{"id":11377,"date":"2010-08-18T10:02:00","date_gmt":"2010-08-18T08:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=11377"},"modified":"2010-08-18T10:02:00","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T08:02:00","slug":"restaurant-review-leaf-restaurant-and-bar-still-very-green-but-good-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/restaurant-review-leaf-restaurant-and-bar-still-very-green-but-good-value\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: Leaf Restaurant and Bar still very green, but good value!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It is a strange feeling to enter the newly opened Asian Leaf Restaurant and Bar\u00a0in what was the location of two favourite restaurants – The Showroom and Portofino – in that the restaurant interior is exactly as it was when Cormac Keane closed Portofino in April, with\u00a0a few\u00a0changes – grass green serviettes on the side plates, brand new staff wearing green Leaf-branded T-shirts, and a massive ghetto-blaster out on the deck, with too-loud music.\u00a0 The hardest thing about going to Leaf will be to choose what to eat, its choice of dishes being so vast. \u00a0In general, the prices are very reasonable, and the portions generous, offering\u00a0excellent value for money.\u00a0 Anyone looking for the two previous restaurants and\u00a0their cuisine should stay away.<\/p>\n

The opening of the restaurant was delayed due to a\u00a0problem in getting the credit card machine installed. The restaurant had opened just\u00a0more than\u00a0a week before I visited it, and I\u00a0went back on the following day, as I did not have much time on\u00a0my first visit.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0I sat outside on the deck for my Saturday lunch, and almost choked on my calamari when I saw the massive ghetto-blaster, which had\u00a0been set up on the deck, on\u00a0a table with a table cloth.\u00a0 I asked if they were going to have a party, but it was meant to create atmosphere outside, to attract a younger crowd, said the Manager Ambrose.\u00a0\u00a0Fortunately the music was\u00a0switched off when I sat outside, it being unbearably loud.\u00a0 The deck looks fuller in\u00a0having more chairs and tables than in the past, and each outside chair has a red blanket, a clash with the green theme.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A hand-written blackboard welcomes one on arrival, advertising a most amazing sushi special offer – 51 % (no, not a typing error) off all a la carte sushi from 11h00 – 19h00 daily, and all-day on Sundays.<\/p>\n

Owner James Ye (Chinese for ‘leaf’) bought the restaurant from Keane, and took over all fixtures and fittings.\u00a0\u00a0 Manager Ambrose, with ‘cheffing skills’, he said, when he prepared my calamari for the first lunch, worked at the Cape Town Fish Market for the past twelve years, leaving\u00a0as Executive Head Chef responsible for menu development and costing.\u00a0 Ye came from China to be a sushi chef at the V&A Waterfront branch of the Cape Town Fish Market, and left to open The Empire on Main Road in Sea Point, and also opened Saki in the Sable Centre in Montague Gardens.\u00a0 He\u00a0is also\u00a0a frozen\u00a0seafood supplier.\u00a0 A number of staff at Leaf have\u00a0worked at the Waterfront\u00a0branch of the Cape Town Fish Market, and this made me nervous about my first meal there.\u00a0\u00a0 I was pleasantly surprised when my calamari was served – a massive plate with a very large portion of Patagonian calamari tubes, egg rice, tartar sauce made with Japanese mayonnaise,\u00a0and the most wonderful steamed carrots and beans, an absolute steal at R79. \u00a0I was the only guest in the restaurant on this first visit.<\/p>\n

I returned for Sunday lunch, now sitting inside, and having two more tables for company.\u00a0 The ghetto-blaster had been moved under the outside table, but the table cloth which was meant to hide it was not long enough to do so. \u00a0The table cloths and serviettes look badly ironed, if at all, and we questioned the side-plates being on the right – Ambrose said he wants Leaf to be different!\u00a0\u00a0 Some knives had their serrated edges to the outside, rather than facing inside the\u00a0setting, little\u00a0signs of how new the staff are.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Staff stretch in front of one when clearing items away, or in bringing additional cutlery, a pet hate.\u00a0 Any ex-regular would cringe if they saw the rose patterned cushions that are placed over the\u00a0definitive ghost chairs of the restaurant.\u00a0 We were served a very tasty onion focaccia bread with a crispy cheese crust, with a milk jug each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.\u00a0\u00a0 It is clear that things are less pretty and more functional at Leaf, and I missed a woman’s hand in the management.<\/p>\n

We were offered a complimentary cocktail, and I chose the ‘virgin’\u00a0“Peach Tree Mosquito”, a refreshing mix of fresh mint, lime juice, cane sugar, peach juice, soda and crushed ice.\u00a0\u00a0 Two champagnes are on the winelist, Veuve Cliquot and Pommery Brut Royale, at R999 and R1100, respectively.\u00a0 MCC sparkling wines offered are Simonsig (R29\/R175), Beyerskloof Brut Rose (R24\/R145) and Pierre Jourdan Belle Rose (R265).\u00a0 An innovative touch is the choice one has of ordering wine by the glass in 175 ml and 250 ml quantities, as well as by the bottle, allowing one to have different wines with each course or dish\u00a0one eats.\u00a0 The Sauvignon Blancs, for example, start at R 19 (175ml), R27 (250ml) and R79 (bottle) for the Du Toits Kloof brand,\u00a0Zevenwacht 360\u00a0being the most expensive (R40\/R60\/R170).\u00a0\u00a0 For Shiraz lovers the entry level is Robertson (R20\/R29\/R87), and Diemersdal (R14\/R62\/R185) the most expensive.\u00a0\u00a0 A good selection of wines is offered per varietal.<\/p>\n

Leaf has three menus: Sushi, Hot Pot and Dim Sum, and a standard a la carte menu.\u00a0None of the three menus are integrated design-wise, and some\u00a0have photographs of\u00a0some of the dishes, while others do not.\u00a0 The a la carte menu is the most professional looking, and is dominated by leaves on the pages.\u00a0 I started with a Hand roll of avo and prawn from the Sushi menu, which normally has salmon and caviar added, but which I declined – the normal\u00a0price is R 39, but with the 51 %-off, it only costs R19.\u00a0\u00a0 I cannot eat a hand roll by hand, so I was brought a steak knife to cut it.\u00a0 I love the prawn and avo hand roll at Fu.shi in Plettenberg Bay, and that is my benchmark.\u00a0 That of Leaf came close, but the end bits were dry, with the mayonnaise too concentrated in the middle.\u00a0\u00a0 Sushi lovers will delight in the vast variety offered, including Sashimi platters (16 pieces for R138), Salmon platters and Tuna platters (21 pieces for R149), and eight combination choices of R99 Sushi platters.\u00a0\u00a0 The Sushi menu also offers Crab, Prawn, Vegetable, Seared Tuna and Japenese (sic)\u00a0Seafood salads, ranging from R30 – R58.\u00a0\u00a0 Other options are smaller portions of Sashimi, Nigiri,\u00a0Fashion Sandwich,\u00a0Maki, Inside Out Roll and Edo Roll, as well as Tempura vegetables and prawns, and a selection of hand rolls.<\/p>\n

The Dim Sum menu offers eighteen choices of steamed and pan-fried dumplings, deep fried wontons,\u00a0and more, with prices ranging from R28 – R48, while the Hot Pot menu offers sixteen choices, ranging from R22 for Tofu to R150 for Crayfish.\u00a0 I did not have anything off this menu, being overwhelmed by the menu options offered across the three menus.<\/p>\n

The a la carte menu tries hard to get away from the “Chinese” label the restaurant has already earned prior to its opening, and Manager Ambrose asked me specifically to not refer to it as a Chinese restaurant.\u00a0 The Starters include\u00a0Oysters (R15 – R20), Harumaki (deep-fried spring rolls), Calamari, Mussels, Tuna Tartare, Tempura, and Dumplings, no item costing more than R59,\u00a0and Crayfish Cocktail (R99).\u00a0 The Tempura prawn starter had five Indian Tiger Prawns, served\u00a0as the most wonderful deepfried crispy thick “Japanese style battered morsels of food”, with sweet chilli sauce, at R40.\u00a0 The Chicken springrolls were delicious, with a different crispy batter, costing R25.\u00a0 Soups are Eastern in style, including Tom Yum, at R48.\u00a0 Salads range in price from R48 – R58.\u00a0 Fish and chips cost R40. Three calamari dishes range from R59 – R79.\u00a0 Crayfish is served grilled or steamed, at R249, or Thermidor, at R299 – no weight\/size is specified.\u00a0\u00a0 Seafood platters, served with a choice of two sides, range from R99 for line fish to R499 for the Executive (crayfish, scallops, line fish, prawns, baby squid, calamari and mussels).\u00a0\u00a0 Steak options are Sirloin (200 g for R79, 300 g for R109), and fillet (250 g for R119), and one can also order lamb shank, lamb chops and oxtail.\u00a0 Three chicken dishes range from R59 – R79, while two Duck options are available, Peking Duck at R149, and Marinated Duck at R119.\u00a0 I chose the latter, and was disappointed with its taste and presentation – it was served on a bed of chopped lettuce, with a very rich dark sweet soy sauce, making the plate look very messy.\u00a0 The duck was nowhere near my duck benchmark, being that of Haiku.\u00a0 Sticky rice and steamed\u00a0vegetables were well prepared.\u00a0\u00a0 I was surprised to not see any desserts on the menu, but I am sure that no one could manage to eat any, after the great selection\u00a0of starters and main courses.\u00a0Coffee is by LavAzza.<\/p>\n

One leaves Leaf confused about whether one likes\u00a0the restaurant\u00a0or not, and one tends to think back of wonderful meals and chats one had with Bruce and Cormac, given the familiarity of the furnishings.\u00a0 \u00a0If one loves Eastern food, and seeks value for money, one can do no better than to\u00a0eat at Leaf.\u00a0 The staff need time and practice to get their service up to speed, but in general they are friendly and eager to please.\u00a0 Food is served the whole day, and not in lunch and dinner time bands, as is so common, which means that one can pop in at any time if one is feeling peckish.\u00a0 Given time, Leaf can blossom, and bring new life to this restaurant space.<\/p>\n

Leaf Restaurant and Bar<\/strong>, Harbour Edge Building, Chiappini Street, Green Point, Cape Town.\u00a0 Tel (021) 418-4500. www.leafrestaurant.co.za<\/a> (The “webside” is still under construction).<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is a strange feeling to enter the newly opened Asian Leaf Restaurant and Bar\u00a0in what was the location of two favourite restaurants – The Showroom and Portofino – in that the restaurant interior is exactly as it was when Cormac Keane closed Portofino in April, with\u00a0a few\u00a0changes – grass green serviettes on the side […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,20,21],"tags":[6308,6724,4716,3236,1897,32366,2392,4915,6727,6750,6747,32378,2059,1484,6723,1034,4301,4258,6736,6748,6728,6741,6722,6732,142,6740,6751,6739,6726,6749,6616,6746,6735,6745,6733,228,32390,6734,2294,252,3625,6738,6731,6730,6743,6742,1926,230,6725,1896,4259,6729,32,6744,32393,3211,32373,6737],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t