There have been a number of restaurant openings, four in Franschhoek in December alone, and restaurant closures are minimal at present, a good sign of recovery. This list of restaurant news is updated continuously, as we receive information:
Restaurant Openings
* The Rotisserie at Leopard’s Leap has opened in Franschhoek, with Chef Pieter de Jager (left), moving across from Pierneef à La Motte
* Antipasto Bar has opened at the new Anthonij Rupert Wines tasting room, where Graham Beck used to be, outside Franschhoek
* Sacred Ground has opened as a Deli and Bakery in The Square in Franschhoek
* Kloof Street House has opened where Opal Lounge used to be.
* Col’Cacchio has opened a new outlet in Westlake, and new ones are coming in Claremont and Hermanus.
* New Vida é Caffe new branches are to open on Maindean Place in Claremont, at the new Wembley Square 2 development, at The Paddocks, Groote Schuur, and Roeland Street. Two more branches are planned for Mauritius.
* Honest Chocolate is opening a second outlet, a ‘production kitchen’ in the Woodstock Industrial Centre
* Moyo has opened, where the Paulaner Braühaus was, in the V & A Waterfront.
* FEAST is to open where Franschhoek Food Emporium was, in Place Vendome
* Cavalli restaurant is said to open on the stud farm on R44, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, this year or next
* Camphors at Vergelegen has opened, with Chef PJ Vadas.
* David Higgs (ex Rust en Vrede) has opened Five Hundred, a new 30 seater restaurant in The Saxon in Johannesburg.
* Cousins has opened in the Parliament Hotel, where Il Cappero used to be.
* Gourmetboerie has opened at the bottom end of Kloof Street
* Kushi Indian Restaurant has opened a branch on Main Road in Sea Point
* Thai Café is opening on Plein Street, Stellenbosch
* Bellini’s is said to be opening on Greenmarket Square
* Moksh Authentic Indian Cuisine restaurant has opened in Paarl
* Alfama’s has opened on Waterkant Street
* It’s a House is to open on Jarvis Street, as a bar, coffee shop, and design art space.
* Lion’s Head Bar is to open on Bree Street, selling craft beer and food
* Shake your Honey Mumbai is to open in the original Madame Zingara building on Loop Street, in August.
* A new bar and Café is to open underneath the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, where Bamboo used to be
* Café Blanc de Noir has opened on Brenaissance wine estate in Stellenbosch
* Chef Nic van Wyk, previously with Terroir, has opened The Eatery at Diemersdal in Durbanville.
* Lizette’s Kitchen has opened in Vöelklip, Hermanus.
* Paulina’s Restaurant has opened at Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek
* Buitenverwachting has opened Coffee Bloc Coffee Shop and Roastery
* Wakaberry has opened on Kloof Street
* Rock Sushi Thai has opened in Meadowridge
* Jimmy Jimanos sports bar is opening on Long Street
* The Salzburger Grill has opened in Sea Point
* The Stall has opened as a Bar and Family Café in the old Pippin Farm Stall, at the entrance to Franschhoek
* Burger King will open its first South African branch in Cape Town later this year!
* A coffee shop, chocolaterie, bar, and fashion boutique will open in a 3-storey building on Long Street in February, as yet unnamed.
* The Beer Bar is to open on Long Street
* Eataria is to open on Long Street
* Portuguese restaurant Alfama has opened on Bree Street
* Shimmy Beach Club has opened in the V&A Waterfront in December, involving Chef Seelan Sundoo.
* McDonald’s is opening new branches in Wynberg, Lansdowne, and Claremont in Cape Town
* The Red Table Restaurant at Nederburg has opened for lunches Wednesday – Sunday
* Wilderer Distillery and La Grapperie at Spice Route restaurant are opening in Spice Route wine estate, in addition to their existing location
* Tridici has opened on the N2 near Swellendam.
* TriBakery is to open near Moyo in the V&A Waterfront
* Latitude33 has opened on Bree Street
* Luke Dale Roberts appears to be continuing his expansion trail, and is said to be opening on Long Street. He has been seen with plans together with Giorgio Nava of 95 Keerom Street and Carne, as well as with Bertus Basson of Overture.
* Mischu: The Coffee Showroom has opened on Regent Road in in Sea Point.
* Deluxe Urban Café has opened in the old Cape Quarter.
* Gourmet Cakes has opened on Kloof Street
* Peter’s House has opened on Kloofnek Road
* A new restaurant and micro brewery is to open next door to The Bromwell in Woodstock (name not yet known).
* Le Venue has opened at The House of JC le Roux
* The Harbour House group is opening a new restaurant at 107 Loop Street.
Restaurant Closures
* French Toast Wine and Tapas Bar has closed down, following the death of co-owner John Harrison.
* The Kove in Camps Bay has closed down, its space has become part of sister restaurant Zenzero
* Sinnfull has closed down in Camps Bay
* Planet Green Salad has closed down
* Freedom Hill Restaurant has closed down (and subsequently burnt down).
* Wale Rose Lifestyle has closed down in Bo-Kaap.
Restaurant staff/venue changes
* The V&A Waterfront Food Court has re-opened, with Primi Express, Anat, Carnival, Nür Halaal, Royal Bavarian Bakery, KFC, Boost Juice, Simply Asia, Steers, Debonairs, Subway, Marcel’s, Haagan Dazs, and Nando’s.
* Fyndraai Restaurant will move to another building on the wine estate, and will offer fine dining. The current restaurant will serve light lunches and picnics.
* Giulia’s Food Café Restaurant has opened where Miss K was on Main Road, Green Point. Serve Italian-style lunch and dinner, but have retained some Miss K breakfast and pastry items.
* Orphanage Cocktail Emporium has expanded into a property at its back, opening on Orphan Street, creating The Dining Room downstairs. It is opening Orphanage Club upstairs, with 1920’s style music by live performers, in about 6 months.
* Marcellino’s Bakery has changed its name to EuroHaus, with a restaurant added to the bakery.
* Maryna Frederiksen is the new Executive Chef at The Franschhoek Kitchen at Holden Manz.
* The ex-Caveau owners have taken over the running of the Twankey Bar of the Taj hotel.
* Sand at The Plettenberg hotel has changed its name to Seafood at The Plettenberg.
* Lasse Presting is the new Manager of the Haute Cabriere restaurant
* Chef Alistair Lawrence has taken over from Fernando Romano at 5 Rooms at The Alphen Hotel
* De Oude Bank Bakkerij is expanding, and will open a retail section selling charcuterie, fresh meats, home-made ice cream, and wines, collectively called De Companje, from February
* Taste Restaurant has moved to Bilton Wines
* Bar1 has opened where Sunbird Bistro was in Camps Bay.
* Oppie Dorp has opened where Cognito was on Dorp Street in Stellenbosch.
* Chef Reuben Riffel and his colleague Maritz Jacobs have been contracted to design the menus and prepare the food for weddings and events at Allée Bleue.
* Thai Café is to open where the coffee shop was at the entrance to Piazza St John in Sea Point
* Sensei Deon de Jongh has left Okamai at Glenwood wine estate in Franschhoek.
* Baked Bistro has open in Bakoven, where Marika’s and Saboroso used to be
* The Urban Garden Restaurant is to open where Bistro on Rose was.
* Sadly Isabella Immenkamp, the excellent service-orientated hostess at Burrata, is leaving for Jordan Restaurant at the end of February.
* The Pot Luck Club has re-opened in its new venue at the top of the Old Biscuit Mill in February.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage
The Sweet Service Award goes to Woolworths and its Customer Experience Manager Anita Scott, who took over dealing with our complaint about the W Café at the V&A Waterfront, after Tribeca, the external operators of the W Café, did not contact us as promised. A 3-cheese toast with mustard looked unappetising, the bread having fallen apart on the plate when served, and it had unidentifiable red bits. There was no manager on duty. The supervisor was out of his depth. The Woolworths Store Manager logged the call, but it did not reach Tribeca, they claim. After 10 days of non-response, it was a delight to speak to Ms Scott, who was frank about what steps would be taken with Tribeca (she herself had experienced the toasted cheese on another occasion). I asked her why Woolworths is allowing Tribeca to destroy their brand name with such poor service and poor quality food, as experienced in their Paarl, V&A, and Sea Point Piazza St John branches. She diplomatically did not answer, but it seems that some serious action is on its way.
The Sour Service Award goes to the Overstrand Municipality, and is nominated by property owner Sybille Rutherford. It has been edited to reduce the length: “I herewith wish to raise the issue of the changes made to the refuse collection being shifted from Mondays to Fridays in the Voelklip -and Hermanus area. We are saddened that this has been made without consulting anyone – as to what the implications would be. Most of us homeowners have the second homes as weekend retreats- we dont stay there permanently. The previous refuse collection day on Mondays was a perfect solution, as the mainstream of visitors to Hermanus is always on a weekend. There have been a few baboons around our area in 09th Street-and I fear that the collection of rubbish on Fridays (leaving the bins and bags open in the Street for some 5 days) will attract the troops of baboons from the caves in the mountains behind our properties en masse- and even if they cannot open some of the special bins provided- there is always the overflow of rubbish in bags which gets placed alongside the bins for collection. Apart from being a definite “draw card” for baboons and bergies – there is also the mess that dogs make when they scrounge in the bags, littering the sidewalks and roads, as well as a stench which will accumulate from all the rubbish lying there for 5 days waiting for collection. In summer arrives this will make matters worse with the heat.It will also attract flies to the area. Are we really wanting to create problems for our beautiful, clean, well run Hermanus town, which is becoming more and more popular with tourists-and people wanting to rent houses for the weekend to spend some time away from home or international guests who rent homes there on a regular basis, be it for families or golfers,hikers or mountain bikers? Once they discover that troops of baboons descend from the mountains and gravitate towards the rubbish – they will feel threatened and more than likely find another little “safe” town to spend their holidays in“.
