Spring … It’s one of those seasons that seems to wake up a month or so too late. Or surprises you by literally popping the blossoms out. Most years it is a combination of the two.
Well, spring 2016 scored top marks for last Sunday’s weather. A fabulous sunny day with only a light breeze here and there, lured invitingly at the West Coast National Park gate at 9am. We were there to see the Postberg indigenous flower carpets during the rare August/September period when these private areas of the nature reserve are open to the public.
When to go We’d anticipated the queues and a reliable Landy loaded with seven of us left Cape Town just after 7.30am. What a pleasure to leave the park at midday when a 1.5km queue was barely moving outside the gate.
Our morning in the nature reserve was fabulous. We drove into the Postberg, parked and climbed a hilly section above the lovely Plankiesbaai beach, surrounded by boulders on one side. There were a few brave swimmers, but mostly people setting up their picnics, simple braais and camp chairs with brandy bottles.
Our kids scampered up an easy hilly section that had plenty of yellow, orange and (yay!) occasional pink daisies. The type that you had to bend over close to photograph. And against the rugged West Coast setting with snatches of blue sea or sky above, quite vivid and lovely. As a bonus, we discovered an ostrich nest. No parent birds to be seen.
We’d decided to skip the picnic and do lunch out on the West Coast. But on that coastline there aren’t a lot of options. And Langebaan’s pub-like restaurants are tourist hell, about two decades too late.
We settled on Hilda’s Kitchen at Groote Post wine farm, accessed via a dirt road off the R27. I looked for a recent commentary and found a 2014 Eat Out review by my writing colleague Greg Landman, describing “always delicious” cooking and chef Debbie McLaughlin’s eleventh year at the restaurant. Two years on, during a Sunday visit on September 2016, I’d say the venue and culinary highlights have not changed much. Why would they?
What to eat Off the current menu of about three starters, mains and desserts, we ordered a main Greg had described as “pork belly, slow roasted and served with tangy plum sauce”. Tender and slightly Asian in feel, it was declared delicious. One of our boys requested the signature “old man’s fillet steak roll” (a crumbed chicken burger was the solitary offering for any children in our group, and the crumbed patty seemed to be out of a box). As an adult main, a tasty individual chicken pie containing shredded meat and porcini was served with handcut potato wedges (replacing the menu’s mash) and salad. The lamb main course possibly looked more exciting than it tasted, but our complaint was probably more with the waiter’s description of “medium” than with the fact that it arrived slow-roasted and tender.
For starters we tried a salad with beetroot, goat’s cheese and pumpkin seeds. A tasty tomato tart surrounded by a delicate pastry (the other starter sold out) worked a treat with the fresh, guava zing of Groote Post Sauvignon Blanc 2016. Tasty country fare, made to a trusted recipe in the way that country fare usually is.
Back to Greg’s “dessert you have to have” white chocolate cheesecake. I can vouch that it was country-size, yet a hungry junior eater polished it off. The lemon tarts had a suitably sour tang, encrusted in delicate homemade pastry base. Decent if not the best I’ve ever eaten – but I’m a tough customer when it comes to lemon tarts.
In short, pretty decent food. And definitely the best lunch option for kilometres. Just avoid the plunger coffee – it is sluggish and grey.
Who to take? Hilda’s Kitchen is in the old thatched manor house on the property. We reserved an outside table under the trees at the back, so the adults could sip wine while the kids ran around and got dirty. And that they did (a slide down an embankment ruined a couple of pairs of shorts, but kept mischievous faces grinning from ear to ear).
What to drink Darling beer to quench your thirst, and bottled water too (the farm water is an acquired taste). At R110 the standard Sauvignon Blanc is marked up R30 on the cellar door price. It’s delicious, full of guavas and fun, so a fitting lunchtime partner. In red we tasted the fruity-style Shiraz but ordered a more serious cherry-tinged Pinot Noir 2014 (R235). It may not have made the most sense from a value point of view, but we were enjoying a lovely day in the country and felt like a bit of a splash.
How much? You’ll pay about R75 for starters, R50 - R70 for kids’ main courses, R135 - R145 for adult main courses, and about R50 for desserts.
HILDA’S KITCHEN AT GROOTE POST,
Groote Post Vineyards, Darling. Open Wed to Sun for lunch.
Tel 022-492-2825, Groote Post
Six of us tried out Open Door’s new breakfast deck on Sunday and had a tastily lazy morning. There are plenty of good breakfast spots in Cape Town but most are indoors. The appeal of Open Door is that you can sit outside and enjoy rural views of a 
What to eat The beetroot yoghurt with homemade nut, seed and coconut granola sounds unusual, but we stuck to hot items. A thick slice of toasted brioche with two poached eggs, tangy citrus hollandaise, chorizo and sweetcorn is the flat-out winner here. Bits of fatty bone marrow are hidden under a velvet coating of sauce. If you’re lusting after comfort food, a baked sausage, poached eggs and spiced tomato sauce dish with melted gruyere cheese is a good alternative. Only a little lacking in chili heat.
Cape Town’s restaurant-clogged centre is still luring new converts. Loaves on Long opened their artisan bakery café recently in a double-volume building linked by charmingly uneven stairs. It’s diagonally opposite The Grand Daddy hotel and surprisingly easy to miss, yet is attracting regulars.
Wakeford primarily runs the café with its tiny rotating menu. We didn’t fancy roasted vegetables with grilled halloumi, or the popular burger on a homemade bun.
What not to do expect tons of staff input. A split-level space and limited floor staff means an element of self-service may apply when you eat in.
What to eat There’s a lunchtime café menu (kale chicken Caesar to beef burgers). Or creative options on a small lunch or dinner a la carte menu.
There’s no cricket paraphernalia or framed Protea shirts on Bistro 13’s smoke-grey walls. The countryside restaurant interior is uncluttered: lithe wooden tables on cement floors, a few floating shelves; light streaming in large aluminium windows. Diners watch busy chefs through a kitchen hatch.
The calamari and potato crisps with red pepper, tomato and squid ink sauce, came recommended. Instead we enjoyed three perky smoked salmon croquettes, alongside lemony crème fraiche, rocket, delicately pickled fennel slivers and pomegranate pips. A light and fresh start.
Hout Bay locals are familiar with Spiro’s and Ragafellows restaurants, operated by Spiro Ragavelas, his brother, and Spiro’s wife Julie. Riverway Café is Julie Ragavelas’ personal venture, with feminine décor showing in vintage plates decorating walls, old-fashioned cabinets and scarves draped over wrought-iron chairs.
What to eat Soup options change from time to time. The rest is usually on the printed menu.
Homespun’s owner Matt Schreuder worked in Zurich for five years, making cocktails and managing travelling pop-up restaurant Pret a Diner, where big-name chefs make guest stints. Back in Cape Town, he opened Homespun restaurant near Table View’s beachside strip this February.
We found out later that chef Ryan Mollentze is only 24. Unfortunately his inexperience showed on some plates. Fiddlier food is about ensuring you’ve developed an idea, while not forcing too many elements. So pork belly was good: crispy crackling atop tender meat, if a little safe with its Sunday roast and apple puree vibe.
Quality and flavours are good at Culture Club Cheese, but portions are on the small side. A sourdough toastie made a good shared snack, sandwiching melted Myst Hill cheddar with walnuts, caramelised onion and apple butter in a nuttily satisfying ending.
‘We’re good on the inside because of what we put in from the outside,’ explained the menu at Inside 
The Umami burger took an Asian bent, tasting more sweet than salty with hoisin sauce and a pickled cabbage vinegarish sting. A pulled pork patty and creative ostrich version are alternatives. There’s goats’ cheese, bean and beetroot for vegetarians, or a lentil sweet potato patty for vegans – women at the next table had theirs with salad and sprouts instead of a bun.
The Atlantic Seaboard has a new spot where you can contemplate late-afternoon light while yachts bob and people walk their dogs. With wraparound glass, lounge music and modern furnishings in muted tones and occasional vintage mirrors, Quaglinõs feels cool but not ostentatious. Four-month opening delays to placate the luxury flat-owners upstairs, allowed for finishing touches.
Somebody told me it was the best steak they’d eaten. They were at Don Armando, a steakhouse with Argentine leanings. Owner Daniel Toledo also runs Il Leone, the Italian eatery nearby. Opening in late 2014, Armando is named in honour of Toledo’s Buenos Aires-born father.
On to the meat. An impressive hunk arrived, with salad and so-so handcut chips. Brazilians call it picanha, the top of the cow’s rump, served with its charcoal-charred fat-layer crown intact. Ordered medium, well-seasoned beef was sliced at the table. Lean yet mellow, it tasted of something between sirloin and a roast. Delicious dabbed with chimichurri.
What to eat Charcoal-grilled steaks. Ask about specials not on the menu.
Kranskop wooded Chardonnay, and De Wetshof Limelight Pinot Noir, were both R35 a Spiegelau glass. Main courses showed off vibrant colours but interspersed too many strong flavours. Perfect country greens, but confit duck saltiness and dry, smoky duck-breast slices. Peculiar beetroot dumplings contained fried croutons.
The Verdict? Bullpitt used old-fashioned smoking, pickling and open-fire cooking, and his clean plates were appealing to the eye. His knack was purity of flavours, layering of textures and delivering a sophisticated rural take on what sounded like a straightforward plate of meat or vegetables. His waiting team understood his menu and served it swiftly – weak coffee was the only sore point.
There’s a new vegan café-restaurant in town, and it’s attracting a steady troop of diners avoiding animal products, and those keen on healthier breakfasts or suppers.
At lunch with a vegetarian visitor, a waitress showed off fermented-in-soya tempeh “bacon” and smeary vegan “cheese” based on soya, coconut oil and miso, all made in-house. I thought the vegetarian would be an easy sell, but neither of us were convinced.
A toddler’s parents tucked into a tortilla and black bean quesadilla as we sipped wholesome red and yellow fruit juices (R32), colour-coded ingredients juiced on site. Bare wood tables, crates fashioned into display shelves, and vertical garden walls added to Plant’s organic feel.
The vegetarian preferred the vish burger (R55), a bun topped with salad, homemade “tartar sauce” with raw onion, and tastily textured patties of nori-encrusted potato flakes. Carb-heavy but different.
Tea is Murray’s loose-leaf Enmasse blends brewed in glass pots, while coffee is a dark Italian bean or locally roasted Truth brew. All well made. Lynda’s daily bakes are well worth a detour. Lunch and supper is sandwiches or rolls (Knead ciabatta is for sale), two creative salads, or cheese and meat platters.
A bowl of noodles is painted on a dark wall, near a locked staircase. It’s the only clue from the seedy pavement. But then you wind inside past the smoker’s haze of Lefty’s Dive Bar, up rickety stairs, to Downtown Ramen.
As the name implies, Downtown Ramen serves uncomplicated noodle broths. But Asian bau (R35) make good snacks, steamed into flatbreads with three fillings. Braised beef short rib partners chilli-cucumber pickle; tender meat top-heavy on salty soya sauce marinade. Char sui pork bau is your best bet: lean, smoky pork with zesty citrus-cucumber pickle.
The Place: Generally I find there are three types of high-end restaurant diners. The regulars, indulging in a preferred style of cooking from a favourite chef. The fashionables, most interested in the fuss around a new restaurant. And the true food lovers, enthusiasts cautious of fads who are open to educating experiences, like this one.
Despite fire-engine red walls, art and smart leather chairs, there is an organic feel to the décor and Mervyn Gers tableware incorporating pine needles and tree bark. Upmarket Franschhoek locals and tourists eat off bare wooden tables. You’ll see family groups (kids are accommodated) although this menu isn’t pitched at young diners.
The Food: Labelled food always raises eyebrows. I know diners who love Foliage, but find its menus weird. For Erasmus, foraged edible plants and mushrooms are an essential part of beautifying plates, flavouring stocks and reducing food costs on a small, seasonal menu rich in free-range meat and game. Most starters are R65 to R80, mains R115 to R135, and desserts R50 to R60.
An outstanding salad combining warm sweetbread pieces with smoky, cured warthog rib rounds, potato and moist squid, with soft-cooked red pepper and tomato, and crunchy hazelnuts (R75) had no mass-produced leaf packs from Woolworths. Instead, a riot of flavours and textures in tasty ‘forest greens’ (dandelions, wild watercress, goosefoot, chickweed and sweet lupin) alongside perky beans and broccoli.
Earthiness dominated an al dente charcoal-grilled sliced pear dessert (R50) alongside creamy fennel sabayon. Caramel sweetness from candied walnuts, with nutty, spiced balls of acorn – yes – frangipane cakes.
The Place: Look past the uneven floor, corrugated iron ceiling, and menu chalkboards resting on grimy windows of the adjacent auto repair shop. Don’t expect cutlery or fawning waitresses. You’re here for the food. Lampshades hang above wire mesh tables that have seen better days, and the side of Yard accessing the street generally fills with cigarette smoke. Nevertheless Yard attracts families and all sorts. Chalkboards list menus and the rules of ordering with a reminder, in colourful language, to wait until you’re called. Chalk the amount of food and drinks alongside your name, in the appropriate column on the black door.
On a busy Thursday night we escaped the smokers with a table beyond the pass. The Mexican chilli and cheeseburger came with a mince-and-kidney-bean chilli con carne topping, plus a cheese sauce. It was hearty, but heavy on cumin, and I’d like more heat. The 3B (bacon and cheese barbecue burger) was classic and good. A perky bun sandwiched a thick patty dripping in sweet tomato-barbeque sauce, with crispy bacon, cheese, lettuce and trimmings. Messily delicious, these were super-burgers stretching roughly 15cm across, with sides of nicely crispy handcut chips. A slab of excellent barbeque porkbelly ribs (R120) tasted oak-smoked and tender, in the same sticky sauce.
It’s known as the chicken waffle, and the combination is as peculiar as it sounds. An otherwise savoury dish drowned in a cloying maple-flavoured syrup, too sweet to make sense. Yet at a grungy Cape Town hole-in-the-wall called Lefty’s, true believers swear the R75 Kentucky chicken waffle is a life-changing experience.
‘The chicken waffle started out as a joke,’ recalls co-owner and chef Ryan McDonagh. ‘I was fascinated by this American thing. We put it on the menu, convinced it wouldn’t stick.’ It did.
In theory winter specials are the Cape’s way of luring diners out to eat during chilly winter months when business isn’t as brisk.
There is a trend in Vigar’s cooking. He calls it exploding the ingredient, by deconstructing and interpreting it in a few variations.
Lamb schwarma had tangy layers and components marching in tune, although I noticed the fridge chill more. Food to go will do that. Lamb strips in herby pita, with cucumber-mint tzatziki, tomato slices, fine red onion and spring onions. Gently spiced butternut puree with a peanut sauce-like leaning, plus a bitter hit of aubergine baba ghanoush. Endearing. Sapporo Japanese beer (R30) and naartjie juice (R26) squeezed onsite made ideal lunch partners.
I may have found a new country breakfast favourite. The Bakery at Jordan is a café-style deli and bakery on Jordan Winery, which has prime positioning overlooking the dam. There is a buzzy coffee shop atmosphere at tables inside the bakery space, and welcome sunshine for the lucky few that manage to bag tables on the narrow upper deck. The more self-service-orientated lower deck area under the trees is a peaceful option after you’ve tasted some Jordan wines, set further away with more space and a close-up view of the dam.
George and Louise Jardine are behind the project, serving upmarket lunches and dinners at Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine on the property. Pastry chef-turned-baker Ciska Roussouw mans the baking oven and also oversees the small deli breakfast and lunch menu (but you’ll see chef George about too – the advantages of having a restaurant next door). The two-metre wood-fired baker’s oven with its mosaic flame-patterned door was purpose-built – George reckons the secret is in the layers of insulation. The bakery counter is regularly filled with pastries and breads (R22 to R30) including sourdough, rye and seed loaves as well as ciabatta and honey and spelt baguettes, to take away (the sourdough and ciabatta are both excellent but this baker favours a crisper, slightly blackened outer crust). Also on sale are biscuits, rusks, preserves and savoury sauces (chimichurri and aioli) made on the premises, and gorgeous bunches of roses from a neighbouring farm. The rich chocolate brownie (R25) I bought was still delicious the next day, and true to its name, decadently rich.
Breakfast options (served between 8.30am and 10.30am) include homemade granola, free-range eggs scrambled, or cooked ‘en cocotte’ and served with a couple of variations. We loved the ‘poach then bake’ (R55) breakfast of poached eggs, ham and spinach on a home-baked English muffin, under a herby hollandaise. Toasted sourdough served with smoked marrow, parsley, confit lemon and creamed spinach (R60) might appeal to those bored by egg-and-bacon combos. The cappuccino and Americano is decently made here and the croissants (R18) are buttery and pliable so worth ordering with cheese and jam. Our junior diner got stuck in and sticky. He also enjoyed watching pastry chef-baker Ciska Roussouw rolling and folding various pastries and breads in the bakery.
Brunch is served between 10.30am and 3.30pm, and plates sent out looked good. The menu is small so items rotate often, but I hope I’ll be able to return to have the Caesar salad with pancetta lardons (R90) or the salt-crusted baked hake (R105) with crushed minted peas and woodfire-roasted potato wedges. The pork pie with salad that passed me en route to a deck table looked mighty good.
In short, this is a great spot to linger at a table, or to pop in when in the area to buy freshly prepared supplies (aside from breads, pastries and condiments, salads are available to go). The great part is The Bakery at Jordan is a fairly direct drive along the N2 from Cape Town 
Three couples, four kids under nine. An impromptu summer Saturday reservation for an easy family pizza lunch at Mulderbosch. You know the sort. We’re wearing T-shirts, shorts, suntan cream and an easygoing mood. We’re after their winery tasting area with comfy couches and large umbrellas. The intention: relax, have a few drinks with our kids enjoying the outdoors without annoying others.
Second snag: We want to spend our money here and tip for service too. Yet going to the drinks counter seems the only way to guarantee cold beers for our group soon. Australia’s Coopers Pale Ale in assorted styles is brilliant (R30 each). Ideally we’d always like glasses to pour a bottle of Sauvignon into too. We persevere because there are things to like here: wines served with pizzas are at cellar-door prices. Mulderbosch Steen op Hout Chenin 2011 (R59) and Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (R75) are refreshingly good.
But it turns into a bit of a joke later when our bottle of rather delicious Fable Jackal Bird white blend (R175) arrives open with some of its liquid missing. Was it grabbed from the tasting area by mistake?
Although we’re traditionalists, the Asian chicken, peppers, sprouts and coriander leaf combo is good enough to warrant a repeat order. Even the biltong, peppadew and avo topping has fans.
I ate my best fishy lunch in years on a recent drive up the West Coast to Paternoster. It was one of those simple meals in a modest environment where expectations were lowered. You know, as a defence mechanism after the previous visit to the area left memories of gusty sea views and emotions bruised by over-oily fish, stodgy chips and a mussel sauce congealed with bad margarine.
When I called a few days ahead, Kobus answered the phone and said to please book 24 hours in advance. Something about serving a set menu on Sunday but the restaurant not having sufficient customers to open routinely on a Friday. I can’t imagine why not.
Oep ve Koep offers a taste of what seems missing. The focus is products from the sea, supplemented by fish farmed in the area. The chef grows herbs and edible flowers, and forages the coastline for seaweeds and dune spinach. It’s what gives his dishes such unusual flavours.
To drink, Groote Post Old Man’s White (R114), the ideal seafood wine with its uncomplicated Sauvignon-Chenin-Semillon blend. Craft beers, Swartland and Darling wineries make up the balance of the small list of mostly modest labels, with Sir Lambert’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc (R180) if you wanted to be posh.
Die Mogens (R115). Is that Paternoster slang for the morning? I’m not sure, but I liked this main course dish very much. A large fig leaf from the neighbour’s tree, enclosing half a farmed kabeljou fillet-half baked inside a paper bag that had held country-ground flour for the bread. Unusually, a drizzle of black olive oil, dune spinach and a few perky waterblommetjies and nasturtium leaves for greens. The unusual sea and land elements creep up on you, cementing the awareness that you’re eating things of aquatic origin. A comforting neutral canvas in mashed white beans.
I try to follow a few pointers when trying out new restaurants.
The valley views make it easy to get side-tracked from what you’re eating, but Eric’s dishes quickly return the focus. George was watching over service too on this particular Sunday, but dressed in a jacket and not chef’s whites. Although I see a lot of George’s style and ingredient influence on Eric’s plates, George says it’s just the two of them having similar ideas about what they like in food.
You’ll find only Newton Johnson and Felicité labels on the wine list, aside from styles the winery doesn’t make (Villiera Tradition Brut takes the bubbly spot). A few are available by the glass – Newton Johnson Sauvignon Blanc 2013 at R36, Full Stop Rock 2010 at R47. We were tempted by the Resonance 2012 white blend at R137 a bottle, but instead splashed out on the latest domaine Pinot vintage – they also make an Elgin version but it wasn’t on the list. Newton Johnson’s Family Pinot Noir 2012 (R320) is tightly wound to go the distance yet vibrant cherry fruit offers amazing accessibility already – it was easy to finish the bottle between two.
The Eton mess meringue, berry and cream dessert is one of Eric’s signatures (R50). We were comforted instead by a simple milk panna cotta (R55). Soft-set vanilla custard with a lick of passion fruit, crunchy honeycomb and lavender flowers. To be critical, the walnut and banana cake would’ve been better a day earlier, but its earthy notes worked with roasted banana puree, dots of white chocolate cremeux and delicate caramel ice-cream. The service side also has quirks to iron out as staff become familiar with the menu. Likewise the kitchen will probably tweak dishes as they become more in tune with the regional produce. But there is no doubt that Eric and George have raised Hermanus dining by a few notches. The level of skill means prices are pitched well above a family restaurant, yet it was families and holidaymakers that kept the Sunday dining atmosphere relaxed. The kitchen offered to prepare grilled hake and hand-cut chips (R85) for the junior diner at our table. On request they even produced a sauce jug of tomato sauce.
I recently spent about 20 hours in Stellenbosch celebrating a significant anniversary. Our experiences were so enjoyable it seemed a pity not to share the recommendations. The options were simple. A long lunch or dinner, with an overnight stay to eliminate any worries about a long drive back to Cape Town. This had to be a make-it-count meal, with only two options qualifying in that department. As an adult dining experience in a great Winelands environment, you can’t beat Overture at Hidden Valley or Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine. We chose Jardine, deciding that valley views made lunch a better option than dinner.
Chef George Jardine was in the kitchen, and we were delighted to accept his offer of sending out a surprise menu instead of the usual three-course lunch. It was modelled on the six courses usually served to diners at night. We eat anything but mentioned we were particularly keen on the fish dishes listed on the lunch menu. It was a smart move as our meal included delicate trout, farmed fish and skate in creative forms. Without going into great detail, let’s just say these six courses were a brilliant reminder of why Jardine is one of the cleverest, most intuitive chefs in South Africa. His talent is in combinations of gentler ingredients including the likes of cauliflower and celeriac. He smokes food and adds surprise tiny elements – say a cube of pickled aubergine - for flavour hits. The hot-smoked trout was deceptively simple but surprised with orange reductions and dried bits, alongside the vinegar tartness of pickled aubergine and a menthol kick from flower pollen. How many chefs would think up and manage to pull off that sort of stuff?
It’s worth leaving the wine pairings to assistant manager William, who made some superb matches with new and older Jordan wines. For instance, the Jordan barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2008 showed delicious oiliness against the rich Kabeljou dish.
This small venue shouts creativity and integrity, from the distressed wood dining tables and novel wood and metal chairs to the novel crockery, wide knives and forks. Pricing is very reasonable (most breakfast options are R40-ish) and there are assorted breads, pastei de nata and chocolate sticks to take home. Young families and couples breakfast with a view of the baking action. There is an emphasis on holistic artisan suppliers, from the Spier eggs in the vibrant yellow scramble topping delicious sourdough toast to the smoked bacon.
There are few things as satisfying as revisiting a restaurant that you remember fondly from years before and finding that the current experience lives up to the memory. A table for five at Mogg’s Country Cookhouse in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley during a January holiday weekend didn’t disappoint. The venue is stuck in a country time warp, complete with a dining room ceiling of pine cones and dated bric a brac. It’s the remote location, valley vistas from the rustic outdoor tables, and the wholesome flavours that gives this spot its specialness.
The wine selection is sensible but somewhat uncreative considering the talented winery neighbours. We drank Beaumont’s uncomplicated blend labelled as Raoul’s White 2012 (R80), which could’ve been better chilled. And by the time we’d splashed out on Creation Syrah Grenache 2011 (R195) with the main course, we realised the chunky glasses didn’t help. But that’s part of the charm of Mogg’s. It’s country food in a country environment, with jugs of homemade lemonade on the menu and a plate of reassuring vegetables on offer at an extra R30. In short, delicious dining favouring a luddite more than a city slicker.
A beetroot fritter was unusual, paired with avo, rocket and a creamy wasabi drizzle, topped with a swirl of smoked salmon (R60). The calamari salad (R65) with seeds, homegrown herbs and greens from the property’s veggie garden and a not-so-gentle chilli vinaigrette with Thai or Vietnamese leanings, was declared a must-have for any Asian fans. Main course options were a little more limited in scope, but tasty enough. The duck pie (R 90) was comforting under a round puff crust with a chestnut crumble for crunch, the mild tamarind-dosed seafood curry (R110) vibrantly presented with a papadum and Asian rice.
We tried desserts too, three tasty scoops of vanilla ice cream (R45) probably still from that popular housewife’s recipe made with condensed milk in home freezers two decades ago, where you’ll find crystals at the end. A phyllo pastry basket of summer berries (R48) had fans, partnering a sweetly-sourish white chocolate sauce.
Most restaurants tweak their menus and ease up a little on staff training after they’ve made it through the first few chaotic weeks. The Pool Room at Oak Valley is certainly still in that test run phase, but a very pleasant lunch during one of the Elgin Open Gardens weekends suggests that they’ve got a winning summertime formula for a daytime restaurant and deli. The light-toned eatery is centred around a sparkling swimming pool (no dipping allowed), with cane furniture, tables and umbrellas lining either side. A raised area accommodates more diners.
There is good bread from ciabatta to baguettes and sourdough. Former Joburg restaurateur Nicole Precoudis has dry-cured a charcuterie range that includes pancetta, saucisson sec and an orange and walnut salami. Precoudis’ excellent Terre Madre 
The accompanying handcut crispy fries are always served with homemade mayonnaise. Fries also accompany the gourmet burger, made from farm free-range beef, served with a mature Huguenot cheese, red onions and pickle - even the bun is homemade. No evidence yet of the pricy marbled Wagyu beef Oak Valley is producing, but I’m told it will be on offer from time to time. Thumbs up for simple and attractively presented dishes with an emphasis on free-range and farm-grown items. Desserts are on offer - homemade apple tart and lemon tart - but we didn’t get that far.
At this stage more of the charcuterie seems to be available for purchase in the Deli than on the menu – an R85 charcuterie platter included pancetta with items such as rare roast beef, liver terrine, rillettes and cheese. But then it’s near impossible to leave without Deli shopping. Ready-to-cook meats such as pork belly and shank vie with Precoudis’ stylishly bottled strawberry jam and tomato and chili sauces. There are inexpensive sweet bakes and cut flowers (Oak Valley supplies Woolworths). The legendary Christmas cakes made by Elgin neighbour Elizabeth Wood are worth seeking out, and Wood’s Rockhaven extra virgin olive oil is the house oil on diners’ tables.
With his A-type personality, background in creative design and drive that reminds of the Duracell bunny that keeps on going, Bruce Robertson is a chef with a big personality and big ideas. He’s known for dishes you have to sit upright and pay attention to, hence they run the risk of being picked apart by his critics as gimmicky. I recall unexpected ingredients or textures in a dish, from popping candy surprises to dishes with endless sauce options on the side, to gourmet street food bunny chows. He’s worked in high-end game lodges and as executive chef at Cape Grace hotel, but is probably best remembered for the open-kitchen culinary performances he gave at The Showroom restaurant.
After a welcome drink of delicious Cederburg Brut 
“I’m allowed to drink and work cause I’m self-employed,” Bruce chirps to the assembled lunch guests, warming up. My husband and I are eating, and nearby a tour guide has brought a casting agent from 
There aren’t a lot of city or Wineland restaurants that offer a solid menu, pleasant outdoor spaces and overhead cover from wet Cape winter weather if it sets in. So with rain being a feature of late April and May 2012, Dornier’s Bodega is an all-weather venue worth remembering.
We sipped flutes of Villiera Brut Rose (R170 per bottle) when the Cocoa Hill Chenin Blanc was sold out. Later we were talked into trying an unfamiliar Dornier Do-X Cabernet Franc 2008. It’s a wine with delicious plummy elegance I’ll order again. It sells at cellar door at R93, and at a very reasonable R123 on the wine list. Service was good with attentive waiters throughout the meal. We lingered for a while afterwards and never had the feeling that we were in the way of staff going home.
Here is my dilemma. It feels like you’re shortchanging a new restaurant if you’re trying to review them on their reputation for producing a great burger, and you weren’t successful. But then we felt more than a little shortchanged on arrival at Clarke’s in Bree Street at 1.45pm for a quick midweek lunch. Only to be told when menus were handed out that the cheeseburgers were all sold out (as was the Caesar salad).
The Pulled Pork Sub delivered subtle slow-cooked pork shoulder flavours, delicious with sauteed Swiss chard and provolone cheese. Pickled cucumber and red onion was on the side. Both sandwiches were R50.
Ever get that feeling that everybody else has cottoned on to something good, yet somehow you’ve completely overlooked what’s in front of you? Woodlands Eatery is a small spot in the city-flanking suburb of Vredehoek, which makes it part of my ‘hood’. It opened in late 2010 but I only heard or read good things about it some nine months later. I’m surprised because it’s super-popular for a spot that on face value is an entrenched neighbourhood local. The food and prices are decent too.
Looking for potential nanny candidates. It’s a mind-numbing job but has to be done when the nanny you’ve trained takes another job without giving notice. Calls in sick for two days, then switches off her phone until I send her sister over with police, expecting the worst. You do this when people have troubled, complicated personal lives. Eventually I discover that her former employer made her a better offer. Originally laid her off and now recruits her for baby number two. Ethical? Hardly. But they did me a favour as she wasn’t a great fit.
Pricy but mostly very tasty. Fish and chips – beer-battered kingklip with homemade tartare sauce and chips – at R110. A lamb burger at R98. Great fish in perky batter, crispy Belgium-style thin chips. The burger was less satisfying. Two battered onion rings were fine and I liked the cumin-laced patty but would’ve preferred warning about a humus and tzatziki topping. A Greek meze twist clearly, but I prefer relish.
I’m loving my new hood, particularly when explored on daily walks. Moving to Oranjezicht means leafy streets and parks, friendly families and gorgeous Victorian or Georgian homes.
Another Cape Town winter rainy day… a get together of friends… winter specials at The Foodbarn. You connect the dots.
Warm rhubarb pudding with crème Anglaise custard swirls and vanilla pod ice cream looked like a Franck Dangereux dessert, and had many takers. Tasty and wintry, but criticised for the sponge smothering the rhubarb bits. Pineapple carpaccio slivers with granadilla panna cotta and guava sorbet was tasty enough, but looked like a child had been let loose with red and yellow syryp.
Everybody is expected to take their seats at individual tables by 12.45 sharp, and bring their own wine (only non-alcoholic beverages can be ordered). And then the boys lovingly prepare a nostalgic series of help-yourself courses.
For later courses we exercised restraint. Had to. There was the Med – assorted cold meze, cold cuts and salads to a hot sort of ‘bomb’ of lemonish Greek chicken in phyllo, plenty of nostalgic Afrikaans favourites, from baked tongue in mustard sauce under a layer of crumbs, pumpkin fritters and sweet potatoes cooked in sweet orange juice sauce. Fall-off-the-bone oxtail. Plus more conventional carvery items – ours a gammon roast with crispy potato wedges, cooked-just-right roasted and steamed veggies. On that point, vegetarians will find plenty in the buffet selection, whether dolmades and spring rolls – a little dull – or the tastily gooey cheese-olive-and-tomato polenta bake, or spinach and ricotta cannelloni.
There’s a welcome break before the dessert table is brought out. Wander to the outside loo or admire the lemon trees planted below the stoep. It’s also a great time to sip some wine in front of the cosy fire, especially when you realise you’re actually in the owners’ lounge. Basjaan the Basset hound is usually underfoot at this point. Our sweet selection included a stunning Pavlova, old-fashioned runny chocolate mousse, fruit salad, chocolate cake, koeksisters made by a Greyton local, and of course Malva pud. Coffee was served alongside.
Pretentious foodie spot. Silly. Faddish. These thoughts came to mind on reading about designer white spaces and colour-coded salads at Babel restaurant at Babylonstoren farm. But after four of us experienced lunch recently I’ve changed my mind. I like this place and the intentions of those involved. This is why:
Starters sound faddish on the menu yet taste very good. We shared two salads - the only starter options. A Green salad (R55) was a tasty collaboration of textures and flavours, consisting of salad greens, basil, rocket, apple slices with cucumber ribbons, courgettes in a spiced dressing, and delicious shah-ma rah-spiced lentils (apparently that’s a herby leaf of Iranian origin). A roasted fennel, lemon verbena and yoghurt dressing was drizzled over. The Red salad received the most table votes. Watermelon slices, black olives, beetroot, roasted red peppers and aubergines, raw red cabbage, radish, red salad leaves and bronze basil leaves were served with mint geranium-infused chickpeas with a dressing made of rose geranium, strawberry and pomegranite. Are you getting the picture? Some essential oils and raw edible plants take getting used to, yet you don’t mind because they are creatively combined as a whole dish.
With so much designer style in the décor and starters the main courses are thankfully conventional poultry, fish and red meat dishes. The menu includes Franschhoek trout with Babylonstoren Viognier grapes or baked aubergine with melting gorgonzola and gremolata. We tucked into nicely marbled and expertly charred rib-eye steak, although the accompanying sauce of soy, sesame, mustard and green apple sauce was too vinegar-acidic. Roasted pork belly fans will find a twist in a prickly pear and ginger glaze, plus a spekboom and smoked chilli dressing; the crackling nicely crisped. Accompanying bowls of hand-cut chips – surely farm potatoes too? - were the best we’ve eaten. And how lovely to be served innovative veggie side orders: pumpkin flowers stuffed with saucy Swiss chard and mushroom, and assorted green and yellow string beans.
It’s interesting how some sites don’t work for a restaurant, and then new owners move in and a dead loss becomes a popular space again. Gauteng friends in town necessitated lunch out on a Monday, which is typically when most good venues close. Sea views appeal to people up north, so we gave Sotano by Caveau in Mouille Point a try. Quite a few outdoor diners had the same idea.
Spinach and ricotta cannelloni (R60) baked under a tomato sauce and melted cheese was decent, but Italian mom and pop joints do a more authentic job. Harissa chicken served with pita bread (R60), plus a side order of straw fries (R18) was nicely presented with salad, but the chicken lacked spicy bite.
Restaurateur Giorgio Nava’s new Caffe Milano looked mighty promising on its opening weekend, with brisk breakfast trading and plenty of satisfied departing foodie customers. They included chef Luke Dale-Roberts, happily having a family breakfast adjacent to our table, thankful that he has Sundays free.
The café’s breakfast options are decent, from eggs Benedict on homemade sourdough (R52) to gourmet muesli. Freshly blended juices are R20 to R30 per glass. Worth trying: the cinnamon and pecan brioche French toast (R58) with its gooey, spiced nut segments in the homemade brioche. Served with fried bananas, Canadian maple syrup and whipped cream it was very tasty yet very rich. A bacon side order improved the dish as a whole. In my view a plain brioche option for French toast, sans cream and with bacon optional, would make a good alternative.
Americano coffees (R11) are courtesy of Lavazza, also responsible for the moody wall mural running the length of one side. For the rest the appealing décor combines caramel tones with chunky ash wood shelving displaying breads and plain pastries, focusing the eye on all the sweeter goodies within the glass display counter.
News of a new dim sum spot opening in Claremont landed in my inbox this morning. November has flown by in a blur of deadlines, so by the time I’d read the sample menu I’d persuaded my husband we had to juggle our schedules and squeeze in lunch.
It’s one of Cape Town’s better-kept secrets, even if menu pricing keeps it firmly in a well-heeled eating category. Dinner at The Roundhouse upstairs may be where you put the chef to the test. But at garden tables overlooking Camps Bay it’s the drool-worthy daytime views from The Roundhouse’s casual Rumbullion counterpart that makes it worth paying a little extra for.
Creative alternatives include French toast with roasted bananas and toasted pecan nuts, or scrambled eggs and bacon alongside toasted house-baked sourdough and roasted tomatoes.
Winter specials are controversial amongst foodies. At upmarket restaurants I’ve noticed a few things tend to happen: a) the special is designed to lure new customers, yet attracts a budget-breaker who isn’t really comfortable with a menu beginning with an amuse bouche, b) it attracts a genuine foodie who feels anxious about targeting value, nervous that the chef may skimp on ingredients and creative flair, or c) the experience is ruined by a waiter doing their best to bypass the special and up-sell to pricier a la carte items.
It’s surely a sign of a nation’s maturity when foodies reject fancy foreign styles to rediscover local home cooking. AmaZink Eatery in Stellenbosch’s friendly Khayamandi township is the latest spot to offer this option, and I hope it catches on. Opening during June 2010 for the World Cup, Overture chef Bertus Basson was roped in as culinary consultant. But it appears that township intrinsics have been left intact so the menu available at lunch or dinner is largely a result of cook and owner Loyiso Mbambo’s inspiration.
Spend: About R90 to R110 for two to three courses, excluding drinks. Those with moderate appetites might want to share starters or desserts as portions aren’t small. 
As a winter sunny Sunday lunch choice in Franschhoek, few venues beat Bread 
As with most dishes at Bread 
Alongside doner kebabs, Indian snacks and plenty of pre-made curries in sauces in bain maries, there are vegetarian savoury alternatives. Some of it looks dried out or highly coloured, but the volumes of people eating suggest that nothing sits there too long. The majority of items are in the R20 to R30 price range, so you can eat well without much hassle or expense. We split up and collectively ordered and paid for a chicken biriyani (R25), mildly spiced and fried potato wedges called Jira aloo (R20) and a personal favourite, masala dosa (R20). Portions were plentiful.
charming old-style café called Bread Milk 
Rather doubtful of ever finding a modestly-priced culinary pick-me-up, six of us went for Sunday lunch in Hout Bay. And I’m happy to report that a new venue called Wild Woods saved the day. A one-page menu offered enticing options, many ingredients sourced from small-time farmers or artisan producers. I spotted some nostalgic dishes I recall eating as a child, but with a creative twist here and there. A hand-selected wine list ignored boring co-operatives or monopoly wineries with convenient distribution, and instead showcased labels from interesting small-timers such as Adi Badenhorst. Six options came in at under R100 a bottle.
Bistro favourites dominate main course options too, ranging between R60 and R100. Between us we tried crackling-crisped hunks of pork belly - comfort food if ever there was – in a pool of mustard sauce, mash and roasted fennel bulb. Along similar lines, a deliciously old-time Sunday roast beef included creamed horseradish, perfectly puffed Yorkshire pudding and a glossy gravy. Grilled sirloin was nicely aged and ably matched by Café de Paris butter and crunchy narrow chips. Roasted free-range chicken breast sounded an unusual combination with fresh porcini slices, potatoes and béarnaise, but worked surprisingly well on the plate. If anything lagged behind it was service. Friendly enough, but staff training is obviously a work in progress.
The winding drive to La Petite Dauphine guesthouse is textbook Franschhoek tourist stuff, and the daytime restaurant offers a lovely summer setting with tables outside an old sandstone building on a shaded terrace overlooking a duck pond.
You may not feel like you have capacity, but the fresh bakes are so worth it (R35 to R42). I couldn’t resist because the cake display tempts whenever you’re en route to the building housing the bathrooms. After a 20-minute break before coffee and a very large slice of lemon meringue, we got lost in feathery white peaks and tangy lemon filling, relieved that we’d had the sense to share one piece. The carrot cake also has a following.
Previously only in the 
Tricky things to photograph: spot the whale fin! 
