Tag Archives: Table Bay

New Mondiall Chef Riaan Burger is a dish, new Winter Menu delicious!

Mondiall Chef Riaan Burger Whale CottageLast week I ate lunch at Mondiall twice.  The first was a family lunch, and the second was an invitation to try the new Winter Menu at Mondiall and to meet new Chef Riaan Burger, who has been at the restaurant for six weeks.  The experiences were chalk and cheese. Mondiall has been repositioned as a French Brasserie, serving ‘refined comfort food’, rather than as an around-the-world restaurant when it opened.

The family lunch followed the scattering of the ashes of our late mother, which we had done in Table Bay on the yacht IQ, which moors outside Mondiall.  I was veryMondiall entrance disappointed with the lunch, which was a special group menu, a reduced version of former Chef Peter Tempelhoff’s menu. Chef Riaan was not working on the Freedom Day public holiday, owner Patrick Symington was not there, and Reservation Manager Mandy Smith whom I had dealt with in making the booking and discussing the menu, was not there either.  The let-down was the waitress, and poor communication between Mandy and the Manager Franco.  The food quality was not as expected either.  I admire Patrick for proactively sending a sms to ask how the lunch went, and I told him about my disappointment.  What was amazing was the glazed pork belly, offered as a Tapas dish, served with crackling, and a honey soy glaze. This dish remains on the new menu. Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: High Tea at opulent MannaBay a low!

MannaBay Graham Beck Whale Cottage PortfolioIt was a blogpost by Tony Ward that attracted my attention to the High Tea at MannaBay, a little-known boutique hotel high up in Oranjezicht.  The High Tea we were served yesterday in no way compared to what is reflected on the MannaBay website, nor is the effort it took to make the booking for the High Tea reflective of its claimed five star rating.

I have a date with my longest-standing school friend Jenny, spoiling her on her birthday, and she does the same for me.  From what I saw on Tony’s blog and on their website, MannaBay seemed a nice spoiling surprise for Jenny’s birthday treat.  I called late afternoon about ten days ago, wanting to book the High Tea, and the phone was answered by a waiter.  The communication with him was poor, and his answers vague, so he passed me on to the Assistant Manager Nolu Dube.  She told me that one would have to pay for the High Tea in full in advance, which I queried.  The telephonic interaction was very poor, and seemed out of sync with the five star rating claim, and I couldn’t understand that she could not just accept my telephonic booking! She told me her GM was out, but soon thereafter Justine Ryan called, rather aggressively, saying that a non-refundable deposit of 50 % of the total has to be paid upfront.  I asked her to send the invoice, but received nothing.  I followed up, and discovered that she had written down the e-mail address incorrectly, despite it being spelt for her a number of times.  I did receive the e-mail eventually, and wanted the invoice faxed, so that it could be paid.  The invoice did not arrive, despite  an over-assertive confirmation that it had been sent!  Jenny had to change our date, so I wrote to Justine, informing her of our new date.  There was no further communication about payment, so I stopped begging for the invoice. Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Mondiall Restaurant in the V&A Waterfront is out of the world!

Mondiall Interior 1 Whale Cottage PortfolioAfter a superb sail around Table Bay, for the media launch of the Cape2Rio Yacht Race, during which we were escorted back into the harbour by a school of dolphins, my birthday lunch at Mondiall, previously The Green Dolphin, was a super spoil on Friday, both by Nicolette Waterford and the restaurant.

Mondiall is co-owned by Chef Peter Tempelhoff, Executive Chef of the McGrath Collection and Eat Out Top 10 Chef of The Greenhouse, and Patrick Symington, previous owner of Café Dharma and Asoka.  Chef Peter remains at the McGrath Collection (we were told Mrs McGrath has eaten there four times since the restaurant opened at the beginning of the month), and pops in regularly.  Patrick was in the restaurant on Friday, and was a most charming host, sitting down at our table to chat.  I asked Patrick about their incorrect spelling of  ‘Mondial‘, Mondiall Patrick Symington Whale Cottage Portfoliomeaning around the world, apt for the V&A Waterfront location as South Africa’s leading tourist attraction. Patrick had a most plausible esoteric explanation for it numerologically (it’s a very lucky number 8, and balanced too), as well as design wise, the two legs of the ‘M’ balancing with the two ‘l’s at the end of the word!  He said that it is a unique word, and is theirs now!  Patrick is involved in solar heating now, when he is not at Mondiall.  He said that they are ‘in for the long haul‘ with the restaurant, having signed a lease for 5 years, with an option to renew for a further five. Patrick led the staff in singing for my birthday!  Chef Oliver Cattermole is one of my favourite chefs, having met him when he was at Dash at the Queen Victoria Hotel, whereafter he had a short stint at the former What’s On, and then he worked at the Le Franschhoek Hotel before joining and setting up the kitchen at Mondiall, the menu design being a partnership between Chefs Peter and Oliver.   Suzanne Taylor, previously of former Constantia Uitsig, was a gracious Restaurant Manager. Continue reading →

Cape Town Art Fair a marriage of art, food, and wine!

Cape Town Art Fair Ebony Whale Cottage PortfolioOn Thursday evening 800 art lovers descended onto The Lookout in the V&A Waterfront for the opening of the first ever Cape Town Art Fair, the largest mega art exhibition ever held in Cape Town under one roof, with 40 galleries exhibiting 800 works of arts of 130 top artists.  It was an excellent platform to enjoy the art of food, of visual art, and of wine art!

In a clever display design, the art galleries were given one, two, or three panels to display their artists’ work.  While most pieces were described, I did not see prices, giving the exhibition a classy feel.  It was more about meeting the gallery owners and representatives and connecting with them, based on the style of art they were exhibiting.  Some of the galleriesCape Town Art Fair Strijdom van der Merwe Whale Cotatge Portfolio, auctioneers, and artists at the Cape Town Art Fair include Strijdom van der Merwe, with an exhibit at the entrance to The Lookout and having recently created an impressive exhibit in honour of Nelson Mandela outside the Stellenbosch Town Hall; Strauss & Co; The AVA Gallery; holden manz collection; Whatiftheworld Gallery; Frank Joubert Art Centre; Stephan Welz & Co; Erdmann Continue reading →