Tag Archives: Lebanese

Chef Liam Tomlin admits his Local, La Cantina, and Mazza food projects are not working at Heritage Square!

 

After a big fanfare about taking over the former HQ on Shortmarket Street, adjacent to his Chefs Warehouse Pinchos and Winebar in the same building, and turning it into a Local market of mini restaurants,  an Italian restaurant La Cantina, and a Lebanese restaurant Mazza on the mezzanine level of the building in 2020, Chef Liam Tomlin has admitted defeat and walked away from all three restaurant projects, all in Heritage Square in town, he announced on his Social Media accounts last month! Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Valora brave new city class!

For all the doom and gloom in the hospitality industry at the moment, it is refreshing to discover a new restaurant in the center of town, that has raised the bar with a slick and chic new establishment. Valora Café, Restaurant and Bar opened on Monday, where L’Aperitivo used to be, next door to Skinny Legs & All.  Valora means ‘brave’ in Latin, and is one of a number of exciting city centre restaurants to open in the past few months, which include Roberto’s, Dear Me, and What’s On Eatery.

I had noticed the sudden closure of L’Aperitivo a month ago, often driving down Loop Street.  I stopped to have a chat to Chef Andrew Mendes, while the renovations were taking place.  He told me that the restaurant would open on 1 August, and it did!  L’Aperitivo had a large counter, which took a lot of the relatively small space. The Valora counter is smaller, positioned at the back of the restaurant, and has a far more spacious feel about it.  One part of a wall is rough brick, and the rest of it is painted a light gold yellow, the back wall behind the bar is a deep burgundy, while the other two sides have glass windows, letting the welcome winter sun in on a very chilly day, with snow on Table Mountain.  I liked the interior design, understated, chic, with dark wood-top tables, chairs with a white/silver fabric, and bar chars in a light rose burgundy colour. The bar counter has gold design tiles on it.  The decor reminds one of What’s On Eatery and La Mouette. There is no clutter. The shopfitting and interior design was done by Ricci Cinti, who remembered me as his first boss of many years ago. His partner in Epic Ark designed the logo, which has a similarity to that of the Queen Victoria Hotel, giving it a classy feel.  Outside, modern grey garden couches, with a rope to demarcate the Valora space on the pavement, add further class to the establishment.  The owner wanted to create an interior that was ‘sexy and modern, finer dining, offering value for money’. The floor is a laminate that looks like it is made from old wine barrels.  I found it very hot inside, and the waitress switched off the heaters.

Valora has been opened by Mike Mouneimme, who was the operator of Caprice in Camps Bay for ten years, and is the cousin of Caprice owner David Raad.  The family is Lebanese, and this reflects in the Mediterranean style restaurant, which consists of a collection of Lebanese, Italian and Greek dishes.  Chef Andrew worked at Tuscany Beach for more than three years before joining Valora, and prior to this at the previous Avontuur restaurant in the V&A Waterfront, and at Superior Catering, which did the private catering for the Atlantic Beach Golf Club as well as for Pearl Valley.  He was not given much creative freedom at Tuscany Beach, and he is excited about the freedom to develop the menu. Andrew laughed when he said that the restaurant name comes from the bravery in opening a restaurant in these challenging times, and for the small kitchen space he has to cook in.

The cutlery is smart, being Fortis Hotelware, and I loved the special edition LavAzza Calendar 2011 cups with a gold design on them.  The Fortis salt and pepper containers have a yin/yang design, and a ceramic hurricane candle holder was on the table.  The paper serviettes do not match the interior quality, and Manager Lisa said that she is working on getting these changed to material ones.

The menu/winelist has a golden cover, with the logo, and looks inviting and classy.  Inside the pages are in burgundy.  The menu offers an extensive range of items.  For Brunch one can order a baked bagel with salmon and scrambled egg, French Toast, a health breakfast, or toasted Focaccia, all at about R50.  The salad choice includes Lebanese Tabbouleh and Fattoush salads, as well as Tuna, Greek, chicken, and beef salads, ranging from R58 – R78.   Roast beef, cheese and tomato, and spicy chicken sandwiches made with home-made bread cost about R60.  Eleven mezze choices range in price from R12 – R40, and include Lebanese flat bread, Baba Ganoush, aubergine, and Lebanese Kefta kebabs.  Starters included a beautifully presented Two Tone soup, recommended by Chef Andrew, being a clever design of two soups, presented in a yin yang shape, with a rich dark beef soup sprinkled with biltong powder, and a light truffle cream with a hint of chilli, with two prawns, which was served with toasted brioche, costing R50. I enjoyed the deep fried crispy Patagonian calamari rings served with a separate bowl of lemon butter sauce, slices of lime and a sprig of origanum (R40).  Other starters include snails, spicy chicken livers, and stuffed mushrooms, all costing under R50.  Six main courses include a 350 gram rib eye steak (R135), Turkish spiced fillet (R125), beef ragout (R98), Psarri Plaki line fish (R105), chicken Parmagana (R75), and grilled Patagonia calamari (R70).  Pasta includes wild mushroom, ravioli bolognaise, seafood pasta, and Namibian desert truffles, ranging between R70 – R110. The Valora burger costs R55, and a Prego Roll R75.  Desserts cost R50 and less, and include chocolate baklava, berry panna cotta and chocolate truffles.

A small number of wines is offered, with a selection of cocktails.  Dom Perignon costs R2750, Veuve Cliquot R 750, Moet et Chandon R700, and Boschendal Brut R195. Brampton white (R25) and red (R28) is served by the glass.  White wines are by Lammershoek (R165), Ernst Gouws & Co, South Hill, Rickety Bridge, Seven Steps and Waverley Hills (R95).  Red wines come from the same wineries (R120 – R210), with the exception of Seven Steps, as well as Kanonkop Paul Sauer at R650.  The LavAzza cappuccino costs R17.

I was impressed by the classy feel of Valora, the smooth running of the restaurant on its fifth day, the creativity of Chef Andrew’s menu and food presentation, the wide choice offered, and the reasonable prices.  I was not charged for the Two Tone soup, Chef Andrew saying that he wanted me to try it.  Valora is a perfect spot to pop in before or after a concert or a show.  The service was attentive, and Lisa kindly went to have the menu copied at a nearby shop. Parking is a challenge during the day. The menu and beverage list contains a number of spelling errors. The business cards match the menu in gold and burgundy.  A cool unique touch was the stick of chewing gum which came with the bill, in a deep red wrapper with the Valora logo, although I am not sure if the Valora target market is into chewing gum!  I’ll be back to try more of Chef Andrew’s cooking creativity.

POSTSCRIPT 3/6/12: Valora has closed down.

Valora Café, Restaurant and Bar, Shop 70, corner Loop and Hout Street, Cape Town. Tel (021) 426-1001.  www.valora.co.za (The website is still under construction).  10h00 – 22h00 weekdays, 17h00 – 23h00 on Saturdays.

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

Restaurant Review: Illyria Coffee Concepts most stylish coffee shop in Stellenbosch

I had heard about the newly opened Illyria Coffee Concepts in the recently refurbished and modernised Eikestad Mall in Stellenbosch, well-positioned next door to Woolworths.   It is the most stylish coffee shop I have seen in a long time (the last contender for this accolade, Black at 15 on Orange, has closed down).   It serves a collection of stylish cakes and other sweet treats, but disappoints on the savoury side.

The coffee brand Illy dominates visually, and the decor theme is red and white.  There are beautiful white leather chairs and tables, the tables perhaps a little too low for the chairs, and the food is served with very stylish Abert cutlery, a material serviette and small Peugeot salt and pepper pots (I have also seen Peugeot at the Planet Restaurant and at Delaire Graff Restaurant).  

The cakes, muffins and cupcakes are beautifully made, and come from a supplier in Franschhoek.   I was disappointed with my baguette, filled with cheese, tomato, lettuce and cucumber, although tasty and not expensive at R29, did not match the style standard of the sweet treats served at Illyria, and was just presented on a white plate with potato chips out of a packet, which I did not eat, and defeated the choice of the healthy baguette filling.

The menu is printed on a laminated hard board.  What is clever is a number of well-priced combination offers, each including a cup of coffee/cappuccino/tea.  So, for example, a muffin, a small chocolate cupcake and a small carrot cupcake, with the beverage, costs R25; chocolate nut cake, lemon meringue and the beverage costs R45;   chocolate brownie and beverage R30; carrot cake, chocolate cake, baked cheese cake and the beverage costs R 35; and a carrot cupcake, beautiful looking Belgian white chocolate cupcake and the beverage costs R40.    Individual cake slices are charged at R27 – R35.   Salads start at R39 for a salad made with vegetables, and costs R45 if made with pasta or meat.   Sandwiches start at R29, and cost R36 when filled with meat.  A cappuccino is well-priced at R13, teas cost R11, muffins R15, and croissants cost R16 served plain, or R26 when filled with cheese and ham.  Deliveries are done to other businesses in the Eikestad Mall and surrounding area.

Illyria is owned by a family collection of brother Ramon Corie (not the friendliest restaurateur, in my experience of his Manouche, a Lebanese restaurant in the same street in Stellenbosch), sister Shaan and brother-in-law Richard Gaybba, and sister Tamsyn Pienaar.  I was impressed with the Illyria Loyalty Card which I received when paying the bill, offering a free coffee for every 10.

I was impressed with the decor, and I am sure that the new menu that is being worked on will look at improving the savoury offerings and presentation.  It is a very comfortable modern place to relax in, and well airconditioned for the Boland heat.

Illyria Coffee Concepts, upstairs, Eikestad Mall, Andringa Street, Stellenbosch.  Tel (021) 886-8522.  No website.  Open Monday – Friday 8h30 – 18h00, Saturday – Sunday 8h30 – 14h00.

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