Category Archives: Posts
Restaurant reviewing and the blogosphere
Quite unexpectedly, a recent blog review posted on this site has opened a vigorous to-and-fro. While important issues were raised, much of the initial conversation was based on a mis-understanding of how Rossouw’s Restaurants works. As stated in the introduction above, the website that you are reading complements the printed Rossouw’s guide. For both the printed guide and [...]
DW Eleven-13, Dunkeld West
There’s a cool bar area alongside this mod resto, and there’s a jazzy soundtrack. Monochromes meet modular plastic white chairs and high dark leather ones, dark wood tables, mod Afro touches. It’s all very elegant, but also sparse. A small wine list with a reasonable selection, but no vintages, quite a few by glass, and [...]
River Café, Constantia refreshed
Constantia Uitsig’s River Café has had a shake-up of late – and it’s a promising one. As a south peninsula favourite, it has a strong pedigree, but in the last while it has slid into a groove of ordinariness that exposed the menu prices. Yet, it’s lovely bucolic setting and garden spaces continued to draw [...]
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Rossouw’s 2010 is imminent
Rossouw’s Restaurants 2010 is nearly here. As ever, there are many new restaurants reviewed, as well as multiple improvements – especially to the lists and the cross-referencing utility. For the first time, Rossouw’s also weighs in on the scene in Kwa-Zulu Natal. And there are some exciting newcomers to the Three Star list. The guide [...]
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East Head Café, Knysna
A pretty new spot, run by Jerome, who used to operate Cruise Café – this “beach house” has a fabulous position overlooking the Heads and the interior is bright and cheerful, with big windows to capitalise on one of the world’s finest locations. In white wood and stabs of colour, it’s comfortable and unpretentious, as [...]
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Nova goes supernova, closes
Sadly, Nova – the exciting restaurant where Richard Carstens created his food art – has closed. I know there is a recession, but it is tough to see progressive restaurants close while the run-of-the-mill keep on trucking. In the last year, Platine shut its doors, recently the Showroom and now Nova. These were all restaurants [...]
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Rossouw’s Restaurants Three Star Celebration
Last night, the 13 restaurants that were awarded the highest accolade of three stars in the printed 2009 Rossouw’s Restaurants guide were invited to a celebration at Rust en Vrede for a short ceremony where I handed them a commemorative certificate followed by the appropriate celebration: a relaxed four course meal. Interestingly, this event nearly [...]
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Meloncino, V&A Waterfront
“Chefs imported from Italy” tells the menu at this stylish and vibrant waterfront Italian with large bar and fashion tv, deck with superb views of Table Mountain. The menu ranges through pasta, pizza and grills, but manages to suggest that the quality is going to be better than so many dozens of all-round Italians (a [...]
Richard Carstens’ Nova
“Very, very nice” is not the phrase I would have expected to hear to describe a dish on Richard Carstens’ new menu at his new restaurant, Nova. Rather “elegant” or “precise,” “surprising” or “bizarre” – for all of these could describe some of the creativity that goes into his food. But last night the waitress [...]
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The Guinea Fowl, Stellenbosch