Tag Archives: Planet Bar

Neil Ellis wines shine at Mount Nelson Hotel Wine and Dine!

The Mount Nelson Hotel has been running a series of monthly ‘Wine and Dine’ dinner and wine pairing evenings for years already, and I attended one such dinner a few years ago.  On Friday evening I attended the dinner paired with Neil Ellis Wines, giving my Huguenot High School classmate Neil some moral support.  It was a lovely evening, good value at R395 for six courses, and a generous supply of six Neil Ellis wines served.

The dinner was held in the Garden Room, in what appears to be the last bastion of history and tradition at the Mount Nelson, the room having inherited the mural that was previously in the Cape Colony restaurant, which is now called The Planet restaurant.  It has an impressive central chandelier, and the chairs come from the Union Castle, I was told by Mount Nelson Hotel Concierge Osnat Gropper, who shared the table with me.  She also told me that the room was used as the location for Nelson Mandela’s office and the place where Mandela dances with Graca Machel, in the movie ‘Invictus’. 

We started the evening with a welcome drink of Neil Ellis Groenkloof Sauvignon Blanc,  in the modern Planet Bar, served with interesting canapés.   It was a good way to meet some of the forty or so fellow diners, and included the very bubbly Melissa Nelsen, maker of Genevieve MCC, which is listed at the Mount Nelson, and her partner Leon.  It was also a chance for a catch-up with Neil, whom I had last seen at our 40th matric anniversary in November.  Executive Chef Rudi Liebenberg talked though his menu, and was followed by Neil, explaining each of his wines.   Neil impresses with his humble presence, and he told us that he learnt that the best way to winemaking is the ‘long road’, or the scenic route’.  There are no short-cuts, he said, in making a good wine. Neil Ellis Wines processes about 700 – 800 tons of grapes per year, coming from Darling, Stellenbosch, Elgin and Piekenierskloof.   Neil was the first winemaker to make a certified Elgin wine in 1990.   He told us that he loves ‘femininity’ in a wine, and that is how he makes them.   His first job in 1974 was as winemaker at the KWV, after finishing at Elsenburg, and it was in the ‘Eighties that he followed his dream of making his own wines.  He also told us that he tries to do a Wineless Monday, having bottles of wine on his dining table every other day, some being his own and some other brands, some local, and some international.   His son Warren is a winemaker and viticulturist in his dad’s business, and his daughter is representing the brand on the Garden Route.

The first course was a trio of duck, served with apple gel and parsnip purée, and was tiny portions of lightly smoked duck, duck rillette and duck liver parfait.   Although the bread basket had a selection of breads, no toasted brioche was served with the starter.  The seed roll did not suit the excellent parfait.  This course was served with Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2006, which was highly praised by the white wine drinkers.  Neil described it as being ‘open, unobtrusive, with minerality’, and he felt the wine to be a good match with the duck.

An odd pairing was the rather salty kabeljou with seaweed crust, served with a white mussel and prawn chipolata and buttered endive,  with Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection Pinotage 2009.  We laughed when Neil read a quote by someone else about Pinotage: a strong purposeful wine, with a lion’s heart and a woman’s tongue, which will help one fight the devil for ever!  An unreleased Neil Ellis Muscat Chardonnay 2010 was served with an unusual spiced coconut and coriander soup, containing coconut slices, and hints of garlic and ginger.  It was served with spinach tempura, one leaf placed in the bowl.  The wine was made from Elgin grapes, and Neil described it as accessible and young, with hints of Turkish delight, and not having an oak influence. 

Prior to the serving of the main course, the tasting was interrupted with an unusual glassful of orange and spice tea, perhaps intended as an appetite cleanser.  The small portion of grilled springbok loin main course was good, served with an unusual black pudding, turnips, potatoes and brussel sprouts, and was a good pairing with the treat of a Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection Cabernet 2005, the best wine that they make, Neil said.  It is made from grapes that come from a single vineyard block in Jonkershoek.  It has elegance, with notes of cassis, dark fruit, and mint. 

The most unusual dish of all was the ‘Cheese in a cup’, which was a melted mix of Farmhouse Cheddar and Cumin Boerenkaas, and served with the breadbasket again, one dunking the bread into the cheese liquid.   I really liked the Neil Ellis Aenigma 2007 blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, which was served with the cheese course.  Speaking to Chef Rudi later in the evening, he said that he likes to challenge his staff to come up with something unusual on the cheese courses, as this course sees so little creativity.   The dessert was banana and chocolate ‘stuff’, as Chef Rudi described his dessert at the recent Multiple Sclerosis charity lunch at Grande Provence.   The dessert wine that Neil had chosen was Laborie’s Pineau de Laborie 2011, a potstill spirit uniquely made from pinotage, Neil said.   A pretty collection of friandise was served with the coffee, which we shared with Melissa and Leon, and Neil came to chat too, the highlight of the evening.

The more I thought about the dinner on the way home, the more I felt that the Dine side of the evening was a let-down, compared to the stature of the Neil Ellis wines, the Kabeljou being unacceptably salty, the dessert being a messy mix of chocolate items, and the soup being unspectacular.  The Cheese course was the highlight, in being so unusual.  Unacceptable for a five-star hotel was the stretching of the waiter to place the fork, when he could have walked around to place it on the left.   The Mount Nelson Wine and Dine evenings are an excellent way in which to get to meet and chat to the winemaker, and to get an idea of his/her personality.  It was commendable that Chef Rudi did the rounds amongst the guests, when he had finished the food preparation.  He and Neil have a similar more reserved and unflashy way about them, just getting on with what needs to be done.  I enjoyed chatting to Osnat, and getting to know more about her, the Mount Nelson Hotel, and the Orient Express group that the hotel belongs to.

Mount Nelson Hotel, Upper Orange Street,  Gardens.   Tel (021) 483-1000  www.mountnelson.co.za

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

Restaurant review: Planet Restaurant puts Mount Nelson Hotel amongst the stars!

After a closure of a few months for a complete make-over, the old Cape Colony at the Mount Nelson Hotel is no more, and what has arisen in its space is the new Planet Restaurant, based on an extension of the planetary theme of the Planet Bar, opening about three weeks ago.  It gives the restaurant, and the hotel with it, a modern feel worthy of the quality of Chef Rudi Liebenberg’s culinary skills.

For a new restaurant to have so much money thrown at it is unusual, with ads in the Sunday Times costing a fortune, even if they are in black and white, and obviously the decor changes were expensive too.  Therefore it was a surprise that when we tried to make the booking a few days prior to our dinner, it was such a struggle to make it with Emmanuel, one of the Maître d’hôtel.   Chef Rudi has been at the hotel for two years now, but the restaurant staff is refreshingly new.  Restaurant Manager Andreas van Breda moved to Cape Town after a long stint at Claridges in London.   For the first time the restaurant has a sommelier, and they could not have appointed a nicer person than Carl Habel, whom I first met at Myoga, and who remembered my love for Shiraz when he came to say hello, even though he was off duty, a reflection of how good he is at customer service.   He enthused about his new job, and his respect for Chef Rudi, whose focus is on quality produce, and on sourcing local ingredients, which makes it easy for him to pair the Planet Restaurant’s food and wine.   It is hard to believe that the Mount Nelson, one of Cape Town’s top hotels, has never had a sommelier before!   It was lovely to receive the warm welcome at the entrance to the hotel from Osnat Gropper, the concierge, and a Twitter friend.

The interior design was done by DHK Interiors, and they have used a less-is-more decor approach, removing the piano and the old-fashioned Capescape mural (excellent decisions).   As one walks down the passage from the Planet Bar, one notices the panels of strings of blue and clear glass balls, representing the planetary theme, interspersed with massive mirrors with illustrations representing the signs of the zodiac, which is carried into the restaurant itself.   Unfortunately not all twelve signs are represented, so I was disappointed to not see Sagittarius on one of the mirrors, having come for a birthday celebration.  The new restaurant is a clean crisp white space, with a central chandelier and new carpet that echo the planetary theme.  The furniture has been replaced, with brown tables, and velvet-covered cream chairs.  In the centre the seating is leather couches. The tables are covered with boring placemats (for the stature of the restaurant and the hotel it could do with a good quality tablecloth), beautiful cutlery from Hepp Exclusive, good light glassware, and a set of modern salt and pepper grinders from Peugeot, which I had also seen a few days earlier at the restaurant at Delaire Graff.  The planetary theme is extended into the sparkly covers of the winelist, the menu and the billfold, as well as on the inside first pages of the menu and winelist.  

The menu is extravagant, running to many pages, with a few items per page. It is printed on a good quality cream board.  It has an introductory statement by Chef Rudi, and is signed by him, stating: “Our kitchen is all about a journey, a journey with many new and sometimes unexpected variables and it is for this reason that we come back inspired and motivated every day. ….The foundation of our process starts with respect, respect for the ingredient, respect for the process, respect for the end product and respect for the guest.   The majority of our ingredients are sourced locally and prepared using a wide range of modern as well as classical cooking methods”.   An insert offers the “Chef’s Suggestions”.    Two tasting menu options are available, strangely a “Vegan Journey” one listed first, followed by the “Journey”, a non-vegan one, both charged at R380 per person for a minimum of two persons to order, and consisting of six courses each.   Each wine recommendation for the tasting menu is priced separately.  Thereafter the menu has a la carte menu options.   Commendably items on the menu are specially marked with a symbol, reflecting them being vegetarian, vegan and containing nuts, where relevant.

Before we could think of choosing anything,  complimentary glasses of Genevieve MCC were brought to the table, as was a small plate of canapés (duck rillette, salmon and feta, as well as ostrich tartare).  If an amuse bouche is a first presentation of the skills of the chef, then this plateful was a disappointment.   We had to ask for the bread.   Three bread options were offered – ciabatta, country bread (the waiter could not explain exactly what this bread contained) and garlic bread.  Starter options range in price from R65 for a “tomato variation, jelly, cloud, sorbet, greens, basil”, not easy to imagine what exactly is served; to R165 for crayfish ceviche and Namibian red crab remoulade.  Duck and quail terrine, smoked salmon trout, and oysters are also available.  One can also order soup and salads, including a crocodile salad (R90), a menu item from the old Cape Colony menu. 

I chose a cold asparagus soup (R85) as the starter, and it was a surprise to have the plate served with a tower of asparagus mousse topped with thin slices of cucumber.   I have seen ceremonious pouring of soup at a table, but the waiter pouring the soup out of the water glass brought from the kitchen by hand, without it being on a tray or in a prettier container, spoilt what I am sure the chef had intended for the presentation of the dish.  I found the dish very bland. It was served in an interesting soup bowl, with a hole in it for design effect.  The advertised egg yolk was left out of the dish, for no reason.   My partner had a slow-cooked free-range egg with local cured ham and mature gouda, served with a pinotage reduction, which he enjoyed, but commented on the runny egg white.   This dish was on the old Cape Colony menu too, and clearly is a hit, for it to have been retained.   For my main course I chose an extravagant abalone and crayfish dish (R295).   The abalone was tiny, making me feel guilty in having chosen something that was clearly undersized (or alternatively out of a can).   It was cut into two, cooked, coated with herbs and then sauteed in butter, but did not have a distinctive abalone taste at all, the herbs overpowering the usually distinctive taste.  A tiny crayfish tail (more guilt), as well as asparagus spears and sweet corn added colour and taste to the dish, but I missed the velouté advertised on the menu as being part of the dish.   No fish knife was served with this dish.   My partner’s flame-grilled beef fillet was butter soft, but the sautéed mushrooms, potato foam and mini fondants were so badly over-salted that he could not finish them (R170).  Other main course options are a pea risotto (R95); monkfish fillet, chicken, pork cheeks and belly, and mussels and calamari, all costing R150; Karoo lamb (R190); and springbok (R180).   For those able to eat more, there is a choice of six desserts, costing around R65, and two cheese options.   Friandises were served with the excellent foamy cappuccino (R20). 

The 24-page winelist specifies vintages and origin, and is introduced with a page of “Sommelier’s latest discoveries”, which were three Solms-Delta wines: Amalie (R60/R175), Langarm (R35/R155), and Hiervandaan (R70/R310), the serving by-the-glass specified at 175ml, making them expensive.   Five “Methode Cap Classique” 150ml wines-by-the-glass are listed, including Pierre Jourdan Brut (R45), Simonsig Brut Rosé (R50) and Genevieve Brut (R60), and surprisingly, the champagnes Billecart-Salmon Rosé (R320) and Veuve Cliquot (R210) were also listed under this heading!   Ten white and seven red wines-by-the glass, the former ranging from R35 – R65 per 175ml, and the latter ranging from R45 – R75 per glass, are offered.   I was disappointed at the small selection of red wines by the glass, and that none of them included a Shiraz.  The rest of the winelist separates white wines into “Crisp and refreshing”, Fragrant and Floral”, “Rich and Opulent” and “Signature and Cellar”.   Red wines are categorised into “Silky and Smooth”, “Elegant and Fresh”, “Rich and Concentrated”, and “The Great Reserve”.  Unique Vin de Constance and Hamilton Russell Pinot Noirvertical vintage selections are also available, but require big cheque books!   Shiraz options by the bottle include Groote Post Reserve (R270), Waterford Kevin Arnold (R430), Saronsberg (R475), Cirrus (R1020), Hartenberg Stork (R1020), Saxenberg Select (R4435), De Trafford (R760), and Fairview Beacon (R515).   Knowing my love for Shiraz, Carl recommended the Saronsberg 2007, a wine not usually available by the glass.  On tasting, it was acceptable, but it had a taste to it that I did not like, the more I drank of it.  We were not charged for the wine.

Having eaten at The Test Kitchen and Planet Restaurant on two consecutive nights, it is clear that the Planet Restaurant is more of a special occasion restaurant, with the staff smartly and professionally dressed befitting the five star status of the hotel, while the food at The Test Kitchen overall was better.  The service levels were on a par.   The Planet Restaurant still needs time to settle in, and for its quality to be consistent, whether Chef Rudi is on duty or not.  The advertising has not yet offered a return on its investment, as we were one of only five tables in what seemed to be a quiet hotel. Having been on the Eat Out top 20 restaurant shortlist whilst at The Saxon, it will be interesting to see if Chef Rudi can take the Planet Restaurant onto the star top 20 restaurant shortlist for 2011.

Planet Restaurant, Mount Nelson Hotel, 76 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town.  Tel (021) 483-1000 www.planetbarandrestaurant.co.za (No menu or winelist on the website, and disappointingly almost no food photographs in the Gallery).  Monday – Sunday dinner only.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage   Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Franschhoek Uncorked Sweet and Mount Nelson Planet Bar Sour Service Awards

The Sweet Service Award goes to the Franschhoek Wine Valley Tourism Association, for organising the Franschhoek Uncorked Festival last weekend, for organising the best weather ever in the history of the festival, and for bringing winelovers to the wine estates, the only organised event doing so once a year.   The majority of the participating wine estates gave it their best shot, being super generous and friendly.  Whilst a golden marketing opportunity was lost by each estate in not being more proactive in handing out information about their wines and restaurant, the event as a whole created goodwill for Franschhoek, and created awareness for the Franschhoek wine brands via Twitter and Blogging.

The Sour Service Award goes to the Planet Bar at the Mount Nelson Hotel.  I popped in for their wonderful mushroom empanadas and a glass of bubbly after a concert close by a week ago, a rare indulgence.   The barman did not know what “empanadas” are, asking me if they were a food item (they are on the bar menu), the waitress poured my glass of Simonsig Vonkel with the glass standing upright, and an empanada had an hair in it (luckily the chef came to explain that it was an hair from the pastry brush!).   When I asked the Planet Bar manager Patrick why the service had been so poor, he repeated after me “poor?”, as if all had been perfect.  One wonders why 5-star hotel staff, who do not deliver 5-star service, get to be so arrogant!

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.