{"id":35996,"date":"2012-09-05T11:04:58","date_gmt":"2012-09-05T09:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=35996"},"modified":"2012-09-13T10:10:45","modified_gmt":"2012-09-13T08:10:45","slug":"a-palling-bruce-palling-in-cape-town-to-judge-eat-out-top-10-restaurants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/a-palling-bruce-palling-in-cape-town-to-judge-eat-out-top-10-restaurants\/","title":{"rendered":"A-palling Bruce Palling in Cape Town to judge Eat Out Top 10 Restaurants!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>New Eat Out<\/strong> judge, blogger Bruce Palling from the UK<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, has arrived in Cape Town to assist Eat Out<\/strong> Top 10 Restaurant and associated awards organiser Abigail Donnelly in selecting the top ten restaurants in the country and in ranking them. \u00a0He has barely set foot in the country, never having been here before, and he has attracted controversy already!<\/p>\n

Palling is a rude Tweeter, and on Twitter yesterday afternoon he announced his arrival, having been to Clarke’s second hand bookshop on Long Street, and in having eaten springbok for lunch, commenting on its bland taste: “Cape Town on a glorious sunny Spring day – and my first experience of Springbok – surprisingly mild…was expecting more depth of flavour..<\/span> “<\/em>. \u00a0A chef retaliated immediately: “<\/em>It’s not stag steaks stored in the deepfreezer for 3 years wrapped in wellington boots, boet”.<\/em> Palling<\/span> also Tweeted a comment which was criticised for its implied racism, by labelling a fellow guest on skin colour at the restaurant: “Black guest excusing lateness@Cape Town restaurant: “Sorry but had to take taxi because my Ferrari cant make it over bumps at entrance here”. <\/span><\/em>For that Tweet he was admonished too, including by \u00dcber-Tweeter\u00a0Jane-Anne Hobbs.<\/p>\n

Palling, who is being accommodated at the Taj hotel, will be visiting the Top 20 restaurant list, unless Ms Donnelly has already cut that list down to her Top 10, and he will assist her in ranking the list, and in choosing the winners in the categories introduced last year: Boschendal Style Award, Best Italian, Best Asian, Best Bistro, Best Steakhouse, and Best Country Style restaurant. \u00a0This is our prediction of where Palling can be expected to eat in potential 2012\u00a0Eat Out <\/strong>Top 10 restaurants in the next few days in the Western Cape (we have excluded Grande Provence, The Roundhouse, and Nobu due to chef changes, and other deserving restaurants at which the chefs have been at the restaurants for less than a year):<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 The Test Kitchen<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 The Greenhouse<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Planet Restaurant<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Makaron Restaurant<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Tokara<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Delaire Graff<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Pierneef \u00e0 La Motte<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Overture<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Terroir<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Babylonstoren<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Waterkloof<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 La Colombe<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Rust en Vrede<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Fran\u00e7ais<\/p>\n

From Palling’s blogposts, of which variations are published in the Europe edition of the Wall Street Journal<\/strong> occasionally, one has learnt the following about his eating and drinking tastes:<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0 Local is lekker: \u00a0he wants to eat ‘native produce’ <\/em>rather than it being imported \u00a0(e.g. ‘wallaby’ <\/em>in Australia!)<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0 He is fond of wine, and it should be local and single varietal, and not blended<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0His benchmark is Michelin-ism<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0He is quick to describe food as ‘bland’<\/em><\/p>\n

5. \u00a0 He has a ‘boredom with egg-dominated dishes’<\/em><\/p>\n

6. \u00a0 He loves ‘Nordic’ <\/em>(especially Swedish) cuisine<\/p>\n

7. \u00a0 He scoffs at molecular gastronomy, which he calls ‘pretend food’,<\/em> and likes to be able to identify produce on a plate ‘rather than look at an inanimate mixture of textures and smears’ <\/em><\/p>\n

8. \u00a0He ‘cherishes food which exudes strong, not to say, disgusting odours’.<\/em><\/p>\n

It will be interesting to see if Palling’s assistance to Ms Donnelly will make any difference to the Eat Out <\/strong>Top 10 Restaurant Awards results. Palling has already shown that he is a difficult and opinionated writer and judge, and a rude Tweeter.<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 5\/9: Eat Out<\/strong> has just announced that it is hosting a weekend of food celebration from 23 – 25 November, with international chefs in attendance too: This is from their website:<\/p>\n

“On Friday 23 November, there will be an exclusive dinner with Massimo Bottura, chef at<\/span> <\/span>Osteria Francescana<\/a>, number 5 in<\/span> <\/span>The World\u2019s 50 Best Restaurants<\/a>, the prestigious annual awards sponsored by S. Pellegrino and Aqua Panna. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

On Saturday 24 November, for the first time ever, we\u2019ll be hosting an Eat Out Conference at\u00a0The Westin Cape Town<\/a> on Cape Town\u2019s foreshore. Speakers at the inspiring, interactive day include top international chef\u00a0Massimo Bottura<\/a>; Bruce Palling (Wall Street Journal critic, World\u2019s 50 Best Restaurants judge, blogger and Eat Out 2012 judge); and British food designer Andrew Stellitano (check out his incredible food landscapes, sculptural pancakes and edible Louis Vuitton handbagshere<\/a>).\u00a0Local speakers include reigning Chef of the Year, Luke Dale-Roberts, and prominent members of the local food and restaurant community, who\u2019ll join a panel discussion led by Eat Out editor and judge, Abigail Donnelly.<\/em><\/p>\n

On Sunday, the winners of the 2012 Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony in the Grand Ballroom at The Westin Cape Town. A four-course meal will be prepared by top chefs, and the new Top 10 will be announced, along with the winners of the awards for best steakhouse, bistro, Asian, country-style and Italian restaurant, along with the\u00a0Boschendal Style Award<\/a><\/em>“.<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 9\/9<\/strong>: Bruce Palling has been eating his way around the Cape, and the only clues that he is leaving is that he has eaten Springbok on more than one occasion, and he is Tweeting photographs of the wines he has drunk with his meals, which must be very frustrating for him, as he is a keen food photographer, but that would give the judging away! \u00a0His wine choice over the past five days has included Zorgvliet Cabernet Sauvignon (vintage not mentioned), Raats Cabernet Franc 2008, Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2010, Raats Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Paul Cluver 7 Flags Pinot Noir 2008, and Luddite Shiraz 2006. He is seeking wines with less than 14% alcohol content, to suit his wife’s requirement, and has been asking for advice on Twitter, a sad reflection on the restaurants at which he has eaten not being able to advise him! \u00a0He has taken back his criticism of springbok in his Tweet on his arrival (see above), and Tweeted on Friday: “Take back Springbok being boring\/bland – had 2 non sous vide versions which lean + voluptuous helped along by Raats Cabernet Franc 08”. <\/em>No local chefs, with the exception of Oliver Cattermole, who is not in the running for the Eat Out<\/strong> Top 10 Awards as he has not been at Dish at Le Franschhoek for a full year, have interacted with Palling on Twitter. \u00a0Chefs Peter Tempelhoff (Greenhouse), Jackie Cameron (Hartford House), Gregory Czarnecki (Waterkloof), Margot Janse (The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Fran\u00e7ais), Scot Kirton (La Colombe), Tanja Kruger (Makaron), Eric Bulpitt (The Roundhouse), Marthinus Ferreira (DW Eleven – 13), and Tokara Restaurant are all following Palling on Twitter, perhaps hoping for a clue or two. \u00a0Further disparaging Tweets in reaction to our Palling blogposts have been posted by Palling, one of which was (unprofessionally) ReTweeted by Le Quartier Fran\u00e7ais’ The Tasting Room owner Susan Huxter).<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 12\/9:<\/strong> Le Quartier Fran\u00e7ais’ The Tasting Room and McGrath Hotels’ The Greenhouse must be concerned about Bruce Palling’s attack on ‘Relais Chateau<\/em>‘ (sic) on Twitter today, both hotel groups belonging to Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux.<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 13\/9:<\/strong> One hopes that Bruce Palling’s restaurant judging is better than his a-palling spelling and photography. This was his Tweet from Biesmiellah last night: “Taking a break at Biedmiellah<\/em> (sic) – Babotie<\/em> (sic) and Denning Vleis<\/em> (sic)”. Poor quality writing, especially from a ‘journalist’!<\/span><\/p>\n

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

New Eat Out judge, blogger Bruce Palling from the UK, has arrived in Cape Town to assist Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant and associated awards organiser Abigail Donnelly in selecting the top ten restaurants in the country and in ranking them. \u00a0He has barely set foot in the country, never having been here before, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,20,21],"tags":[2803,16874,8239,16625,16869,16868,2375,14131,16417,32378,1736,1696,16875,6825,138,3849,140,9367,2080,1958,554,8887,4792,6251,39,385,549,3010,555,14082,14129,1604,8884,16873,651,6222,509,16871,11012,4437,33,58,2551,6611,9074,3860,61,34,14128,11368,4643,5052,9182,447,2690,607,1362,7518,15692,59,10033,1587,16870,3056,32373,16872,11770],"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