Tag Archives: dessert wine

Chef Bruce Robertson returns to Cape Town, plain sailing at The Boat House!

After a three year absence from the restaurant scene in Cape Town, former The Showroom Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Chef Bruce Robertson has returned to Cape Town to create The Boat House home eatery in Scarborough. His cuisine and plating is as exciting as it was before he left, and he is not only a perfect chef but the perfect host too.

We got to know Chef Bruce when he opened The Showroom with its open kitchen, which meant that he was in the foreground, showing his great ability to chat to clients, and to get them to return.  A change in career plan led him to cook at sixteen private camps in Southern Africa, spanning Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, and the Okavango, cooking his special dishes in often challenging kitchen conditions, and hosting guests.  The love for this extraordinary lifestyle grew from a link he had to an American tour operator company, which brought adventurous gourmet tourists to the Cape, and Chef Bruce led them on exciting culinary journeys, usually preparing their meals out in the open, enjoying the challenge of the outdoors to create unforgettable holidays for the visitors.  He has moved from cooking with passion, to lifestyle cooking, and his beautiful young daughter was the most important reason to bring him back to Cape Town, he said.  The setting of The Boat House in Scarborough, close to the beach, is perfect, and the beach house has a guest room he rents out too.

From the prim and proper Chef Bruce that I remember, in his white chef’s uniform at The Showroom, the new Chef ‘Barefoot Bruce’ is dressed in jeans and a white shirt, barefoot, and looking very relaxed and unstressed. The welcome was a warm hug, and included a tour of the house, his assistant Tom offering us a glass of sparkling wine, an exceptional Cederberg Blanc de Blancs Brut not commercially available elsewhere. We initially sat on the upstairs terrace, another four guests having booked too. A surprise was to learn that Chef Bruce grew up in Pretoria.

One should not think that Chef Bruce’s food is as casual as his dress. Effortlessly he was preparing the food in his open plan kitchen/dining room.  As one chats to one’s table companions one is not so focused on what Chef Bruce is doing in the kitchen.  He comes to the tables regularly, checking all the time that all is in order and to one’s satisfaction, and he provides snippets of information about his food or about the Cederberg wines.  Chef Bruce not only has culinary skills, but he could recareer as an interior decorator too. In eight months he has made a home of the house, with all his special things, creating groupings of this and that,  with lots of family photographs, and his past restaurant awards grace the walls with many other special pictures.  He has two rustic wooden tables covered with glass tops and matching chairs, with the odd ghost chair (Chef Bruce probably was the first restaurateur to use them in a restaurant, at The Showroom), a reminder of his great career.  If there is one thing that will stand out about the lunch then it is the most beautiful composition of half a lime, olive oil, salt and pepper, butter, and the cutlery, on a sheet of miniature tiles, providing perfect ‘compartments’ for the items, and doubling up as a side plate.  A beautiful warm mini-seedloaf was added to this collection.

There is no menu or winelist, and Chef Bruce told us that he almost exclusively serves Cederberg wines, ‘wines with altitude’, the area having a unique terror with very hot summers and snow in winter.  He found the Cederberg wines after an extensive search to find the perfect wines to match his cooking.  Chef Bruce explained that he wanted us to have three wines for our savoury dishes, and that he did not want to prescribe which wine we should pair with which dish.  The 2011 Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc wines have pronounced aromas, and the Sustainable Rosé is made from Shiraz grapes from a single block, a lovely pairing with the main course.  For dessert we were offered a glassful of Cederberg Shiraz 2008 as well as a lovely Bukettraube 2011, the latter playing the role of a dessert wine, Chef Bruce said.

Chef Bruce also told us that there is no choice on his menu, serving a “Table d’Hôte, lunch served to guests as a warm home gathering, where the host has prepared what the guests will be served.  My home is yours”. His menu is mainly fish-based, given his location and theme, and he gave us a little green SASSI-friendly lecture, confirming that he will not touch red nor orange categorised fish types, and therefore salmon and kingklip will not be prepared in his home.  He also said that 99% of his produce comes from within 10 km of his home, keeping it local and carbon footprint friendly.  One has the choice of a three course or five course meal, and we chose the former, while the other table had the latter. Chef Bruce adjusts the serving time to the number of courses each table orders, and we ran behind the other table because of all of our talking and Tweeting!    Not having a menu, it is hard to capture exactly which ingredients make up each dish, as Chef Bruce talks as fast as before, so I asked him to e-mail it to me afterwards, to make sure that I did justice to each dish. To date, Chef Bruce has not repeated any of his dishes, always challenging himself, and keeping it fresh for his guests.  Chef Bruce introduced Tom as his Restaurant Manager, sommelier, waiter, and right hand man, and he was constantly checking on my water glass, and poured the six wines.

Our first course was a Seafood Chowder with home-made gnocchi dumplings, chorizo, courgettes, baby basil, a spicy prawn bisque, and seaweed confetti, the latter most probably not seen or picked up by most.  Chef Bruce is proud of his handiwork, and because things are so relaxed, he comes to the tables to show the special little touches, something one would not experience in a regular restaurant.  For the main course Chef Bruce had prepared pan-fried Cape Gurnard, a fish I had not eaten before.  It is also called the Cape Sea Robin or ‘korhaanvis’. While not the easiest fish to clean and prepare, Chef Bruce likes using it because it is so plentiful.  He served it with baby spinach, his own spicy home-made tomato and olive chutney, finger beans, thyme, Niçoise cream, and cream of olive oil potato, all making for a beautiful dish with interesting flavours.

The ‘Cape Malay dessert’ required quite a bit of explanation.  Chef Bruce made a panna cotta-like melkkos Boerber jelly from sago, wonderful samoosas filled with stewed fruit and Old Brown Sherry, chocolate meringue sprinkled with Nachtmusik liqueur, malva pudding with rooibos liqueur, yoghurt, honey caviar, and pomegranate molasses, a beautiful collection of different tastes all served on a pure white tile, a proudly Cape Town dish! The ‘honey caviar’ would not have meant anything to us at all, and we probably would not even have picked up the little balls, had Chef Bruce not come to our table before serving the dessert, and asking us to guess what they were. We could taste the sweetness, but could never have identified them to be pollen. Although our 3-course menu did not include a cheese course, Chef Bruce wanted me to try it. Presented on a wooden board with textural bumps created via caramelised sugar, it consisted of ‘rondebokkie’ cheese I had never heard of before, mature cheddar, black fig chutney (‘suurvy’), mint, and a chilli bite. Eating at The Boat House is not only for sustenance, but it is most educational too, because Chef Bruce is so excited about his discoveries that he spontaneously shares them with his guests.  The second course in the 5-course menu is a home smoked snoek pâte served with a fresh pea and mascarpone cream on ciabatta, with Chef Bruce’s kitchen greens.

While Scarborough is as quiet and isolated from the rest of Cape Town as it was on a last visit more than ten years, everything has changed, now having one of the hottest secret eateries in this suburb, worth the drive of about 60 km from the city centre.  One can also book a picnic basket from Chef Bruce, and one is sure to be equally spoilt, given that Chef Bruce originally designed Warwick’s gourmet picnic.

The Boat House, 36 Beach Road, Scarborough.  Tel 083 305 8533. www.chefbrucerobertson.com Twitter: @ChefBruce  Monday – Saturday lunch.  Maximum of 12 guests.  3-courses R325, 5-courses R495. Must be pre-booked.

POSTSCRIPT 3/11: Chef Bruce Robertson moved from Scarborough to Simonstown, where he opened The Flagship, a restaurant and guest house.  Very very sadly he passed away from leukemia today, diagnosed only a few days ago.

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

Restaurant Review: An interesting spin on 6 Spin Street Restaurant

I am an occasional attendee of the ‘Brutal Review of Restaurants’ Facebook group, which is the initiative of Dirk Odendaal, owner of 17 on Loader Street in De Waterkant.   An invitation to attend an evening at the new 6 Spin Street Restaurant (it opened two months ago) was accepted immediately, even if it meant that I only arrived after the City Hall classical concert had finished at 22h15.   It is a restaurant in a setting with a difference, with excellent food.

Spin Street is hard to find the first time, yet it is a street most of us have driven past a million times, except that we did not know that this short section of the road near the Groote Kerk and opposite Church Square is called Spin Street.  The street is one of the oldest in Cape Town, and was once the home of a short-lived silk spinning industry.  The building in which the restaurant is housed was once the home of the South African Association bank, with vaults in the basement, the safety deposit boxes still in place.   When one steps inside the massive entrance hall, one enters IDASA’s Cape Town Democracy Centre, and sees the bookshelves of its book shop Lobby Books, and the tables of the restaurant.   The ‘marriage’ between the restaurant and the bookshop has led to a shared ethos: “eat.drink.talk.read.think”.

The Brutal Reviewers were in a cosy room, a perfect size for the group of 10.  The 1902 Sir Herbert Baker building has high ceilings, and the room used by the Reviewers had copper light fittings, reminding one of Five Flies.

I arrived as the Reviewers were taken on a guided tour, and were in what is the seminar room, with a fascinating piece of art – a “windswept” chandelier with a flying archbishop hanging on to it for dear life (the artist has intended it to depict that the Archbishop is “having the time of his life”) – called simply “Arch”.   It is a real conversation stopper, especially as one does not know how the artist Ed Young managed to create the windswept look and attached the figure to the chandelier without using strings or wire.  Apparently the artist called in engineering help to cantilever this piece of art.  Another unusual work of art is a large metal mobile at the entrance to the restaurant.

As I was running behind on the menu, I expected to join my fellow reviewers for a coffee and dessert.  Robert Mulders, the owner of the restaurant and previous owner of Rozenhof at the bottom end of Kloof Street, and who has an uncanny resemblence to violinist Andre Rieu, immediately offered me a starter and a main course.  I was strongly recommended the cheese souffle as a starter, something I would never have chosen myself, but it was outstanding, served with a herb and mustard cream.  It costs R 70.  Other starter choices are a Chicken and roast pepper salad (R 56) and a Mixed six leaf salad (R 32).  The Suppli with pancetta and zucchini (R 55) sounded wonderful too.

Six main courses were offered, ranging from R 105 for linefish and a vegetable trio, to R160 for beef fillet served with a mustard crust, Bearnaise sauce and mushroom ragout, sounding delicious.  A second linefish dish costs R110, kingklip R125, and Moroccan lamb with couscous is R165.   I heard duck mentioned, a special at R 175.  I had read a brutal review earlier in the week about the duck (and the restaurant), and thought that I must give it a try.   Two generous pieces of duck were served in an orange sauce, with roast potato slices, as well as a large portion of diced carrots and courgette.  I loved the duck with its crispy skin, but I did not like the roast potato slices, which were too tough for my taste.   I did not have dessert, but saw them served: citron tart, chocolate nougat terrine, panna cotta with smyrna figs, an unusual sounding olive oil and muscadel cake, and date almond and white chocolate torte, ranging between R36 – R45.  They were well received by my fellow reviewers. (I heard later that Rozenhof was known for its cheese souffle and duck).

As the wines had been chosen by Dirk, I did not see the winelist.  Dirk raved about the 2002 Yonder Hill  cabernet at R65, excellent value for money.  I did not like my red wine poured into a small wine glass, but I did see larger ones on the table.  We left long after midnight, Robert generously having brought us a dessert wine, and he gave no sign at all that he wished us to please go home.

Whilst writing this blogpost I vowed to go back to try the Suppli starter and Beef fillet main course.   An opportunity presented itself two days later, after an early finish of the acclaimed play ‘London Road’ at the nearby Fugard Theatre.   The Suppli (a very filling and most unusual starter of deep fried rice and herb croquettes stuffed with mozarella, topped with crispy pancetta) and Beef Fillet were excellent.  The fillet was served a little too rare (ordered medium rare) for my liking, but the roast potato slices were much better second time around.  I was unable to finish the beef, it was such a generous portion.

As the restaurant is based within a space shared with IDASA’s book shop, it opens for breakfast at 8h30 on weekdays, served at a counter facing Church Square, at a communal “Melissa-style” table, or at an individual restaurant table.  Muffins, croissants and cooked breakfasts are served.   Parliamentarians and nearby office workers pop in for snacks throughout the day.  The “Quick Spin” 2-course lunch, served in a guaranteed 50 minutes, costing R 150, is very popular.  It is also called for as a “take-away” by well-known ministers and members of parliament. A free Wi-fi service will be offered shortly.

An interesting spin on 6 Spin Street is its themed Cookery Book menu.  Every two weeks a cookery book is an inspiration for a special menu.  Currently it is Phillippa Cheifitz’s “South Africa Eats”, and a sweet potato and squash soup, or a warm salad of grilled yellowtail, parsley, haricot beans and fresh rocket is offered at R50.  Pieter Dirk-Uys’ “Kossie Sikelele” cookery book will be the next to be featured, Tannie Evita having approved the restaurant.  Mulders is planning a ‘Show and Dinner” promotion when Dirk-Uys has a show at The Fugard theatre in September.

POSTSCRIPT : I returned to 6 Spin Street on 13 May, after a concert at the City Hall, with two friends, both artists.  They were overwhelmed by the artworks on the walls and the interior of the building in which the restaurant is located.  We shared a Citron Tart with fresh cream and fresh figs (my first taste of figs ever), and we loved its lightness, tanginess and smoothness.  It emerged that Robert Mulders is also the Chairman of the Friends of the National Gallery, and he chose the paintings on the restaurant walls.

6 Spin Street Restaurant, 6 Spin Street, Cape Town.  Tel 021 461 0666. www.6spinstreet.co.za(The website is disappointing, with only the opening times, address and map, and contact details.  No menu or winelist). Open Mondays – Fridays from 8h30 including dinner, Saturdays dinner only.

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

One&Only Cape Town Sweet and Vodacom Sour Service Awards

The Sweet Service Award goes to Stephen Towler, Group Sommelier of One&Only Cape Town.   Towler is knowledgeable, offers excellent service and he has presence without being obtrusive about it.   He was spot on with a suitable choice of shiraz, showed customers to maze his 5 000-bottle  Wine Loft, and sent complimentary glasses of a dessert wine to the table.  At no stage did one feel that he was trying to recommend the more expensive wines on the 35-page winelist.   He took interest in the service deficiencies of maze, and helped to address them quietly and efficiently, even though the food side is not his responsibility.   For a detailed review of maze at the One&Only Cape Town, read the WhaleTales blog post of 9 April below. 

The Sour Service Award goes to Vodacom, for the appalling poor service customers have to endure when the cellphone company cuts off its customer’s line, even though payment was made by Easypay two days prior.   No sms to warn one of the line cut was received.    One has to call the Vodacom accounts department, and the call centre (which can vie for the unenviable award of the worst Call Centre in the country, shared with the Sunday Times) is completely customer unfriendly.    There is no apology expressed or understanding what inconvenience such a line cut can mean to one’s business, that is totally dependent on sending sms-messages and making calls when one is out of the office.   Instead one is treated as a criminal, with “verification” questions asked about oneself – ID number, postal address, type of Vodacom package one subscribes to (be warned to not get this vital piece of information wrong, as one then is hugely suspect), name of bank one banks with, and type of account one has with the bank.  The significance of the questions, other than the ID number, was questioned by the customer.   One then has to fax the proof of payment, and is told that it will take an hour for the reconnection to take place.    The customer however had to call three times, and go through the verification process each time, because she expressed her frustration to each of the call center representatives, who then “punished” her by not reconnecting the line.   The customer was cut off for 6 hours due to the unacceptable behaviour of the Vodacom call centre staff.    No apology was received for the inconvenience caused!

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com.

Platter picks prime wines

The 2009 Platter Wine Guide has been released, and its record 33 five-star wines were announced earlier this week.    Kanonkop scooped the prestigious honour of being recognised as the best wine as well as best winery.    Only Boekenhoutskloof and De Trafford had two five-star wines in the top wine list.

 

Wine of the Year

Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Winery of the Year

Kanonkop

Chenin Blanc

Ken Forrester The FMC 2006

Chardonnay

Ataraxia 2007
Jordan CWG Auction Reserve 2006
Uva Mira Single Vineyard 2007

Sauvignon Blanc

Quoin Rock The Nicobar 2007

Semillon

Constantia Uitsig 2007

White Blends

Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh 2007
Nederburg Ingenuity White 2007
Sterhuis Astra White 2006
Tokara White 2007

Pinot Noir

Meerlust 2004

Cabernet Franc

Buitenverwachting 2005

Cabernet Sauvignon

Boekenhoutskloof Winery 2006
Kanonkop 2004
Thelema The Mint 2006

Pinotage

Simonsig Redhill 2006

Red Blends

De Toren Fusion V 2006
De Trafford CWG Perspective 2005
Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2005
Morgenster 2005
Vilafonté Series C 2006
Waterford Estate – CWG Auction Reserve 2004

Shiraz

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2006
De Trafford 2006
Eagle’s Nest 2006
Hartenberg The Stork 2005
Signal Hill Clos d’Oranje 2006

Dessert Wine Unfortified

Fleur du Cap – Noble Late Harvest 2007
Klein Constantia Estate – Rhine Riesling Natural Sweet 2006
Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards Vin Pi Two (NV)

Dessert Wine Fortified

Mons Ruber Estate Muscat d’Alexandrie Jerepigo 1997

Port

Boplaas Vintage Reserve 2006
De Krans Vintage Reserve 2006

Franschhoek La Vigne winemaker Ossie Sauermann has been announced as 2008 Diner’s Club Young Winemaker of the Year.   Last year Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof was selected as the Winemaker of the Year.