Amateur sushi, stodgy dim sum, thick tempura, oily hotpot – there really was no redemption in the food on the table at this all-round Asian eatery. And the place is ever more a Marie Celeste, a ghost ship of a restaurant that still sails while all around it becomes empty: the seats, crockery and cutlery still the same as they were when this was the Showroom, but more and more run-down, tattered, neglected. The service was on it, alert, that I can say, and they were ready to haul the DJ’s sound deck onto the patio between bouts of drizzle, so there may be more of interest to the cocktail set for deck days, but as a food destination there is nothing to report. Oh, apologies, there is after all: 51% off on all sushi between 11am and 7pm and all day on Sunday. That’s a percent more than elsewhere, and that is Cape Town’s favourite style of sushi, so I may be way off the mark about Leaf.
Blonde, Gardens, Cape Town
A first impression here, and what a pleasure to dine in a restaurant that is not only full, but buzzing. There was an energy and the delightful ebb and flow of a restaurant in full swing – something that adds a pleasant dimension to eating out that half-full places can rarely achieve. Did I mention they currently offer half off your total bill? Including wine and drinks? That there are no hidden exceptions? A deal like this is clearly not one that wily Capetonians (or is that thrifty?) would want to miss, and are not missing. They have apparently been choc-a-block for the duration of the promotion… which I think (unfortunately for us, and you, if this is the first you hear of it) ends at the end of this month.
OK, excitement over a bargain aside, this is a lovely space. It’s in an old Victorian house, and I immediately felt myself compelled to compare it to La Mouette, which is similarly housed. The lighting here is pretty, the feel is modern and contemporary, it has a slick but comfortably elegant ambience that’s most attractive. There’s a lovely bar, there’s upstairs and downstairs, there’s old wood and marble and white leather and there’s lounge music. There are also rather gauche murals, and there is the name, but it’s easily forgotten (excuse the pun).
The waiting staff are all very well turned out and decently trained, although (or is that, and so) there was no hesitation in upselling. The wine list is very expensive, while mains are around R150, so this is not a budget option under “normal” conditions. Our meal was consistently good, the style of the food comfort-casual with a few flourishes of finer cuisine. The menu is divided into lighter café options (“Simply Blonde”) – pastas, beef pot pie; and then the more sophisticated “Mains”, with the signature here being the trio of duck – breast, confit in a roll and foie gras. Or try truffle-infused fillet with risotto balls. I did recognise some of the dishes, or at least the style, from the sister restaurants, Beluga and Sevruga. So more of the similar, in a sensual space.
A fun night out, with very edible food. Their challenge, however, will be to convince diners that this food is still worth it once it reverts to full price. Dinner Tues-Sun. 021-4625793
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Soho, De Waterkant, Green Point
There was a time when Cape Town had some exciting Thai food, in the day Wang Thai was a great experience, before it expanded beyond the reaches of quality first. Now we have, in the main, places that “do” a range of Asian food, including Thai, but few specialists. Kitima is one of the few. So it was alluring to hear of this spot in De Waterkant, and a hope for the fragrant, earthy and punchy flavours of Thai cuisine sprung up. Soho is a fashionable space, and a welcome departure from the “ethnic” stylings of most Thai restaurants. A small balcony has views, then the equally small interior with dark furnishings, tile, and modern light fittings together with a very cool soundtrack. There’s also an upstairs bar. It’s delightfully cosmopolitan and international, and one can only feel hopeful regarding the food. Unfortunately the first dent to our worldly vision was the service, which is resolutely lackadaisical and too often MIA.
Lunches here are a winner, if you are bargain-hunting, as they have a starter-main deal whereby your two courses cost only R70, the price of your curry on its own from the regular menu, before rice/noodles. The menu is classic Thai – soups, salads, curries, noodles dishes – cycling through the protein groups. Tom yum koong with prawn was OK, the prawn fresh and firm, but the soup was sweet, and lacked the refreshing/bright attack that the soup needs. A compromise version. A platter of their starters included fishcakes (poor), satays of chicken and beef (with good grill flavour, OK), spring rolls (ordinary) and prawn rolls (OK). Dipping sauces were average. A pork red curry “Kaeng Daeng Traditional” was fine, nothing extraordinary, while the noodle “Phad Kwatiew Kee Mao” was better. A bowl of rice on the side was none too fresh. The wine list is fine, small, and makes good use of some of the more aromatic and sweet white styles, which suits the food.
So a pity that the food quality was a disappointment on the day, in other respects (well, also excepting service) this is an inviting option. 49 Napier Street, De Waterkant. 021 421 1106. Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Zenzero, Camps Bay
Zenzero used to be Bungalo – a modern, concept restaurant on the Camps bay beach strip. For any restaurant to falter in such a premium position (as Bungalo did) says a lot about its incompatibility with what the punters want to eat, among other issues. Zenzero will not have this problem: the menu is a very standard choice of Italian options – but they have quite a few problems of their own, judging by a recent visit. First off was the waiter’s complete incomprehension at my request for a bottle of Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling. It was like I had ordered breast milk from the wine list. His brow furrowed and he offered the menu back to me – either for me to choose again, or for me to point the wine out to him, a poor habit that I would not even expect at the Spur. I told him to ask the barman, he came back to tell me it was out of stock and I half felt like asking someone else. The difficult wine ordering done, we ordered food. My companion asked if the sole had been frozen: “no, no” – a look of concern that we’d even ask. But then he returned a moment later to ask if it was kingklip or sole that was ordered… so service is a real challenge for Zenzero, though it turned out the food was not much better…
The bread rolls came with pieces of parmesan and diced, herbed tomato, a pleasant touch; but from here is was a trial. On the antipasta (R60) was ordinary olives, poor sausage, OK Parma ham, a desultory salad and basic artichoke (not the whole baby ones that the menu lists as another starter item). Then a starter that is apparently one of the restaurant’s most popular: Zenzero calamari, crumbed calamari stuffed with lemon and ricotta. It was properly vile, with a taste of industrial solvent and a release of ricotta once cut into that was positively scatological. Mains were the allegedly fresh sole, crumbed and cooked so thoroughly that freshness was a needless concern (R130); and whole roast baby chicken (R100) stuffed with rosemary, lemon and thyme that was edible but they had somehow conspired to remove all the flavours it was stuffed with. Fries were good, thankfully. We weren’t offered desserts, and we did not insist.
Other options are pastas (even a macaroni and three cheese), veal dishes, ossobuco, prawn platter, seafoods and a seafood pot, salads, tramezzini – and breakfasts. The space is designer: upmarket, well-lit, with mixed textures and quality finishes but one really wishes that they could spend more attention on the reason many people go to restaurants – the plates of food.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. The Promenade, Victoria Rd, Camps Bay. 021 438 0007
Glen Carlou, Paarl revisit
I learnt, after my recent lunch, that they are expanding the kitchen here, and will also offer dinners in the future. Which, based on this meal, would be a very welcome move – as it was very pleasant indeed. A previous meal showed promise, but this meal was better. Interestingly I ended up trying a very similar plate: the prawn, calamari and chorizo salad (R75) which was fresh and lively, with fantastic chorizo. The prawn was fine, while the rings of pale calamari were a little pasty and available in too chunky, ropey abundance – a pity as it was a headline feature. Another plate, the mozzarella and tomato tart, was very good – but the best result was a sublime malva pudding with delicious home-made peanut butter ice cream. Would happily go back for that.
It’s a stunningly located restaurant with views galore, elegant while casual (spacious, and really an extension of the tasting area) and the service is good, with the option of having a wine tasting at the table. Glen Carlou Winery, Simondium Rd, R45. 0218755528. Lunch Tues to Sunday – with dinners in the near future.
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The Greenhouse, Cellars-Hohenhort Hotel, Constantia
After some vacillations of fortune, and a relocation, I am happy to state that The Greenhouse at the Cellars is now back in its position as one of the Cape’s premier dining experiences. What they have done is relocate The Greenhouse from the main hotel to the space formerly occupied by the Cape Malay Restaurant (now defunct). As was the case with the previous space (which is now the breakfast, lunch and sometime alternative dinner venue), they have retained the modern botanical theme, while this new room is far more more intimate in dimension – very romantic and serene and certainly eminently suited to the many food charms on the menu. Peter Tempelhoff is the group executive chef and the kitchen presents an exciting collection of plates that proudly feature local ingredients. It is led by a tasting menu at R495 (add R275 for Constantia wines) that feature dishes poetically named “Winter Forage”, “Shellfish on a Beach”, and “Green Tea and Lime”.
Our table selected dinner from the à la carte menu (where three courses puts you in the same spend as the tasting menu) and we dined exceptionally well indeed. Starters: Carpaccio of tuna, scallops and abalone with daikon, wasabi bavarois and a ponzu dressing – the seafood was lovely in texture, if over-whelmed by the citric sweet of the saucing. Terrine of Elgin chicken with five-spice foie gras and sweetbreads, served with baby beets, pear chutney, a truffle mayo, Vin de Constance jelly and a cepe brioche – fantastic plate, excellent flavours, texture and presentation. Langoustine tortellini and roast quail with an onion and langoustine sherry sauce – comfort food of the highest order, though the advertised Asian mushroom ragout seemed to have migrated to the carpaccio plate.
Mains: Kingklip steamed in nasturtium leaves with a saffron risotto, sous vide fennel, a chorizo “powder” and a chicken sauce – very flavoursome and well presented, I would have liked more of the powder which packed a real punch (but is clearly tough to make, as there was merely a whisper on the plate). The nasturtium was an elegant flourish (and in keeping with the restaurant theme) but did not add notable flavour. Karoo lamb loin and shoulder with celeriac Dauphinoise, a tomato and pepper fondue and another Asian mushroom ragout – very good indeed. And a fantastic beef fillet with foie gras, cepe purée and “pinotage pearls” for the molecular fans. On the dessert menu the two we tried were excellent: a caramelised apple tarte fin with Muscovado-cinnamon ice cream and salted raisin caramel; and the baked chocolate lava pudding with remarkable sour cherry “crackle” and peanut “glass”.
As the descriptions suggest, the dishes are often very innovative, while the cooking was accurate and the plating spectacular. Service is helpful and well informed, and the wine list exceptional. This is stylish fine dining at a beautiful “grande dame” of the leafy suburbs. Well worth repeat visits. Dinner Tues-Sat: 021 794 2137
Mange Tout, Mont Rochelle, Franschhoek
A single page menu with an introduction from the chef and team is promising, it speaks of their desire to cook seasonally and with free-range ingredients, but then, after speaking of “myself and the team” ends unsigned, with no name to attach these promises to. This moment is emblematic of the whole meal, where promise is all over, but delivery is erratic. It’s a beautiful space, enhanced by the wrap-around views of the valley below. The room is in a semi-circle, with wooden rafters offset by a lovely blingy chandelier. Fittings are quality, and there’s a special occasion feeling to it all, helped (or hindered, depending on your taste) by the live pianist who rolls out popular tunes.
Service is warm, but by turn experienced and then green, when we enquire about the asterisk at some menu items we get an explanation that makes no sense to either of us, the second waitress then says these were special price dishes for the festival that is now finished, so there was no benefit in them for us after all. The wine list is good, happily with picks beyond only the estate wines, though prices are high. Our breads and amuse – a pea soup enlivened by salmon and a touch of caviar – is excellent. The menu is modern fusion in its creative combinations: eisbein terrine with daikon and smoked miso; poached crayfish, bisque, braised lettuce, almond sweetbreads and cardomom; seared beef, oxtail marmalade, celeriac and glazed turnips. All plates have a few techniques on display, and smears, rich reductions are prevalent. Three courses R280; four R360; five R430.
A starter of sugar cured lamb with aubergine carpaccio, caviar and smoked olive oil is disappointing in its blunt flavours and tough textures. Kingklip with caramelised scallops, truffle, leek and potato is marred by fish that is over-cooked, grit in the scallop and a piece of plastic in the food. We are assured the plate would be removed from the bill, and it is. A dish of confit duck with vanilla duck breast, red cabbage and a parsnip and pear crumble features very well-cooked duck breast but terribly sweet sauce and extra sweet red cabbage. The crumble is a token. A dessert of a chocolate guava fondant with charred pistachio marshmallow foam and black forest cake ice cream: excellent fondant – but why the guava flourish, which only adds pips and no flavour? Good ice cream; while the marshmallow foam is another element that only clutters since it’s not strikingly interesting.
Overall: beautiful setting, wonderful for sundowner views; happy service, if not too polished; food that over-aspires, sometimes succeeds, but ends up feeling expensive. Subtlety would also be a worthwhile addition.
Mont Rochelle Hotel, Dassenberg Rd, 021 876 2770
Country Kitchen at Mont Rochelle, Franschhoek, redux
Another visit here, on a lovely winter’s day. It’s never great to dine at any restaurant when they are quiet, but I somehow feel that this place is often quiet in the weekdays – although they are valiantly open daily from 10am till 7pm. Picnics are also on offer, and the patio is a fantastic space (mitigated by the stunning heat of Franschhoek’s summers). My previous post describes the space and ambience, which is most pleasant. On this visit, my arrival had them scurrying to light the fire in the big fireplace and turn the heat up. The service was friendly, but with inattention at key moments. One of these was the glass of red I ordered being poured into the white wine glass that happened to be at my setting, the other was the absence of the waitress when I wanted to pay the bill. I found she was chatting in the kitchen. I also noticed, now paying at the tasting room’s till point, that a bottle of the wine I had enjoyed at lunch costs R55, while my single glass cost R34. Not fair value at all.
The food is on blackboard, the choices appealing: cheese and antipasta pplatters; poached pear and gorgonzola tart with nut brittle; ostrich neck and mushroom pie; a kudu biltong risotto; sirloin with polenta and vegetable “batons” and “steak butter”. I would have liked to find out what these stood for (I imagine vegetable batons are stock in trade for stir-fries) but instead opted for the unusual risotto as a starter and the kingklip with puy lentils, curry sauce and a “garlic and ginger crumble” as my main. The risotto was accurately cooked and wet, I liked the consistency and also found the flavour good – a fun “nouveau African” dish. The fish was, on the other had, over-cooked and the curry flavour was raw, while there was scant evidence of the garlic and ginger crumble I was curious about. And “puy” lentils? These were bog standard. There were only two dessert options (once I teased the dessert menu from the waitress), I finished only with a poor espresso and the tardy bill.
Overall: fantastic setting and pleasant spaces, if a touch contrived; service OK to below par; food interesting in parts but not always well executed and value questionable (starters R70; mains R90).
Dassenberg Rd, 021 876 2770
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Pastis, Constantia
Back to a neighbourhood spot: and here their credentials are sound – sealed with dogs on the patio and a local with a racoon-skin hat in atttendance…
There have been a few ownership changes here, the latest seems to have brought a welcome return to some form, with the bistro-themed food now consistent and the value sound (starters around R50, mains R80). I say bistro-themed, because they feature the moules frites and the steak au poivre, but they also have paella and seafood platters, as well as ample salads and sandwiches to cater to all-comers. It’s a pretty and relaxing space with a pleasant patio (that’s dog friendly) and a downstairs lounge/bar with a big fireplace (that becomes quite boisterous on Friday nights, I hear).
The dining area is trés French themed, Parisian pictures and check cloths and music to match. Fair to good in quality: our oysters superb, our Caesar salad good (if the dressing a little thick and unctuous), as was the seared tuna in a Niçoise-style and the paella, though desserts were poor. Reports of the steaks are very good. Prices struck me as reasonable, so this is an ideal spot for simple lunches, summer afternoon drinks on the patio. There’s also a good breakfast menu till noon (with regular specials). Service was spot on, if a little over-attentive, and happily the wine list features many options by the carafe.
High Constantia Centre, Groot Constantia Rd. Daily 8.30am till 11pm. 021 794 8334
Hilda’s Kitchen at Groote Post, Darling
Been meaning to get here ages ago, and well surprised by the happy throng of people that book the tables out for lunches on weekends – destination lunching at its most romantic and charming. This restaurant carries the name of one of the Cape’s historic farms, not least for its heritage as home to Hildagonda Duckitt, she who wrote some of the Cape’s earliest cookery books. So it’s fitting that the restaurant is named in her honour, though you won’t find too much of her cookery here, but rather modern country fare that ranges the globe. The setting is wonderfully rich with an old Cape feel: antiques, big furniture, voluminous spaces, a slave bell and the winery below (where the throngs and small counter made it difficult to squeeze in a tasting).
In the dining areas, service is very authentic – led by personable Shaun McLaughlin, whose wife Debbie is the chef. There are a few rooms, and they’re well equipped to deal with larger groups. Wine is estate own, and glasses are good. Special mention of the fantastic spring water – beautifully soft and fine, reminding one that municipal water is… well, just OK, and not fresh. The menu’s a one pager with items like fish cakes, onion tart, carpaccio; then cassoulet and steak roll, chicken pie and a pasta. Prices, about R50 starter, R100 main. It was all sound in flavour and ample in portion, highlights being the robust bean soup with avocado relish and the dense cassoulet, lowlight the rather chewy fishcakes with a pale wasabi mayo.
Overall: Lovely place to drive out to, leave enough time for tasting and a leisurely lunch. Kids will also enjoy the space (there’s a mini-park for them too). Country welcome, well-run. Food is tasty, generous in portion, though carries town prices.
Groote Post winery, Darling Hills Rd. Lunch Wednesday to Sunday. 022 492 3430. Reservations required on weekends.
Independent restaurant reviews
Rossouw’s Restaurants is a website that complements the printed Rossouw’s guide, now in its seventh year. For both the printed guide and all reviews here, the principle is: reviews are conducted anonymously; and all meals are paid for. For this site, the blog, all reviews are written by the editor, JPR, unless noted. Naturally, you may not agree with all the views. You are welcome to comment, but the site reserves the right to edit and/or delete content that is purely malicious. You are also welcome to send written reviews by clicking on the button on the right. Please note that not all restaurants that are reviewed in the printed guide appear on this site – nor are all on this site in the annual printed guide (which is a selection).