I must admit that I know little about soccer, and watched the first few matches at home. For the Germany versus Australia match, I thought it would be a good idea to watch the match at Paulaner Braeuhaus, with some of my fellow countrymen, and left Cape Town Stadium, after an afternoon of volunteering, thinking that going there 60 minutes prior to the start of the game would be good timing.
Little did I know that I would stand in a queue for the hour, in the rain in part, the last half an hour almost at the entrance door, which was firmly shut and guarded by security personnel, as the restaurant was full. VIP’s gained preferential access, the German TV team from ARD in particular – they had to squeeze past us to get inside. I must admit that we did not make it easy for them, resenting their rank in getting in ahead of us. Some crazy South African youngsters jumped over a “security fence”, and were seen by a security guard, and asked to jump back! They ducked the system and disappeared inside. Soccer fans were let in as others left the restaurant. Finally we were lucky, and let inside just as the match started, and I joined a long table, with the most delightful German fans from Stuttgart, becoming firm friends over the two hour sharing.
For atmosphere, watching the German team, there cannot be many pubs to beat the Paulaner Braeuhaus. The manager told me that they were producing 60 000 litres of beer per week. The Paulaner Lager and Weissbier is expensive at R 30 for 500 ml, but in their defence, I barely saw any soccer fans eat, so it is probably a fair return for hosting such a crowd. The World Cup menu is not very extensive, compared to their normal menu, and contains typical German specialities. I ordered the Frankfurters with potato salad, and a typical German mustard, which I could taste for a few days thereafter – just the right balance of sweet and sour, costing R 68. Other options include Goulash soup at R 55, Weisswurst and pretzel (R 65), pork knuckle (R 115), and chicken schnitzel (R85). Having seen the standard menu on another website (Paulaner does not supply the menu on its own website), I could work out that prices have been increased by 15 % for the World Cup. I wonder if they will drop to their previous level on 12 July!
The service was excellent, with the waitress coming to check with us regularly if we needed anything more. With such a crowd, it was commendable that things at Paulaner Brauhaus ran so smoothly, and the ecstatic crowd celebrating their team’s 4-0 win probably made it easy for them anyway.
This is early days, but the Paulaner Braeuhaus beats the pubs I’ve been to during the World Cup hands down so far on atmosphere and service. The only downside is the difficulty in getting into the restaurant, especially when Germany plays.
Paulaner Braeuhaus, near Clocktower, V&A Waterfront. Tel (021) 418-9999 www.paulaner.co.za (goes straight through to international website). No bookings accepted.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com
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