Tag Archives: Paulaner

West Coast Village comes to the Cape Town Fish Market in V&A Waterfront!

CTFM West Coast Fire Whale CottageWhat a fun birthday party Jenny Morris laid on at the new location of the V & A Waterfront branch of Cape Town Fish Market, on the business side of the Waterfront, where Paulaner and Moyo used to be.  The restaurant has created The West Coast Village, complete with sea sand,  replicating a Strandloper-type restaurant, but just done better!

The Cape Town Fish Market space is massive, and can seat up to 600 patrons inCTFM West Coast Jenny Morris Whale Cottage total, on a green artificial lawn outside, and inside too, a retractable roof allowing the restaurant patrons to sit under the stars if the weather allows it.   A minimum of 20 guests must book the West Coast Village, so that the food for this special menu can be prepped in advance.  We were seated at long tables, with Jenny’s friends, most sitting at tables set on the beach sand.  It is difficult to walk on it, and Jenny’s instruction to bring flat shoes was understandable in retrospect.   At the side of The West Coast Village area is a dedicated fireplace, at Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Dorf Krug in Hermanus is boldly Bavarian!

Dorf Krug Bavarian pots Whale Cottage PortfolioStill in shock about the rude treatment I received from the owners of Just Pure The Bistro in Hermanus two days ago I went to the very Bavarian-looking Dorf Krug and found a haven of friendliness and good wholesome Bavarian food.

Outside on the terrace they have placed Bavarian-coloured barrels, which attract attention to the cottage building. The interior is not German at all, other than the Deukom German TV channel broadcasting the Winter Olympics, and the tables and riempie chairs do not suit the theme.  The odd Bavarian and German flag can be seen.  Very large paintings fill the walls, but do not link to the Bavarian theme.   The name was puzzling me, being the ‘Village Jug’ directly translated.  I was told that the owner, Dr Brigitte Riedelsheimer, is a Bavarian swallow living in Düsseldorf and at Arabella.  She has owned the property for some time, having leased it to a second hand furniture shop previously.

The outside seating area behind the building was a complete contrast, with long tables and benches with cushions covered in the Bavarian blue and white, and plants softening the edges.  A massive mural of a Southern Right whale is in the parking area, painted by a Bot River artist.  The delightful Continue reading →

Blaauwklippen celebrates 30th anniversary of its popular Blending Competition!

Blaauwklippen Blending Competition Bottle and FrameYesterday Blaauwklippen celebrated the 30th anniversary of its popular Blending Competition, and it was a day filled with celebratory balloons and nostalgic reflections of the heritage of the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition on the 331 year old wine estate in Stellenbosch.  The competition has helped to demystify wine and make it more accessible to wine drinkers.

I have attended the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition (which they refer to as BBC) for a number of years, but had never seen so many guests before, 70 guests seated in the Barouche restaurant, many of whom having links to 1984, the first year of the blending competition.  Blaauwklippen MD and Cellarmaster Rolf Zeitvogel reflected on the world 30 years ago, Apple having launched its Macintosh PC, Archbishop Tutu receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mrs Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister of the UK, and Nelson Mandela seeing his wife Winnie for the first time in 22 years.  Through a number of speakers, we heard about the history of the blending competition, having been the idea of Angela Continue reading →

2012: a year of Tourism ups and downs!

Looking back at 2012 on the last day of the year, every business will be grateful that it is still around, given that the international world is still in recession, and the impact thereof has made itself felt in South Africa too.   It is heartening that fewer hospitality businesses closed their doors this year, but it is clear that fewer restaurants have opened, and few top-end ones in particular.   So what stood out in 2012?:

*   The worst winter season ever for the hospitality industry, following a poor winter 2011, not just related to the poor economy and traditional Seasonality, but also to the exceptionally wet winter, which deterred Johannesburgers from coming to the Cape, and prevented Capetonians from taking weekends off in Western Cape towns and villages.

*   No marketing of Cape Town and the Western Cape. Cape Town Routes Unlimited was amalgamated into Wesgro in April, yet no visible marketing has been done for the Continue reading →