{"id":5400,"date":"2009-11-26T10:25:16","date_gmt":"2009-11-26T08:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=5400"},"modified":"2009-11-26T10:25:16","modified_gmt":"2009-11-26T08:25:16","slug":"restaurant-review-cafe-chic-decor-more-chic-than-its-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/restaurant-review-cafe-chic-decor-more-chic-than-its-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: Cafe’ Chic decor more chic than its food!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A brand new restaurant to open in\u00a0Cape Town just over a week ago\u00a0is Cafe Chic, located in Gardens.\u00a0\u00a0 A beautiful historical building has been lovingly restored over\u00a0 a period of eight months, to meet the Heritage Council as well as City Council requirements, and beautifully furnished, with lots of chandeliers, interesting couches,\u00a0 and a surprise in every room of the house.<\/p>\n

Cafe Chic is\u00a0a multi-purpose building, which has an informal breakfast and lunch room, a formal dining room, a non-smoking\u00a0whisky and cognac bar in strong red tones, a smoking bar, a patisserie, and a Moroccan tent room, as well as\u00a0a small boutique selling handbags and clothes, and a few shoes.<\/p>\n

Francoise Queyroi, the owner,\u00a0ran restaurants in Paris and in Ibiza, and has been in South Africa for six months.\u00a0\u00a0 Her husband is an engineer and architect, and he masterminded the renovation of the building, as well as the interior design.\u00a0\u00a0 Her daughter Gillian is a lawyer, who runs the boutique and conceptualised the whisky and cognac bar.<\/p>\n

Francoise was not at the restaurant on the night of our first visit, but Lucas, the “Floor Manager” was a welcoming host, doing a guided tour of the premises.\u00a0\u00a0 No expense has been spared in making this restaurant tres chic.\u00a0\u00a0 It is immediately visible if one drives up Breda Street, as the lighting on the building and on the tree attracts attention, and shows off the beautiful building.\u00a0 The restaurant also has generous parking across the road, and alongside it.<\/p>\n

It being\u00a0a hot evening, a smallish table outside the front door seemed a good choice.\u00a0\u00a0 The menu and winelist have the same silver covers, adding to the chic-theme.\u00a0\u00a0Most of the food listed has a French feel to it, yet not all (e.g. an interesting sounding\u00a0Caprese soup).\u00a0 Twelve starters range in price from R 38 for the soup\u00a0 to R 175 for a crayfish salad.\u00a0\u00a0 Foie gras is offered, at R 130, and the Le Chic salad with chicken livers spinach and apples costs R 45.\u00a0\u00a0 The crayfish salad was served cold, to the customer’s request, but had very little salad served with the three tiny crayfish tails – they looked decidedly underweight , and the\u00a0‘lettuce leaves’\u00a0were of a spiky variety, not easy to pick up with a fork!<\/p>\n

Vegetarians are catered for, at R 70, with a gratin and a vegetable crepe.\u00a0\u00a0 Meat main courses start at R 95 for the baby chicken. Other mains are a rib-eye steak at R 115 (served with 4 skimpy mini potato wedges, and a grilled tomato, the steak was very tough and had to be sent back,\u00a0and no steak knife was offered), lamb a la Provencale at R 140, a sirloin roll at R 145, and expensively, duck breast and venison at R 180,\u00a0 For fish lovers grilled sole costs R 95, R 175 for a warm crayfish curry dish, and R 145 for\u00a0a prawn risotto dish.<\/p>\n

The dessert list feels decidedly French, with a choice of twelve desserts, some from the patisserie.\u00a0\u00a0 Sliced fruit costs R 35, as does ice cream, a Rum baba costs R 40, as does a Trio of Creme Brulee.\u00a0\u00a0 A lovely Tarte Tatin with fresh cream cost R 45, as does the Strawberry Mille-feuille, a Mont Blanc cost R 50 , as does a Chocolate Kif.\u00a0 A “Samoosa”, described as\u00a0containing chocolate, blue cheese, sweet chilli enhanced with vanilla ice cream, and strawberries, costs R 55.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The pastries are beautifully made and presented, and cost between R 10 – R 20, and can be bought\u00a0as take-aways.\u00a0\u00a0 One senses that their strength lies in the desserts and patisserie.<\/p>\n

Ten champagne brands are stocked, ranging from R 650 for a Moet & Chandon to R 10 000 for the Cristal Roederer!\u00a0 But South African Cap Classique wines are also available, at R 190 for Villiera to R 220 for the Graham Beck Rose’.\u00a0\u00a0 Three or four wines per variety are offered, and a number by the glass too.\u00a0\u00a0 Arra is offered for almost every category,\u00a0coming from Paarl.\u00a0\u00a0 An Arra Shiraz costs R 120, while an Arra Reserve Shiraz was on the winelist at R 375.\u00a0\u00a0 The most expensive red wine listed is an Anthonij Rupert Cabernet Franc at R 960, while a De Meyr white wine cost R 100, the most expensive whites being the Waterford Sauvignon Blanc and the L’Ormarins Chardonnay, at R 220.<\/p>\n

The chef was not on duty and perhaps this showed in the food quality, in\u00a0a kitchen still finding its feet.\u00a0 The Executive Chef is Morne Botha, previously with the Bay Hotel and the Giggling Gourmet.\u00a0\u00a0 Michelle Gawinowicz is the General Manager, having worked in London for 15 years, but has returned to her country of birth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

On receiving the bill, a glaring error was evident, which should have been picked up by the waiter and his manager, in that a strawberry tart was charged ten-fold.\u00a0 However, the bill was quickly rectified.<\/p>\n

A lunch organised by Cafe Chic for the guest houses of Camps Bay\u00a0four days later went much better.\u00a0 The garden salad with a poached egg, and the blue cheese litchi salad received rave ohhhhhs and ahhhhs.\u00a0 The linefish in a sauce vierge was acclaimed too, while those ordering the Roasted Coquelet felt the chicken to be too bony and too dry.\u00a0\u00a0 A trio of tiny desserts was equally impressive.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

If the food quality is addressed, as well as the presentation of the food,\u00a0 and a touch of French music is added, then Cafe Chic has all the potential to be a winner!<\/p>\n

Cafe Chic, 7 Breda Street, Gardens.\u00a0 tel 021 465 7215 www.cafechic.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n

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

A brand new restaurant to open in\u00a0Cape Town just over a week ago\u00a0is Cafe Chic, located in Gardens.\u00a0\u00a0 A beautiful historical building has been lovingly restored over\u00a0 a period of eight months, to meet the Heritage Council as well as City Council requirements, and beautifully furnished, with lots of chandeliers, interesting couches,\u00a0 and a surprise […]<\/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":[15,3,124,20,21],"tags":[2855,2852,114,2844,2842,2841,218,32378,2853,2125,2843,2276,2314,2857,2851,2845,2846,2854,2858,698,2856,2847,2848,2849,2837,408,32373,2850,2127],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\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