{"id":37622,"date":"2012-11-12T00:10:03","date_gmt":"2012-11-11T22:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=37622"},"modified":"2012-11-12T00:10:03","modified_gmt":"2012-11-11T22:10:03","slug":"restaurant-review-eurohaus-is-a-eurofail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/restaurant-review-eurohaus-is-a-eurofail\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: EuroHaus is a EuroFail!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many years ago Gerd Zerban had the most amazing confectionery and bread bakery, linked to his two Zerban’s restaurants in the Garden’s Centre and in Sea Point. \u00a0His new EuroHaus restaurant, which has just opened as part of what is still called Marcelino’s Bakery but will change its name to EuroHaus, is a bitter disappointment, and is no reflection of the old Zerban’s.<\/p>\n

Marcelino The Bakery<\/a><\/span><\/strong> opened two and a half years ago, as a big open-plan bakery.\u00a0 The owner was Marcelino Siljeur, and his mentor and colleague was Mr Zerban. \u00a0 \u00a0Zerbans was THE coffee shop and bakery in the 1980\u2019s, attracting patrons with a European background in particular.\u00a0\u00a0Marcelino\u2019s father worked for Mr Zerban at that time. \u00a0Mr Zerban sold his\u00a0business to Checkers in the late Eighties, and took up a challenge from Natie Kirsch to set up\u00a0eight\u00a0\u2019Hot & Crusty\u2019 outlets\u00a0in Manhattan.\u00a0 He enjoyed the taste of New York, and then became a\u00a0consultant for supermarkets in New York.\u00a0\u00a0 Returning to Cape Town, he set up the baking side of New York Bagels in Sea Point, and there he trained Marcelino as his apprentice.\u00a0\u00a0 They went their separate ways, and then decided to get together to start up Marcelino The Bakery. \u00a0Earlier this year Marcelino left, and Mr Zerban has chosen to rename the Bakery to EuroHaus, with the pay-off line ‘A culture movement’.<\/em> The name is meant to represent five European countries, and the logo currently used has a football feel about it, with the flags of Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain depicted. Despite being so new, the logo is to be changed, and the pay-off line will become “Where flavours and people meet”<\/em>! The idea is that each day two specials will be offered, and they will represent two of the EuroHaus countries. Despite Mr Zerban’s German background, and one’s expectation that he would repeat some of his popular Zerban’s menu items, the EuroHaus menu is extremely basic, with breakfast items, salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta, grills, and pies, with only a few German menu items, and almost none from the other European countries.<\/p>\n

The interior is an interesting mix of wooden beams used to make counter tops and seating, coming from recycled wood from a ship. Turquoise blue has been used in the upholstery of wall benches and lamps, but does not strike one as a bakery colour, nor particularly ‘Euro-pean’ either. \u00a0Two decor oddities are the ‘chandelier’ made from Consol glass jars, each jar containing an LED light and a little toy, a decor quirk costing R20000, and the disassembled piano parts against a wall (almost like Deluxe Coffeeworks has motorcycle parts on the walls of its outlets), coming from an idea which the Modules Interior Design consultancy had seen in an American restaurant, which has a grand piano jutting out of a restaurant wall, I was told. Hanging from the ceiling is a ‘Sputnik’<\/em>, the first in the country, which removes moisture and dampness, and costs R75000! \u00a0Weird too is the mix of very rough wooden ‘home-made’ benches for the counter, and fine Bentwood chairs at the tables. \u00a0Table tops are black metal, and don’t really match the wood of the rest of the furniture. \u00a0Seating is available outside too, where the MyCiti Bus pavement has been newly prepared. \u00a0The top windows were dirty, looking like they had not been cleaned since the builders left the site. \u00a0Cutlery is by Fortis Hotelware. \u00a0The five European EuroHaus flags will be put up outside the Bakery.<\/p>\n

I tried to ask the waiter some questions about the restaurant, but did not get very far, as he did not seem to understand much of what I asked him, saying yes to every question. \u00a0When I asked for the manager, he pointed at the gentleman sitting at the neighbouring table, who was having his lunch, and had ignored all my questions directed at the waiter. \u00a0Reza Daniels is one of two brothers who are the joint managers. He was most suspicious of my questions, and got annoyed when I asked him at which restaurants he had previously worked, trying to make me understand that having been a purser on a cruise ship and a duty manager at a Best Western Hotel in the UK qualified him to run the restaurant. \u00a0He walked away from my table, refusing to answer any further questions. It was clear that Mr Zerban has delegated most of the running of EuroHaus to the two brothers, with disastrous results! \u00a0They also run a laundry in Kenilworth. The second brother Shaam is much friendlier, and was very relaxed in filling in the missing details, and volunteering information. \u00a0He too sat down at a table close by to have his lunch.<\/p>\n

The restaurant had no ice for the water on the 30\u00b0C day, and the butter that came with the rolls accompanying the food was soft. \u00a0I laughed when I saw the Robertsons salt and pepper grinders on the table, one of them already having the label half torn off! The focus of the restaurant is to not offer fine-dining, and for clients to not have to feel obliged to order a full meal, so that they can just pop in for a coffee or a drink at night, Shaam said. \u00a0I ordered the Vol-Au-Vent, the\"\"<\/a> two pastry cases containing the Ragout Fin (chicken and mushroom cream sauce) being crispy and light (R 45). \u00a0The menu states that each dish comes with a choice of chips or a French side salad, but my order just arrived with the salad, without my choice having been asked. \u00a0The two ‘European’ specials of the day were Farfalle Primavera (R45), and a 200 gram sirloin steak with savoury rice and three vegetables (R 69). Soups come in two sizes (R18-R25\/R30 – R38) for Goulash, Chilli Con Carne, and Soup of the Day; Chicken, French, Ni\u00e7oise, Greek and fruit salads cost R25 – R45; Pasta dishes such as lasagne, marinara, bolognaise, and macaroni and cheese cost R25 – R50; hamburgers and chicken schnitzel cost R50; a quarter grilled chicken R45; ‘boboti’ \u00a0(<\/em>sic) and rice R50; veal loaf, Frankfurters, and Bratwurst with potato salad R35; pies R35; and cheese and cold meat platters cost R45. \u00a0Coffees are served as a double shot, and cappuccinos cost R19\/R22. Breakfast is served until midday, and free-range eggs are used. A Continental Breakfast of 3 rolls or a croissant costs R24, a mini breakfast of egg, bacon and tomato R35, a full English breakfast R45, a Farmers Breakfast R40, and a Health Breakfast R40. \u00a0Omelettes cost R20. Sandwiches cost between R20 for cheese and tomato – R50 for grilled steak.<\/p>\n

Shaam admitted that they have had a ‘crazy teething period’<\/em> since they opened just over two weeks ago. \u00a0A liquor licence has been applied for, but currently they are sharing that of Royale Eatery close by. \u00a0Chef Deon Locke had started at the restaurant on the day I visited, and said that he has 22 years’ experience, having returned from Africa, where he did contract catering for US Aid on construction sites in Sudan and Afghanistan. He helped open\u00a0Balducci’s, and has been a chef at the Royal Cape Yacht Club.<\/p>\n

One wishes for Mr Zerban that he can find someone to pull the restaurant together, \u00a0to give it a professional identity and one brand name, professional service, waiter training, and friendliness to its customers. It is clear that Mr Zerban appears to have handed over control of the restaurant to the two Daniels brothers. \u00a0The food is good quality, and I was told that all the recipes are those of Mr Zerban. \u00a0The value for money is good for most of the menu items.<\/p>\n

EuroHaus<\/strong>, 210 Loop Street, Cape Town. \u00a0Tel (021) 422-0168 www.marcelinothebakery.com<\/a> Monday – Sunday 7h00 – 21h00 – 23h00.<\/p>\n

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

Many years ago Gerd Zerban had the most amazing confectionery and bread bakery, linked to his two Zerban’s restaurants in the Garden’s Centre and in Sea Point. \u00a0His new EuroHaus restaurant, which has just opened as part of what is still called Marcelino’s Bakery but will change its name to EuroHaus, is a bitter disappointment, […]<\/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":[6006,17557,992,17560,32378,17554,15748,17311,8996,4495,17552,17553,4488,12526,4491,4496,17556,10151,3191,17559,17558,17555,17561,32373,4490],"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