{"id":7861,"date":"2010-04-19T10:18:57","date_gmt":"2010-04-19T08:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=7861"},"modified":"2010-04-19T11:05:23","modified_gmt":"2010-04-19T09:05:23","slug":"restaurant-review-haiku-still-star-struck-50-more-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/restaurant-review-haiku-still-star-struck-50-more-expensive\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant review: Haiku still star-struck, 50 % more expensive!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Haiku restaurant in the Cape Town city center has been one of my favourites ever since it opened\u00a0more than\u00a0four years ago.\u00a0\u00a0It is a sister restaurant to Bukhara, one of Cape Town’s leading Indian restaurants.\u00a0 I have never written a review about it.<\/p>\n

Being named as the Eat Out Best New Restaurant 6 months after it opened (a once-off award category\u00a0of Eat Out)\u00a0made the restaurant the in-place for Capetonians, and this led to an extreme degree of arrogance from the staff.\u00a0 One could not book a table for the same day, let alone just arrive without a booking.<\/p>\n

The initial success led the Haiku owner\u00a0Sabi Sabhawal\u00a0to open a Haiku in London, but the project failed dismally, due to poor location in an alley off a high street, exorbitant renovation and staff costs, and high menu prices, which resulted in\u00a0the closure of the restaurant.\u00a0 It proved to be a blessing in disguise for the restaurant, in that its best staff, but also its most arrogant, was sent to London, and most did not return to Cape Town.<\/p>\n

For the past few months Haiku has become friendlier and more flexible.\u00a0 There is no longer drama with cheeky waiters.\u00a0\u00a0 The canopy on the outside of the restaurant now proudly carries the Haiku branding.\u00a0 But now its pricing has become excessive!<\/p>\n

A visit back to a busy and buzzy Haiku last week, unbooked and latish at 22h15, \u00a0was a shock, because the menu has changed radically.\u00a0 Haiku is unique in charging its dishes in stars, rather than in Rand, and prescribes that for dinner one has to eat for 4 stars each.\u00a0\u00a0 Each star used to cost R42, i.e. a total cost of R168 per head, and the price had not been increased for a good year.\u00a0\u00a0 Now\u00a0the cost per star has been reduced to R40, and while this may seem that the price has reduced, it is\u00a0misleading, as many dishes have been re-priced, a new half star pricing for menu items having been introduced.\u00a0 A 3-course meal previously costing 4 stars, consisting of a starter (1 star), a main course (2 stars)\u00a0and a dessert (1 star), now has increased to a 6-star cost, at R240 for the same meal items, a 43 % increase!\u00a0\u00a0 In addition, the plain rice, which was a free staple served with the main course dishes, now costs 1\/2 a star.\u00a0\u00a0 The waiter David explained that the recosting was done because patrons “abused” the star allocation on the menu previously, choosing dishes which were better value, and which were meant to act as “loss leaders”.<\/p>\n

Dave started at Haiku when it opened, and is the only “surviving” waiter.\u00a0 He is gentle and nice, and informative.\u00a0 I ask him what changes he has seen over the four year history of Haiku.\u00a0\u00a0 He says that while the restaurants patrons no longer are Cape Town’s trendsetters, they now are tourists, production company representatives, Johannesburgers and loyal international visitors.\u00a0\u00a0 He does not mention Capetonians.<\/p>\n

The price increases\u00a0of the dishes\u00a0are not the only change on the Haiku menu.\u00a0 The previous list of 260 menu items has been reduced to 200.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The look of the menu, and its headings is so different, that one has to get used to finding one’s favourite dishes.\u00a0\u00a0 The menu is divided into sections: Dim Sum, costing 1 – 1,5 stars, with a choice of spring rolls, fried wontons, dumplings and steamed rice rolls; Tempura, costing between 1,5 – 2 stars,\u00a0with a selection of prawn avocado (still as delicious as ever), salmon, soft shell crab, mixed vegetables, and beef; the Sushi section cost ranges from 1 – 4 stars, and contains 38 options, including sashimi, maki, nigiri, California rolls, sandwiches, handrolls and more;\u00a0 The Grills section dishes cost 1 – 3,5 stars, for Robata, Teriyaki, Tepanyaki, beef fillet and lamb chops;\u00a0 Salads cost 1,5 stars; Soups 1 star; Noodle dishes cost 2 stars; Rice dishes range from 1\/2 – 2 stars; Hot Pots 2 – 3 stars for mixed seafood and beef; ‘Sizzling’ dishes include beef, lamb, chicken and ostrich, and cost 2,5 stars; sixty Wok dishes are offered, ranging from 1,5 –\u00a0SQ for the crayfish.\u00a0 The entry level duck costs 3 stars, and the Duck Orange is still the favourite on the menu, as\u00a0good as ever, with no reduction in portion size; Desserts now costs 1,5 stars, for coconut ice cream, mango ice cream, lychees and\u00a0ice cream, chocolate spring roil, a trio of Asian desserts, a banana crepe, and chocolate mousse.<\/p>\n

The menu\u00a0is introduced with the following paragraph: “Dear guest, food at Haiku is served as tapas, each dish when ready, to be shared and enjoyed.\u00a0 10 % service charge for 4 or more persons. A minimum charge is 4 stars per person for dinners only”.\u00a0\u00a0 The menu and the winelist are not available to be seen on the Haiku website, a privacy policy of the restaurant!<\/p>\n

The Haiku winelist, in mock alligator cover, is branded Bukhara, and is extensive with about 130 wines, confusingly offering a\u00a0first list of better value for money wines in bottles and by the glass, and then it continues by offering wines by variety,\u00a0two pages for red wines and one page for white wines.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The value-for-money white wine list ranges from R 105 per bottle\/R35 per glass\u00a0for a Buitenverwachting Buiten Blanc to R245 per bottle\/R82 per glass for a Constantia Uitsig Reserve Semillon; the red wines range from R135 per bottle\/R45 per glass for Jordan Chameleon to R445 per bottle\/R148 per glass for Rupert & Rothschild Baron Edmond.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Each variety is described succinctly, but no wine vintages are specified.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sparkling wines cost R190 for Pongracz and R900 for Moet et Chandon; champagnes range from R212 for Graham Beck to R900 for Krug Vintage.\u00a0 The classification of the Moet and the Graham Beck is interesting, each appearing to be in the wrong section.\u00a0\u00a0 The Overgaauw Chardonnay costs R138, the Hamilton Russell R405;\u00a0Thelema Sauvignon Blanc costs R150, and the Fleur du Cap Unfiltered R220; a Simonsig Gewuerztraminer costs R124, the Platter White Wine of the Year, the Sadie Family Palladius, costs R790; Le Bonheur’s Cabernet Sauvignon costs R208, and that of Rustenburg Peter Barlow R620;\u00a0\u00a0 Vergenoegd’s Merlot costs R200, Durbanville Hill’s Luiperdsberg costs R425;\u00a0 Grootte Post’s Pinot Noir costs R248, and Bouchard Finlayson’s Pinot Noir Tete Cuv R1 050; The Guardian Peak shiraz costs R133, the De Trafford R627 – Dave checks the vintages of the shirazes, and a Cloof 2003 is available – the other shirazes are 2007;\u00a0a KWV Roodeberg costs R176, the Vergelegen V costs R1 400.<\/p>\n

Haiku restaurant<\/strong>,\u00a0Bree Street, tel 021 424-7000.\u00a0 Dinner bookings taken for 19h00 and 21h00.\u00a0 The website can only be accessed via www.bukhara.com<\/a>, and is outdated, still\u00a0featuring a page for the ex-London branch!<\/p>\n

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

Haiku restaurant in the Cape Town city center has been one of my favourites ever since it opened\u00a0more than\u00a0four years ago.\u00a0\u00a0It is a sister restaurant to Bukhara, one of Cape Town’s leading Indian restaurants.\u00a0 I have never written a review about it. Being named as the Eat Out Best New Restaurant 6 months after it […]<\/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":[3,124,20,21],"tags":[4253,4276,4262,32366,32378,4278,4263,392,4258,4261,4272,4254,4256,4269,226,4275,4277,142,1958,4252,4264,4266,4279,4274,669,698,4267,387,229,4257,252,4265,4273,4255,1941,4270,1896,4259,4268,4280,4271,32373,2127,4260],"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