Pol Roger | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

The menu and business card of the Opal Lounge claims that it is the most beautiful restaurant in Cape Town. It could more aptly be called the most arrogant and pretentious restaurant in Cape Town. This is the restaurant that, at its time of opening about a year ago, charged for tap water. A review by ‘Rossouw’s Restaurants’ quickly made the restaurant drop this policy.

The reason for trying out the restaurant was a Valentine’s promotion e-mail which had been received from the restaurant, and the menu that came with it, which looked excellent.

On arrival we were met by Conrad, who opened the glass door for us, as a gale force south-easter was blowing. Immediately we were struck by his pretentious greeting, full of airs and graces, which made us feel unwelcome. He has previously worked as a waiter at Emily’s and Ginja, as well as at overseas restaurants.

About half an hour later the manager Francois Hough introduced himself, and asked rather aggressively why I was taking notes about his menu and his winelist, who I was and where I was from. I told him that I write a blog. I told him that I had to take notes as their website is under construction. I asked him for his surname, but he refused to give it to me. He became more friendly as the evening wore on, but did not seem to know how to deal with feedback presented when he asked for it. He was previously at Paranga, Pepenero and Manolo.

The restaurant is based in a lovely house, built in 1897, on Kloof Street, and was previously the home of Manolo (not having been shy in the arrogance department either), and a restaurant with French chefs before that. The building seems to have had little staying power or luck for the previous owners. It has two lounges, one being an open plan one off the passage, where the Manolo bar and one of the dining rooms used to be. Two other rooms are used as dining rooms. The room on the right to the entrance was unbearably hot. The room we chose became hotter as the evening wore on, and the airconditioner seemed to make little headway in cooling the room to a more acceptable temperature.

The promotional letter describes The Opal Lounge as “Sophisticated yet very homely”, a contradiction in terms. “Not an ordinary restaurant, but one which has been styled with passion and attention to detail to give your guests an extraordinary dining experience“, boasts the promotional letter (its writing in bold).

The menu says “Our sincere hope is that you have a glorious experience in any one of our Lounges; that you leave happy, and in the truth that everything we endeavour to do for you on this occasion will bring you back to make this your second home” (underlining as per the menu)! Our experience was exactly the opposite.

The winelist is beautifully presented in a heavy black leather folder, and has commendable descriptions eloquently written for its extensive collection of wines, not only describing each vintage in great detail, but also each wine. This is how the Pierre Jourdan Cuvee Bella Rose is described, for example: “Bella Rose has the faintest tinge of salmon pink, a lively presentation of Pinot Noir flavours, a pleasing fine mousse and it reveals an elegant dry finish. The discreet blush of Belle Rose is emphasized in the name the “beautiful rose””. This is copywriting at its best!

Interesting was seeing that the red wines are listed before the white wines. Champagnes stocked are Veuve Cliquot, ranging between R 800 – R 1 200, Bollinger Brut at R 860, Krug at R 2 400, Pol Roger at R 800 and Moet Chandon at R 650. Cap Classiques range from R 140 for the Eikendal to R 275 for Pierre Jourdan Blanc de Blanc and Cuvee Bella Rose. Pinot Noir wines ranged in price from R 230 for the Catherine Marshall to R 645 for Hamilton Russell. The Shirazes cost between R 165 for the Neil Joubert and R 410 for Kevin Arnold. Grootte Post’s Merlot costs R 175, while that of Veenwouden and Meerlust costs R 410. Chardonnay ranges from R 165 for Eikendal and Haute Cabriere, to R 585 for one from Hamilton Russell. The Sauvignon Blanc is priced in a range from R 130 (Eikendal) to R 195 (Steenberg).

Our first problem arose when we ordered the wine, wanting the 2005 vintage of Warwick Three Ladies, as per the winelist. The vintage had run out, we were told. Another two wine choices followed, with the advertised vintages not being in stock. Our fourth choice was a Steenberg Merlot, and the 2007 vintage as per the winelist was available. Conrad offered to chill down the wine for us, something we have never been offered for a red wine before. We declined the offer, being happy with it at room temperature. The Manager came to explain that the restaurant is re-doing its winelist, and that he had worked with owner Rochelle Bushell on it that day, to update it. He promised that Rochelle would call the following day. She did not. Strangely, after being open for a year, the restaurant’s website is under construction.

The black leather menu is very descriptive, and each dish gets the copy-writing treatment but over-promises what is presented. Eight starters include a summer soup, strawberry gazpacho, prawns, Caesar salad, venison dim sum, salmon carpaccio and mushroom tortellini, ranging in price from R 45 – R 77. The mushroom tortellini is described as follows: “A medley of mushrooms combined with mild goats cheese and stuffed into pasta parcels. Served with sliced prosciutto, a fresh asparagus salad and truffle dressing. Finished with a light preserved lemon hollandaise”. The amuse bouche was a tasty wonton with beef, cottage cheese, and olive, served in a lemon hollandaise sauce. The Mushroom Tortellini did not deliver on its promise, no prosciutto being found in the dish, and the “asparagus salad” was 6 tiny slivers of asparagus used to decorate the plate.

Nine main courses are offered, including oxtail, tuna, venison, lamb, duck, beef fillet, line fish and mushroom, ranging from R 105 – R 151. The Exotic Duck is described as “An exotic dish of duck served 4 different ways. Pan seared duck breast on mange tout, confit leg on pomme de terre croquette, duck liver and thyme wonton, and finally finished off with crispy duck skin. Served with mango salsa, orange gastrique and carrot puree”. The duck skin was two tiniest 20 cent size pieces, which were shown to the waiter to illustrate the overpromise of the menu, and was not “crispy”. He did not react to this feedback. The Manager’s reaction was a lame “I’m sorry”. The fillet steak was served as tiny thin slices, with an olive oil mash, good in taste but not enough to satisfy a young student. After the main course a mango and passion fruit “palate cleanser” was served.

The dessert list offers six choices, ranging from R 45 – R 60, as well as a luxury dessert platter for two to share, with a selection of desserts, at R 95. A cheese platter is also available. The chocolate mousse dessert promised a peppermint centre, but there was none. The small slice of chocolate mousse cake was lost on the large plate that it was served on, and tiny specs of peppermint were found at the end tips of it. It was accompanied by a semi-fredo. I am a cappuccino addict, but could only manage to finish half of it, it being too milky. We were charged in full for it, even though I told the waiter that I was not happy with it.

The Head Chef at The Opal Lounge is Robert Miguiez, and the Executive Sous Chef is Steven Kruger, previously with Ginja and Portofino.

NOTE: The day after our dinner on 22 March, for which we had paid R 770, I received a call from Malcolm Bushell, who introduced himself as the husband of Rochelle Bushell and a director of the company. In the most rude, abusive and threatening manner, he told me in no uncertain terms that if my review (only written on 26 March and posted today for the first time) were to contain any “lies”, or was disparaging, he would have no hesitation to seek legal advice, and also told us to not return to the restaurant. He was not interested in hearing what the customer feedback was about the experience at the restaurant, doing the “my staff are perfect” routine, and did not allow the customer to speak. There was no “thank you” for the custom. When I told him that I would share this call experience with friends Gudrun and Barry Clark, who were also at the restaurant that evening, he said he did not care, and that they too would no longer be welcome! It is clear to see from whence the arrogance of the staff of this restaurant comes!

The Opal Lounge, 30 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town. Tel 021 422 4747. www.theopallounge.co.za Open Mondays – Sundays for dinner only. Open for lunch for corporate bookings only.

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

One of South Africa’s Top 10 restaurants, Rust en Vrede, did a special dad’s 94th birthday celebration proud on a weekday night 2 weeks ago, just four days after it was announced as 3rd place winner on the Top 10 list, as winner of the Service Excellence Award in the Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards, and a week after it was named the best Restaurant in the winelands in the world, by the Great Wine Capitals Network.

A terrible drive due to after-hours roadworks near the airport made the journey from Cape Town doubly long. The arrival at the wine estate wiped away the frustration, it being dark already, and the lighting romantically showing off ancient oak trees and a beautiful garden.

A staff member stood outside the door to welcome us, and we were taken to the rest of the party, having a drink on the terrace outside. Our table for 6 was set apart from the rest of the restaurant, in its own alcove, two sides filled with wines on glass shelves. This gave a feeling of privacy, yet one felt to be part of the restaurant.

The menu and winelist covers were one of the few aspects to criticise, looking like plastic “mock-croc”. The menu is informative, with a foreword by Jean Engelbrecht, the owner of the wine estate, David Higgs the chef, and Neil Grant, the sommelier. The menu is simple – one has two choices – 4 courses at R 400, or 6 courses at R 550 without paired wine, or R 800 with wine paired per course. The only catch is that all persons in the party must have either the 4- or 6-course meal.

As the 4-course meal allows one an option of three choices per course, our party chose this option. A first course choice offered was a scallop “gazpacho” that was not a soup at all, foie gras and cherries, and sweet onion soup. The second course choice consisted of a salmon trout, organic chicken, and fennel and creme fraiche risotto. The third course offered tuna, loin of lamb and springbok. The 4 th course choice was between goat’s cheese and melon, strawberry and nut parfait with marzipan, and baked apple and pastry with cream cheese ice cream.

The 6-course meal starts with tuna, followed by scallop, rabbit, Chalmar beef, Tetede Moine and ends with Chocolate Marquis. No options are provided within each of the 6 courses.

The menu also contains the supplier information, looking a little like an add-on to the otherwise slick menu. Beef and venison come from the estate’s Kalahari farm, herbs come from the estate’s herb garden, Magic Steve supplies the vegetables, The Wild Peacock supplies ingredients, duck and rabbit, Neil Jewel the chacuteries, and Wayne Rademeyer from Wellington the Buffalo Mozzarella. Reubens is the only other known restaurant which states its suppliers in its menus.

The meal was preceded by an amuse bouche of scallop. As each dish is brought to the table per course, the waitress reminds one of the choice one ordered, pointing out what is on the plate. She explained everything so well and efficiently, that everything seemed to taste even better.

The winelist reflects about 270 wines on 28 pages, and a neat index at the start of the winelist categorises the wines on offer, and an easy reference to the page. An oddity is the fact that only Champagne is served, and that South African Cap Classiques are not available. This is justified in the menu on the grounds of David and Neil being fanatical about the Champagne region in France! The winelist has 24 Champagnes, ranging from R 500 for a Mailly to R 1 800 for a Laurent Perrier. Wines by the glass are available, at R 30 for a Cederberg Chenin Blanc to R 50 for a Fryer’s Cove.

Similar to The Big Easy, a Portfolio of Wines is referred to in the winelist, and all wines from Rust en Vrede, Cirrus, Guardian Peak, Ernie Els, and Engelbrecht Els are listed separately in the winelist. The Rust en Vrede wine offering is extensive, and a separate price is quoted for each vintage. So, for example, the Rust en Vrede Merlot ranges from R 200 for a 2008 to R 900 for a 1989, the shiraz from R 230 for a 2006 to R 750 for the 1992, and R 95 for a Cab blend. Other wine brands are offered as well, and the Meerlust Rubicon costs R 350, and the Schalk Burger costs R 700. A Pol Roger bubbly was followed by the Rust en Vrede Shiraz, and was decanted by Neil. So professional is the wine team that when a second bottle of the same Rust en Vrede Shiraz was opened, a new round of Riedel glasses was brought to the table.

The spacing of the serving of the four courses was just right – not too slow nor too fast, and one lost track of time, not necessarily a good thing on a weekday evening! Service is unobtrusive, polite, reserved, and no proactive conversation is made – all communication relates purely to the meal and the drinks. An interesting but professional looking touch is the pouring of the bottled water with a cloth, to prevent the bubbles from wetting the guest or the tablecloth. This has not been seen anywhere else ever.

Unusual too is the multi-gender bathrooms – one does not expect to see a gentlemen coming through the door! Molton Brown bathroom products are available, being of a very good quality.

What was missed relative to a visit a year ago was David Higg’s regular visits to the table, after each course, to check on the guests’ satisfaction with and feedback about each course. David appeared more hands-on in the open-plan kitchen than a year ago, and would not have had the time to do so. He did come to chat after the meal, and impresses with his modesty, charm and gentleness. Even more commendable is the pride and dedication to his restaurant – if he should be ill, or is travelling, he closes the restaurant, he said. He will not allow it to operate without him being present. This places a huge burden on him in the five nights a week that the restaurant is open, but ensures consistent service – David Higgs probably is the only chef in the country to take his craft and reputation so seriously.

A small irritation, which Rust en Vrede shares with almost every restaurant in the country, is a bad habit of staff stretching past one from the left to place a knife or spoon on one’s right. This was the only aspect of the service that can be faulted. The music is nondescript and irritating, and sounds too canned – it is not well-matched to the decor, and quality of the food and wine, and does not add to the ambiance. Smoking is strictly forbidden on the estate, but an exception is made for cigar smoking when one is outside with no one else present, the cigars are for sale on the menu!

The 4-course meal for 6, a bottle of Pol Roger champagne, 2 bottles of Rust en Vrede Shiraz, some pre-dinner drinks, cigars as well as the mandatory 10 % service charge for a table of 6 came to R 4 700. The birthday boy received a tiny chocolate cake to take home, and each guest receives a roll wrapped up as a “gift”, an oddity, as rolls are not served with the meal, when one leaves.

POSTSCRIPT 9/4: Sommelier Neil Grant tonight telephonically denied the rumour on Twitter that David Higgs is leaving Rust & Vrede and moving to Johannesburg in June.

POSTSCRIPT 15/4: It has been announced that David Higgs has resigned, and is leaving Rust en Vrede mid-June. John Shuttleworth will step into David’s chef’s shoes.

Rust en Vrede is open from Tuesday to Saturday evenings. During the day one can enjoy only one dish – steak and chips – for lunch. Bookings are not taken for lunch. Tel 021 881 3881, www.rustenvrede.com. On the Stellenbosch Restaurant Route.

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