Somerset West dining has just got more exciting. New Restaurant Seven with George Jardine is upping the ante for quality smart casual dining, just off the main street.
“This is a restaurant for young professionals from Somerset West, who don’t mind spending R20 more if they know they’re getting a superior product,” says Scottish chef-owner George Jardine.
Open for lunch and dinner in shop seven of a small upmarket shopping centre, it has a wine bar and a florist as tenant neighbours.
Previously, Somerset West locals made up about 50% of the clientele at Jardine’s two other Stellenbosch restaurants. Now they don’t need to travel to eat well.
INTERIORS
Jardine and Le Riche sourced most of the restaurant décor elements themselves. The open kitchen and the entrance area show off eyecatching wallpaper customised to the numeric theme, using favoured film, advertising and book icons. These include a 7 Up soft drink, agent 007’s From Russia with Love, to Enid Blyton’s book Secret Seven and Yul Brynner starring in sixties Western The Magnificent Seven.
Unstained tables and chairs in ash wood were crafted by Somerset West furniture designer Louw Roets. Dirty olive or tan leather is used for the seats. The lighter wood contrasts the restaurant’s walls in dirty green, and yellow with a teabag stain. The long dining space is framed by a charcoal ceiling. Charcoal banquette seating, upholstered in textured green fabric, cleverly double as storage units.
Spare a moment to admire the floor. The former tenant was a laundry with unsightly square vinyl tiles, but now an epoxy coating has transformed worn vinyl indents into an arresting contemporary surface.
Seven head chef Brendan Thorncroft previously worked at Jordan restaurant with George Jardine, and at Restaurant Jardine in central Stellenbosch. He is not keen to label the Somerset West restaurant’s style. “The food is just honest food cooked well: three, four, five ingredients,” says Thorncroft. “We bring the best out of the ingredient with no funny things added.”
Jardine agrees. “If you call it bistro, people will say that it’s not really a bistro. So we said, let’s just call it shop seven.”
As starter options there are signature Saldanha oysters, served with a Bloody Mary and celery splash. Or perhaps, an outstanding prawn boudin blanc starter using pressed, crumbed prawn and hake, resting on an intense prawn bisque pool of salty intensity, with crushed broad beans and pea puree.
Even non vegetarians will enjoy the roasted celeriac dish with silky celeriac velouté, perky hazelnut crust and prune butter. Salad or handcut chips are side orders.
For dessert, most times you’ll find a decadent dessert for dark chocolate lovers, or the cheese trolley can be wheeled out for those with savoury tastes. Don’t miss the signature warm, sweet soufflé — mine was Grand Marnier, flambéed, with a dollop of ice cream dropped in.
Seven’s food is classics with a twist: visually appealing plates served in a welcoming environment. The long space is noisy when full of diners. It feels like a neighbourhood restaurant yet the crafted plates are pitching quite a bit higher at people who enjoy food and as Jardine puts it “want to eat everything”.
RESTAURANT SEVEN WITH GEORGE JARDINE Shop 7, Drama Street, Somerset West. Open for lunch and dinner Tues to Sat.
Tel 021-851-3146, Restaurant Seven with George Jardine
A version of this appeared in Business Day HomeFront in October 2018
A long space draped in sleek darkness. Black, charcoal, greys. Near a window, an elegant, circular 
Arno Janse van Rensburg and pastry chef Liezl Odendaal established Janse 
Janse 
A selection of Odendaal’s homemade breads and unusual crackers with Janse van Rensburg’s four cured salamis and sausages made for a compelling start. Smoked geelbek in a creamy lemon aioli under fresh persimon shavings was fresh. Then a fairly adventurous option: sweet, homemade granola mixed through diced, tart quince and green beans under grated shavings of frozen duck liver parfait. I liked it; some may not.
My husband loved the classic notes of beef brisket best, slow-cooked to tender with roasted shallots, capers and spinach swimming in a delicious jus, onions dehydrated into a sticky-sweet sheet on top. My favourite was simplicity itself: vegetarian potato ribbons softened in vegetable stock and warmed through with butter, on diced avo. What took it up a notch was a salty seaweed dusting of “klipkombers”. It’s a seaweed that clings to rocks.
I’ve heard beautiful things about The Table and wanted to eat there for ages. “Yes, let’s book and all go sometime.” How often have you said that to friends? Yet somehow other commitments and schedules get in the way.
The average Stellenbosch wine farm is slick and polished. De Meye, in contrast, is a small family owned winery. It is rustic and scattered with things that appear a little wonky or run-down. It’s at this charming venue where the small restaurant operates.
The simple dining concept is all about provenance. Beautiful lunches are created by Jessica, using produce grown and gathered in their kitchen garden, in addition to quality ingredients sourced from neighbouring regions. Luke gives the table guests a rundown of where and what at every course, with olives from here and heirloom tomatoes from there, as well as pasture-reared meat to farm eggs.
I don’t remember all the specifics. But we started with farm butter and artisanal sourdough from De Oude Bank Bakkerij, Chrisna’s assorted garlicky olives, dipped into soft ricotta mixed through with goat’s cheese, and fat, juicy red and green heirloom tomato slices. Glasses were topped with chilled Rosé.
Dessert was sugar cones for kids, with adults tucking into bowls of passion fruit tangy-creamy frozen yoghurt, and cream whipped stiff with lovely edible things on chewy meringue.
Go to The Table to enjoy a delicious country experience under a shady tree. This is honest, no-frills food created with positive energy and good intent. And if you have children along, they will leave grubby and happy.
Franschhoek is often called South Africa’s culinary capital and it’s not hard to figure out why. Per square metre, the central village offers a number of quality simple and upmarket restaurants, wine and activities. In between the formulaic cafes and curio shops tripping up tourists in the main street, there are quality dining destinations and delis, plus charming suites and cottages offering luxurious beds.
My lunch began with a simple Luderitz oyster poached in creamy Champagne velouté, with verjuice gel and dill oil. Simple and comforting, it was served in a beautiful bowl shaped like an oyster shell. There were hits of citrus freshness, sago for texture, then micro-diced apple in yuzu dressing adding tartness. As a wine pairing the Morena 
Seafood is something this restaurant does particularly well. “We have more fish dishes because they’re light enough to allow you to enjoy more courses,” says Norris-Rogers. “It brings clean flavours and freshness to a menu.”
In summary, La Petite Colombe offers a food and wine journey. Complex, attractive dishes incorporate a layering of tastes, in a setting that opens to a garden.
Consisting of a series of linked interior spaces and a back courtyard of a double-storey historical house, Thali is crammed between narrow shops and a popular bar on an inner city Cape Town street. It’s a busy street, well worth a taxi ride to experience the Indian tapas and interior décor inside.
Although you may think of tapas as ordering a series of plates of your choice, at Thali the kitchen determines most of your menu. Oxford Dictionary defines a thali as a metal plate on which Indian food is served, or a type of set meal at an Indian restaurant. Both descriptions fit the Cape Town version: two diners each eat four tapas dishes, with a few alternatives here and there.
“A point about tapas that I like is that it’s plates of food to share,” says Van Zyl. “It’s eight small meals, basically a tasting menu of sorts, but not very formal. It’s a great way of eating and socialising.”
The vegetarian menu includes black dahl, or tandoori and pureed cauliflower variations served with coconut and cashew. Homemade paneer cheese in spiced spinach, curry emulsions or vegetable curries complete the repertoire. “The concept is that it’s light and bright flavours,” says Van Zyl.
My grandmother, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, inherited a majority share in Pichon in 1978 at the age of 53. It was tough. The farm was struggling to pay wages. Then we had a fantastic Bordeaux 1982 wine vintage. American critic Robert Parker rated the wine 100 points. The international wine market opened.
My grandmother liked Glenelly because it was a blank canvas. Previously it was a fruit farm, so she could create quality wine from scratch. She briefed winemaker Luke O’Cuinneagain to create wines made to age, showing power, elegance and balance.
We wanted guests to look at the view from outside but have shade from pergolas. In the bistro you will find the Drucker chairs. They are made in a small village near Paris at Maison Drucker. They are traditional Parisian bistro chairs and the only ones worth having.
Dehosse gives the traditional chewy Bordeaux canelé bake a twist, serving it with rooibos ice-cream and caramelised pineapple.
It is about the first glimpse of azure sea and a suggestion of a beach holiday — even if only for an afternoon. The Grand at Cape Town’s Granger Bay has always been a venue less about what you’re eating and more about the drinks and friends with whom you are sharing it. A place where piles of sand hold up the outdoor dining tables and slip-slops on feet seem overdressed.
Inside the original warehouse restaurant interior space, the sway of Café del Mar and newer loungey musical counterparts is familiar. But a Tanqueray gin bar is new and the long, industrial Grand dining hall next door now overlooks an Absolut Elyx bar. Two white, floating, old-fashioned pressed ceilings are a hanging focal point above the bar counter’s long stack of spirit bottles.
Other new outdoor sections include the Ibiza-style area on the beach, with luxurious daybeds, private bars and a deejay booth for a comfortably exclusive area, discreetly set apart. Two container bars have been repurposed and reclad as a beach beer and sparkling wine bar respectively.
The concept is “simple food that tastes great” for guests leaning towards food with their drinks, according to Grand 
I’ve always thought of Paarl as that little town just past Stellenbosch. Yet we are just off the N1, closer to Cape Town than to Stellenbosch. 
Most of us have lost touch with what farming used to be. We want to showcase Avondale’s chickens and duck and hen eggs from the farm “egg-mobile”. We had a cow that lived its life eating grass from the Avondale field. I had a taste — it’s phenomenal how different it was from feedlot animals.
I don’t think we will ever serve a crème brûlée. You might find a soufflé on our menu but with a creative component to it: fermented banana and chocolate, or maybe peaches and beer. Our popular cream cheese and blueberries dessert (cream cheese and honey sorbet, with coconut crumble and blueberry macaron) was inspired by blueberry cheesecake.
Cape Town is home to the first global Coco Safar in Cavendish Square. Its owners say it is not just another shopping centre coffee shop.
Every now and then you have an eating experience that is a life shaper, something that stands out in your mind not only for being novel but perhaps also awkward, unusual or challenging to your perceptions of what food can be. Most of mine have been uncomplicated things. Sometimes the experience is also amazing. Eight years ago I had one that was all of those in Hong Kong.
A flight up past tanks stocked with plump fish, we were greeted by a blast of air conditioning at Lin Heung but no welcome. We stood around and waited for probably five minutes for somebody to notice us. Men in white coats rushed past to top up Chinese tea from giant tea kettles; framed Chinese scenes didn’t liven basic white walls where fluorescent light tubes cast an eerie light in a large windowless room. Ceiling fans whirred.
That time we started observing the system. The idea was to hover near a couple of tables until a seat was vacated. Once we sat down a menu strip – all in red Chinese characters – was stuck under the glass table top. Old men at our table carried on reading newspapers; two friendly Asian girls eventually helped us order. They were visiting from Canada. As soon as we accepted any dim sum, items were ticked off and the paper strip was replaced under the glass.
Fast forward to my July 2016 visit: I asked a Hong Kong friend to join me at Lin Heung as she’d never been. The email with details had been lost, but my previous photos provided some clues. When I googled, I was a little sad to find Lin Heung mentioned on food blogs and TripAdvisor. I learned it had an opening date of 1928.
The great part about places that use traditional trollies is that you can figure it out as you go because the ladies lift the lids, allowing a visual check it out before you accept. The round, spongey char siew bao buns filled with barbeque pork weren’t as light as they could be, but that’s a small detail. Chicken with mushroom wrapped in bean curd skin was so much tastier than it sounds.
Chef Wesley Randles and manager Simon Widdison are the hands-on component of a four-way partnership that includes Luke and Sandalene Dale-Roberts (it’s her furniture and interior design here) of The Test Kitchen and The Pot Luck Club, Cape Town restaurants where Randles and Widdison previously worked.
A 
The point of the menu is to challenge your focus and taste buds. The restaurant doesn’t feel pretentious to sit in and it’s a market between upmarket casual dining (The Pot Luck Club) and extreme fine dining (The Test Kitchen). We’ve never touched on breakfast in any of our restaurants so that’s a whole new thing. Our style of breakfast is recognisable but extremely different.
I wanted to do a lemon tart that is so much more. When it arrives at the table it looks like lemon tart. But lemon geranium is blended into the crust, and the custard filling has a touch of saltiness from preserved lemon. It’s caramelised and served with strawberry and amasi ice-cream, and finished off with lemon charcoal and strawberry dust. I don’t like to screw around and add a million purees to the plate. But then it has to be the perfect lemon tart.
The name was inspired by two major streets in Manhattan. But the charcoal-painted Mulberry 
Labour-intensive ricotta dumplings have a lightness of touch, served with dainty shimeji mushrooms in a pool of leek and scallion green sauce. Steak tartare or aromatic lamb ribs both have their culinary merits.
Any overlaps with the New York and Cape Town dining scene? Riviera: Bree Street, around the corner, has a lot of similarities with Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Brooklyn is kindof what Bree street is turning into: restaurants, boutiques and street artists. But the food is still quite different.
You are both young to own a restaurant. How do you rate your chances? Riviera: Sometimes we’ve felt that because we are young people don’t always take us seriously. It’s annoying because if we weren’t sure that this was what we wanted, we wouldn’t have taken this chance. We aren’t prepared to accept mediocre standards, whether it comes to the products from purveyors or anything else.
From its elegant French-influenced gardens and interiors to its flutes of fizz, a Franschhoek family’s recently completed farm is luring visitors with its Gallic charm.
Winemaker Paul Gerber produces an excellent leaner, dryer style of 
Some of the 
Chef Nicolene credits her time at Michelin-two-star Le Gavroche in London for shaping her classic style. Orangerie lunch menus start with home-baked rolls and beautifully plated steak tartare, and finish with exquisite clafoutis desserts — there is a Gallic elegance to many of the dishes and sauces.
8 questions to Chef Vadas
2. It sounds easy. Is it? I came back from Texas and designed our mobile smoker, which we park out front. It took us a few months, trying different woods (we’re using rooikrans) to settle in. How it works is we put the meat in and wait. The technique is difficult because the meat has to be hung properly and can be sinewy, so there’s nowhere to hide. Ours is grassfed free-range meat from Spier.
7. What’s on the side? We have a lot of vegetarian regulars, which sounds like a contradiction, but the cauliflower with goat’s cheese, caper and sultana butter is probably our most popular dish. Pineapple Kimchi is a hit too. We do a braai broodjie of Spier’s potato bread, Huguenot cheese, onion and tomato, cooked on the grill.
Some of South Africa’s top restaurants are located at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock. The Test Kitchen and Pot Luck Club of course. 
The new winter menu has plenty to see you through from autumn’s nippiness to spring.
Desserts to try
Tackling the winding roads of Silvermist Mountain Lodge to reach La Colombe restaurant in its new Constantia Nek location, the gradual elevation and snatched glimpses of Constantia vineyards focus your mind on your appetite. On breezy days, a mass of trees whistle.
Silvermist Estate is the only certified organic wine producer in the Constantia Valley. Andrew and Troy Constandakis own La Colombe in partnership with chef Scot Kirton. Front-of-house manageress Jennifer Hugé takes care of the rest, from staff training to precise food-and-wine pairings delivered in quality stemware. This is a restaurant where you’ll recognise the same serving staff year after year. They effortlessly describe dishes despite multiple elements and seem to know how to make diners feel special but not harassed.
8 questions to Eat Out Chef of the Year 2015 Scot Kirton
6. Is it about awards or repeat customers? It is definitely about regular customers that support us throughout the year, but the awards make it worthwhile for chefs to gain recognition for their hard work. Awards also bring first-time customers to see what all the fuss is about. We seem to be getting more dietary requirements from guests – some come in with cards printed with 20 things they can’t eat – so it becomes quite perplexing at times, but we challenge ourselves to meet them.
I’m often asked to recommend Winelands picnics. I tend to make the effort to drive out to a restaurant. But having a husband who isn’t flexible enough to sit hunched and cross-legged for longer than five minutes, means spreading a blanket isn’t a popular choice in our house.
Allée Bleue grows, and supplies retailers, with incredible leaves, herbs, (including less usual tarragon and tatsoi) and fruit, aside from delicious wines. Their Chenin Blanc and Isabeau (Semillon Chard Viognier blend) have long been favourites of mine because they are so food-friendly.
Little jars aside, a few solid separate bits of protein would not have gone amiss – a few cocktail sausages perhaps? Melktert miniatures and farm nectarines finish it off. (The vegetarian picnic version is fairly similar, but the salads only have cheese, and a Med grilled vegetables replaces the beef noodle stir-fry).
In case you haven’t noticed, real bacon is back. Not the brine-injected, bland supermarket stuff, but naturally-reared pig bacon from the belly or loin, dry-salted and hung so that when you put slices in a pan they quickly crisp up.
Sandwiches aside, there’s bacon and blue cheese salad, bacon-flavoured sauce over chicken wings, and home-cured salmon. You can order Kamili coffee or juice. Occasional menu specials appear on the chalkboard: look out for bacon and mushroom soup, or a spicy bacon-and-pork-patty burger …
Some consider crispy to be the only true test of cooked chips. But slap chips also have their place.
Societi Bistro. I love it when chefs talk potato. ‘We go for the Van der Plank variety if we can,’ says Stephan Marais. ‘Ours are fatter, peeled fries, cut by hand so they’re not uniform.’ Double-fried until crisp, a R20 side order includes homemade mayonnaise. Orange Street, Cape Town. 021-424-2100. Find these also at The Brasserie, Tokai.
Bill Riley. They supply hip restaurants, but there’s no flashiness about the neighbourhood or service at this third-generation family-owned wholesaler’s retail shop. Find grain-fed rump or Greenfields grass-fed sirloin, all-beef patties from the forequarter, or pork-and-beef boerewors to a family recipe. Regulars travel from Picketberg for quality at exceptional prices. 
Northern suburbs:
Atmosphere isn’t something you create. A place either has the right mood and feel or it doesn’t. Three evenings after opening its doors, Bocca had packed tables, and atmosphere in large doses. Weeks later, it’s still my go-to place if two or three of us are after authentic pizza and sharing small, tasty bites. But I would caution that if there’s more than four of you, it’s probably better to find somewhere with a bigger dining space.
What’s Bocca about? Good food, a fast pace and vibe. Sitting close to a neighbouring table, or alongside other diners at upstairs counters. The idea is to show up, order drinks, a couple of nibbles or pizza, and then move on.
How do you take your coffee? Black, and a lot of it. Often three cups by midday.
If you’ve worked in Cape Town’s foreshore offices this winter and stepped out for lunch, there’s a good chance Borage Bistro has been on your radar. Open for business since May in the new Portswood Building’s ground floor, this restaurant attracts pretty young things for eggs Benedict Saturday breakfasts on its wide terrace.
A quiet, twenty-nine-year-old Silwood graduate is the culinary architect behind Borage. “We wanted to be in the foreshore, to cater to businesspeople by offering them a ‘classier’ lunch than the average,” says Frank Marks. “I never wanted to go fine-dining with Borage; it’s too strict. I wanted to do good cooking people would enjoy.”
Marks is young to be focusing on a kitchen and running a restaurant, and knows it. He’s cooked under some big names, completing his practical studies under chef Luke Dale-Roberts at La Colombe, and joining the opening team when Dale-Roberts went solo with The Test Kitchen. Originally inspired to pursue cooking after watching Heston Blumenthal’s ‘In search of perfection’ series, Marks moved to England in 2011 to learn from his hero. He spent long hours slogging at The Fat Duck and at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Returning to Cape Town in 2013, Marks rejoined his mentor at The Test Kitchen and The Pot Luck Club.
Those who order fish and chips receive ordinary hake, but vodka and beer keeps the batter wafer-light. The milk, onion and caper ‘tartare gel’ was a Blumenthal influence lost on me, but the same chef’s triple-cooked chips are well worth having.
‘I’m obsessed with good bacon,’ says Cure Deli’s 29-year-old Martin Raubenheimer, aka Bacon Man. ‘Commercial bacon is a watered down version of what our grandparents ate. Quality stuff is about going back to source meat from farmers who give a damn.’
At 65 on Main I’d cautiously ordered an ‘eggs baconnaise’ breakfast of poached eggs, bacon and Banting mayo on aubergine. Staff went out of their way to be hospitable, but seeing peculiar cauliflower ‘wraps’ or ‘pizzas’, green kale and berry juices and dense, carb-free breads didn’t help.
Banting on a budget? Forget it. Knead Bakery 
Study these two photos. A waiter dressed in a white overall-jacket showing off the signature chopped salad for two. You just know, before it happens, that you’ll be served at the table. Then the bouillabaisse arrives, ladled individually from an old-fashioned soup tureen. At Seelan restaurant that’s the direction in which your meal is headed: retro outfits, old-style service, solid and fairly simple, retro food with flavour, freshness and modern twists.
The Grand, The Reserve Brasserie and Shimmy Beach Club – not places I’m overly familiar with because they’re more about the place than the food – but I definitely recognised a stamp on Seelan’s plates from his time at old-style retro Italian, La Perla. Many of those customers have followed the chef to his new home.
The sirloin tagliata version is tasty too – partnering chanterelle mushrooms, cream and truffle oil. But I can’t help feeling both dishes would benefit from a little less sauce and topping elements. Worth eating also is the half rotisserie duck (R165) served with either an Asian 
The rest of the menu offers assorted pastas (R80 to R95), various creative salads (R65 to R80), prawn or lamb curries (R135 to R145) and grills including steaks and rotisserie lamb to veal chops. Side dishes cost extra, and there is some scary pricing in the seafood direction, but then crayfish, langoustines and platters will do that.
The venue may be around two years old but it was a first for me. A persistent 
The menu offerings are as slick as the rest of Shimmy’s, and seem to primarily target business lunchers, attractive partygoers and new monied types happy to share platters while dining out in groups. Chef Adrian Cook (appropriate name, isn’t it?) mentioned he’s trying to move away from the venue’s reputation as a nightspot. The chef has trimmed the menu significantly since he started in September 2013, which is saying something because the sushi section alone fills three pages. For the rest, diners apparently order salads to share or pizzas with the likes of caramelised onion and goats cheese (R105) as toppings.
There are steaks and pastas with modern, non-Italian sauces. But in keeping with its harbourside location the number one Shimmy seller is seafood. You’ll pay accordingly of course. Cook says seafood platters are popular here: it’s R800 for two sharing, and R8000 to feed 20, but then they do include crayfish and langoustines in the fishy mix.
As a main course the portion was ample: Indian flatbread, rice and poppadum were included alongside tasty atchars, aside from creatively prepared vegetable and potato accompaniments for the table. But I’d prefer a Cape Malay chicken breast and prawn curry (R170) with greater depth of flavour to knit its elements together.
With the price of petrol skyrocketing, more than ever there should be a reason to get into a car. I had a good one recently – for a writing commission, I took along a food-loving friend to taste wines at Noordhoek’s new Cape Point Vineyards (
Not a bad weekday outing, right? We made a morning of it, tasting wines in Constantia, then taking the scenic route via some of Chapman’s Peak hairpin bends. It’s a spectacular drive, well worth the R36 toll fee. 
Clayton’s understated style focuses on simple Med classics highlighting flavour, so you’ll find no-frills plating here. A one-page a la carte lunch or dinner menu includes the likes of carpaccio, caprese salad, Parma ham and figs … Puff pastry is a winner, as Clayton’s pastry chef wife supplies a number of great Cape Town kitchens. So I’ll return for the outstanding Bouche de Moules (R85), a retro dish teaming exquisite pastry with black mussels in a creamy sauce, rich with fish stock and saffron. Less exciting was a puff pastry tomato tart (R75) enveloping Fontina cheese with mustard and basil, in my view lacking attention to detail or perhaps the correct variety of ripe tomato. But I’m sure this will be easily ironed out; Clayton mentioned his new kitchen staff are finding their feet.
Freshly made pasta was always an Uitsig signature, and it’s also the thing to order at 
With cream and butter used so liberally in earlier courses you won’t have much room for dessert, so a shared portion is advised. We didn’t fancy lavender in the panna cotta (R75) but gave it a whirl anyway. What a pleasant surprise to eat spoonfuls of soft white vanilla with only a lavender hint, plus an excellent coffee to boot. Bravo.
Are you one of those diners who likes to control every culinary decision, or are you happiest when you can leave the menu to the chef? If you’re in the second category, you’ll really enjoy the eating experience dished up by Camilla and brother Jason Comins at Overgaauw Restaurant in rural Stellenbosch.
Our shady outdoor meal on bare oak tables started with home-baked bread and farm butter, the flowers arranged by Camilla. The cooking and kitchen planning is shared between Jason and Camilla. She’s self-taught with experience as a food stylist and product developer, while he trained at Ireland’s Ballymaloe Cookery School and clocked up work experience at a few restaurants. This duo’s greatest culinary preparation was growing up on a self-sufficient family farm in Vryheid in northern 
Wines – listed on a board – are well-priced and all from the Overgaauw cellar. We kicked off with glasses of Sauvignon Blanc (R30 a glass for any white or red), and had pleasant Sheperd’s Cottage Cab Merlot red with the main dishes. After nibbling on too many slices of bread, we were brought a colourful platter of assorted tomatoes (some on the vine grown a few metres from our table) in a herby tumble of bocconcini mozzarella balls with roasted red and yellow peppers in Overgaauw white wine vinegar vinaigrette. To offset the vinegar acid, slivers of smoky Italian-style cured and aged pork loin. We polished it off.
Main dishes are both bountiful and beautiful. Deboned lamb, marinated in oregano herbs, lemon and olive oil before roasting. Jason’s cold sweet chilli tomato chutney – many of his chutneys and pickles are on sale too – and elegant green beans. Jason’s Irish herby potato salad provided homely flavours, with a deliciously earthy lentil, roasted butternut and chilli (so mild I couldn’t find any bite to be honest) salad freshened by micro herbs.
The dessert of the day was a slice of dried coconut macaroon cake, its white and yellow patterns defined by the baking separation. A mildly mango ice-cream added a sunny outlook to the afternoon. Children under four can find enough to eat on their parents’ platters, but ours was delighted to be offered his own bowl of chocolate ice-cream (his mom had momentary food envy after trying a spoonful). At Overgaauw there’s no fancy machine producing Americano coffees with crema, but you can finish off a meal with simple filter coffee and a bucolic view. In keeping with the people and place, this is an honest and homespun eating experience.
There are a lot of reasons why Capetonians avoid the V&A Waterfront. High-priced restaurants that deliver little more than a tourist-trap experience is one of them. I sat at a reputed steakhouse the other day and watched somebody send back two plates of brown beef Carpaccio before a freshly sliced red version finally satisfied.
I once waitressed at The Green Dolphin, where Mondiall now trades. Home for a few months after a backpacking stint in Europe, I was saving for my next working trip to Asia. It was the place to earn good tips from steak-lovers and seafood fans that booked dinner tables to hear live jazz bands in a dark, upmarket clubby sort of space. It’s all very different now. The Table Mountain views through glass window panels are still awesome, but the new Mondiall interior has been livened and lightened by stylish furniture in wood and beige tones against backdrops of exposed brick, antiqued mirrors and trendy vodka bottles. The open pass adds kitchen energy and an upper level uses old wooden shutters and hanging elements cleverly. A designer has spent money here, but hasn’t stripped the place of personality. Tables are made from recycled wood and you get the feeling somebody also spent a long time selecting crockery, serving boards and glasses too.
Oliver Cattermole is in the kitchen daily, but Peter’s input is visible in the food style and spiffy presentation. Initially planning a classic brasserie, Peter’s concept evolved into incorporating favourite dishes from his travels (he grew up in both Canada and South Africa). Mondial translates in Italian and French as worldwide, hence the eclectic dishes. ‘The menu looks a bit of a Jack of all trades, but it’s how people eat,’ explains Peter, referring to Italian, Asian, French, South African and Mexican dishes. There’s a lot of choice, but also dishes you want to eat. Having a menu indicate dates and places where each dish supposedly originated, also gets a table talking.
What’s good? This just-opened restaurant is still nailing the last planks of wood down, so the kitchen is also ironing out kinks. But West Coast oysters (R20 each) are served the French way on ice, with finely diced shallot vinegar and a squeeze of lemon. Steak tartare (R87) – circa 1921, Paris – sees finely chopped sirloin already assembled, and is served Asian-style with a red cabbage and sesame oil coleslaw, plus crispy onion bits for crunch. Tender and tasty, Buffalo wings (R68) – circa 1964, Buffalo – are cooked with ‘Memphis dust’, celery slices and a thick blue cheese sauce. A Caesar and Waldorf salad under the ‘soup and salad’ section also caught my eye.
I’ll be tempted to order the potato and Parmesan gnocchi (R76 or R125) next time – it looks vibrant and delicious on a plate, with its mix of sautéed woodland mushrooms, semi-dried tomatoes, rocket pesto and taleggio. Instead I tried the fish of the day (R135) – grilled yellow-fin tuna on a richly fragrant bowl of ramen noodles, meaty Asian mushrooms and greens, ladled with comforting lightly spiced Chinese master stock. A rookie mistake was opting for the recommended medium-rare tuna as the sliced piece that arrived was overcooked, but another diner at our table requested seared pink tuna – as I would’ve preferred – and got it. You can order a cheeseburger and fries made from locally reared Wagyu beef too, with trimmings and umami sauce for R120. I’ll probably be back to tackle the grilled sirloin Café de Paris (R155) – circa 1932, Geneva – it comes topped with the signature butter and a novel mushroom ragout, plus a side bowl of thin-cut fries.
There is a pig-crazy chef cooking at Camphors restaurant in Somerset West. You’ve probably heard of him, or tried his food. 
Back to the pigs. This is an offal-mad chef who tweets pics of porky heads from his kitchen, so I wasn’t surprised to be served bits and pieces of one as an eye-and-palate-pleasing amuse bouche. Crunchy bits of pig tail in homemade mustard and Vergelegen honey; crispy crackling, a cured then deep-fried piece of pig’s ear. It’s usually what I’d call ‘squeamish’ food, but it wasn’t really, just adventurous nibbles. Also on the plate, a clever fish ‘n chips combining polenta-like ground chickpea ‘chips’ topped with smoked snoek. 
A lot of dishes arrive with ingredients on a plate, waiters then pouring in sauces or creamy veloutés. There’s a bit much of that for my liking, but it forces diners to notice the various components and I can’t fault the resulting flavours and textures. This chef understands what his ingredients are capable of, and puts on a great show. A standout dish was the duck. The fuchsias and pinks so pretty it felt almost a shame to eat it. Hay-smoked breast served with parsnip puree and shitake shrooms, with fall-off-the-bone salty duck leg ham, a pool of jus, and slivers of baby beets in sweetish pickling brine. Vergelegen Shiraz 2010 was rich yet restrained, a plummy partner. 
Probably my most spot-on food and wine match was the simplicity of hake and gnocchi with Vergelegen White 
I love great food and lovingly coaxed ingredients but I really believe you have to be in the mood to sit through a tasting menu of more than four courses. Mental preparation and patience is required and if you eat this way too often it can easily feel like hard work. So any venue sporting a stiffly quiet atmosphere, dragging tempo or uncomfortable seats is likely to have fidgety diners losing interest two thirds of the way.
Chef-restaurateur Luke Dale-Roberts’ The Test Kitchen is arguably Cape Town’s most successful high-end dinner venue. The irony is that most of us eat out to have a break from domestic monotony, yet tasting menus mean conforming to a formula of sorts and being told on what to dine. Such is this restaurant’s popularity that in October 2013 the three-course dinner option was dropped, and diners now order only the five-course discovery or nine-course gourmand menus. A vegetarian five-courser is available, and with sufficient advance notice so are nine vegetarian courses. People are consistently buying into and paying dearly for the experience.
Pete Wells makes a few good points about restaurants serving tasting menus recently in his October 2013 
Wells’ elite diners are certainly filling The Test Kitchen’s tables though. Within elbow reach were an animated couple from New Jersey, a good 25 years older than most. Dropped off by their five-star hotel and full of compliments, the husband confided that their meals at Per Se, Robuchon and Ducasse hadn’t come close to this gourmand menu experience in Cape Town. I’m sure the exchange rate helped. Overheard too was a Melbourne diner telling Chef Jones that service this good was rare in Australia.
I have a friend who does a mental juggle about whether the sweet offerings will pass muster, before she decides on the savoury part of ordering at a restaurant. Well The Conservatory’s winter special menu dessert at Cellars-Hohenort in Constantia would have no problem “qualifying”. The sticky apple tart tatin is just right for one, a whole Golden Delicious apple encased in its round flaky pastry case, gooey-thick salted caramel sauce giving it an edge. It’s served with a scoop of homemade vanilla-pod ice cream.
There about six starter and main course options on the current Conservatory menu - limited yet sufficiently varied - which means chefs can tweak the menu for new produce. I loved the beetroot salad, served carpaccio-style with flavour accents in blocks of peartizer jelly, a clever pecan-waldorf salad, and crumbed deep-fried balls of moist smoked chevre cheese. My main course was tasty beef sirloin, seared and tender from sous-vide slow cooking. A bone marrow reduction added salty-savoury tang, working well with locally-foraged pine ring mushrooms, and a plainer pearl barley risotto. Interestingly chef Chad Blows created the dish, a variation of the creation that recently won him the Chaine des Rotisseurs Young Chef National champion 2013 title.
Other starters include the likes of duck liver parfait with toasted brioche and baby leaf salad, while main courses extend to seared springbok rump with celeriac puree, red cabbage and boulangerere potato. There is a vegetarian option in wild mushroom and mascarpone risotto too.
Sunny windless autumn Sunday. 
We made it just in time for a lunch booking at old favourite Live Bait, situated underneath Harbour House. It’s always been more about the panoramic harbour and wave-crashing sea vistas from the glass “walls” than about outstanding seafood or stellar service at Harbour House’s smaller, casual little sister.
So I’ve learnt to keep orders as simple as possible, and then soak up the seaside vibe here because sauces or vegetable components of a dish tend to be fussy or fit badly (Case in point: today’s calamari batter contained yellow turmeric powder?) The requested children’s grilled hake with chips looked particularly impressive (R55), if somewhat green in tone for a young child, thanks to a handful of red onion-topped leaves, plus a herby mayo? Thankfully the adult elements of the table were happy to snack on the side salad, while the offending green gloop was hastily replaced by tomato sauce.
What do you think of Perry Packham, Dino Delicious, Danny Smith and Topsy Red?
I can’t remember when cupcakes became trendy again, but isn’t this ‘Happy Birthday’ gift box a clever twist? It would make a fabulous gift for that friend who already has everything who’d appreciate something unusual. Stefanie Antonier (below right) of Tres Chic Catering 
But a few breads, cakes and savouries can be taken away. The outdoor fountain area is a good spot to chat with friends and to let littlies run around.
There used to be a corner of recreated Paris in Stellenbosch, serving lovingly prepared steaks, pretty tomato tarts, French onion soup and comforting marrow bones on griddled garlic toast. The good news is that you’ll now find that spot in Green Point.
Their lovely long dark wood and marble-topped bar has made the journey, but there is a lighter, airier feel to the rest of the space. Wine bottles form light fittings and a wall showing surnames of favourite customers is a fun touch.
Dup went to great lengths to source West coast Angus beef that conformed to his high standards. 
A lunch invitation to experience chef Tanja Kruger’s menu at Makaron this week wasn’t to be missed. Kruger will be competing as part of South Africa’s 2012 Culinary Olympics team, and her skills lean very definitely in a finer dining direction (I realised I’d tried her food once at another venue that never really got off the ground). Kruger seems a good fit for the glammed up, seriously swanky tones and decadent designer pieces of Makaron restaurant at Majeka House luxury guesthouse, set between Stellenbosch and Paradyskloof.
We only had a taster, but the meal introduced some noteworthy homemade items. These include pink beetroot-infused salt flakes, a black savoury gougère choux pastry ball filled with avocado mousse, and chicken cooked to tender-moist perfection in nasturtium leaves and flowers. Fresh from a stint at Alain Passard’s L’Arpege in Paris, Kruger is on a bit of an edible flower kick. I’d describe the free-range chicken dish as a study in gentleness – lemon veloute, a nasturtium flower beignet, and barley and pea risotto. Elegant Dalla Cia Chardonnay 2011 (predominantly unwooded plus a barrel-fermented dash) kept to the understated theme.
Eating at Makaron is detail-heavy in surroundings, service and on plates – and some of it takes you by surprise. The coconut pudding served with pineapple sorbet started off with unappealing desiccated coconut dryness, then spooned up a lovely moist crème caramel base below. I don’t often have capacity to eat petit fours after dessert, but lime macaroons here are worth trying. Co-owner Karine Dequeker-Van der Merwe says they regularly try Paris’ finest macaroons and find the fillings too sweet, so Kruger’s macaroons sandwiched by meringue with a limey gel centre seem particularly clever.
I was sent a late morning delivery of hot empanadas this week. Well worth talking about, Como Foods call it their Bacon and egg, a moist hard-boiled egg, smoky pork mixture with a few bits and pieces. Perfect at that time of day.
In terms of taste, the pastry is light yet firm, the fillings are well flavoured and moist. There is a diverse range to suit different situations and preferences, and they taste homemade, which is obviously a plus. Nine fillings range from bacon and egg to leek and chicken or braised beef. For vegetarians, three options include butternut and blue cheese. Or spice it up with chicken and chorizo, or spicy beef.
While it’s always great to find a little-known gem before everybody else does, for me the real value in winter menus is to eat great food for less at sought-after restaurant tables. Spots where you can’t easily get a table during high season, where chefs have worked hard to build a reputation.
We’re a peanut butter household. I like crunchy, my husband prefers smooth, and our toddler doesn’t seem to mind either provided he gets “nut butter” in some form.
I love my laundry. I love my wine. You wouldn’t think the two would overlap, but former hotel 
The legendary New York French Laundry restaurant started in a similar way, so the natural question is whether a full-blown Cape restaurant is on the cards. It’s not. Howard and partner are focusing on wine orders. They’ve already moved 15000 bottles so something is working. They’ll never sell more than one white and one red wine from their 15 wine partners (these may change over time).
I’ve often assumed that weekend crowds make Spier in Stellenbosch a bit of a tourist trap, but I’ve had to rethink that after having a superb wining and dining experience at Eight. Invited to try out the offerings recently, three adults and a trio of energetic under fives had a very enjoyable day out. Cheetahs, owls and birds of prey aside, the food experience at Eight lives up to its sustainably sourced, creative reputation. And the spacious grounds provide plenty of spots to slip away and relax so it never feels crowded.
Most main courses are under R100, and include the signature chicken and mushroom pie – like the eggs, beef and lamb at Spier, the chicken is pasture-reared and free-range. Sirloin is served with a thick strip of fat, delicious with handcut chips. Ethical and sustainable sourcing seems to be a theme at Eight. Stylish recycled wine and water glasses are handmade in Botswana (our waiter said none were available in 
A dish of sesame chicken strips with carrot sticks served in a watering can was an instant hit with a picky two-year-old. The “tooty fruity” fresh fruit dessert skewers afterwards appealed too with meringue-spiked homemade ice-cream.
Here are two ideas if you’re in Franschhoek over the next few weeks. Be sure to book ahead.
Porcini roast venison loin (R155), on the other hand, was eye-catching on the plate. The warthog was tasty, the spearmint and sumac potato dumplings offered unusual flavours, yet two diners found the dish overpowered by an overly sweet tomato-laced ‘watermelon and amber braai sauce’.
They are available for tasting in the character-filled interior with modern painted white floors and an interior bearing the shabby chic décor hallmarks of a Weylandts store. Oversized comfy couches, casual wooden benches under old oaks and terribly clever chandeliers made of unlabelled wine bottles impressed. But the star of the show is an oversized hanging chair - a delightful spot for two or three mates to lie back and take in views of tranquil vineyards. A quick squiz through the tapas and regular menu revealed lots of creative dishes to entice. Prices look good too. We’ll be back to try it out.
I never understand it when country restaurants overcomplicate their offerings. Enthusiastic customers have made the decision to drive out of the city, admiring lovely orchards and vineyard scenery. And then somebody tries to impress with bought-in ingredients cooked fancily with dots, froths and foams. When I’m in the country I want simple food that shouts freshness, and gives me a taste of where I am and who is cooking it. It doesn’t have to be perfect; each dish should merely offer personality.
It’s all of this that forms the basics of Fresh restaurant. Seasonal stuff picked that day. Elgin chickens. Everything else comes from a supplier in Villiersdorp. Eating from the blackboard menu in November means starting with steamed artichokes, leaves plucked and dipped into a delicately creamy lemon butter. A robust chunky tomato and fresh herb soup, alive with pungent sunburst flavour. In fig season, from December onwards, you’ll be able to have grilled black figs, stuffed with Gorgonzola and wrapped in Parma-style ham…
You’ll drink freshly squeezed orange, Elgin cider in the bottle, or Paul Cluver wines without much of a mark-up. Perky Sauvignon Blanc (R75), Pinot Noir (R160) or a deliciously fruity find not usually sold, their unlabelled Cab Franc (R75).
Tokara restaurant celebrated one year of operation with chef Richard Carstens in charge of the kitchen, on Fri 28th October. They launch their new summer menu next week.
Four years ago I asked a waiter at a reputable V&A Waterfront fish restaurant if the catch of the day was orange or green. He was stumped by the question. Had not a clue that I was referring to 
Wild Kob should be 40cm by law. Most Oceanwise fish are bred to over 40cm, and have a full traceability system to prove they have been land-farmed. With oceans increasingly being stripped of fish through controversial line-caught methods, long-term we have few alternatives but to pay accordingly if we want our children to know the taste of fish.
And no different to the ocean version most of us are used to. Farmed Kabeljou ceviche hit the spot with lime juice zing, with avo, broad beans and baby fennel bulb.
The cooked Kob was plump and succulent, with Eric’s signature plating and froth, with sea lettuce, pickled mussels and a tasty beurre noissette emulsion. Pastry chef Vanessa Quellac has recently been hired as the Valrhona chocolate ambassador in South Africa, a very tasty job indeed. Wild Peacock has the agency for this uber-quality French couverture chocolate, so it was appropriate to conclude a cosy dinner with glasses of Valrhona Ivoire chocolate layered with mousse berry cremeux and almond streusel. I’m not usually a white chocolate fan, but this evening ended on a richly sweet note.
It’s great to know about off-the-beaten-track eating spots, particularly when they are accessed from roads you’ve driven multiple times but never knew to deviate from. Towerbosch Earth Kitchen restaurant at Knorhoek wine estate in Stellenbosch is that sort of place. I’m really glad to have made a new discovery, visiting recently after hearing positive reports.
The asado set menus combine a few plated items and plenty of shared platters. Think homemade bread, farm butter and preserves, followed by Argentinean-style empanadas. Starters typically include smoorsnoek rice, before moving on to meat in a big way. Slow-roasted beef or lamb or pork cooked to perfection, plus fat, 250g-slabs of aged Chalmar beef sirloin finished on the braai. Roasted veggies and traditional South African accompaniments, plus contemporary salads with say, beetroot and feta. Malva puddings, apple bakes or sweets along those lines finish the meal, plus a hot beverage.
Crispy lamb empanadas with a side salad, or beetroot salad with crumbed goats cheese. Heartier options such as grilled fish with a butter and burnt garlic sauce partner a sliced potato bake. A comforting free-range chicken pie, roasted and baked with an oval lid of sour cream puff pastry. A ‘plaasbord’ designed for two is a lighter option, with a selection of charcuterie – home-cured when available – local cheeses, homemade pickles and farm bread. Knorhoek and Two Cubs wines by the glass and bottle are very affordably priced.
So I popped downtown this week to find Honest Chocolate in Wale Street. Open for just over a month, the store is sandwiched nicely between Bree and Loop, adjacent to Liam Mooney. It’s a modest operation and as the name implies, has honest intentions. Importantly, the chocolate tastes damn fine in the way an artisanal product should. This is why I paid R42 for a slab.
Been meaning to post about a clever new idea for aspiring bakers. 
I should label this: inexpensive Cape Town things that are good for your soul and wallet too. Those experiences are rare in a city where many of us are struggling with rising costs so I’m sharing my recent discovery.
We’ve taken a toddler successfully, but this is where adults unwind so it’s not an ideal option if a noisy, energetic brood is in tow.
Inspired… but culinary stamina required. That was my impression after attending a brilliant eight-course lunch - plus extra dishes - at The Test Kitchen today, with Eben and Adi adding their bit. Paying diners are sampling their way through similar courses this evening.
This special chef’s table showcased the efforts of Wellington buffalo farmer Wayne Rademayer of Buffalo Ridge mozzarella. Wayne had a buffalo going begging. And good chefs love the challenge of fiddling with bits and pieces - they’re anorakish like that.
A friend asked for my annual list of winter specials so I’ve rounded up a few delicious meals from venues with proven track records that I know to be good. As a rule I find better value by opting for smarter restaurant tables – those places you would like to eat at but can’t justify the expense ordinarily. 
Short of time and looking for one winter special meal out that ticks all the boxes? I highly recommend George Jardine’s daily-changing winter menu - tried it last weekend. I certainly go for the magnificent panoramic view and relaxed vibe, but Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine tops my list for exquisite food that sounds straightforward yet simply and understatedly knocks the senses into submission. The day’s menu could feature barrel-smoked tuna, followed by saucy braised veal frikadelle with roasted Jerusalem artichokes and Stellenbosch Ceps, to homemade ice cream or baked malva-style puddings.
Meal highlights on the day: 1. Hot-smoked Franschhoek trout with dots of charred aubergine puree, and sago – served as tangy sago vinaigrette and then as crunchy sago chips similar to fried Indonesian prawn crackers. 2. Utterly delicious Valrhona chocolate hot pot with homemade vanilla icecream. A spongy mass with bittersweet French chocolate oozing from the centre. 
The gastric juices are on the move again after two months of project-managing our building renovations. What relief to be thinking food and wine again!
With all the delays we also had to pack our flat into two completed rooms and move into a temporary rented home. But the end is finally in sight.
When next travelling the dusty roads to Elim, be sure to squeeze in a lunch stop at Black Oystercatcher. The southern Cape isn’t known for good restaurant eating but this spot is worth a 40-minute dirt drive. No surprise then that it’s a lunch destination for urbanites hanging out in Struisbaai, Arniston and Pearly Beach.
If you want to eat out in a cosy space without blowing your budget on food or wines, La Boheme in Sea Point delivers the goods time and again. At only R95 for two courses and R115 for three, lunch or dinner is affordable and great to swap and share. Even with those friends who sink too many bottles and then suggest everybody splits the bill. Wines represent very good value for a wine bar. A la carte options are sometimes more interesting than what appears on the set menu board, but it’s a minor drawback. Tel 021 434 8797. 
For a simple lunch out incorporating an elegant piece of history, Casa Labia Cafe in Muizenberg is hard to beat. Judy Badenhorst’s cleverly inventive cooking is a delight, and owner Antonia Labia has restored life to her grandfather’s original Italian décor in the building with absolutely magnificent results. Once you’ve had your meal in the café, take a stroll through the adjoining rooms created in the 1930s to replicate those in Venice. This is the sort of place you’ll want to wear a nice dress and take your aunties, a group of girlfriends, or enjoy a surprise romantic lunch with your loved one. Prices are nicely in the café restaurant category. Drawbacks are lack of parking along the beachfront road and a tiny wine list. Tel 021 788 6062. 
He would appreciate the business more in about March 2011… I like his new industrial Old Biscuit Mill space as it reflects his creativity and new freedom with food. From a counter seat one lunchtime chatting and eating for a magazine article profile, I saw how much fun the kitchen is having. The former La Colombe chef is talented in subtle east-meets-west fusions that incorporate delicate elements such as trout and lime with miso. Dinner is three, five or eight courses. Or a la carte elements of those menus ordered at the kitchen bar counter, which I support – you have to be in the mood for a drawn-out set menu. Tel 021 447 2337 
More adventurous eaters would appreciate historical preserved meat influences in lacquered smoked and pickled lamb’s rib (soutribbetjie), with pickled tongue and dried pear dumplings, verjuice-poached pear and crispy lamb’s liver biltong. 
I’ve driven past a few times and heard good things from foodie friends. The pricing always scared me off. But yesterday a daytime swim and a sneaked coffee at Jardine Bakery – the deal was we’d only stay if they had the sublime dark chocolate brownie dotted with white chocolate – meant there was no time remaining for a supper shop.
Italian winery owner Guilio Bertrand was inspired by the actress of his homeland in naming restaurant Sophia’s at Morgenster, which opens in November. I had a sneak preview yesterday and found it to be a relaxing, tranquil lunch option if you’re in the vicinity of Somerset West. White linen tables and wooden beams set the tone inside, with modern white square tables and Italian red chairs offering terrace views of olive groves and vineyards.
And I loved Cormack’s modern take on strawberry mousse with light, creamy strawberry ice-cream and seasonal berries.
Another exciting development is that pastry chef Vanessa Quellec will open a bakery with restaurateur Giorgio Nava (of 95 Keerom and Carne) in Kloof Street in November 2010. She’s spent time in Italy recently learning about Italian pastries, gelato and chocolates, and will be reproducing some of her favourites for Capetonian customers.
He has a healthy appetite for breast milk and like his mother, enjoys snacking. So far I’ve eaten mild stews, pizza, Asian dishes livened by chilli, homemade muesli, chocolate, cooked vegetables and plenty of fruit salad without noticeable side effects.
June 22nd was an amazingly proudly South African day. With overseas socceroos in tow from Australia, Mzoli’s Place in Gugs was our logical Cape Town destination to watch Bafana Bafana bow out of the World Cup in style. There are plenty of flatscreens around and the volume is always full blast. Our Bafana boys played incredibly passionate soccer, and the vuvuzela-blowing Guguthlethu contingent we joined were behind them with every cheer and roar.
Specify if you want barbeque marinade (worth having), the required portions of mielie pap, spicy chakalaka of raw green peppers, onion and chilli – essential condiment – and mielie bread (we thought we paid for delicious-looking giant slices but the bread was finished when we collected our order). If you’re there for sport, hold on to your belongings whenever a goal is attempted because people are packed tight and the room reverberates. Bring tissues for the loo and ignore the lack of soap to wash your hands and you’ll manage just fine.
Series of wood fires burn constantly in the grill area and the enamel bowls line up with numbered tickets of individual raw meat orders. People return periodically to nag the grillers that their table is still waiting, but patience is required – our order went in early yet we still waited about three hours for our braaied food. There were some tricky balancing moments while carrying food to the table through the seething masses pouring in the other way to watch their team. But the lamb chops and sausages in particular were charred to deliciousness.
Exotic creatures with broad shoulders, fairy wings and wigs wander past sipping from oversized champagne glasses as you’re taking in the Boot-Ishoe stall selling numbered gumboots adjacent to the temporary tattoo parlour. A mojito is thrust into your hand near the front of the theatre queue as you’re focusing on a washline of pink and orange hot pants hanging above a veggie garden of plastic pumpkins.
Talented Valentina Love conceptualises the show.
Equally awe-inspiring are the Russian roller disco duo of Kristine and Ivan Prokopyuk, who trained in Moscow State Circus. Kristine’s glittery gold and black body is whipped vertically and horizontally as the couple whirl around a tiny circular stage. Fellow countrywoman Polina Volchek contorts her flexible gymnastic body with multiple hula hoops in positions I didn’t think possible. There is local show content too – a vocal high is South African divas Lilian Khumalo, Marguerita Freeks and Dorothy Engelbrecht of The Original Tons of Fun with their cover versions spanning the decades. “You’re just too good to be true…”
News of Lannice Snyman’s passing early this morning left a lump in my throat. We’d been walking in the Clifton area, glimpsing sunshine snatches over wild seas before the Cape stormy weather set in. So I only checked my phone after hearing a text alert from the third foodie friend. I discovered a poignant message from daughter Tamsin Snyman about her mixed emotions at losing her mother on the occasion of celebrating her first mother’s day with new baby Trinity. Wow.
The cooking demo class space takes up half the warehouse. Artisan bread classes, demos by guest local chefs and occasional big international chef names are part of the 2010 lineup.
The headline sounds quite dramatic, but actually nothing went up in flames. That line is merely to lure in all kitchen equipment junkies who get hot and sweaty when talk turns to implements… With a few April holidays to manoeuvre around, I never got around to trying out the luminous green Neoflam Ecolon fying pan I was given to test. So when the Merry Muncher decided to make French toast and bacon over the weekend, I handed over the new pan to be put through its paces.
On that upbeat note, Terroir at Kleine Zalze only offers a tasting menu on request, but they have just launched a Green Season menu that represents great value. I was invited to sample a few dishes from the two or three-course options as they will change over the winter months. I’m happy to report that chef Michael Broughton hasn’t lost his touch, and winter should be a very good time for locals to fill a Terroir table with family or friends.
The man sporting a mohawk has an enquiring mind. His likes: classic recipes, slow braises, deep-frying, cookbooks and good-value meals. Dislikes: sous vide cooking and dishes that look pretty but are devoid of flavour. If he serves a ‘tongue in cheek’ braised ox tongue and pig cheek, it means the Overture kitchen is having fun. But it will be made from scratch with integrity. To avoid wastage, the offcuts will form the base for stocks, sauces, mousse or terrines.
Franschhoek options include Mont Rochelle Hotel and Country Vineyards blankets offer comfy settling alongside the dam or tables in the gardens. Three choices range from the Country Basket (R290 for two), Gourmet Basket (R370 for two) or Deluxe Basket (R450 for two), depending on whether you’re wanting basic country fare, or a gourmet fill of Franschhoek trout, Tiger prawns, shucked oysters and petit fours at the deluxe end. Children under 12 at R85pp. Tel 021 876 2770, 
There is minimalist designer furniture in the circular wine lounge, plus some colourful art. But it’s the dramatic views that draw the eye, thanks to 11m glass sheets stretching the length of the restaurant at Waterkloof from floor to ceiling. In views there’s a choice of Waterkloof vineyards on the Schaapenberg Hill to the left, or Gordon’s Bay towards False Bay straight ahead. Pretty spectacular stuff, and my tourist friends were impressed.
