Tag Archives: Volker Goetze

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 46 of Level 1, 5 November 2020.

 

Thursday 5 November 2020, Day 46 of Level 1, Day 224 of Lockdown đŸ˜·

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a warm windy day, ahead of a wet weekend; for an early start, joining Brian Van Hansen on a visit to The Beach House in Hout Bay for breakfast while Brian shot photographs for the guest house website; for meeting The Beach House owner Sylvie Wrankmore, proudly showing me her rooms, and her fabulous vegetable garden; for sitting with Brian to select the best pics of our shoot on Tuesday; for a quick walk to Bakoven; for a short and sweet client meeting; for fetching Jenny Stephens and driving to Wellington, where we left our car, and were fetched by Elaine Wegelin, school classmate and Tour Guide on our Wellington Wine Walk, with whom we have had anxious discussions about the forecast weekend ïżŒrain over the past few days; for our lovely accommodation at Cascade Manor outside Paarl, with an olive oil tasting, followed by dinner with other walkers in our group; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

KWV Sensorium Sweet Service and Volker’s Feinkost Sour Service Awards!

The Sweet Service Award goes to Elsa Hoogenhout at the new KWV Sensorium in Paarl, for her passion and professionalism in conducting the tour around the Sensorium, which is meant to be a self-walk tour around the gallery using QR codes. Her knowledge of art, and her close involvement with the innovative art and KWV wine pairing project, made it a pleasure to write a story, given the additional information obtained. She allowed me to take a copy of the KWV Sensorium and Laborie art collection catalogues along, without charging. She already impressed at the Vindaba exhibition, which ran alongside CapeWine 2012, where the Sensorium stand had QR codes for the artworks in the collection, and she explained the concept.

The Sour Service Award goes to Volker’s Feinkost in Paarl, for its exceptionally poor service from the waitress.  The owner Volker Goetze was not at his Deli, and the waitress only responded to one in three sentences, forgot the Apfelstrudel ordered as a take-away right at the outset, and offered with the cake less than a teaspoonful of cream in a container that could have taken 20 times that amount, only seen when opened at home.  A phone call made to Volker’s cell was not returned at all, while an e-mail was responded to flippantly, explaining that he had to cook for a function they had at their Cascade Manor guest house that day, where he also is the chef, meaning that he is rarely at his Deli. The ‘Feinkost’ name is a misnomer, the Deli only offering pre-packaged cold meats, fresh strawberries, a massive Lecca ice cream selection, and some imported German Maggi products. One can only order waffles and very average rolls with fillings.  Its collection of breads was commendable however. The experience reinforces the poor service image of Paarl restaurants, with a few exceptions.

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com.   Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.

Restaurant Review: Deli @The Square welcome Paarl addition!

The Deli @ The Square opened on Main Road in Paarl a month ago, in an historic building dating back to 1845, which has been renamed Frater’s Square and has been renovated, with a tenant mix of shops and the Deli. It is a welcome addition to Paarl, not having a Deli, and in that it will be open seven days a week, a rarity in this Boland town.

Frater’s Square has been developed by Gerard and Yvette Frater, and the building was the fruit and farm implement shed of the Hou Moed farm, reported The Month. Primi Piatti has operated from there for a year already, while new tenants are Blanc de Blanc Living, a decor shop all in white, Daffadowndilly, Wild Orchid Boutique, a travel agency, and a few more shops to come.  Andre Smith is the owner of Deli @ The Square, and was in Cape Town to buy provisions on the day I visited. He has no previous experience in owning  a restaurant or deli.

At the entrance to the Deli a red canopy proudly declares what it stands for: ‘The art of flavours’.  The staff wear black with matching red aprons.  Wooden branded tables and chairs are made by Artisan de Barrique.  The interior has raw brick walls, and the upstairs shops look onto the Deli from glass panels.  Tables are set up outside on good weather days, and a small stage has been built in the courtyard, for bands to perform in summer.

The Deli space is large, and shelving houses Pratto Mama Harissa sauce, cherry tomatoes in spicy vinaigrette, honey, Pickled onions, Pickled chillies, capers, anchovies, canned Italian tomatoes, olive oils, peanut oil, olives, soy sauce, Brodies teas, rice sticks, rice vermicelli, and more.  A Cape Herb & Spice stand is filled with ‘freeze dried herbs’, rubs and grinders.  At the deli counter there is a large selection of cold meats, some pre-packed and others available to be sliced. Breads from Backhaus in Brackenfell are delivered daily, and include olive ciabatta, farm loaf with sourdough, Bavarian brown, nutty seed health loaf, white crusty sourdough, 50% rye, macadamia nut and sourdough, and baguettes, costing between R13 –  R19. Cheeses are from Fairview, from Buffalo Mozzarella, and from Truckles. Cupcakes, three cakes available by slice, rusks, biscuits, and sweets are also available.  It is planned to source the cheeses and charcuterie from suppliers closer to Paarl.

Chef Alex Swart came to check on the table, introducing himself as the chef and GM of the restaurant.  He is in charge of the kitchen, but also cuts the Deli meats, which took some time, although it was requested on arrival.  He told me that he has worked as a waiter and a barman at other restaurants, his last employment having been at De Kelder in Paarl. He told me that his menu will evolve, and a blackboard outside advertised specials: chocolate créme brûlée (R30), waterblommetjie bredie (R55), and a 340g beef burger with pepper melt and chips (R65).  He told me that the Deli is planning to stock items not available in the local supermarkets.

Breakfast is served all day, excellent news, and one can order a health breakfast (R28), and various cooked breakfasts, including English, Espresso, scrambled, and omelettes, costing between R25 – R54, as well as French Toast (R35), croissants, and pastries.  I ordered Eggs Benedict, a very generous portion with two eggs, toast, hickory ham, and a delicious and rich golden hollandaise sauce, very good value at R49.  Everything else is good value too, salads costing between R40 – R55; soup or quiche (R35); bangers and mash (R37);  prego roll (R65);  burgers (about R55);  charcuterie, bread and cheese platter (R56); deli sandwiches (about R50); and toasted sandwiches (R18 – R27).  A special kiddies’ menu is also offered.

The liquor licence at the Deli @ The Square is eagerly awaited, not only by Chef Alex, but also by the customers, some of whom I overheard discussing this when I was there on Wednesday.   The waitress Minki who looked after me was charming and proactive, but her colleague less so, not bringing a second glass of water I had requested.  Getting the coppa ham sliced took some time, even though it was requested on arrival.  I was impressed that Chef Alex walked to each table, to connect with his clients.  Being open on Sundays is a huge plus for Paarl, with most restaurants and coffee shops closed on that day.

POSTSCRIPT 8/10: A return visit today was disappointing, in that a simple ham and cheese sandwich became a toasted sandwich (not described on the menu) served with a plateful of chips which was not ordered.  It meant that the order took much longer to get to the table (too long a wait at 20 minutes for what was meant to be a short stop). Chef Alex did come outside, where they have set up tables too, to greet all his clients, some of whom had not even received a menu.  The owner Andre was at the deli, and he shared that they have switched to Deluxe Coffee, to the delight of their customers.

Having been alerted to Volker’s Feinkost in Paarl after writing this blogpost, also open seven days a week, I popped in there too today, and was shocked at the poor service. A take-away slice of Apfelstrudel was accompanied by less than a teaspoonful of cream, in a container that could have taken at least 20 times that amount!  The owner Volker Goetze did not bother to return our call.  His reply to our e-mail was unsatisfactory.

Deli @ The Square, Frater’s Square, 40A Main Road, Paarl.  Tel 082 899 5318 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/deli.square Monday – Saturday 7h30 – 17h00, Sunday 7h30 – 15h00 (winter), closes at 19h00 in summer.

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