{"id":65376,"date":"2015-01-15T01:01:17","date_gmt":"2015-01-14T23:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=65376"},"modified":"2015-01-15T14:08:55","modified_gmt":"2015-01-15T12:08:55","slug":"bosmans-at-grand-roche-business-is-booming-dont-need-patrons-payment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/accommodation\/bosmans-at-grand-roche-business-is-booming-dont-need-patrons-payment\/","title":{"rendered":"Bosman’s at Grande Roche: business is ‘booming’, don’t need patrons’ payment!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bosman's<\/a>I don’t visit Paarl very often, usually disappointed with the restaurant offering of the town. \u00a0Last week I spent a day there, to visit Jan Willem & Seuns, and Melissa’s newish branch. I had given up on Bosman’s at Grande Roche, after repeated poor experiences in the restaurant. However, a chance meeting of Bosman’s new Restaurant Manager and its Sous Chef at Maison in Franschhoek a few days prior led me to return.<\/p>\n

During the busy festive season days I took a break at The Kitchen at Maison in Franschhoek, and sat next to a table with a couple, which turned out to be Austrian Chef Christoph\u00a0Terschan and Restaurant Manager Onwaba Maholwana of Bosman’s. \u00a0We chatted for ages, talking through the whole Eat Out<\/strong> Top 20 restaurant list, and our respective experiences with the restaurants. \u00a0Onwaba was well-informed about my previous Bosman’s disasters, and encouraged me to revisit Bosman’s, to give the restaurant another chance. \u00a0As bad luck would have it, I chose a day on which both Onwaba and Chef Christoph had the day off, but I decided to give it a go anyway.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest problems of Bosman’s is the inept treatment one receives at the boom from the outsourced Servest security person. \u00a0He came to my car with a list and asked what I wanted. \u00a0It being 12h50, I told him that it was obvious that I had come for lunch, an answer he did not like. He then told me that as I did not have a reservation, he would first have to call Reception, to ask if they could accommodate me for lunch. \u00a0I had to wait for 10 minutes on a 37\u00ba\u00a0C day to receive permission to enter the property! \u00a0His English was poor, it being hard to understand him!<\/p>\n

In the good old days of the Grande Roche hotel, the boom hold-up was to give the staff enough time to walk towards the parking area, to help collect one’s luggage (if applicable), and to greet and welcome one to the hotel. \u00a0Those days are long gone, and no one came to greet me. I walked into the building and still no one came to greet me or ask if they could assist me. I had to ask if I could have a table, and they said yes, of course. \u00a0Deputy Restaurant Manager Jacques Mbuyi took me outside, to a table shaded with an umbrella, only one other table being occupied on the terrace, and one taken inside! \u00a0Jacques explained that he was serving guests inside, even though he had waitrons, so he could not come forward. \u00a0I noticed that none of the guests arriving subsequently were greeted by the staff, all having the same experience as I had.<\/p>\n

I had barely sat down, and was taking some photographs, when GM Anja Bosken marched up to my table, with no hello or welcome (we have met a number of times at the hotel over the almost four years), and in a very abrupt Germanic style she interrogated me as to why I had come to have lunch, as I ‘always critique the restaurant, and you are never happy, so why do you come<\/em>‘, she asked! \u00a0 She added that she did not like the way I had spoken to her boom man, but of course she had not been there, and I explained to her that her hotel has the worst boom service I have experienced in the Winelands, and that it is a problem each time I visit! \u00a0At no stage did she welcome me, or ask me to provide input about the boom interaction. \u00a0I explained to her that I had met her two colleagues at Maison. \u00a0Then she marched off again, and soon left the hotel with \u00a0a group of visitors. \u00a0We have awarded three Sour Service Awards to Bosman’s to date, the latest here!\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The table had top quality WMF cutlery, looking new and unscratched, placed on a dirty cheap plastic woven placemat. \u00a0The table had a white table-cloth, and a material serviette. \u00a0On the table was a vase with frangipani, but they appeared to have been in the vase for a few days, some of the petals looking wilted. \u00a0They used to have underplates at Bosman’s, but this touch has gone. A cold rolled facecloth was brought to the table, a welcome touch on such a hot day. \u00a0The lawn had been mowed just before lunch time, creating a very strong cut-lawn smell. \u00a0On the dot 14h00 the weedeater resumed its duty, in the proximity of the accommodation close by, despite the lunch guests sitting outside!<\/p>\n

The menu was placed in a leather holder, and offered five options per course. \u00a0I did not like all the combinations of side dishes, but Jacques went to check with the kitchen, and the chef seemed flexible and amenable to changes. \u00a0 The bread plate was brought to the table, a most disappointing white bowl of mainly thin baguette slices and only two dried-out half-slices of yesterday’s whole wheat bread! \u00a0This was accompanied by bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar brought to the table. \u00a0Gone are the three dishes of butter, lard, and cream cheese with chives! \u00a0Jacques brought butter to the table, after I asked for it.<\/p>\n

I didn’t like any of the starter dishes offered, so ordered the pan-fried kingklip medallion with baby potatoes (replacing risotto) and a side ‘salad<\/em>‘ (mistakenly called that, the \"Bosman's<\/a>salad just being a collection of green leaves, one of the types having a very strong burny taste, almost tasting of mint, and a few croutons), replacing a red onion salad (R135)! \u00a0Jacques went to find some cherry tomatoes to add some colour to the boring ‘salad<\/em>‘! The fish was inedible, being over-salted, so I asked Jacques to send it back to the kitchen, for another portion to be made without salt. \u00a0The second time round the kingklip was perfectly prepared. \u00a0I received a fish knife from Jacques when I asked for one, as it did not come with the kingklip automatically. \u00a0I gathered that while ‘Michelin-trained’<\/em> Executive Chef Roland Gorgosilich was on the property, and probably also was in the kitchen, he was not cooking the dishes, or at least not my fish!<\/p>\n

Other main course choices were Wiener Schnitzel, at a very pricy R180; dry-aged sirloin (R185); oven-roasted springbok loin (R185); and Asian-flavoured vegetable Spring rolls (R120). \u00a0Starter choices include mixed baby leaf slad with Parma ham (R75); beef carpaccio (R110); confit and smoked Franschhoek salmon trout (R125); \u00a0Miso-shitake broth (R105); barbeque-glazed smoked snoek (R100); and sweet-sour chilled red pepper gazpacho (R125).<\/p>\n

\"Bosman's<\/a>I love Tiramisu, and this dessert attracted my attention, but oddly it was made with gooseberries (R70). \u00a0Once again, Jacques could organise that it be made with strawberries, with coffee parfait, mascarpone, vanilla ice cream, chocolate soil, icing sugar, cocoa powder, \u00a0coffee gel cubes, and a berry coulis. They clearly have a good pastry chef at Bosman’s, and the deconstructed Tiramisu was beautifully plated and very tasty. The dessert came with a standard dessert spoon, far too big to get into the glass, so I had to request a teaspoon! \u00a0Other dessert options are coconut-lemon domino (R78); \u00a0vanilla-honey cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e (R75); and a local and international cheese board (R100). \u00a0Despite the heat, there was no proactive offer to bring more ice for my water.<\/p>\n

The staff look professional in the combination waistcoat and aprons they wear. \u00a0In chatting to the staff, it was evident that all of them I interacted with were very recent appointments. Jacques himself started three weeks prior, taking on the role of Sommelier as well. \u00a0He was at Singita, Roots Restaurant, and at Constantia Glen before, having been more focused on wine before. \u00a0He has completed a two-year Cape Wine Academy winemaking course. I got the feeling that Jacques was very keen to push his own credentials to me. \u00a0Joanna Pizer is the Head Sommelier at Bosman’s.<\/p>\n

When I asked Jacques for the bill, he said: ‘It’s on the house, my GM said to tell you that she does not need your money<\/em>‘! \u00a0 I was shocked at this final act of rudeness from Mrs Bosken.<\/p>\n

On the same day I posted my experience on Facebook, not mentioning the name of the restaurant, but it was quickly clear that my Facebook friends could identify the restaurant as Bosman’s. \u00a0The comments repeated my observation: that Bosman’s (and with it the Grande Roche) is sliding downhill year on year, a restaurant that once was South Africa’s best! \u00a0It does not even make the Eat Out<\/strong> Top 20 Restaurant list anymore, even though Chef Roland has been at the hotel for a number of years. \u00a0 It appears that the hotel’s marketing department forgot to enter Bosman’s for the Eat Out<\/strong> Top 500 list, which meant that they did not receive consideration for the Top 20 Restaurant list! The slide seems to have accelerated since the arrival of Mrs Bosken, and money-saving (as evidenced by the bread offering, the lack of butter, and the small portion sizes) appears to be the major focus now. \u00a0 Most serious restaurant patrons no longer bother with Bosman’s and the Grande Roche, having written it off their Paarl restaurant list!<\/p>\n

Bosman\u2019s Restaurant<\/strong>, Grande Roche Hotel, Plantasie Street, Paarl.\u00a0 Tel (021)\u00a0863-5100.\u00a0www.granderoche.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0(The website has only one food photograph!).\u00a0 Twitter: @Grande_Roche<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio:\u00a0www.whalecottage.com<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: \u00a0<\/strong>click here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I don’t visit Paarl very often, usually disappointed with the restaurant offering of the town. \u00a0Last week I spent a day there, to visit Jan Willem & Seuns, and Melissa’s newish branch. I had given up on Bosman’s at Grande Roche, after repeated poor experiences in the restaurant. However, a chance meeting of Bosman’s new […]<\/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":[7,4795,124,672,266,14,20,248,22,21,293],"tags":[12722,29487,143,8427,32378,29485,5564,3411,2381,32369,1144,29488,29484,29491,7006,249,651,29486,32384,2613,29490,24563,147,1072,29489,32373,9199],"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