Yesterday I met Restaurateur and Chef Prim Reddy for the first time in her new Indian Chapter in Blouberg, on my way to the West Coast. She recently moved into smaller premises across the road from her former venue, grateful for this fortunate misfortune, focusing on her 20 diners with even more care and personal attention. Chef Prim is a kind restaurateur without any ego, yet strong and has exciting future plans. Continue reading →
The new The Yard in the Silo District of the V&A Waterfront opened last week, as a multi-cultural cuisine restaurant, but also offering a bar, a homeware shop, and a Deli. It is the most unique restaurant I have experienced, in its diverse food offering. Continue reading →
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Etihad Airways has been named as World’s Leading Airline for the sixth consecutive year. Ecuador was named as the World’s Leading Green Destination.
* The Robben Island ferry Sikhululekile has experienced regular damage in the Island’s harbour at low tide from an ‘underwater rocky outcrop’, a survey conducted by the Council for Geoscience has found. Purchased at a cost of R26 million, the ferry was not tested for suitability inside the harbour prior to purchase! Now the Robben Island Museum is looking to sell the ferry.
* The Stellenbosch American Express Wine Routes has launched a Wine Tourism Visitor Centre at 47 Church Street, offering Continue reading →
The Sweet Service Award goes to Pearl Culture in Canal Walk, and its shop assistant Hanile Hugo, for whom nothing was too much trouble in restringing a bracelet in 20 minutes, so that I did not have to return to Canal Walk a few days later to fetch it again. A pearl bracelet which I bought in their sale was lengthened by Hanile while I waited too, without a charge for the added pearls. It is sad news that the retail outlet will close down later this year, as it has been a reliable source of pearls, and their restringing service is one of few available by jewellers in Cape Town. She was friendly and a pleasure to deal with.
The Sour Service Award goes to ‘digitally-led full-service marketing agency‘ NATIVE (who in South Africa would choose such an inappropriate company name?), and its Cape Head Ben Wagner. Wagner wanted to get hold of a guest of ours, and called us to speak to him. I explained that we do not have telephones in the rooms, as all guests have cellphones, that all calls are diverted to my cellphone, and that I had left the guest house for the day. I asked him to contact his friend directly on his German cellphone number as I would only see the guest the next morning – surprisingly he did not have his friend’s number, and neither did I. Wagner was enraged that he could not get the message to his friend immediately, and was rude and demanding on the phone. His reaction was beyond the norm for an annoyed person, and he unleashed a Twitter tantrum, with extreme abuse to ourselves! We had to ask our security company for extra protection of our guest house in Camps Bay, as he tried to gain access to our property. One wonders how abusive he could become if he were to be annoyed by his clients, including Distell, Foschini, Pernod Ricard, and Pick ‘n Pay, judging by his abusive behaviour towards ourselves. Wagner’s Twitter Bio states that his Tweets express his own opinions, yet it has the link to the NATIVE website!
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. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.