{"id":59221,"date":"2014-07-09T00:14:41","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T22:14:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=59221"},"modified":"2014-07-10T12:55:20","modified_gmt":"2014-07-10T10:55:20","slug":"craft-bakery-and-craft-wheat-hops-in-stellenbosch-chalk-and-cheese-in-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/wine-news\/craft-bakery-and-craft-wheat-hops-in-stellenbosch-chalk-and-cheese-in-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: Craft Bakery and Craft Wheat & Hops in Stellenbosch chalk and cheese in service!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Craft<\/a>I had heard that Craft had opened in the space from which Apprentice operated for a number of years earlier this year, having been a ‘test kitchen’ for the students of Letetia Prinsloo’s Institute of Culinary Arts. \u00a0An unfortunate association with Le Chocolatier owner Daniel Waldis led to the closure of the restaurant. In its place is a dual restaurant and bar, separated only by a bar counter, but the difference in attitude of the two managers is massive. \u00a0\u00a0The two Crafts are owned by Francois Jooste, who also owns Java and Apres Bistro, all\u00a0close to each other in a tourist rich area of Stellenbosch.<\/p>\n

I visited on Monday, entering on the left, at Craft Wheat & Hops, which I did not immediately associate with a bar specialising in beers. \u00a0 Once one\"Craft<\/a> enters, it is very clear what it serves, with 16 beers on tap offered, and a similar number of beers displayed on shelves. \u00a0I recognised the voice of the friendly lady behind the counter, and she reminded me that she was the Chef and Manager of The Stall in Franschhoek<\/strong><\/span><\/a> when it first opened eighteen months ago. \u00a0Marilie van Niekerk left when she had her baby. \u00a0She made a menu available for me immediately, without having to ask for it, it being such a pleasure to experience her excellent service. \u00a0The bar had not yet been set up, tables having been placed on top of each other, as the bar only opens at 15h00 on week days. \u00a0Interestingly Craft Wheat & Hops offers food as well, but with only two options. Flammkuchen is prepared in what look like a massive pizza oven inside the bar, seven options offered in a price range from R40 (for Caprese) to R52 (smoked salmon, red onion, rocket, and caviar). \u00a0An extensive list of Tapas dishes is offered, ranging from R29 (crumbed mozzarella sticks with berry compote) to R45 (roast chicken and cheddar quesadilla served with homemade salsa, guacemole and cream cheese). \u00a0 Other tapas include lamb meat balls, ‘corn dogs<\/em>‘, \u00a0chorizo and mozzarella crostini, mini mushroom burgers, and ‘beer brats wrapped in bacon<\/em>‘.<\/p>\n

\"Craft<\/a>The craft beers on tap are available in a price band of R29 to R39, with Naked Mexican, Van Hunks Pumpkin Ale, Mind the Gap, Stellenbrau (Lager, Ale, and Rooibos and Honeybush lager), Butcher Block Pale Ale, Johnny Gold, First Light, and more. \u00a0The bottle beers fall into a similar price range, and brands include Whale Tale Ale, Liefmans Strawberry, Wild Beast Amber Ale and Blonde Ale, Black River Coffee Stout, Fiery Dragon, Skeleton Coast,and Silvertree Saison. \u00a0The wines offered are proudly Stellenbosch, including Brenaissance, Mount Rozier, Adoro, De Morgenzon, Muratie, Rustenberg, L’Avenir, and Rainbow’s End. \u00a0Four red wines and three white wines are offered by the glass, the Mount Rozier wines costing as little as R22 per glass for their Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, while their bottle price is R69 for all variants. \u00a0Chabivin is the MCC served.<\/p>\n

At Craft Bakery the interior is more impressive, with wood cladding throughout, and the bar stool tops look like they have been \"Craft<\/a>carved out of a piece of wood. \u00a0The table tops are wooden, while the chairs are bistro style in black metal. \u00a0 The restaurant space is only half as big as the bar side due to the baking taking place behind the restaurant \"Craft<\/a>space, probably using the original Apprentice kitchen space. \u00a0Display cabinets show off their quiches, muffins, croissants, bagels, scones, chocolate Lindt brownies, tartlets, cup cakes, cakes, choc chip cookies. biscotti, cinnabons, and cinnamon doughnuts, ranging in price between R2 and R25. \u00a0What is not clear is that one has to go right to the end of the counter in the crowded restaurant space to place the order, the small blackboard on my table having been rubbed out and written over, making it impossible to read that it meant to inform that one has to go to the counter. \u00a0The menu is attached to a wooden clipboard, and lists a number of items one can have on one’s sandwich\"Craft<\/a>, including two slices of rye (R10), cold meats, and cheeses, each individually priced, with a salad of lettuce and tomato on the side promised. \u00a0 A waitress came to my table, and I ordered a sandwich with Brie (R15) and black forest ham (R15), expecting it to arrive on the side so that one can make one’s own sandwich, as Schoon de Companje down the road on Church Street does. \u00a0The sandwich arrived with a ham which was not Black Forest, and the sandwich was pre-made and toasted. \u00a0The Manageress Landi came to show me her supplier’s version of ‘Black Forest<\/em>‘. \u00a0When I asked her where the salad was, she said most patrons don’t \"Craft<\/a>want it, so they just leave it out, but I wasn’t asked! \u00a0 She offered to have a new one made, not toasting it, and putting the lettuce and the tomato on the sandwich. \u00a0The cappuccino came in a non-hot Bodum glass, which never makes a cappuccino look good, and is misleading as the liquid is hot but doesn’t feel so when one holds the glass. \u00a0Once the sandwich had been brought to the table, there was no further service, no one checking if everything was to my satisfaction, or bringing more water, or asking if I’d like a second coffee. \u00a0The service was slow, in bringing the sandwich to the table, and then took even longer for sandwich number 2. \u00a0What was impressive was the design of the take-away box for my cupcake (R15), which looked as if it was made from wood.<\/p>\n

I went to ask Landi some more questions at the desk, but she was deep in conversation with what turned out to be her sister. \u00a0She seemed disinterested in answering questions about the restaurant, not knowing much about her colleagues, when I asked her about her bakers. She only knew the name of the main baker Anton, who previously was at Woolworths, the sum total of what she could tell me. \u00a0There are no business cards, so she wrote the opening times and contact details on a till slip for me. \u00a0They do not have a website either, giving the operation a very amateurish feel. \u00a0Landi became cheeky when I addressed the poor service with her, saying that it is a self-service restaurant, and therefore they do not need to check the service satisfaction of their customers!<\/p>\n

Craft is chalk and cheese in the two managers’ handling of customers – one is passionate and the other doesn’t care!<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 10\/7<\/strong>: \u00a0The cupcake I bought to take away was squashed when I opened the container, the cupcake being higher than the box lid!<\/p>\n

Craft Wheat & Hops<\/strong>, Andringa Street, Stellenbosch. \u00a0Tel (021) 882-8069 \u00a0No website, Facebook only. \u00a0 Monday – Thursdays 15h00 – 21h30, \u00a0Friday and Saturday 12h00 – 21h30<\/p>\n

Craft Bakery<\/strong>, Andringa Street, Stellenbosch. \u00a0Tel (021) 882-9127 \u00a0No website, Facebook only. \u00a0Monday – Saturday 7h00 – 17h00, Sundays 9h00 – 17h00.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/strong><\/span><\/a> \u00a0Twitter: WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had heard that Craft had opened in the space from which Apprentice operated for a number of years earlier this year, having been a ‘test kitchen’ for the students of Letetia Prinsloo’s Institute of Culinary Arts. \u00a0An unfortunate association with Le Chocolatier owner Daniel Waldis led to the closure of the restaurant. In its […]<\/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":[20517,124,266,20,248,31,22,21,19],"tags":[8461,18237,26365,26373,2203,11377,26377,12486,32378,8944,10168,26367,14577,26366,13433,10244,2381,26374,24393,5278,30,26363,32369,11189,26364,26370,2830,26378,26362,26361,26371,17927,8984,7038,26368,26369,6231,252,3625,60,20362,26376,26375,32376,1074,17567,5,5085,32373,11383,10,26372,365],"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