 gm Sirloin steak. Kingklip and 6 prawns R125.  250g Sirloin steak and 6 prawns R125. 250g Lobster and 6 prawns R159. Summer. Tel (021) 439-3494.

*   Sevruga in the V&A Waterfront: half price sushi Monday – Saturday 12 – 6 pm; 25 % off sushi Sunday 12 – 2pm, 50 % off Sunday 2 – 6 pm, 3-course menu R160, daily, lunch and dinner; 2-course lunch R120. Summer. Tel (021) 421-5134

*   Beluga, The Foundry, Green Point: 1 kg Prawns R130, 50 % off sushi and cocktails all day Sunday, and from 12h00 – 19h00 weekdays. 2-course lunch R120; 3-course lunch and dinner R160.  Summer. Tel (021) 418-2948.

*   La Mouette, Regent Road, Sea Point : 6-course Tasting Menu R 165, with wines paired R 330. Monday – Sunday dinner, Friday and Saturday lunch.  April. Tel (021) 433-0856

*   Bertha’s in Simonstown: 1 kg Queen prawns cost R99 each, 1kg mussels R99, 1 kg chicken wings R99, full rack of ribs plus chips R99.  Half rack of ribs R59. Summer. Tel (021) 786-2138

*   Aubergine:  2-course lunch R198,  3-course lunch R254, Wednesdays – Fridays.  Monday – Saturdays except public holidays. Daily dinner specials. 3-course R375, 4-course R455, 5-course R565 degustation menu. Summer. Tel (021) 465-4909

*   Ferryman’s Tavern, V&A Waterfront: Buffet plus Castle draught weekday lunch, R65. Sunday roast R 55 Indefinite.  Tel (021) 419-7748

*   Hildebrand: 2 courses R99, 3 courses R130 if eat before 19h00;  Summer. Tel (021) 425-3385

*   Leaf Restaurant and Bar: 50 % off sushi all day, Dimsum 30 % off, Burgers R50 – R65.  Summer. Tel (021) 418-4500

*   Blowfish in Blouberg: half-price sushi Wednesday 5 – 8 pm; Eat all you can sushi Sunday 5-10 pm R149.  Summer. Tel (021) 556-5464

*   Vanilla, Cape Quarter:  Half price sushi 12h00 – 17h00 Daily. Summer. Tel (021) 421-1391

*   Knife restaurant, Century City:  Bagel R35; Salad R45; Rib, meatball, chicken wing and chip platter R60, all specials include a beer/glass of wine/colddrink and coffee.  Lunch special, 12h00 – 15h00, Mondays – Fridays. Indefinite. Tel (021) 551-5000

*   Saul’s Sushi @ Vegas, Sea Point: Eat as much sushi as you like for R115 Mondays and Tuesdays, 30 piece sushi platter R50 – Wednesdays and Thursdays; two for the price of one – Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Indefinite. Tel 087 151 4595

*   Trees Restaurant, Townhouse Hotel, Cape Town:  2 courses R 95, 3 courses R 130. Indefinite. Tel (021) 465-7050

*   Down South Food Bar, 267 Long Street:  Platter of ribs, chicken wings, prawns, chips, corn, sauce for R190 for two persons. Indefinite. Tel (021) 422-1155.

*  Cape Town Fish Market, V&A:  “All you can eat Breakfast Buffet” R 60, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays; Seafood lunch buffet R125, Sundays and public holidays. Indefinite. Tel (021) 418-5977

*   Trinity, Bennett Street:  All you can eat rib R99 Mondays ; 2 Pizzas and 2 glasses of wine R99 Monday – Thursday from 12 pm;  I/2 price sushi, cocktails and tapas Monday – Thursday 16h00 – 22h00. Summer. Tel (021) 418-0624

*   French Toast, Bree Street: Bruschetta tapas free  Monday – Saturdays, 5 – 7 pm.  All wines costing R 400 or less half price on Mondays.  2-course lunch consisting of soup and choice of two tapas plus glass of wine or cup of coffee R89, Monday – Friday 12h00 – 16h00.  Summer. Tel (021) 422-3839.

* The Square, Vineyard Hotel, Newlands:  5 courses paired menu R 195.  Dinner only, Monday – Sunday.  Summer. Tel ()21) 657-4500

*   Dunes, Hout Bay : Sunday buffet with smoked salmon, oysters and cooked breakfast R100. Summer. Tel (021) 790-1876

*   Arnold’s on Kloof, 60 Kloof Street, Gardens:  Early bird breakfast half-price special if order before 7h00. Gemsbok Wellington R115, Vegetable stack Napoleon R68, Summer salad R55, Chicken schnitzel R69, Seafood platter R150, Crocodile loin R159.  Tel (021) 424-4344.  Summer.

*   Five Flies, 2-course meal plus glass of wine R100, book on website www.fiveflies.co.za.  Current. Tel (021) 424-4442

*   Balducci’s, V&A Waterfront: Alfresco Lunch specials – soup and salad R89, fish R89, calamari R89, seafood platter for two R245, Steak Roll and chips R85, Steak and chips R99, Burgers R55 – R75, Glass of wine R27, bottle of wine R99, open sandwiches R64 – R86.  Daily 12h00 – 16h00. Summer. Tel (021) 421-6002

*  Codfather, Camps Bay:  half-price sushi 12h00 – 18h00, daily.  Indefinite. Tel (021) 438-0782

*   Black Marlin, Simonstown:  2-course meal R115, 3-course R140 includes glass of wine. Indefinite. Tel (021) 786-1621

*   Cape Town Fish Market, Big Bay, V&A Waterfront, Canal Walk, Tyger Valley, Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Tokai, Grand West Casino: “All you can eat Breakfast Buffet” R60, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; 4-course Seafood buffet lunch R125, Sundays and public holidays.  Buy one, get one free – hake on Mondays, sushi on Tuesdays, calamari on Wednesdays.  Indefinite. Tel (021) 554-5962.

*   La Bruixa, Sea Point:  Seafood paella for two for R260, includes a salad.  Summer. Tel (021) 434-8797

*   La Boheme, Sea Point:   2-courses R95, 3-courses R 120.  Summer. Tel (021) 434-8797.

*   The Round House, Camps Bay: 4-course a la carte menu R450, 7-course set tasting menu R595. Summer. Tel (021) 438-4347

*   Planet Restaurant,  Mount Nelson Hotel:  6-course Vegan Journey menu R300 (R380 from 15/9), 4-course The Journey menu R220 (R255 from 15/9 – 15/11), 6-course The Journey menu R380. Summer. Tel (021) 483-1000.

*   Café Manhattan, 74 Waterkant Street: Burger and a glass of wine R45.  Indefinite. Tel (021) 421-6666

*   Pepper Club on the Beach, Camps Bay: 6 oysters plus bubbly R 110, Shrimp cocktail and Avo Ritz R55, Prawn platter R 125, Grilled Portuguese sardines R45, Smoked salmon trout and asparagus R85, East Coast sole R110, Lamb rib R95, Rib-eye steak R115. Summer. Tel (021) 438-3174

*   Savour Restaurant, Sunday Lunch Buffet plus ‘never-ending supply of Methodé Cap Classique’ R265. Summer. Tel (021) 469-8037

*   La Colombe, Constantia: 6-courses R 600, or with wine R800, Monday – Saturday, Summer. Tel (021) 794-2390

*   Catharina’s, Steenberg Hotel: 2-course lunch R185, 3-course lunch R215, 3-course dinner R250.  Summer.  Tel (021) 713-2222

*   Constantia Uitsig: 3-course lunch and dinner R390, Monday – Saturday. Summer. Tel (021) 794-4480

*   Rick’s Café Américain, Park Road: 1/2 litre Paulaner, Erdinger and Valentins beer R 32, 5 – 7 pm; Lunch specials from R45; and more specials on drinks. Indefinite.  Tel (021) 424-1100

*   Barocca, Camps Bay Club: 2 for the price of one burgers Tuesday evenings; Pasta and a glass of wine R50 Thursday evenings.  From 5 pm. Indefinite. Tel (021) 438-1992

*   Seaforth Restaurant, Simonstown: Deep fried prawns R90 Tuesdays; hake and chips R38 Wednesdays; Eat as much calamari as you like R49 Thursdays; Steak and calamari R78 Fridays; Eat as much as you like pork spare ribs R88 Saturdays. From 6 pm. Indefinite. Tel (021) 786-4810

*   Pizzeria Villagio, Howard Centre, Pinelands: Free glass of Teddy Hall wine with home-made pasta on Tuesdays.  Indefinite. Tel (021) 531-4473.

*   Adega, Sea Point: 1kg King Prawns R119. Indefinite. Tel (021) 434-3029

*   Addis in Cape Ethiopian Restaurant, 41 Church Street: 2-course set menu R130.  Tel (021) 424-5722.  Indefinite.

*   Azure Restaurant, Twelve Apostles Hotel, Camps Bay (photograph above): 5-courses R315 includes movie and popcorn, Summer. Tel (021) 437-9000

*   Diva Pizza, Buitenkant Street: 2 large margherita pizzas with choice of two toppings R85.  Indefinite. Tel (021) 461-0013

*   Tokyo Restaurant & Sushi Bar: Buy one get one free daily until 5pm; Sushi Buffet Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday evenings R110.  Indefinite. Tel (021) 424-5108.

*   OYO, V&A Hotel, Waterfront: Crayfish Special, 500 g R195. Summer. Tel (021) 419-6677.

**   BlueFin Seafood & Sushi, Plattekloof: 50 % off sushi 10h00 – 15h00; ‘Eat as much a you like’ Sushi R129; Monday – Sunday. Tel (021) 558-4281

*   Rhapsody’s, Green Point: 50 % off sushi daily from 12h00 – 18h00. Summer. Tel (021) 434-3004

*   Reuben’s, One&Only Cape Town, V&A Waterfront: One&Only Seafood Platter for Two R 995. Summer. Tel (021) 431-5888

*   Bayside Café, Camps Bay:  Order two main courses, and second person gets lower priced dish free, senior citizens only.  Until 30 April. Tel (021) 438-2560.

*   Café Chameleon, Plattekloof: Beer-battered hake and calamari with a glass of wine/beer/juice R69.  Until 31 March.  Monday – Friday lunch special of small pizza R 45.  Monday and Saturday dinner large pizza special R55.  Ongoing. Tel (021) 911-1025

*   Taiwan City Chinese Cuisine, Century City: 3 courses for 2 persons for R175. Until 30 June. Tel (021) 555-3081

*   Myoga, Vineyard Hotel, Newlands: 7-course dinner R 225. Until April.  Tel (021) 657-4545.

*   Zorba’s, Lagoon Beach: Seafood and meat platter for 2 R220.  Lunch and dinner daily (not valid Saturday lunch). Tel (021) 528-2093

*   Saints on 84 Kloof Street: Bottomless sodas with every meal; 2 flatbreads for price of one on Mondays; 2 burgers for the price of one on Thursday evenings; Craft beer on tap R20 for a pint. Current. Tel (021) 424-0030

*   Den Anker, V&A Waterfront: Vol au vent  with Vedett white beer R 85.  Until October. Tel (021) 419-0249

* F.east, Loop Street: chicken or vegetable curry lunch special R59. Current. Tel (021) 424-5903.

*   Sinatra’s at The Pepper Club Hotel has a business lunch special of R50 for a meal ordered, served and eaten in 50 minutes, or you get your money back. Monday – Friday. Current. Tel (021) 812-8888.

WINELANDS

Franschhoek

*   Allee Bleue, outside Franschhoek: choice of three 250g steaks at R115, including a glass of estate wine, current. Lunch, Wednesday – Sunday. Chicnic picnics daily (weather depending), R145 per person. Summer Tel (021) 874-1021

*   Allora in Franschhoek: 3-course Sunday lunch R99 all year. Daily lunch specials Monday – Saturday under R100. Until end April. Tel (021) 876-4375.

*   L’ermitage, Franschhoek: 3-courses R185 and a glass of wine. Lunch. Summer. Tel (021) 876-9200

*   Grande Provence Jonkershuis, Franschhoek: 4-course lunch and dinner chef’s table, minimum 8 guests, R 320.  Monday – Saturday dinner, Monday – Sunday lunch. Summer. Tel (021) 876-8600

*   Monneaux Restaurant, Franschhoek Country House:  3-course tasting menu Lunch with wine R 200, Monday – Sunday.  Summer. Tel (021) 876-3386

*   Mange Tout, Mont Rochelle Hotel, Franschhoek: 2-courses R230, 3-courses R280. Summer. Tel (021) 876-3000.

*   La Residence, Franschhoek: 2 courses R 380, 3 courses R 490, 4 courses R 600 per person, all inclusive of ‘house wines’ and local beverages. Dinner.  Daily.  Summer.  Tel (021) 876-4100

* Grande Provence, Franschhoek: Chef’s Table, 3-course meal for a minimum of eight guests, R 250 per person. 1 May – 30 September.  Tel (021) 876-8600.

Paarl

*   Bosman’s, Grande Roche, Paarl: 2-courses R120, 3-courses R155.  Monday – Sunday lunch.  Until April . Tel (021) 863-5100.

Stellenbosch

*   Towerbosch Restaurant, Knorhoek Wine Estate, Stellenbosch:  Asado Argentian-style braai on Sundays R165. Indefinite. Tel (021) 865-2958

*   Tokara Restaurant, Stellenbosch: Chef’s Menu – 8 courses, inclusive of amuse bouche and palate cleanser R 450.  Summer. Tuesday – Sunday lunch, Tuesday – Saturday dinner. Tel (021) 885-2550

*   Wild Peacock Food Emporium, 32 Piet Retief Str, Stellenbosch: Specials as per menu, dinner   Wednesday and Friday evenings. Indefinite. Tel (021) 887-7585

*   Johan’s at Longridge, Stellenbosch: 6-course lunch and dinner plus 6 glasses of wine R 400. Friday – Tuesday (closed Wednesdays and Thursdays). Summer. Tel (021) 855-2004.

*   Clos Malverne, Stellenbosch: 60 Minute Business Lunch, R58 – R108. Tuesday – Friday. Tel (021) 865-2022

*   Lord Neethling Restaurant, Neethlingshof, Stellenbosch:  choice of 6 main courses R115, Sunday buffet lunch R150.  Tel (021) 883-8966.

Hermanus

*   Season in Hermanus: Pork roast R66, 3-courses R 125 Sunday lunch; Hake and calamari platter R55, Thursday lunch and dinner. Summer. Tel (028) 316-2854

*   The Class Room, Hermanus: 3-course Sunday lunch R130. 6-course dinner R150 Wednesday – Saturday evenings.  April. Tel (028) 316-3582

*   Rossi’s Italian Restaurant, Hermanus: Small Pizza R38/R45, Lunch Mondays – Thursdays; Indefinite. Tel (028) 312-2848

*   Grilleri, Hermanus : Decreased prices, Tuesday – Sunday evenings, Sunday lunch. Summer. Tel (028) 313-1685

Plettenberg Bay

*   Nguni: Friday night special R50.  Tel (044) 533-6710

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

Copyright: Whale Cottage Portfolio

Condé Nast Traveller guides tourists to Cape Town, with glaring errors!

A ‘Cape Town’ Google Alert two days ago alerted me to an(undated) Condé Nast Traveller  ‘Guide To Cape Town’, a twelve page listing of accommodation and restaurant recommendations, as well as containing suggestions for shopping, what to do, and what to see in Cape Town.  While all publicity is good for our city, it is interesting to read one of the world’s most highly regarded travel magazine’s tourist suggestions, and to note how out of date the guide is, and what blatant errors it contains.  One would have thought that Cape Town Tourism would work with the publisher of such a Guide, to check the accuracy of the content before it is published!

The introduction to the Guide is short and sweet: “With the striking Table Mountain as a backdrop, beautiful beaches and a relaxed and cosmopolitan atmosphere, it is no wonder Cape Town is attracting more visitors than ever.  Fortunately, there are enough stylish and affordable places for every visitor to stay in, ranging from chic boutique hotels in the city centre to out-of-town mansion houses.  The city also boasts historical buildings, interesting museums, shopping malls, restaurants, jazz cafés, theatres and nightclubs. On top of this, there are excellent surfing beaches and charming vineyards along the pristine coastline, and the spectacular Cape of Good Hope 70 km south of the city”.  Two observations: This description of Cape Town says “beauty”, long the positioning for Cape Town, but one that Cape Town Tourism has thrown away for the city, now focusing on ‘Inspiration’ for the city!  Second, the first glaring error is made, in writing about the inaccurate distance of the Cape of Good Hope from the city! 

*  Accommodation establishments are recommended across various price levels, denoted with £ symbols, up to 5 for the most expensive.  Interestingly Newmark Hotels’ Dock House, the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, and the One&Only Cape Town are denoted at £££££, but the exact rate range is not defined.  However, Dock House dropped its rates by about 28 % recently, which is not reflected.  The Cape Grace Hotel was the city’s second most expensive hotel in the Cape Town hotel rate survey  we conducted earlier this month, but was given a ££££ rate rating by Condé Nast Traveller, as are No 7 Glen Beach, and the Table Bay Hotel.  Even more oddly, Ellerman House was the most expensive hotel in our survey, yet is indicated at only a £££ rate level, together with Ezard House, The Mount Nelson, the Grand Daddy (clearly not in the same price league), the Twelve Apostles Hotel, and POD in Camps Bay.  The Cellars-Hohenhort Hotel is rated at a ££ rate, odd for this very upmarket 5-star hotel, with the Hout Bay Manor, and the Bishop’s Court.  The most affordable rate recommendations are Head South Lodge, Hemingway House, Ikhaya Guest Lodge, Kensington Place, La Splendida, Les Cascades de Bantry Bay, Rosedene Lodge, The Walden House, and Welgelegen Guest House, with vastly varying rates in this most ‘affordable’ category.  We miss the über-trendy new Queen Victoria Hotel in this list. No ‘World Cup hotels’ are listed at all.

*   Restaurant recommendations are even more interesting, being Beluga, Blues (‘one of Cape Town’s best-known eateries’, says the Guide!), The Codfather, La Colombe (‘considered by many to be South Africa’s finest‘), Den Anker, Haiku, Giovanni’s Deli, La Perla, Mano’s, Noon Gun Tea Room & Restaurant, and Tokara (‘lots of springbok and ostrich, but also pasta and seafood’, probably describing the Tokara under the chefmanship of Etienne Bonthuys, who left almost a year ago.  Also, the restaurant is not in Cape Town!).  The list seems old as well as old-fashioned, and does not capture the exciting new city restaurant openings such as The Test Kitchen, Dash, Hemelhuijs, Caffe Milano, What’s On Eatery, La Mouette, and Dear Me, and clearly is dated, based on the Tokara description.  Some of the restaurant recommendations included in the list are odd!

*   Nightlife recommendations are Marco’s African Place (for its jazz, and ‘indigenous and international cuisine with a smile’), and Marimba’s Cigar Bar in the Convention Centre.

*   Recommended attractions to see are Robben Island, the Two Oceans Aquarium, and Jazz at the Winchester Mansions, the latter hardly being a tourist attraction!

*   Recommended things to do are Camps Bay beach (except when the south-easter blows, the Guide qualifies), Clifton, walking, the City Bowl (‘a 15-minute drive from Cape Town city centre’!), Fourth Beach (mentioned again, even though mentioned under ‘Clifton’ already), Green Point, and Sea Point. Oddly, there is no mention of going to Cape Point or up Table Mountain, or even to Signal Hill, nor take the popular Hop On Hop Off bus!

*  Shopping recommendations are Belafonte (men’s clothing), Billie Boutique, African Image, Okha, The Plush Bazaar, Dolce and Banana, Olga Jewellery Design Studio, Peter Gilder, Greenmarket Square, the Waterfront Craft Market, and the ‘Victoria & Albert (sic) Waterfront’ (after 20 years of being in existence, this error is unforgivable)!   One wonders if the outlets mentioned are Cape Town’s finest.  A pity is that none of the lovely design outlets on the Cape Town Design Route are mentioned. 

*  In the section of how to get to Cape Town, the Guide does not even get the name of Cape Town Tourism correct, calling it ‘Tourism Cape Town’, on the basis of its web address!  It encourages visitors to visit the Pinnacle Building and other branches.  We urge Cape Town Tourism to provide correct details of its name to Condé Nast Traveller!  The Guide adds in this section: “avoid the tourist influx during December and January, when accommodation is expensive and hard to find, and stay clear of the gales from September – November”!  This is a very scary sentence, and is enough to wipe out the mainstay of the Cape Town international tourist support, with the inaccurate information about the ‘tourist influx’ (a window of 26 December – 3 January only), and the description of the south-easter is exaggerated and the time period mentioned not accurate!

*  A gross error in the Travel Information section is the reference to the languages ‘most commonly spoken’ in Cape Town are English, Afrikaans, Sesotho (!), isiXhosa and isiZulu(!).  It also lists Ascension Day as a public holiday (long been abolished).  Food that is popular is described as meat, especially sosaties (incorrectly described as ‘curried lamb chops’), ‘boerwors sausage’ (sic), and cuts of ‘springbok, kudu, bush-pig and eland cooked over wood coals’, a joke!  Fish, especially crayfish, is also on the menu, and ‘South Africa produces excellent wines, too’, says the Guide  An ‘interesting fact’ listed is that the country used to have two official languages, and now there are 11, it writes!  ‘Compulsory reading’ for future visitors to Cape Town is “Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Road (sic) to Freedom”!

The numerous errors and out-of-date information contained in the Condé Nast Traveller  Cape Town Guide are not only unforgivable for such a prestigious and influential travel publication, but are also damaging in their reference to the wind and New Year season.  One wonders whether the compiler of this Cape Town guide ever came to Cape Town, based on the geographical inaccuracies it contains!   Cape Town Tourism’s PR department should urgently address the inaccuracies in the Guide, when it has time in-between its incessant Tweeting!

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