Tag Archives: Whale Tales blog

The Test Kitchen to close down end September, Third Top 10 Restaurant to close down in 18 months!

 

What a shock announcement it was today: The Test Kitchen, South Africa’s best known restaurant internationally, having climbed up (and down) the World’s 50 Best Restaurants ladder over the past 11 years, and having worn the Best South African Restaurant crown for six years running, until 2017, is to close down at the end of September. This was announced in Cape Town today.

Top Ten restaurants which have also closed down since the beginning of Lockdown are Mosaic at The Orient and Waterkloof.  Ironically both Mosaic and The Test Kitchen announced in 2019 that they would no longer accept nominations for The Eat Out Awards, the 2019 awards being the last to have taken place, due to the Covid pandemic and impact thereof on the restaurant industry since the Lockdown commenced on 27 March 2020.

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Cape Town to host international Formula E event next year, likely to be one of first international events in two years!

 

The City of Cape Town has announced that Cape Town is to be one of the host cities of the Formula E  racing tournament, in February 2022.  The event for electric-powered cars is likely to be one of the first international events to be hosted in our city, after two devastating years of no events during Lockdown.

This is excellent news for the Event, Restaurant, Accommodation, and Tourism industries in general. Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Café Charles in De Waterkant disappoints with Lamb Curry Collection!

 

I am not a big fan of Take-Away food, it usually arriving cold, the delivery costs being exorbitant if one uses Uber Eats, and the presentation of the dish and atmosphere of the restaurant cannot be replicated in a Take-Away.

I wanted to spoil my friend Gary on a day forecast to be cold and rainy, a perfect day for Lamb Curry, which I saw advertised by Café Charles as a Take-Away Delivery or Collection during Level 4 Lockdown, before Sit-Down was allowed. Remembering a fantastic Lamb Curry delivered to me by the restaurant a year ago, I ordered a repeat of the dish ten days ago. Sadly the experience and food was chalk and cheese compared to that of a year ago! Continue reading →

The Steak Club at The Lawns at the Roundhouse serves fine steaks, an elite and exclusive new pop-up Winter restaurant!

 

What a clever move of The Lawns, an outdoor-only daytime restaurant at The Roundhouse in Camps Bay,  to erect a massive Marquee on one level of the lawns and turn it into a Winter pop-up restaurant called Steak Club. The Lawns outside-seating restaurant will continue to serve Breakfast and Lunch outside.

I attended its opening a week ago, invited with predominantly representatives of the alcoholic beverage Trade. We were served canapés representing dishes on the menu, prepared by Chef Stephen Mandes, whom I had last experienced when Mondiall still operated in the Waterfront a few years ago. He remembered my aversion to onions from way back then. He is a past winner of an Ultimate Braai Master series. Continue reading →