Tag Archives: training

Restaurant service: the best service is silent and invisible!

Silver serviceA doyen of restaurant service, maître d’ Silvano Giraldin, long with 3 Michelin star La Gavroche in London, gave an amusing yet honest talk at the recent MAD4  Symposium in Copenhagen about restaurant service.

He described the transition of service, waiters initially being the chef’s representative in the restaurant, doing the carving of big meat joints, filleting the fish, and flambéeing Crepe Suzette.  In those days one never saw chefs inside the restaurant. The Maître d’ was the front of house hero, and also plated the food after doing the carving.   This led to the concept of ‘silver service‘, disjointing chicken and deboning fish in front of the customer, also referred to as ‘Les Arts de la Table‘.

As chefs became visible in the ‘Seventies, Nouvelle Cuisine was introduced, the Chef Patron taking over the cutting and plating of food in his/her kitchen, which reduced waiters to ‘plate carriers‘.  The highpoint of service today is that of the world’s number one Continue reading →

Restaurant Awards: how do chefs feel about them?

The latest Opulent Living magazine, one of the best lifestyle magazines available currently, and clever about marrying the magazine with a regular e-magazine that is easy to navigate, as well as with a blog, contains an interview with three leading chefs, and all three said that restaurant awards have both negatives and positives attached to them.

The three chefs interviewed were David Higgs of Rust en Vrede, number one on the South African Top 10 Eat Out restaurant list, Margot Janse of Le Quartier Français, and Luke Dale Roberts, previously of La Colombe and now owner of The Test Kitchen and number one Eat Out Top 10 chef in 2009.  All three chefs made it to the San Pellegrino Top 50 Restaurants in the World, Dale-Roberts’ ranking being the best ever South African performance, with his 12th position in 2010.

Acknowledging the  power of restaurant awards, in terms of increased awareness and resulting in bookings, the chefs felt that it created a negative pressure on themselves and their staff prior to the awards events.   “To be honest with you, the less awards, the less stars and all those things that we have to think about, the better our lives are” said Luke Dale-Roberts.   He added that he thought that awarding stars was better, as it means that there are no winners and losers.  Then it is no longer a competition, and one is just competing against oneself, to maintain that star.  David Higgs added that awards place a lot of pressure on chefs.

David Higgs said that he felt that South African cuisine is on a par with international restaurants, but it was felt that service levels were not yet on a par with the food.  All three restaurants work hard at this.  Rust en Vrede is only open five nights a week, and the other days are used for training, hands-on by the chef.   It was felt that South African chefs are not moulded by a particular food style as may happen in Europe, and there is more standardisation and duplication of dishes on European menus (e.g. cauliflower pureé with scallops, or foie gras).   As South Africa does not have a distinctive food style, it gives chefs a far greater opportunity to experiment, and to not be pigeon-holed in their cuisine style. 

All three the chefs focus on local produce, but introduce an imported product on occasion, to share a special treat (e.g. a French cheese, Kobe beef) with their patrons.   The three chefs agreed to sharing supplier names, but felt weary of too much sharing as they are sometimes blatantly copied.   The internet and television have added to the food knowledge of chefs and their restaurants, and David Higgs said that the public are appreciating food better.

POSTSCRIPT 15/4: It has been announced that David Higgs has resigned from Rust en Vrede, and will leave mid-June. 

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

Restaurant Review: Restaurant at Majeka House cuisine paradise

Hidden in the suburb of Paradyskloof (meaning “valley of paradise”) outside Stellenbosch, opposite the Stellenbosch Golf Course and on the road to the Vriesenhof wine estate, is Majeka House, a 5-star Boutique Hotel, with a top class French-style restaurant, a cuisine paradise, blessed with a creative young chef Anri Diener.

Co-owner Karine Dequeker is French, having studied at the Lausanne Hotel School, and worked at the Grand Roche Hotel, Lanzerac Hotel and Table Bay Hotel as Banqueting Manager, and it is her heritage that comes to the fore in the French-style menu of the Restaurant at Majeka House.  Her husband Lloyd van der Merwe comes from the corporate hotel route, having worked at Protea Hotels and Holiday Inn, and at SETA, the hotel industry training body, before he became a training consultant.  Majeka House previously was the private home of Karine’s father, and she and her husband set about a redesign of the property, spread over three erfs, to make it an 18-bedroom Hotel, opening 18 months ago.   The property is spacious, and the bedrooms, swimming pool, parking area and restaurant all are generously sized. One would not know about the restaurant if one drove past the Hotel, as it is not separately branded nor visible.   The Majeka name comes from the first two letters of the names of three of the owners of the property.

The invitation to review the Restaurant at Majeka House came from the Van der Merwes, who read this blog regularly, and from my son, who is one of the managers of the Hotel.  I accepted the invitation, with their understanding that the review would be written objectively and critically, as always.

An interesting introduction to the Majeka House restaurant is the arrival of an amuse bouche in one’s bedroom at 18h00, whether one eats at the restaurant that night or not.  I received a salmon roll and a butter pan-fried prawn on greens, a lovely way to make one look forward to dinner.

The Majeka House restaurant can seat about 30 diners, and leads to the bar and library.  It has a large fireplace, with two interesting paintings by Vicky Sander on each side of it.   The dominant wall has trendy wallpaper in gold and black, the curtains are silk-style in a golden/cream colour, the chairs are suede-style, with Persian carpets scattered on the wooden floor.  Chandeliers add the French touch.  The staff uniforms are Africa-inspired, in blue and cream, perhaps a contradiction to the French feel.  The dark wood tables have a cloth over the centre, set with fine glasses and cutlery.  What was unusual was the homely touch of a massive serviette in a serviette ring, lying at an angle across the diner’s eating area, as opposed to the left, or on the side plate, as is the norm.  The fresh rose from the garden and a flower-inspired candle holder rounded off the table decor.  Most of the crockery used is from Wonkiware, which adds a design touch to the dishes presented, the chef being minimalist as far as garnishing goes. 

Music-wise a piano can be seen, but luckily there is no pianist tickling the keys (the Mount Nelson Cape Colony’s pianist does not stop playing, and it became irritating eventually).  I found the French-style rock music too loud and too heavy, and was delighted when Hotel Costes was eventually played.

The Tasting Menu’s four courses are listed from 1 – 4 in French, reinforcing the French style of the restaurant.  One has a choice of two dishes per course, and it costs R250, or R400 with a wine paired with each course.   The lovely waitress Phelisa brought an unusual glass plate with what looked like a tablet – a small round white ‘something’ with the word WOW on it.  She poured warm water over it, and it rose and expanded immediately, to become a cloth with which one can wipe one’s hands before starting to eat.  I had never seen this before, and it was a nice unusual touch.  Warm bread was served with butter.

The menu is not branded, and the items are printed on a patterned sheet of cream paper presented on a brown leather menu holder (as are the winelist and the a la carte menu), in quite small type, making it difficult to read, especially the wine that is paired with each dish, as it is in an even smaller type size.

I started with Chicken liver parfait, very creamy and soft, served with melba toast on a port jelly, its sweetness an interesting contrast to the parfait.   The alternative was a Potato veloute, with fennel and smoked salmon fritters.   I chose to drink a glass of Tamboerskloof Syrah 2006 with the first three courses, although I could have had a different wine with each course.  The second course was a beautifully presented Mushroom risotto served on butternut puree, with a crisp parmesan wheel.   The mushrooms were minute and delicate, the risotto perfect, and the food colours on the plate necessitated minimal garnishing.   The alternative option was Pan-fried quail with a crayfish and saffron sauce with fresh gooseberries, a most interesting sounding combination.

The Beef fillet was a touch too close to the rare side, rather than the medium rare that I had ordered for the third course, served on celeriac puree, with oven roasted shallots and port jus.  This made it difficult to cut the steak slices with the non-serrated knife provided.  The alternative choice was a Buttered Kabeljou, served with a mussel and oyster mushroom ragout and Parisienne gnocchi.  The highlight of the menu was the Millefeuille of chocolate mousse, served with a rectangular-shaped flat coffee meringue and citrus fruit, absolutely yummy and a chocoholic’s dream.   The alternative Pear crumble with vanilla creme never stood a chance as a dessert choice.   As if the four courses and the amuse bouche were not enough of a delight already, a plate with a homemade marshmallow, coffee meringue and truffle was presented with the perfectly made cappuccino.

The a la carte menu offers five options per course.  Starters start at R50 (Tomato tarte tatin), and include Pan-fried scallops (R65), Tempura prawn salad (R65) and De-boned quail (R90).  Main course prices peak at R180 for Seared Springbok loin, but Beef fillet (R140), Lamb cutlets (R150), Spinach ravioli (R95), and Poached linefish served with a lobster broth (R100) are also offered.  For dessert Creme Brulee, Hibiscus granite and a trio of sorbets cost around R50, and a soft-centered mini chocolate cake and a cheese selection cost R80.

Chef Anri is a protege of Etienne Bonthuys of ex-Tokara, having worked for him for more than five years.  She helped open the Delaire restaurant in chef Christian Campbell’s kitchen, and felt that Majeka House offered her an exciting challenge, in making the switch.  She has the most exciting prospect of working at the Michelin 3-star restaurant L’Esperance in Saint-Pere-sous-Vezelay in Burgundy for two months.  The Van der Merwes have developed an exchange programme with the restaurant, having welcomed its Senior Sous Chef at Majeka House earlier this year.

The winelist presents a good selection of wines predominantly from the Stellenbosch region, and one imported champagne (Pol Roger Brut at R760).   Each wine is described briefly and commendably vintages are provided.  Wines-by-the-glass are between 2 – 5 years old, and very reasonably priced (R26 for Dalla Cia Chardonnay, R20 for Villiera Chenin Blanc, R24 for Dalla Cia Sauvignon Blanc, R18 for Land’s End Rose, R30 for Villiera Tradition sparkling wine, R28 for Marklew Merlot, R39 for Dalla Cia Cabernet Sauvignon, R43 for Rainbow’s End Cabernet Franc, R31 for Bilton Pinotage, R34 for Tamboerskloof Shiraz, and R38 for Warwick 3 Cape Ladies blend).

The Restaurant at Majeka House is a treat, especially if one decides to spend a night of paradise in Paradyskloof at Majeka House too, and not drive back to Cape Town.   The chocolate mousse is an absolute must!  Not being very well-known yet, Majeka House could do well to embrace Social Media Marketing, in starting a Blog, tweeting more regularly, building the profile of Chef Anri, and perhaps consider an independent name for its restaurant.

The Restaurant at Majeka House, 26 – 32 Houtkapper Street, Paradyskloof, Stellenbosch. Tel (021) 880- 1512.  www.majekahouse.co.za  (Both the a la carte and the Tasting menu are listed. The Image Gallery does not have a page dedicated to the restaurant, and has few food photographs) Twitter @Majeka_House.  Monday – Sunday.   On the Stellenbosch Restaurant Route.

POSTSCRIPT 22/11:  Following the advice in our review, Majeka House has announced that its restaurant will be called Makaron Restaurant from now onward.

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

Restaurant Review: Wild Woods too wild!

For being one of three judges for the annual Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards; being known as a celebrity chef, restaurant consultant and food alchemist; and presenter of the Kitchen Cowboys cooking workshops, our first visit to Peter Goffe-Woods’ new Wild Woods Bistro & Bar, at the foot of Chapman’s Peak Drive in Hout Bay, was a disappointment.   Our expectation was of a quality restaurant, that reflects what top restaurants aspire to : good food, good service, good ambiance, and if one is lucky, a good connection, which makes one feel that the restaurant is one that one would like to return to again.   Sadly, this expectation was nowhere near met, and it appears as if Goffe-Wood is not serious about his new venture.  Given the stature he holds in the Cape Town food industry, and being a judge of other restaurants, Goffe-Wood may seriously disappoint his followers, and may even damage his reputation.

We sat on the terrace with a fantastic view across to the Hout Bay landmark The Sentinel, for a Saturday lunch, and our first surprise was that we were seated at a very battered looking wooden table.  My first reaction was to ask the waiter if he would bring the tablecloth, as the tables inside the restaurant all have one, but those on the terrace do not.   There is no attempt to even cover the well-worn tables with place mats.   The decor inside the restaurant is very basic – the table-cloth covered tables, wooden chairs, and very basic and functional lighting, with a bar counter, behind which the Manager Rory was to be seen most of the time, even though most of the few clients sat on the terrace.  The word “unpretentious” came to mind immediately – paper menu, paper serviettes, the decor (or lack of it), and the battered tables.

We were asked for our meal order immediately, and were not offered a winelist.  An ordered beer never arrived.   Our waiter was friendly, and took the order efficiently, and brought us bread with only one place setting, but brought another when requested.   The bread was lovely, clearly home-baked.

The menu lists eight starters, ranging from R 45 (mussels, chicken liver parfait and two salad choices) – R 60 (gravadlax, caprese salad and cured ham).  The main course list was commendable, in that Goffe-Wood has clearly capped his prices at R 100, for a substantial plate of food, offering seared tuna, sirloin steak and lamb rogan josh at this price, mushroom risotto at R 60, angel fish at R 75, and chicken breast, pork belly, veal brisket, hangar steak, and a sirloin and egg sandwich range between R 80 – R 90.   The pork belly was served with a generous portion of mash and a little spinach, and was most crispy and delicious.  I would have preferred to not have the gravy, which is not mentioned on the menu.   The steak and egg sandwich was a substantial meal for a hungry student, and the chips tasty.  We did not have any of the six desserts offered, at R 40, nor the cheese plate at R 60.  Having seen the menu on the website before we came, just 2 days before our visit, I was disappointed that it differed so vastly from that which we were presented.

The menu carries the S A Sustainable Seafood Initiative logo, so subtle that most would not see it or recognise it.   The menu has a welcome non-smoking sign on it, and welcomes “restaurant friendly children”.

The Manager Rory only spoke to us when we asked about the lack of 3G connectivity in the restaurant, especially outside, and he confirmed that they struggle with it too for their credit card machines because of the mountain.  This prevents the patrons from being able to Twitter, which Goffe-Wood should attend to, being on Twitter himself.   Rory previously was a restaurant owner himself (Rory’s in the City Bowl and Observatory) before he opened a restaurant in Arniston. 

Goffe-Wood was not seen at all, being in the kitchen,  which is a good place for him to be for the benefit of his clients, but connecting to his customers in these early days of his restaurant opening would go down well, especially as he is a very likeable and sociable person.  Goffe-Wood’s charming wife Elize was not at the restaurant. 

The waiters need training, our waiter not only forgetting the beer, the Manager nor the waiter checking our satisfaction with the meal, the waiter removing our plates while we were chewing the last food on the plate, and the waiter wanting to take our money before we had finished our coffee or looking ready to leave. 

POSTSCRIPT 25/4/11:  After just over a year of being open, Wild Woods is closing at the end of this week.

Wild Woods Bistro & Bar, Main Road, Hout Bay (next door to Chapman’s Peak Hotel), Tel 021 791-1166, open Tuesday – Saturday evenings, and for Saturday and Sunday lunch. www.wildwoods.co.za Twitter  @peteGW

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