Tag Archives: lunch

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 3 of Level 1, 23 September 2020.

 

Wednesday 23 September, Day 3 of Level 1, Day 181 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a hot summer day, at 26C, loving the sun, even braving getting into the pool at Maison Montagne this afternoon; for a special sunrise at 6h00 this morning; lovely breakfast served out on the terrace; for a busy day, checking out all the changes on the main road of Franschhoek, especially the restaurants; for a meeting with Chefs Darren Badenhorst and Ryan Shell to hear about their new restaurant projects in Franschhoek, very exciting news; for being spared buying a dress when I was very willing and keen, but not finding the perfect one 😱; for a fantastic lunch at Orangerie at Le Lude, the most professional dining venue which I have experienced in Franschhoek, fully booked today with the gorgeous weather, most customers sitting outside; for being able to congratulate Orangerie Chef Nicolene Barrow on her engagement, and to present her with a bottle of ADHARA extra virgin olive oil, given the calibre of her restaurant and cooking; for the Masquerade owner Martie helping me with little gift bags for the purchase of 💙 soaps from her shop; for bumping into Vanie Padayachee and Eleanor Kerwan, hearing their news; for a lovely snack cheese and wine dinner with Llewellyn on the terrace, tasting two lovely Dieu Donne wines, a Henriette Viognier and a Rosé, the former having a lovely Heritage story in honour of Dieu Donné owner Robert Maingard’s late mother; for winning 350 Miles in two Discovery Gameboard plays; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: The Village Tart Patisserie & Café in Franschhoek offers tarts and more!

imageThe Village Tart is Franschhoek’s newest restaurant, having opened two months ago on the main road, where the Pancake place used to be.  It is a friendly restaurant, offering the best baking in Franschhoek, but serves lunches and breakfasts too.  Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Oep ve Eet a passionate Paternoster treat

On a previous visit to Paternoster in January, we discovered Oep ve Eet, an informal lunch eatery as you come into the fishing village, inside the farm stall Oep ve Koep.   Returning to Paternoster for a winter holiday, it was a pleasure to be spoilt at the eatery again, with interesting home-made lunches prepared with West Coast passion at the most surprisingly low prices.

Kobus van der Merwe is the owner of Oep ve Eet, and until about six months ago he was the webmaster for the Eat Out website in Cape Town.   He loves his new lifestyle, being his own boss.  More importantly, he is the West Coast restaurant reviewer for Eat Out, excluding Paternoster, so he is knowledgeable about food.  Kobus tells me that in their household in Paternoster, his dad did a lot of the cooking, as his mom was a music teacher, and spent a lot of time away from home.  Kobus is following in his dad’s footsteps, and loves baking the bread for Oep ve Koep, and making his specialities, mixed with some of the preserves and jams sold in the shop.   His mom Sanita is the owner of Oep ve Koep, making this a family business.

The eatery is in an outside courtyard, surrounded by blooming bougainvilleas, and with traditional garden tables and chairs, covered with tablecloths.   There are only five tables.  Old ads for Pegasus and Bokomo adorn the doors one steps through into the courtyard    A resident tortoise comes to greet guests on occasion.  Old fishing boats make useful containers in which Kobus grows herbs for the restaurant.  On rainy days, one sits upstairs, in an antique shop section of the shop.

The menu is written up on a blackboard every day, and only contains a handful of items.  The menu items differ almost daily, some added, some retained.    Some dishes have a strong West Coast feel to them.   In the four days of lunching there, the following items were offered: Chicken pie served with a sprig of rosemary and the ‘soet’ quince jelly with Madagascar green peppercorns, and the ‘suur’ pickled cucumber, both of which are sold in the shop and adding the most wonderful contrast to the pie (R25), Cape Malay chicken curry (R 60), Vegetable lasagne (R 36), a tomato salad made especially for me, with the tomatoes marinaded in a delicious home-made dressing (R 18), Butterbean and rosemary soup (R 25), Lentil bobotie (R48), Tagliatelle with bokkoms (R30 ), Beetroot soup a la Luluraai (R25), Springbok ravioli with pan-fried quince (what a wonderful taste) and rocket pesto (R54), and Pasta-fresca with ‘duine-spinasie’ and beurre noisette (R45).  It is simple uncomplicated food, yet with a ‘twist’, and one can taste Kobus’ passion for and creativity in cooking.

There is no winelist, and the eatery does not have a licence.   However, Oep ve Koep has a grocer’s licence, and it sells wine.

Oep ve Eet, inside Oep ve Koep, Corner Vredenburg Road (R45) and St Augustine Roads, at entrance to Paternoster, Tel (022) 572-2105. http://blogs.food24.com/sardinesontoast Twitter @SardineToast.  Open Mondays – Sundays for lunch.

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

Restaurant Review: Crust Cafe’ not for the upper crust!

Crust Cafe’ is a new-ish no-nonsense coffee shop, take-away and food delivery service operating in the Cape Town city centre, just off Buitensingel on Bree Street.   Its name is catchy and the clean white-painted tables and benches outside, with umbrellas, attract attention as one drives past.   It has a good selection of breakfast and lunch options, at extremely low prices.

Crust Cafe’s all-day breakfast options include fresh fruit salad at R 20, and R 25 if muesli and yogurt are added.   Oats and banana cost R 24.   A full English breakfast with all the bells and whistles (sausages, bacon, tomato and toast) costs R 33, an omelette with a choice of two fillings costs R 30, and if you want it plain, eggs on toast cost R 20.

For lunch or in-between snacks, toasted sandwiches are available (ranging between R 18 – R 22); gourmet sandwiches on ciabatta, rye or rolls range from R 28 for ham and salad or smoked chicken and avocado, to R R 32 for roast chicken.   Wraps cost R 34, and two combinations are offered.   Two salads and a soup of the day are also available.   A 100 % pure organic coffee by TRiBeCa is sold in packets of beans, or in a variety of prepared coffee styles.

Hot meals served include chicken and beef burgers (R 28 – R 35), hot dogs (R 16 – R 23), and chips.   Every day they offer a different special meal of the day – on 11 March this was lasagne and salad at R 35, beef curry and rice at R 32, and cream of celery soup and a roll at R 20.  One can barely prepare a meal at home at such a low cost.  All food is prepared fresh every day.  Should any food be left over, it is disposed of at the end of the day. 

What makes Crust Cafe’ attractive is its delivery service to office blocks nearby, even for breakfasts.   I observed businesspersons coming in to Crust Cafe’, to collect a quick bite to eat, probably to take back to the office. 

Phil and Andrew opened Crust Cafe’ six months ago, two British Capetonians who have settled here because they love the climate and the people of Cape Town.   They are absolutely hands-on owners.

Crust Cafe’, 243 Bree Street, corner Buitensingel Street, tel 021 422 2222, www.crust.co.za (still under construction).  Mondays – Fridays, 7h30 – 15h30.

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