{"id":18206,"date":"2011-03-17T10:07:13","date_gmt":"2011-03-17T08:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=18206"},"modified":"2011-09-17T17:41:19","modified_gmt":"2011-09-17T15:41:19","slug":"restaurant-review-whats-on-eatery-is-an-elegant-and-friendly-home-from-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/restaurant-review-whats-on-eatery-is-an-elegant-and-friendly-home-from-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: What’s On Eatery is an elegant and friendly home from home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I had read about What’s On Eatery on Watson Street in the city centre on Twitter, with Hennie Coetzee<\/a> (@Batonage)\u00a0and Maggie\u00a0Mostert (@BlackDelilah) recommending the new restaurant highly.\u00a0 I was welcomed warmly by co-owner Trever Jordaan from the minute I stepped into the restaurant, and I felt completely at home in the elegant interior that has been created in the double story\u00a0building that once was Platinum restaurant.\u00a0 What’s On’s promise is “Food l People l Passion”, with a ‘fusion of family & friends’, and this is what I experienced last Friday evening.\u00a0 It offers very good value food (the starters and desserts in particular)\u00a0and wines.<\/p>\n

Watson Street connects Bree and Loop Street, one block from Buitensingel Street.\u00a0 I found parking easily, and a canopy identifies the eatery, and what it stands for.\u00a0 One enters the attractive light grey Deli and Breakfast space, which doubles up as the bar, with wines stored on shelves, and a glass counter containing salads, pies and sandwiches during the day, with croissants, cakes, pastries, and other sweet bakery treats available too.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Trevor led the way to the restaurant upstairs, and showed me the private dining room, which can be used for functions with up to 10 persons.\u00a0 The restaurant\u00a0has ten tables, and the walls are a stronger grey colour.\u00a0 There are lovely wooden floors, interesting paintings by Joseph Lucaks, beautifully upholstered chairs, and wallpaper on some walls, all\u00a0creating a warm, homely and elegant space.\u00a0 One wall has quirky-shaped mirrors\u00a0on it.\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>Trevor and his partner clearly have a good decor hand.\u00a0 The highback chairs are attractive, and reminded me of those at La Mouette – in fact the hearty welcome was reminiscent of La Mouette when it first opened.\u00a0\u00a0The light was soft, created with a mix of candles, lamps\u00a0and modern downlighters. \u00a0The tables have a white table cloth, and the white serviette had a silver pattern running through it.\u00a0 Glassware is good, the cutlery is\u00a0by Maxwell Williams,\u00a0and the food is served on white plates and bowls, some of them not holding the cutlery, in that they slide into the plate, a common restaurant problem.\u00a0 A Woolworths salt and pepper grinder are on the table, as was a vase with real roses.\u00a0\u00a0 What made an impression in being so unusual yet clever was a card with “Thank You” lying on the serviette, continuing as follows: “…for sharing our dream…please spread the news to family & friends and join our facebook group on our website…”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Trevor is a most amazingly warm person, who clearly loves people and his new restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0 He was hands-on throughout the evening, asking for feedback continuously.\u00a0 He was receptive to hearing my opinion and suggestions, and I was impressed by his positive reception thereof, and his immediate implementation of changes.\u00a0 He joined Twitter immediately and is planning to start a blog too.\u00a0\u00a0 Trevor was previously a guest house owner, and that is probably why we connected so well.\u00a0\u00a0 His goal is to make his guests feel at home, as if they are visiting his home, and he wants to get to know his guests better, as he does not want any ‘strangers’ in his home, he said.\u00a0\u00a0 Trevor’s partner and co-owner is Chris Mears, but is not involved in the running of the restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0 I was served by Nina, previously with Col’Cacchio in town, and she was friendly and\u00a0looked attractively\u00a0dressed in\u00a0a white\u00a0shirt and black slacks, with a branded\u00a0apron from Vrede & Lust.\u00a0\u00a0Uri from Jardine, which closed down at the end of February, now works at What’s On.\u00a0\u00a0 The chef is Kerin D’Offize, previously with the Foodlovers’ Market in Claremont and Harbour Rock in Hermanus.\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The menu, winelist and bill holders have the same blue-green cover, with branding in white.\u00a0\u00a0 The pages are neatly affixed to the cover, but can be easily removed when\u00a0any pages\u00a0have to be updated.\u00a0\u00a0 Nina brought\u00a0 a plate of delicious freshly-baked olive bread to the table, which was more-ish.\u00a0 I ordered the duck liver parfait, served with morello cherry sauce\u00a0and garlic crostini (R40).\u00a0 I felt that the garlic\u00a0and parfait\u00a0were fighting each other, the garlic being overpowering.\u00a0\u00a0 The cherry compote was an unusual but good marriage with the\u00a0parfait.\u00a0 Other starter options ranged in price from R35 – R 45, and included braised leek and gorgonzola tartlet, springbok bobotie spring\u00a0rolls,\u00a0smoorsnoek and feta crepes, black mussels, and baked camembert fondant.\u00a0\u00a0Unusual is that all salads can be ordered in half-portions too, at R 40 – R60 per half portion, and R60 – R80 for a full portion, probably meant to be shared.\u00a0\u00a0 Interesting sounding salads are the rooibos-smoked chicken salad; steamed prawn and baby calamari salad;\u00a0and biltong, mango\u00a0and feta garden salad.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I was surprised when a complimentary\u00a0wild mango, mint, melon and vanilla pod sorbet palate cleanser was served.\u00a0 I loved the taste combination, and never eat mango usually.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Beef Wellington main course I ordered had porcini mushrooms, garlic and bacon in the pastry casing,\u00a0but no chicken liver pat\u00e9\u00a0(R135).\u00a0 \u00a0 It was served in two halves, the fillet perfectly prepared medium rare as ordered, with roasted beetroot ‘chips’, mash and butternut.\u00a0 It was served with a green peppercorn Bordelaise sauce, which I found too sharp and salty.\u00a0\u00a0Other main course options are oxtail, line fish and calamari, confit of lamb rib, roulade of chicken and spinach, venison fillet, sole, rib eye steak, tiger prawns,\u00a0ostrich burger, and a grilled wild mushroom risotto, ranging from R 85 – R145.\u00a0\u00a0 Side dishes are available at R15 each.\u00a0 I didn’t have a dessert, but the options are a chocolate and hazelnut fondant, a trio of sorbet, cr\u00e8me br\u00fblee, chocolate truffle and espresso tart, and honey and almond cheesecake served with basil and chilli ice cream, ranging in cost from R40 – R50.\u00a0 I had a\u00a0foamy cappucino (R17), made with Tribeca coffee, and\u00a0I liked Trevor’s description of\u00a0the foam\u00a0looking like a meringue!<\/p>\n

The winelist is introduced as follows: “This list has been prepared to showcase the very best wines to complement our culinary concept.\u00a0 We constantly search and hand-pick the perfect selection of wines so that you, as our guest, experience ultimate wine and dining at What’s On”.\u00a0\u00a0 The list specifies the regions from which the wines come, but there are no vintages for most of the wines listed.\u00a0\u00a0 The wine-by-the-glass choice is restricted to one white and one red, and my recommendation to Trevor was to expand the selection.\u00a0 I had a\u00a0generous\u00a0glass of Vrede & Lust’s Boet Erasmus Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot blend, at R45 a glass\/R265 per bottle, and I was allowed to taste the wine first.\u00a0\u00a0 I am not one for blends usually, but this was an excellent wine.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The white wine-by-the-glass is Neil Ellis Groenekloof Sauvignon Blanc\u00a0(R35\/R140).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sparkling wines include Graham Beck Brut MCC (R185) and Boschendal Brut Ros\u00e9 (R195).\u00a0 Shiraz options are Brampton (R100), Graham Beck (R135) and Bernard Series Basket Press (R215).\u00a0 A number of ‘cellar selection’ wines are also available, such as Kanonkop Pinotage 2008 (R440), Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2006 (R565) and Hamilton Russell Chardonnay (R475). \u00a0Corkage costs R30.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Breakfast choices include French Toast; omelets; flapjacks;\u00a0oats; muesli, fruit and yoghurt; and a cooked breakfast, none of these\u00a0choices costing more than R32.\u00a0\u00a0 Lunch options include a variety of fillings on ciabatta (R39 – R55), salads (R45), beef fillet (R65); prawn, chorizo and saffron risotto (R65); chicken breast (R48); and chicken roulade (R55).<\/p>\n

The bill says “Thank you for visiting us at What’s On.\u00a0 We look forward to have you back ‘home’ soon”.\u00a0 It is so refreshing to see a restaurant thanking its clients on arrival and on their departure.\u00a0\u00a0I\u00a0felt at home, and Trevor has found an opportunity to ‘chat’ by e-mail almost every day since I went to What’s On, and he is a strong relationship builder, something many restaurants fail at, taking one’s custom for granted.\u00a0 As I did for La Mouette when they first opened last May, I spent time with Trevor to run through Social Media Marketing with him subsequent to my dinner.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>POSTSCRIPT 19\/5<\/strong>: Food bloggers and clients of What’s On Eatery were invited to try out the new winter menu this evening – two courses cost R125, 3 courses R150.\u00a0 One can also order off the menu, at R 39 for a choice of nine starters (including grilled brown mushrooms – left, stuffed calamari tubes, tempura snoek and prawn); R98 for\u00a0one of eleven main courses (including Duck la orange – right, Coq au vin, Beef Wellington, Beef fillet, Karoo lamb shank); and R40 for one of five desserts.\u00a0 The winter menu is good value for money, and the portion sizes are very generous.<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 16\/9<\/strong>: Exciting news is that Chef Oliver Cattermole<\/a><\/span><\/strong> from Dash Restaurant at the Queen Victoria Hotel will start as Chef at What’s On Eatery from 1 October.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What’s On Eatery,<\/strong> 6 Watson Street, between Loop and Bree Street, Cape Town.\u00a0\u00a0 Tel (021) 422-5652.\u00a0\u00a0 www.whatsoneatery.co.za<\/a> (The homepage on the website has\u00a0attractive food\u00a0photographs, which will\u00a0make one want to come to What’s On Eatery,\u00a0but these are\u00a0not carried over to the Image Gallery, which has more photographs of guests than of the food.\u00a0 The menu is on the website). Twitter @WhatsOnEatery.\u00a0 Deli open Monday – Friday 7h30 – 16h00.\u00a0 Restaurant open Tuesday – Saturday evenings.<\/p>\n

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

I had read about What’s On Eatery on Watson Street in the city centre on Twitter, with Hennie Coetzee (@Batonage)\u00a0and Maggie\u00a0Mostert (@BlackDelilah) recommending the new restaurant highly.\u00a0 I was welcomed warmly by co-owner Trever Jordaan from the minute I stepped into the restaurant, and I felt completely at home in the elegant interior that has […]<\/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":[10526,10542,10527,1591,10541,5218,10531,10617,32378,2436,4731,10530,10537,2696,1899,1958,7322,7713,40,10543,8801,10536,4630,7712,10534,10540,11012,10529,10532,5925,3625,4273,10528,10538,1587,4757,10539,10525,32373,10460,10524,53,3404,171],"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