I attended the opening of Cowboys & Cooks Sunset Beach about a year ago, and with it the Media Lunch, which was handled very impressively. Last month the second Cowboys & Cooks opened, in De Waterkant, and I was invited to the launch function, at which I received a voucher entitling me to eat at the new restaurant before the end of January. I somehow fell off the Media lunch invitation list for this new restaurant, so went to the try the restaurant on my own steam, armed with my voucher. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Karan beef
Franschhoek Bastille Festival une bonne fête, more than just wine tasting!
The Bastille Festival was a festive weekend of tasting Franschhoek wines, connecting with friends, and trying some of the village food treats. By all accounts it was a great success, and DnA Events must be congratulated in attracting such large numbers of visitors to Franschhoek, irrespective of the winter weather! Almost every accommodation establishment was fully booked on Saturday evening, and the restaurants and shops did a roaring trade. Franschhoek looked festive, almost every business being decorated in the French tricolore, and many of the locals and visitors wearing a beret and French colours. For our French-speaking intern from Reunion, it was a surprise to experience all the Frenchness of Franschhoek this weekend.
It seemed more crowded on Saturday compared with previous years, yet there seemed to be less on offer outside of the Festival marquee than in the past. We saw the queue outside the marquee just after the midday opening time, and it stretched a few blocks down Dirkie Uys Street. We heard from our Whale Cottage Franschhoek guests that many tried to get tickets to get into the marquee on Saturday but were unable to do so, not even in the closing hour. Those that did have tickets could barely move inside the marquee as it was so full, despite a limit on the numbers, mainly caused by the afternoon rain, which meant that the ticket holders sitting outside moved into the marquee. For many it was too crowded, and they left the marquee after visiting one stand, taking a bottle of wine outside to enjoy it in less crowded conditions. Col’Cacchio had a band performing, and appeared to be one of the most popular meeting places after the marquee closed at 17h00, there being no cover charge. Last minute rooms were sold to visitors who had heard about breathalyser tests on Helshoogte Pass. The traffic on the main road was unbelievable, at times backed up to the Huguenot Monument.
Balducci’s new summer menu looks good enough to eat!
Balducci’s new summer 2009/2010 menu, which was launched over the festive season, looks good enough to eat, with the most beautiful photography of some of the dishes.
An unusual menu size of A5, the menu looks like a magazine when one pages through it, with pages of menu items, categorised into antipasta/starters, insalata/salds, sushi, pizzas, gnocchi/pasta, pesce/seafood, carne/meat, secondi piatti/second course, dolce/desserts and fromaggi/cheese.
In relaunching the restaurant and its menu, owner Ian Halfon of the Slick Restaurant Group has focussed more strongly on the Italian origin of the Balducci name. The front cover has a bold “Italian Chic” statement on it. Underneath the restaurant name, it says “Ristorante Pizza Seafood Bar”, to define what Balducci’s stands for.
Unusual for a menu, it has ads Interspersed throughout, for Giani Jewellers, La Vie waters, Lindt chocolates, Amarula, Finders Keepers, Illy coffee and Evian water. The menu also contains the wine list, and wines advertised are Noble Hill, Morgenster, Pongracz, Veuve Clicquot, Dornier, Ataraxia, De Wetshof, Mooiplaas, Hartenberg, Fleur du Cap, Wedderwill, Doolhoof, Nederberg, Waterkloof, and Steenberg.
To continue the magazine feel, the menu is priced at R 100, and has a bar code. It even has a tag, in case one would think of leaving the restaurant with it.
Balducci’s seems to have lost the socialite following it had in its earlier days, but the owners may see this as a good thing, as this is a fickle customer group, moving from trendy to next trendy location.
What is impressive is its dedication to the environment, in that the menu is printed on recyclable (!) paper, and “Balducci supports alien clearing by using alien wood types in our pizza ovens”. The menu also states that the restaurant serves seasonal vegetables and fruit, as well as “superb quality procured meat …and fish.” No frozen chicken is used, only Karan beef is used, as is award-winning Morgenster olive oil (which the menu claims is “imported”).
Interesting little notes are spread throughout the menu, for example gluten free pizza bases are offered, at an additional R 25.
The winelist section is introduced by a detailed description of the South African wine regions, districts and wards. Each wine stocked has a vintage stated, even though a disclaimer states that vintages may run out. Good tasting notes are provided per wine, and some wines are available by the glass.
Somewhat of a contradiction relative to its strong Italian positioning is the separate Balducci Burger Menu, an affordable selection of burgers made from ostrich, beef, chicken and lamb. Very affordable wines, at R 22 per glass of Balducci House white and R 25 for the House red are served, while the bottle price of the house wines is under R 100.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com