Tag Archives: Saxenburg

AfrAsia Bank Cape Wine Auction 2015 exceeds R10 million goal for charity!

February 15, 2015

The second AfrAsia Bank Cape Wine Auction was held at Boschendal Wine Farm yesterday, and generated R10,5 million, exceeding its goal of monies to be raised at the prestigious event, which saw 34 wine estates offering very generous auction lots.

Bids could be made online, or in person at the Auction. Auction lots were donated by ‘Auction Ambassadors‘, with rare local and international wine collections, gourmet dinners, art, luxury cruises, and unique travel destinations. The Auction was preceded by a ‘Barrel Tasting & Preview‘ the evening before in what looked from photographs like a magical Dylan Lewis Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Haiku survives seven year itch!

November 18, 2013

Not having been to Haiku in three years, and attending a concert close by in the Old Town House two weeks ago, I booked a table at what was once my favourite restaurant. While its prices have settled, service remains a problem, unforgivable after being in business for seven years already. Food presentation was most disappointing, and the food quality has declined.

It is seven years ago that Haiku opened to hype and fanfare. It was the bees knees of restaurants, becoming cult almost immediately, helped along by the difficulty in getting a table. It won Eat Out Best New Restaurant six months after opening, a category never awarded since. Those days are long past, the arrogant waitrons losing business for the restaurant, with patrons going elsewhere to get their Asian food fix. It was easy to book the table for a Saturday night, yet when I returned from the concert the restaurant was almost full. The loud disco-style music does not match the Asian theme of the restaurant nor makes it easy for one to communicate at the table and with the waitrons, and one wonders why they need to put up the volume. I remember this as a past irritation, introduced more recently. I was interested to know how the opening of the V&A Waterfront branch a few months ago had affected business in the original branch, and perhaps predictably the waitress said it had not at all. The manager told me later that their best chefs and waitrons had been transferred to the Waterfront, so it would be worth trying this branch too. The standard of the staff was evidenced by two incidents of clanging glasses, falling on the floor and breaking, for all to hear!

I was shown my table by the hostess, booked as a table for one, only to be asked in a most irritating manner by the waiter if I was on my own. He then wanted to clear the table of superfluous dishes, rather than bring the menu. He is one Continue reading →

WOSA Sommelier World Cup clever way to market South African wines!

October 13, 2013

Yesterday I spent a most entertaining afternoon at the Grande Roche hotel in Paarl, to observe the last phase of the Wines of South Africa (WOSA) Sommelier World Cup competition, the announcement and evaluation of the Top 3, and the awarding of the prize to the winning sommelier Will Predhomme.

The invited guests were the twelve finalists for the Sommelier World Cup, media representatives from the USA (I sat next to Rebecca Canan from the Terroirist Blog), Sweden, and Belgium, local writers, the local and international sommelier judges, and WOSA staff from its international offices as well as from its head office in Stellenbosch. After a welcome glass of wine, we sat down for lunch at Bosman’s, and it was clear to see why this Continue reading →

Orinoco restaurant brings hot flavours of Latin America to Cape Town!

May 26, 2012

Charming Venezuelan chef Migdalla Bellorin has opened a new restaurant in the Cape Town city centre, focusing on ‘the flavours of Latin America’ generally, and of Venezuela and Mexico specifically. It is the second South American restaurant in the Cape Town city centre, with the Peruvian restaurant Keenwa close by.

The restaurant is named after the Orinoco river, one of the longest in South America, and which flows through Venezuela and Colombia. The building exterior has an Art Deco design, and its long narrow interior is broken into sections, with the open kitchen and bar on opposite sides near the entrance. The interior is more Mexican, while the food served is more Venezuelan. A comfortable black couch with red cushions is the first splash of colour, and the far wall is painted a lovely rich yellow. A shelving unit contains South American ceramic items, Pan corn flour imported from Venezuela, and a local range of eat.art spices. A deli counter is stocked with spicy sauces made by Chef Migdalla, and includes Peperonata, Chilli pasta pesto, Guasacaca, Yellow pepper sauce, Chimichorri, and Habanero. She also stocks some of Oded’s Kitchen sauces. As the sauces are unfamiliar to most, pieces of bread and tasting portions of each of the sauces are available to clients to try. Wooden tables, chairs, and shelving units come from Chef Migdella’s home, she said.

Chef Migdalla came to Cape Town six years ago, and run Constantia Catering until a year ago. Since then she has set up the restaurant, with splashes of colour added with a row of coloured lampshades over the bar area, and Mexican style vases with proteas on the tables. She was born in Venezuela, but grew up in Mexico.

The menu is still a typed list, and will evolve, the restaurant only being two weeks old. Coffee is by Peacock, and two sizes are available, at R16 and R18. The cappuccino was perfect and foamy. The beverage list only contains four brands: Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc (R30/R120), Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc (R25/R100), Saxenburg Merlot (R30/R120), and Brampton Shiraz (R35/R140). No vintages are listed.

The menu is divided into Breakfast (7h00 – 11h00) and Lunch (12h00 – 15h00) sections, with Arepas and Mexican tacos available throughout the day. For breakfast open sandwiches are on offer (Capresa, Rustica, and Pampas – roasted mushroom, sliced egg and rocket on rye bread) at around R40. Cooked breakfast options cost R40, and are Huevos a la Mexicana (scrambled egg with tomato, chilli, onion and coriander served with tortilla and refined beans), Huevos rancheros (fried eggs in tomato sauce served with tortilla and refined beans), and a ‘Healthy Breakfast’ of grilled haloumi, poached eggs, apple, served with rye bread. For lunch, a buffet of six salads is offered daily at a special rate of R45, the selection differing every day, including lentil and butternut, roast vegetables, Capresa, grilled brinjals, shredded chicken, quinoa, avocado and prawn, and potato salad. For an extra R25, one can order a meat of the day with the salad. Arepas are a Venezuelan dish made from corn flour and water, and fried or grilled, stuffed with shredded tomato chicken and avocado, served with a salsa of tomato and onion, and Guasacaca sauce, a filling dish costing R40. Other filling choices are slow cooked pork, chilli con carne, and vegetarian. Mexican Tacos cost R45 for three small and R75 for a large portion, with the same fillings as the Arepas. Capetonians who got to love the taste of empanadas at the Mount Nelson can order large ones at Orinoco for R15 each, with a choice of spinach, chicken, and beef. On Friday evenings they serve cocktails and tapas, including calamari and chicken mayo. Lovely looking cakes were on the kitchen counter, including lemon, apple, chocolate and a ‘mielie cake‘. Chef Migdalla brought a freshly baked ‘mielie cake’ made with orange to taste, an unusual but delicious taste.

The staff are friendly, not yet 100% familiar with all the names and Latin American origins of the dishes, but Chef Migdalla is there to explain. Many of the dishes have chilli in the sauces, but these are served on the side if one does not like it hot. Orinoco is an interesting restaurant at which one can stretch one’s food knowledge and taste in a friendly and welcoming space. I loved the herb garden at the entrance, with lemon thyme, rosemary, parsley, and more, as well as granadilla, demonstrating how easy it is to grow one’s own, even in the city centre.