Vaughn Johnson | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

Our list of latest restaurant openings and closures fortunately lists more openings than closures, and will be updated continuously, as we receive information.

Cape Town

* Neil Grant, ex-sommelier of Rust en Vrede, has opened Burrata, a new restaurant in the Old Biscuit Mill. They will introduce a new 3-course food and wine pairing menu at the end of April.

* Luke Dale-Roberts, Eat Out Top Chef, is to open a real test kitchen, called The Kitchen of Dreams, a private experimental place to develop new recipes, at the Old Biscuit Mill in June

* Chef Bruce Robertson (ex-The Showroom) has opened Bruce’s Boat House for lunches, in Scarborough

* La Belle Café & Bakery has opened in the Alphen Boutique Hotel.

* 5 Rooms Restaurant has opened at the Alphen Boutique Hotel

* Sabrina’s, which opened about two months ago where Depasco was, at the corner of Kloof and Long Street, has also closed down

* Chef Craig Paterson has started as Executive Chef at Dash (Queen Victoria Hotel), the V&A Hotel, and Dock House

* Mitico has opened a pizzeria and ’spaghetteria’ on Kloof Street, where St Elmo’s used to be (son of the original Luigi from Hout Bay)

* Don Pedro’s in Woodstock has re-opened, under Madame Zingara management

* Myög has opened as a frozen yoghurt outlet, at 103 Kloof Street

* Thai Café has opened in the old Cape Quarter

* On a Roll has opened in Mowbray as a gourmet hot dog restaurant

* The Dog’s Bollocks has opened as a burger pop-up restaurant

* Jackal & Hide has opened on Kloof Street

* Graham Beck’s Gorgeous bubbly bar has opened at Catharina’s at Steenberg.

* Col’Cacchio is opening new outlets in Claremont and Westlake

* Dale Thebus is the new chef at Salt restaurant at the Ambassador Hotel.

* A new Vida é Caffe is opening on Prestwich Street

* A cupcake shop is said to be opening on Ebenezer Street, next to T & Co/Table 13, in Green Point

* Il Cappero is moving from Barrack Street to Fairway Street in Camps Bay, opening on 2 June.

* Saints on 84 Kloof has opened on Kloof Street

* Sushibox has opened at Newlands Village

* Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro has opened on Main/Glengariff Roads in Sea Point, as a dinner theatre (from May), and Bistro restaurant, owned by Richard Loring and Roland Seidel

* ‘I ♥ my Laundry‘ restaurant has opened on Buitengracht Street

* West Street Café has opened in the new Woodstock Foundry, owned by Chef Alan West

* Orphanage has opened as a cocktail and tapas emporium on Bree Street

* Valora on Loop Street has closed down

* ACT Restaurant and Play Bar at the Baxter Theatre closed down

* Philip Arno Botes is the new Chef at Pure Restaurant at Hout Bay Manor.

* Maz Sushi has closed down on Main Road Sea Point

* Planet Green Salad Bar has opened on Kloof Street

* Vanilla in the Cape Quarter has closed down.

* Madame’s on Napier has opened in De Waterkant

* Moyo is to open where the Paulaner Braühaus was in the V & A Waterfront.

* Sinn has closed down its Deli at Wembley Square

* Table Thirteen is closing down in Green Point and moving to Paarden Eiland at the end of May

* Slug & Lettuce has opened on Kloof Street, where Mason was.

* Pizza Vezuvio has opened in the Tygervalley Waterfront

* Bistrot Milano has opened on Blaauwberg Road, Table View

* Forneria Italia has opened in the Bayside Centre, Table View

* Maharajah is selling food at the Baxter Theatre on a take-away basis prior to shows.

* Hussar Grill is to open at Steenberg

* Chef Fred Faucheux is the new Executive Chef at Nobu.

* Cassis is opening a new Salon de Thé in the Gardens Centre in May

* De Grendel has opened De Grendel Restaurant, with Chef Ian Bergh and owner Jonathan Davies

* Toro Wine and Aperitif Bar has closed down

* Piroschka’s Kitchen has moved from Bree Street to Waterkant Street, De Waterkant.

* Honest Chocolate is opening a second outlet with a ‘production kitchen’ in the Woodstock Industrial Centre next month

* The Fez is reopening as a nightclub on Friday, to be called Sideshow

* MasterChef SA finalist Guy Clark, who was eliminated in episode 9, has started as a chef at the Madame Zingara restaurant group next week.

* Josephine’s Cookhouse is to open in Newlands, where Caveau at Josephine’s Mill used to be, belonging to Societi Bistro owner

* A new Vida e Caffe is to open on Maindean Place in Claremont.

* Vovo Teli has opened in the V&A Waterfront, in half of the original Vaughn Johnson shop. They have branches in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg already. The name is Portuguese, and means ‘grandfather’s place’.

* Orinoco has opened on Bree Street, serving Mexican and Venezualean food

* Rotisserie 360° has changed its name to Café Frank

* Gesellig on Regent Road in Sea Point is standing empty, closed down or undergoing a major renovation

* Sapphire has closed down in Camps Bay

* A new McDonalds is opening in the Sanlam Centre

* Salt Deli has chanegd its name to Salt Café

* Keenwa has opened the P.I.S.C.O Bar above its restaurants, open Thursdays – Saturdays from 5 pm

* Characters has opened on Roeland Street

* TRUTH Coffee has opened on Buitenkant Street

* The V&A Food Court is closed for renovations until November. A sign outside the construction area lists the following businesses moving into or returning to the area: Primi Express, Anat, Carnival, Nür Halaal, Royal Bavarian Bakery, KFC, Boost Juice, Simply Asia, Steers, Debonairs, Subway, Marcel’s, and Haagan Dazs.

Franschhoek

* Leopard’s Leap has opened its Tasting room and Liam Tomlin Food Studio and Store outside Franschhoek, and the new Deli will open at the end of June

* Reuben’s, which was said to be opening a Franschhoek branch in a building off the main road, when his Huguenot Road branch lease expires this year, appears to now be looking for an alternative restaurant venue on the main road, as the building purchase close to Place Vendome appears to have fallen through.

* Donovan Dreyer is the new Restaurant Manager of Indochine at Delaire Graff.

* Cheyne Morrisby is the new chef at the Franschhoek Kitchen at Holden Manz

* Chef Vanie Padayachee has joined Le Quartier Français

* Chef Darren Roberts is leaving Grande Provence for a new appointment in the Seychelles at the end of April. Chef Darren Badenhorst steps into his shoes.

* Alton van Biljon has been appointed as Restaurant Manager at Haute Cabriere.

* Wicked Treat has opened.

* FEAST is to open where Franschhoek Food Emporium was, in Place Vendome

* Deluxe Coffeeworks has opened, where the Reuben’s Deli used to be.

* The bubbly Inge Hoffman has left Leopard’s Leap, and is the new Brand Manager for Boekenhoutskloof

* Ryan’s Kitchen is now offering cooking classes on Friday mornings, starting on 1 June

* Okamai Japanese restaurant has opened at Glenwood wine estate

* Chef Shaun Schoeman of Fyndraai Restaurant at Solms Delta has the amazing honour to be working at Noma in Copenhagen for two weeks in July. He also shared that Fyndraai will move to another building on the wine estate in November, and will offer fine dining. The current restaurant will serve light lunches and picnics.

* Taste South Africa, belonging to Cybercellar, has closed down in The Yard off the main road. They have Tweeted that they are looking for new premises.

Stellenbosch

* Cavalli restaurant is said to open on the stud farm on R44, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, this year or next

* Dorpstraat Deli has opened, where Cupcake used to be.

* De Oude Bank Bakkerij has opened a bar, serving Bartinney wines, and craft beers.

* David Higgs has resigned as Executive Chef from Radisson Blu Gautrain in Johannesburg (previously with Rust en Vrede). He starts at The Saxon in Johannesburg in May.

* Slug & Lettuce is to open where Beads is on Church Street

* Stables at Vergelegen Bistro has opened as a lunch restaurant in Somerset West. Its Lady Phillips Restaurant is being given a make-over by Christo Barnard, and will open in June, with a new name called The Vergelegen Restaurant.

* Warwick wine estate’s new chef is Dane Newton (ex-Chamonix, Cascade Manor).

* Chef Bjorn Dingemans is to open up The Millhouse Kitchen restaurant on Lourensford wine estate in July

* Chris Olivier has opened SimpliciTea Deli in Somerset West

* Chef Jonathan Heath has left Indochine, and will be opening a restaurant at Coopmanshuijs on Dorp Street in June.

* A new Hussar Grill is said to be opening in Stellenbosch

Wellington

* Chef Johan van Schalkwyk has left the Stone Kitchen at Dunstone Winery. He opens his own restaurant Twist Some More in Wellington in July.

Hermanus/Overberg

* Rivendell Estate and Bistro has opened as a restaurant and winetasting venue on the road between Hermanus and the N2, near the Kleinmond turn-off.

* Grilleri (ex-Mediterrea) has closed down, and Chef Shane (ex-La Vierge) is now heading the re-named La Pentola restaurant.

Riebeek Kasteel

* Mama Cucina has opened

Robertson

* Emile Fortuin has been appointed as Executive Chef at Reuben’s Robertson

Garden Route

* Katarina’s has opened at the Kurland Hotel.

Restaurant breaks

* La Colombe is closing for renovations from 17 May – 16 June.

* Constantia Uitsig is taking a winter break from 25 June – 24 July.

* The River Café is closing for a winter break from 13 August – 4 September.

* Tokara closes for a winter break from 22 April, re-opens on 4 May

* Nguni in Plettenberg Bay closes from 1 May – 31 July

* The Foodbarn will be closed for renovations on 7 and 8 May

* Bientang’s Cave in Hermanus is closed for renovations until 21 June.

* The Kove in Camps Bay will be closed from 1 May – 30 August

* The Test Kitchen will be closed from 13 – 28 May

* Burgundy in Hermanus will be closed for dinners until 17 June

* Makaron Restaurant at Majeka House will be closed in June

* Olivello at Marianne Estate will be closed from 30 July – 21 August

* Grande Provence is closing on Sunday evenings until the end of September.

* Pierneef a La Motte will be closed from 18 June – 13 July.

* The main Delaire Graff restaurant closes from 3 -24 June, but Indochine continues to trade.

* Blues will be closed from 1 – 30 June

* Waterkloof in Somerset West is closing for all June.

* The Franschhoek Kitchen at Holden Manz is closed for all of June

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

A week ago I heard about Portofino opening in the ex-Showroom space at a dinner party, and all I could find out was that an unknown Irish 30-something, with no previous restaurant experience, by the name of Cormac Keane, was opening the restaurant. I googled his name, and there were no entries for him. I bumped into Vaughn Johnson, and he told me that he is doing Portofino’s winelist. The opening date was vague, being sometime this week.

On Thursday evening I drove by, coming from a concert close by, at 10 pm. The security guard assured me that the restaurant was open. I went in, unsure if it had indeed opened, and whether I would be welcomed at that time of night. The door was opened by Keane himself, and I received a most hearty welcome. He was intrigued about what I had heard about him, and sat down to chat, sharing some of his story with me. I noticed his red sneakers immediately and told him that they reminded me of David Kramer’s red velskoens, but he had not heard of Kramer. The shoes stand out in the otherwise white interior.

Whilst Keane has had an interior decorator attend to his restaurant, few changes are visible. The ghost chairs of The Showroom are still there, giving the restaurant a familiarity if one has been there before. White curtains separate the restaurant from the luxury car showroom next door, and help to protect oneself against its bright light. Noticeably, the counter is uncluttered, relative to its predecessor, and the chef, Stephen Kruger, previously working alongside Richard Carstens, is very clearly to be seen and willing to assist customers.

Keane grew up in Ireland, with a teacher father and principal mother, but says he was not a good scholar, and never wrote any exams. He did not do anything after finishing school, except fly around the world with a friend in that person’s private jet, partying for three years all over the world. Despite his lifestyle he did not have a cent to his name, he says. Returning to London, he was headhunted to become the social secretary of Oleg Deripaska, a close personal friend of Putin, Russia’s richest man, and 9th on the Forbes international billionaire’s list, with a worth of $ 40 billion prior to the credit crunch, created mainly from aluminium. Keane worked for him for a year, and rubbed shoulders with Silvio Berlusconi, Tony Blair, Putin and Roman Abramovich. A six-month stint working for an American hedge fund investor living in London followed. In this time he discovered Cape Town, and came to Cape Town regularly.

No matter how little money he had, Keane has never cooked food for himself, and has been eating out since he was 17, he says. “I have never cooked a meal in my life, and I have no fridge, and no ‘cooker’ in my home”, he says with pride. This has made him an astute restaurant-goer, who knows what he wants, and is not afraid to ask for it, and to express his dissatisfaction, having been thrown out of restaurants as a result.

His view on other local restaurants is interesting, and he has a few favourites – Bizerca is his top favourite, but he also rates the Foodbarn, Manna, and Table 13. He does not like La Colombe.

Opening a restaurant is something Keane feels he can do well. He is hands-on, changing a table cloth, welcoming guests arriving even later (the ambassador to the United Nations, who lives in the apartment block above the restaurant). He put the menu together himself, buying the best Italian cookbooks in London, and choosing recipes that he likes for his menu.

The prices are reasonable, with starters ranging from R 40 – R 85, pasta dishes at R 50 – R 85, mains mainly costing R 105, and desserts at R 40 each.

Generously Keane offers me a glass of Bruce’s Merlot, which is still in the restaurant. He is selling off the old Showroom wine stock, so that he can bring in new wines, as per Vaughn Johnson’s recommendation. He has the staff bring a platter of dessert samplers, including a pure pannacotta, a mint pannacotta, a delicious Lindt chocolate mousse cake, and an unusual tiramisu. The honey and mustard pork fillet is tasty, and I particularly liked the pumpkin and potato mash and green beans.

Portofino is Cormac Keane, and he is a most amusing host. He is who he is – cross him in his own space, and you stand the chance of being thrown out. Should he not be there, it may not be the same experience. He is irreverent, and a rebel, and has the confidence to believe in his new project and in himself, and to not have to compromise on what he is and what he wants from his staff and his clients. He feels like a friend already, something one does not experience in restaurants easily.

I felt at home at Portofino, and will definitely go back.

Portofino menu

Antipasti

Bruschetta x 3 â€“ fresh tomato and basil, griddled courgettes and mint, chicken livers R55
Antipasti plate (for 2) â€“ chilli salt squid, marinated vegetable rolls, Parma ham, salami, olives R85
Beef carpaccio â€“ watercress, parmesan shavings, olive oil and lemon R 60
Melanzane all parmigiana â€“ layers of griddled aubergine, mozzarella tomato, basil R45
Tuscan minestrone soup R45
Orange, almond, parmesan and goats cheese salad with lemon dressing R 45
Seasonal salad R 40
Pumpkin, goats cheese and pumpkin seeds salad with honey mustard dressing R 45

Pasta

Risotto of the day R75
Warm risone with pancetta, peas, asparagus, porcini mushrooms with truffle infusion R70
Fresh gnocchi of the day R60
Lasagna alla Bolognese R70
Spaghetti Carbonara R65
Broccoli and anchovy pasta R65
Penne Arrabbiata â€“ fresh tomato and chilli R60
Butternut and ricotta ravioli with pine nut butter R55
Tagliatelle with fresh mussels R85

Mains

Veal parcel filled with pesto and buffalo mozzarella and ricotta and butternut stuffed ravioli R 105
Grilled fish of the day R105
Honey and mustard pork fillet â€“ pumpkin and potato mash, green beans R 90
Lamb cutlets with rosemary jus â€“ cannellini bean puree, vegetables R 105
Grilled baby chicken marinated in olive oil, garlic and chilli with baby pesto potatoes R 105

Desserts

Pistachio andalmond cake with yoghurt and honey sorbet and mint pannacotta
Homemade lemon tart with lemon ice cream
Ricotta and honey tart
Lindt Nemesis cake with honeycomb ice cream
Portofino Tiramisu
Selection of ice creams or sorbets
R40

Portofino Bar & Restaurant

Harbour Edge, 10 Hospital Street, Green Point

tel : 021 418 4500
info@portofinoct.co.za

POSTSCRIPT: Portofino closed its doors on 10 April 2010.

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