Yesterday I met with Chef Oliver Cattermole and his wife Becky for coffee in Franschhoek, to hear the latest details about their first self-owned restaurant Bovine, which opens today in two weeks on Franschhoek’s main road. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Le Franschhoek Hotel
Restaurant Review: Haute Cabrière frames beautiful Franschhoek view!
As part of a three-day stay in Franschhoek last week, I made a point of revisiting some older restaurants. One of them was Haute Cabrière, a restaurant which I had heard little of, other than its appointment in November last year of new Chef Dennis Strydom, of late. Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 17 March
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Eclectic Brands is set to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange later this month, a restaurant group consisting of an eclectic collection of restaurants, a deli, and a catering company: Burger Perfect, ChickinTyme, Giovanni’s Deliworld, Green Catering, Slug & Lettuce, and more.
* By the end of June, the City of Cape Town will be offering 61 free wifi hotspots in its public buildings, including the existing services in the Civic Centre, Hillstar, Plumstead, and Harare Library in Khayelitsha. A total of 69 exterior wifi spots are also available, including in Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain.
* An evaluation of the ‘State of the Nation’ by ‘High Road Low Road’ Clem Sunter, Justice Malala, and Continue reading →
Are there enough top chefs left to make up a credible 2014 Eat Out Top 20 Restaurant list?
In the past week three further Top 20 Restaurant candidate chefs have announced their resignation, making the restaurants at which they work ineligible to be nominated for the 2014 Eat Out Top 20 Restaurant shortlist. This year is the most volatile we have ever seen as far as top restaurant chef departures go, opening up the opportunity for a fresh 2014 Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards list.
The latest chef resignations are the following:
* Chef Oliver Cattermole left Mondiall Kitchen & Bar two weeks ago, today joining the Leeu Collection as its Executive Chef for its five star Dassenberg Estate hotel and 
Rusthof Country House in Franschhoek, both opening next year. Chef Oliver has worked locally at Dash at the Queen Victoria Hotel, the Le Franschhoek hotel, and Mondiall, as well as internationally at Ivy Restaurant, La Gavroche, Novelli, and at Cannizaro House hotel.
* Chef Brad Ball, who helped open Bistro Sixteen82 at Steenberg, leaves in two weeks to start up what sounds like a collective of three restaurants at Pedlars on the Bend in Constantia
* Chef Christiaan Campbell leaves Delaire Graff Estate, after opening up the main restaurant more than Continue reading →