I had not been to Stellenbosch since the beginning of Lockdown in March 2020. Last week I spent a day in the town, to walk through its centre, and updating my information of restaurants that have opened and closed in the town since my last visit.
I discovered multiple new coffee shops and informal eateries, and a growing number of wine bars. And the start of a challenge to Chef Bertus Basson’s dominance of the university town as far as fine-dining goes.
In episode nine of Koekedoor Season 2 only five contestantys out of the initial ten are left to fight out who the winner will be in the remaining five episodes. The second season has now reached the halfway mark, not in terms of the number of episodes, but in terms of the number of contestants that remain. Pre-prepared/convenience items available to bakers also formed the focus of the episode. Continue reading →
Popping into My Sugar in Sea Point on Saturday, I discovered a new offering by the innovative chocolate shop on Regent Road. Cruffins are a hybrid of muffins and croissants, with delectable fillings, made with a layered brioche dough, Continue reading →
Last night my friend Whitney Wentzel and I enjoyed a very generous dinner at Burrata, losing track of the number of courses we enjoyed. I had been invited to hear from co-owner Neil Grant what exciting developments are planned at Bocca, which will open on the corner of Bree and Wale Streets in mid-September, as well as longer term at Constantia Uitsig, when they take over the former River Café, with a name change.
Bocca (means ‘mouth’ in Italian) will seat 70 diners on two levels inside, as well as a further 23 on a deck extending out of the restaurant on Bree Street, which has an extra-large pavement. Neil and Chef Annemarie Steenkamp will open Bocca, with the assistance of Matteo, a sommelier who has worked on the cruise ship The Residence at Sea. He in turn will have a sommelier supporting him. The Bocca kitchen is smaller, Chef Annemarie said, but she is excited in having designed most of it herself. A sister pizza
oven to the one at Burrata, also sourced from Naples, has been installed, in orange. Space has been allowed for a bar counter. Seating is at counters, as well as at custom-designed tables and chairs. There will be more colour in the interior, and less industrial design, than at Burrata. The interior design was done by INHOUSE designers, who also designed the interiors of Burrata, The Test Kitchen, The Butcher Shop & Grill, and Carné. A number of locations were considered for the new restaurant, including the former Rhapsody’s space on Main Road in Green Point.
Neil and his business partner Barry Engelbrecht are delighted that they found the Bree Street Continue reading →