Michelin star restaurant | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

A spirit liqueur with a more than 200 year history is set to light up trendy De Waterkant, when a bar in its name opens within Andiamo in the original Cape Quarter next month. The history and richness of the Lanique brand will match the heritage of De Waterkant, which is one of the oldest suburbs of Cape Town.

The Lanique Bar within Andiamo is a collaboration between Nigel Price and Andiamo owner Bruce Walker, who got to know each other as Nigel’s company aqua v supplies Andiamo. Andiamo previously had a delicatessen inside the restaurant, and when Bruce did the sums as the new owner, he worked out that it was not lucrative. Nigel had been offered the rights to distribute Lanique in South Africa, and a brainstorm between the two led to the idea that the Lanique Bar within Andiamo be established.

Nigel walked me through the previous Deli space, which is being cladded with red brick, to give the space an old world feel. A stage for live music, a dance floor created by moving the tables out of the space into Andiamo, a door separating Andiamo restaurant and Lanique Bar within Andiamo when the restaurant closes at night, old timber ship decking, corrugated iron, floating shelves, rich opulent fabrics for the upholstery of the chairs, new tables, and chandeliers are planned to create an old world and opulent luxury feel. During the day the Lanique Bar counter will be closed off, but breakfast and lunch will be served and its coffee Continue reading →

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* Former World’s 50 Best Restaurant number 1 chef in the world, Ferran Àdria of elBulli, says that the standard of cheffing is at its highest level ever, being ‘the best in history‘, and that the gap between a 3 star Michelin restaurant and a casual dining restaurant is the smallest ever! Àdria advised top restaurants to differentiate themselves on aspects other than the food, to justify their higher prices, suggesting their wine list, service, and decor. Cocktails also are a point of differentiation,with bartenders seeking inspiration for new recipes from chefs.

* Wine writer Joe Roberts says that a very small percentage of the 8000 wineries (with 16000 brands) in the USA is embracing digital marketing. While 44% of consumers are connecting with digital, only an estimated 1% of American wine marketing spend is on digital advertising. No more than 80 of the wineries have dedicated digital practitioners. In a week, winery brands receive 2 – 20 mentions on digital platforms, of which 80% go unanswered. One wonders if the South African stats are any better for our local wine estates’ usage of digital marketing?

* For the third year running vineyards in Burgundy have been hit by a hail storm, causing damage to 40 – 90% of the Continue reading →