Tag Archives: Fairview

Bertus Basson at Spice Route : a modern South African restaurant!

Bertus Basson at SR Interior doilies Whale CottageI received a personal invitation from Chef Bertus Basson to join him for lunch at his new Bertus Basson at Spice Route restaurant, which opened on the Paarl wine farm 6 weeks ago. He and his charming wife Mareli managed to re-invent the restaurant within five days from taking over the space, modernising it to reflect their promise of ‘A Modern South African Restaurant’, both in terms of its decor and its food offeringBertus Basson at SR Bertus Whale Cottage.

A lot has changed at Spice Route, my last visit having been when Charles Back had taken over the wine estate, previously called Seidelberg, next door to his Fairview.  I didn’t have time to see all the artisan businesses which have opened at Spice Route since Back took over, but they include a Richard Bosman charcuterie outlet, with tastings at R30 (a bit cheeky I thought), a wine tasting centre, and Cape Brewing Co, about which I Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 10 February

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   The Los Angeles Times recommends the One&Only Cape Town as one of ‘Five fabulous, flirty retreats for Valentine’s Day’.   It describes Cape Town as the ‘…continent’s hottest happening city, and One & Only is the place to be for luxurious lodging‘, with three restaurants, including Nobu, the Neo boutique selling ‘South Africa’s hippest designer fashions‘, and an award-winning spa.  It recommends eating at The Test Kitchen, Kalk Bay, Robben Island, and an art tour with gallery owner João Ferreira.

*  It is rare to be able to read a story by UK wine journalist and judge Jancis Robinson without subscribing to her website or to that of the Financial Times. However she has graciously shared details of her trip to the North West Cape, in the Olifants River area, where they viewed 40 – Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Biga Cafe, Bakery and Deli in Hermanus has ‘organic breads’, very rude owners!

Biga Exterior Whale CottageWithin 2 minutes of walking into Biga Café, Bakery, and Deli the rudeness of co-owner Hanli Carstenson came to the fore, and this continued from her, magnified by a rude departure ‘greeting‘ from fellow co-owner Glen Herringshaw, when I popped in there yesterday, after visiting the Hermanuspietersfontein market further down the street!

Biga (meaning sourdough starter in Italian, Hanli said) has been open since December, and has taken over the space of former Season, one of the few restaurants in Hermanus which I enjoyed eating at (mainly for its calf’s liver and mash).  It has also taken over some of the space of Hornbill House, an art gallery, Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 3 November

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Bad news for the Cruise Tourism industry in Cape Town is that the planned announcement this month of the winning tender for the new cruise liner terminal has been cancelled, with a new tender being called due to none of the tenders meeting the basic requirements of the Request of Proposal.  Western Cape Tourism Minister Alan Winde said: ‘I was not happy with how long the process was taking anyway, and then when they phoned me and said they’ve decided to pull the plug on the tender process and readvertise, I was a bit grumpy‘.  New tenders are expected within the next six months.

*   Eskom appears to have made a plan to get more coal to the Majuba power station, where its silo cracked over the weekend, thereby allegedly preventing further power outages.

*   Crown Princess Mary from Denmark is visiting Cape Town, to open a Danish design exhibition as part of World Continue reading →