The Sweet Service Award goes to the Franschhoek Literary Festival, for another excellent weekend bringing 5000 visitors to the village for two or more days, boosting accommodation establishments, restaurants and coffee shops, wine estates, and retail outlets. We received our first 2016 booking two hours after the 2015 Festival had closed, a demonstration of its success. It also brought a lovely concert series by Christopher Duigan to the village, as well as an excellent bassoon concert to La Motte. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Sirocco
Restaurant Review: Sirocco in Knysna more than loadshedding problems, service-shedding too!
I had been led to believe that one of the better restaurants in Knysna is Sirocco, and I do recall having eaten there once before, when it was more of a fine-dining restaurant. I was very disappointed when I spent part of my S&T allowance from the Department of Justice at Sirocco last night. 
Loadshedding was not the only problem the restaurant had to cope with, Manager Sonia de Lange having shed her service ethic too!
I had popped in at Thesen Island earlier in the afternoon, and had a look at the fire-damaged Ile de Pain, speaking to staff at a neighbouring shop, and they recommended Sirocco. When I visited Knysna a month ago, also with the compliments of the Department of Justice, I had experienced
dreadful service at three restaurants I had attempted to eat at, in particular at the Island Café at The Turbine Hotel & Spa! On Facebook a number of visitors to Knysna shared that the town appears to have a problem with restaurant service.
It was hard to see the entrance to the restaurant, as there is a Col’Cacchio now, and Continue reading →
Harbour House: July Winter Menu excellent quality and value!
Harbour House is one of a collection of restaurants owned by restaurateur Michael Townsend, about whom we wrote earlier this year. Last week I was invited by Michael to try the new Winter Menu of Harbour House in the V&A Waterfront, and was impressed with the quality of the service and dishes, and the good value that the Winter Menu offers.
There are two Harbour House restaurants in the Harbour House Group, which also includes two La Parada restaurants, a new steak restaurant in Muizenberg, Live Bait, Polana, Sirocco, and a fast growing collection of Lucky Fish outlets. At lunch Michael received a call to say that his offer to lease the Top of the Ritz restaurant had been accepted. Michael plans to list the Harbour House Group on the JSE in future.
Lizaan Nell joined us for lunch, and is Michael’s right hand, in overseeing the running of the restaurants. She has worked for Michael for 16 years, and is in the restaurant kitchens to check that all is running smoothly, and according to guidelines, being closely involved with this Harbour House branch. Lizaan spent six months working with Chef Franck Dangereux, who was working at La Colombe at the time. Her time with Chef Franck inspired her in the creation of new dishes for Harbour House. She is extremely excited to become the right hand of Chef Andres Condé, who starts at the Harbour House Group today. He previously worked for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ number one restaurant elBulli, and moved across to owner and Chef Ferran Àdria’s Michelin star Tickets restaurant in Barcelona. He has joined the Group with a first priority to improve La Parada, the tapas restaurants in the Group, and its food in particular, to make its tapas offering genuinely Spanish. He will also work on the two Harbour House restaurants. He has been promised his own restaurant, which will open in one section of the Continue reading →