Tag Archives: Madame Zingara

Vaudeville is wonderville!

Wow! wow! wow! What a show!   Bravo to the owners and cast of Vaudeville, who put on the most amazing show last night.  Vaudeville has been described as “mischievous mayhem, eye candy and magical circus”, and features South African as well as international acts.

Vaudeville opened a week ago, in an old rubber factory on Mechau Street (no one has heard of it – it is one street parallel to Hans Strydom Avenue, between Buitengracht and Bree Streets) – and has been cleverly decorated to create a theatrical space with a stage, close to most tables, with cottonwool clouds, huge dangling birdcages, VIP seating upstairs, for a R 40 premium per head for the view, with lots of red drapery from the ceiling and red velvet curtains.

Vaudeville was a popular form of entertainment in the USA and Canada from 1880 – 1930.  “Each performance was made up of a series of unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill”, says Wikipedia.

The arrival booking checking was quick, a complimentary glass of bubbly presented to us as we walked through to the table,  with two stilt walkers already evident in the entrance area – a lady in red with her French poodle, also on stilts.   The chairs are covered in red velvet, have an unusual design, and are most comfortable.

A beautifully produced folder contains the menu and winelist, and allows for the replacement of its content as the menu changes.   A French flair is immediately evident, with French-style music played.   One large and a smaller screen, on opposite ends of the venue, features non-stop movies, mainly in black and white.  Whilst one takes a seat one senses a buzz, with waitresses in red bustier tops and black skirts serving the tables, offering drinks, and bringing the starter.   A bride who lost her husband at the altar roams around , looking very lost, a penguin shuffles along making appropriate penguin noises, and a showmaster looks for his cast, all building an excitement about the show to come.

Rene is our hostess, and takes our main course order, a choice of three.  She organises the drinks, is friendly, and obliges all our requests, including more paper to make notes of all we experience.   She worked at Madame Zingara, as did her GM Jennifer, who comes to say hello.

The menu is simple, and relatively easy to cater for the 350 or so guests attending per show.  The starter is a “house salad”, with mainly green leaves, the odd piece of beetroot, crumbled feta and avacado, as well as slices of ordinary bread and a meze platter of five dishes : yummy butternut and ricotta, olives, tzatziki, hummus, and aubergine.   The main course offers the choice of “free-range Namibian sirloin served with chunky potato wedges, roasted vegetables and a rich red wine jus”, a “ravioli of prawn and smoked paprika in a brandied lobster bisque with wilted baby spinach”, and “roast butternut, pea and lemon zest risotto with caramelised ginger and wild rocket”.     These menu descriptions were an over-statement relative to the food served, especially as far as the “sirloin” was concerned – while one expected a steak to be served, it was 4 small slices of rare roast beef (we were told we could only have it served “medium-rare”) served on top of a collection of vegetables, and a container of tough unexciting “unchunky” potato wedges.   The vegetarian risotto was very bland, and was a poor compensation for non-meat eaters.   The dessert was billed as “adult fantasy platters with a selection of decadent sweet delights”, difficult to predict that it would be a colourful plate of shared biscuits, chocolate brownies, homemade marshmallows, cupcakes and meringues.  No coffee at all is served, but they are working on this, says Rene.   Only the “dessert” was in keeping with the differentness of the show and the venue – the starter and main courses did not reach the very high level set by the outstanding show, and it felt as if they were saving money on the food offering and putting it all into the show.   The catering is outsourced to DISH, a company doing in-home catering, not with the best reputation in town.

The winelist is not very extensive, with two bubblies (Graham Beck at R 180 and Douglas Green at R 110), ten red wines range in price from R 95 for an unknown Ink Spot Vin Noir to R 550 for the Vergelegen Estate Red.  Vergelegen supplies both the cheapest (Vin de Florence, at R 95) and most expensive (estate white, R 540) of the eight white wines.  Two rose’s, and wines by the glass, are also offered.   No vintages are specified on the winelist.

The Vaudeville show is divided into four sections, with food served in-between these.  The show does not stop, with 19 acts ranging from trapeze artists on rings and ropes, dangling from the ceiling, jugglers, to acrobats on stage, to Tango dancers, singers and dancers led by Irit Noble, tapdancers, and an interesting band called Jinx playing a “blend of circus Balkan and oompah” on Bass, saxophone and violin, providing non-stop energy and excitement with fast-paced music, mainly with a French flair and incorporating swing music.   The show is slick, extremely professional, and must have about 30 performers in total.  It felt to be world-class.   The movies run on the screens throughout the evening, so one has lots to see and enjoy.

Upstairs in the building is the new Moroccan-themed Fez Club, to which one can enter for free if one has been to see the show.  The Fez was a popular club in Cape Town, but closed down some time ago.    The cloakrooms are fun, with doors that make them look like little “Heidi-houses”, but are not in keeping with the rest of the interior design.   It felt warm inside, despite it being a coolish evening.  One hopes that air conditioning will cool things down when it gets hotter.

The owners are Tom Pearson-Adam and Robert Sawyer, with hotel/entertainment interests, including the Fez Club, in London.  Together with the show producers Will Hutton, Andrew Florenca and Dirk Vervaeke, their goal is to create the “most sought-after nightspot in Cape Town”.

If you are looking for a quiet night out, then Vaudeville is not for you. You will leave the show energised, ready to dance and party the night away. 

Vaudeville is open from Tuesdays – Saturdays, costs R 350 per head.  Arrive at 19h00, the show ends at 22h30.  To book call 0861SUPPER, www.vaudeville.co.za .  15 Mechau Street, off Buitengracht or Bree Streets.

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

NOTE: A return visit three weeks after this review was written was a huge disappointment – read our latest review.

Get on your bicycle to Bombay Bicycle Club

If one did not know differently, one could have sworn that one had travelled back in time a number of years to Loop Street, the first home of Madame Zingara, where “food showman” Richard Griffin ran a most successful restaurant until a fire forced him to reinvent his business, and the Madame Zingara Theatre of Dreams was born.   It was liquidated earlier this year, after the business expanded to London, and was caught short by the credit crunch.

Bombay Bicycle Club is a “reincarnated” Madame Zingara, located at the top of Kloof Street, opposite Bacini’s and in the building that was previously Amigo’s.  It is spread over three levels and eclectically decorated with bicycles, umbrellas, candles and plastic flowers, to create a lovely atmosphere.   Tables are close to each other, probably seating about 60 customers inside.   Our table was downstairs, and we were in the restaurant on a 29 C day.  It was very hot downstairs, but the staff quickly helped us by opening the windows, to let in a lovely breeze.    The seats facing the windows have a disadvantage, in that one is regularly blinded by oncoming traffic at the stop street across the road.   Flimsy curtains helped a little when they were closed for us.

We asked our waiter Johan who the owners were, but he did not know their names.   It was confirmed that Richard Griffin is in the background, and that all his staff, except newcomer Johan, are from Madame Zingara.    A belly dancer did the rounds during the course of the evening, another Madame Zingara touch.  The music is wonderful and builds up throughout the evening, a mix of music from the eighties and beyond.  

The candlelight makes it difficult to read the menu, printed on a dark violet.   It devotes two pages to the background to the restaurant, but all is tongue-in-cheek, and nothing makes any sense nor tells one anything about the restaurant or its owners.  It describes the Bombay Bicycle Club as “the oldest gentlemen’s club in the world”, and the only serious message it has is “Please enjoy getting back on a bike as much as we have”, perhaps a lesson that Griffin has learnt, having gone though a liquidation.

The wine glasses are cheap and nasty, one size suits all for white and red wine.   The wine prices are very reasonable, at R 175 for the Hartenberg Cabernet Sauvignon, being the most expensive red wine, and the Footprint Shiraz the least expensive at R85.   The Groote Post Shiraz was out of stock, not acceptable for a very restricted winelist.  Luckily the Warwick’s Three Cape Ladies was a 2005, the other red wines tending to be very young.  The white wine prices ranged from R 75 for the Footprint Sauvignon Blanc to R 165 for the Jordan Chardonnay.   

The starters range in price from R 35 for a Zuppa to R 49 for Kataifa Prawns.   The pear, cashew nut and brie salad had an unusual mix of ingredients, and was a generous portion, enough to share amongst our table of four.   Ten pasta choices are offered, the Salmone Mate’ being the most expensive at R 60.  Main courses range from R 65 for a roast vegetable bake, to R 115 for a fillet.   Our table had the bobotie, springbok shank, lamb tagine, and balsamic chicken, all served with vegetables and potatoes or sweet potatoes, and the portions once again were generous, therefore offering good value, given the reasonable prices. Each one of us was happy with our choices.

We were warned that the dessert portions were equally generous, and they were.   The Terciopelo Chocolate, Bombay Cigars and Pavlova were huge, and were equally enjoyable.  Desserts cost about R 35.

The criticism of the restaurant on restaurant review pages has been its smokiness (there was none, probably as smoking has been banned in the upstairs section due to the tougher anti-smoking by-law introduced recently, its poor service (Johan looked after us excellently), and its loud noise are completely unfounded.   We had a wonderful evening, and were filled with Madame Zingara nostalgia.   We will definitely go back.

The cost of a bottle of red wine, 2 beers, one salad, four main courses and three desserts was R 705 for a table of four. 

Bombay Bicycle Club, 158 Kloof Street, Gardens.  Tel 021 423-6805.  Expect to have to book a few weeks in advance, especially over weekends, due to the popularity of this restaurant. 

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

Restaurants opening up a storm!

Following on from the restaurant opening news posted on the WhaleTales blog less than a week ago, more restaurant opening (and temporary closing) news has reached WhaleTales.

Reuben Riffel, who opened a small 30-seater restaurant in Robertson last month, has two new babies up his sleeve – he and his wife Maryke are expecting the birth of their first child in the next week.  He is also planning his next restaurant opening, in the old Pippin farmstall building at the entrance to Franschhoek, alongside the Franschhoek Cellars, focusing on steaks.    Reuben’s has a new attractively designed menu, in A3 size, listing his starters (expensive in ranging from R 58 – R 75), mains ranging from R 89 – R 145, and desserts expensive in ranging between R 50 – R 70.   Interestingly,  his new menu has a listing of the who’s who cooking in the kitchen, with Reuben listed as the “Concept chef”, and his executive chef as William Carolissen, his commis chefs as Luzette Riffel and Lizel Blanckenberg, and his pastry chef as Corien Hattingh.   Unfortunately this can only mean that Reuben will be less likely to be in the kitchen himself.    The duck liver starter especially, but also the calf’s liver main course, were excellent last night, and the service good.   The only complaint was that a vintage of Lynx wine by the glass stated on the winelist was no longer available, and the waiter did not inform the customers about this.  He was ready to pour a younger vintage without communication.

Adrian Buchanan, who was the chef at Monneaux restaurant at the Franschhoek Country House for many years, has recently opened a restaurant with two partners at Freedom Hill Country Restaurant on the road between Paarl and Franschhoek, near the Wemmershoek Dam.

In Franschhoek Allee Bleue will be a space to watch, with ambitious plans for two further restaurants to open on the estate in the summer, in addition to its Bistro.  The estate has re-opened for weekend dinners and brunches.  It has also just introduced picnics 7 days a week, at R 145 per head, with delicacies such as avocado ritz, snoek pate, roast beef, and chocolate mousse.   

The Bombay Bicycle Club, which has a namesake in London, but is no relation, opened recently where Amigos used to be at the top of Kloof Street in the City Bowl, and Richard Griffin, previous owner of the liquidated Madame Zingara, is one of the partners.  The opening and his involvement have been very low key.   The restaurant is booked out up to 3 weeks ahead over weekends, yet has received less than favourable feedback on restaurant review websites.

Chenin has opened as a restaurant and a wine bar where The Nose Bar used to be in the Cape Quarter, with chef Daniel Heyns, previously with Zevenwacht and ZeroNineThreeTwo, reports EatOut.

In Sea Point, two restaurants have opened: La Boheme on Main Road, and Duchess of Wisbeach, on Wisbeach Road.  Reviews will be posted on the WhaleTales blog shortly.

Not much is known yet about the projects that chef Bruce Robertson is consulting on, but they are said to be a new restaurant each in Woodstock and in Franschhoek. 

Just six days ago, WhaleTales wrote how the financial shenanigans of Conrad Gallagher had affected the business of Bouillabaisse and Crepe Suzette in the Rockwell Center in De Waterkant.   Its unfortunate location, in being hidden from view from Somerset Road, and the demise of the promised epicurean food market in the Centre, severly impacted on the business of the two restaurants, with the Main Ingredient newsletter just 2 weeks ago writing a denial by Bouillabaisse that it was closing down in Cape Town.  Today the restaurant sent an e-mail to its database, to say that both restaurants have closed in Cape Town, and are relocating to an undisclosed address in Cape Town, re-opening in November.  The Bouillabaisse website also carries the news, and the restaurants’ telephone rings through to a Telkom answering service.

Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

Credit crunch bites restaurants

It started with Madame Zingara, which closed two months ago.   Then came two branches of Carlucci, in Bantry Bay and in Rondebosch, which closed shortly thereafter.

Earlier this month three Vida e Caffe branches closed down in the city centre and in the Bayside Mall, and the Melissa’s in Green Point has also closed.

This week has seen a restaurant bloodbath, with the sad news that The Showroom of chef Bruce Robertson, Riboville in the city centre, and Summerville in Camps Bay have closed down.   Camps Bay has already seen the closure of Cafe Delmar and Wangthai in the past few weeks.   Two further restaurants are rumoured to be following suit.

The one thing that the closures of the larger restaurants have in common is the crippling rentals that they have to pay to greedy landlords.  The landlords should recognise the value that the restaurants have to tourism, and that they should come to the party in keeping the rentals reasonable, to ensure that their centers remain fully occupied.