Signalling the red meat focus, the wine list begins with reds and prices are high, with few red wines below R200. Big names take the floor, with descriptions and vintages. Wines by the glass do get their own wine menu, something that is quite unusual for any restaurant, and welcome. Customers are invited to take a drink in the bar/lounge with its fireplace and cosy penumbral shadow, and throughout the restaurant, low lighting is the norm – making it very cosy and intimate, which feeling is aided by the clubby atmosphere: free standing lamps, ruddy walls and mock Tudor beams, carpeting, linen tablecloths, botanical and animal prints and fake candles on tall holders. The comfortable feel is somewhat jarred by the silly pop music though.

Waiters, wearing chef’s caps and aprons, initially swamp the table with service but if you break their rhythm (by asking for time to chat before ordering) they flake out until you let them take control. Then service then good again, punctuated by the Monty Python-esque manager who opens all communication with a “thank you”.

Crust-free “government” brown bread comes to the table with three butters, regular, garlic, anchovy. Then a travesty of a Caesar salad: iceberg lettuce, insipid dressing, completely flavourless and an insult at R65. Button mushrooms are served with prawns on top, which are tender but tasteless, lacking in seasoning (these at R70).

Hoping for more satisfaction, on to mains: a trio of quails are very plainly cooked and presented, though tasty and moist enough, with roast sweet potato (from the choice of starches, extra at R10 p/p), the quail a princely R150. A fillet on the bone (R170) is cooked accurately, though with a marrow and mushroom sauce that is very raw in flavour, suggesting that it’s best to stick to the basics here and order your meat unadulterated – and indeed the superb sirloin proves it, a very delicious steak at R130 with no sauces or extras.

On this busy Friday, and with a number of big tables and birthday groups (singing waiters bringing to mind an adult Spur) the wait for our main courses was overly long. This, and not being in the mood for more disappointments, led us to excuse ourselves from desserts (which were in any case of the common garden variety: crème brûlée, trio of ice creams, ice cream and chocolate sauce, and all around R50).

For: Clubby, inviting atmosphere

Against: Prices very high for any meal beyond the basics, ordinary quality beyond the steaks

12 Du Toit Street, Stanford. 028 341 0272. Thursday to Sunday lunch only.

If there is one serious problem with Mariana’s, it is the challenge of finding a table here during season. The eponymous chef and her husband, Peter, have struck on a balance between life and the ravenous world of restaurants by establishing this country gem and offering only lunches, and these only at the end of the week and weekends. On top of that, they are closed for a couple of months in winter. Nevertheless, food lovers make international reservations and return year in and out.

The setting is a charming Overberg cottage right in the midst of this picturesque town, the small interior with its thick walls kept very plain in the vernacular tradition. A lovely garden out back sets a great backdrop to the patio seats (covered by beach umbrellas). One of the very first South African restaurants to talk local and seasonal when it comes to cuisine, they were, and still are, one of the few that were true to their word and cook very much from their own garden, often preserving fruits and vegetables too. The preservation of food and these stewed and confit flavours are also the cornerstone of Cape cooking, a school that Mariana sticks close to with admirable results.

But its no “bord kos” here, rather refined plates that present and showcase ingredients beautifully. And while heritage beans (Heerenbone from the West Coast) have been a staple on the menu for years, one of the other perennial hits is her superb white gazpacho, made with almonds and garlic and no tomato in sight. All at R40, other starters from the tiny menu this season were: richly flavoured springbok rillette (the fats melting into the venison), salted duck (reminiscent of a duck ham) and a fresh barley salad.

The complete list of mains (from R95 to R120) are a spinach roulade, fish curry, confit de canard, springbok pie and skaapblad. As the dishes suggest, these are elemental plates, with direct and delicious flavours. There’s a signature of authenticity to all these plates – much of this due to a commodity that few restaurants seem to use much of: time. Slow cooking, often overnight, is how Mariana gets melt-in-the-mouth tenderness and deep flavour.

Peter is a consummate but never obsequious host, and he’s assembled a great list of wines, many from local wineries and very well priced. You can also press him for an embellishment to their signature dessert, the “doodskoot” which consists of home-made ice cream, espresso, biscotti and amaretto – the optional extras include grappa and/or witblits. That is, of course, if you get a reservation, but this may be more likely now that season is winding down. If no luck, it’s a fine idea to plan ahead and make an afternoon of it.

For: Excellent country cooking in a tranquil environment, with warm hosts.

Against: Very limited seating and opening hours.

As published in Business Day

At the same time, South Africa does have a fine tradition of starting some (justifiably) highly successful ones, which deliver a great product for the price and the (often family) clientele. The Spur empire and the now international Nando’s immediately come to mind. The Lemon-Butta franchise of seafood restaurants is by no means big (two in the Cape) but a few recent meals at the Hermanus branch served as a salutary example of how managerial attention can take a formerly bland restaurant and make it one that offers not only a reliable eating experience – the promise that one hopes a franchise delivers on – but even a better than average one. At this Lemon-Butta, a master sushi chef rolls and slices some excellent sushi and the seafood platters are fresh and well-priced. The service is good, and led by the owner, who has also introduced a good wine list. To top it all, there are window views right onto the ocean, mitigating the fact of the rather plain interior. In sum, this (surprisingly) makes it one of the best options for seafood in this seaside town.

Corner Harbour Road and Marine Drive, Hermanus. 028 312 36 11

December is a curious month for dining out in South Africa. The restaurants are very busy and no doubt enjoy the extra revenues. They are, in many ways, operating at optimum efficiency in the kitchen and the throughput means you are likely to eat very consistently fresh food. On the flipside, the sudden rush can stretch their service capacities and I have heard many complaints of such. Still, the holiday spirit means lots of forgiveness.

My wish for the year ahead: Restaurants leaving the preaching of freshness and seasonality and simply practising what should be taken for granted.

Here’s to a great 2012 for the industry – which means many great meals for us diners!

Cape and Winelands, Garden Route

Anatoli’s

For decades, Anatoli’s has been the place for great eating at over-sized group tables. Inside a character-filled old warehouse, the serpentine Turkish music and earthily exotic furnishings of wood and copper set a cosy and sensual scene. Even better, you hardly have to bother with the ordering, since you’re presented with a huge tray of superb sweetmeats and mezze – and you simply load your table with your favourites. It’s a great way for groups to dine since little time is lost ordering and all those plates create a wonderfully festive, colourful and flavourful table. A decent wine list too, with very fair prices. 24 Napier Street. 021 419 2501

Bistro Sixteen82

Restaurants on wine farms have that relaxed mood built in, and this one, at Steenberg’s showpiece winery, has the added advantage of a sparkling wine bar right as you walk in, plus a tasting area that spills onto a great patio. The winery makes a lovely sparkling wine (and great sauvignons), naturally these are a fine adjunct to good times. The bistro area itself is soothingly plush and, with the deck and water features, it creates a “high life” party mood. Furthermore, the menu is packed with dishes that are easily shared, like charcuterie platters – and afternoons into evenings feature a tapas menu that’s ideal for kick-starting a summer’s evening. Steenberg Winery, Steenberg Road, Tokai. 021 713 2211

The Grand Café and Beach

With all the sea and beach-frontage that the Cape boasts, little can compare to The Grand’s feet-in-the-sand tables and uber-cool Riviera vibe. You feel like you’ve gone on holiday simply by arriving here at a restaurant on a beach; plus the large communal table in the converted boat shed interior loves a party. The music is trendy and so are the people; while the menu sticks to basics that everyone loves – mussels and chips, prego rolls and over-sized pizzas, plus a good dollop of crayfish here and there (also in a sandwich). The small wine is not a draw card, but most come for the cocktails and very lively atmosphere. Beach Road, Granger Bay. 021 425 0551

Sotano

For an louche brunch, an all-afternoon lunch, great sunset eating or a boisterous night-time party, Sotano is another venue with sea views and a great laid-back vibe. There’s a bar, plus various “honeymoon” tables in a space with vibrant sea and sand colouration; while the open patio is the place for summer – straight from a walk on the promenade. All kinds of Mediterranean fare is on offer, in small and bigger portions, to suit pretty much everyone’s taste; and the wine list is well-selected, as one would expect from the team that brought you Caveau wine bar (where, incidentally, the courtyard is another superb space for social eating and long parties). 121 Beach Road. 021 433 1757

Maria’s

This famed taverna is back, now filled with candles and pictures of the old country overlooking blue and white tables. For occasions, there’s an upstairs dining room that is ideal for groups, featuring its own bar. The main attraction hasn’t gone anywhere – the lovely alfresco tables that flow out onto a charming and historic inner city square with its trees at night enlivened by fairy lights for a great party mood. Expect the Greek cuisine classics from a blackboard menu: mezze, slow-cooked mains like moussaka and stolen lamb and “glyka” or sweets, all at good prices. The wine list is not fancy but very workable and the mood is delightfully friendly and accommodating. Dunkley Square, Barnet Street. 021 461 3333

Gabriëlskloof

A wine lands restaurant with sweeping views of the Overberg hills and vines, what makes Gabriëlskloof ideal for large and vibey parties is the design – a large Italianate courtyard with lawn and veranda flowing into the open plan dining and private spaces. The wines are estate-own, and though this winery is quite a new kid on the block, the wines are quickly gathering applause (try the Five Arches red blend). The menu here is as one would expect from the setting – good, hearty country cooking with an eye to Italian classics. They also make some of the best breakfasts in the area, in case a social brunch is just what you’re after. Swartrivier Road, N2 between Bot River and Caledon. 028 284 9865

Simon’s

Another restaurant that has been upgraded and re-invigorated of late is this Groot Constantia spot. It’s got space galore, plus one of the biggest fireplaces known to the Cape inside its huge dining room, along with a number of discreet lounge/bar spaces for private gatherings. The drawcard has to be the patio with its vineyard views, however, as well as the new menu with its French bistro classics like moules, confit duck and other hearty favourites. There’s truly something for everyone, and the prices are fantastic, plus the estate is not short of fine wines in a diverse range. Groot Constantia Wine Estate, Groot Constantia. 021 794 1143

La Masseria

Another favourite that’s back – in a new location – is this rustic and homely Italian trattoria. Now having returned to Stellenbosch where it first began (after being in Durbanville), it has once more found a farmhouse location that perfectly suits the bring-one-bring-all style of dining that they specialise in. Large tables sag under the weight of fabulous anti-pasti that you first help yourself to, then order from the pasta and mains menu. All the while the family host you in warm personal style, with boisterous “O solo mio” singing by pappa and his accordion-toting partner – a real crowd-pleaser. It’s an Italian feast, with good wines too. R44 Road, opposite Mooiberge. 021 881 3654

Enrico’s

With an absolutely superb setting right on the rocks with the sea beyond, this is another Italian favourite that’s great on a sunny day for the big deck, plus they also have ample, plain wooden inside tables separated by sacks of flour and tomato tins – all perfect for rowdy, unbreakable fun. The menu is rather pompous, dishes “created” by Enrico, but in reality the food is all good standard Italian fare. The fresh fish is good, as is the lamb shank and ossobuco. The pasta and pizza are plain, cooked more to South African tastes. Service is sharp and friendly, and the wine list features some Italian bottles. Keurboomstrand. 044 535 9818

La Vierge

If you are familiar with Pretoria’s La Pentola (see below) you’ll relate to this winery’s bright and fun-packed menu designed by Shane Sauvage – but what you must know is just how splendid the setting of this restaurant is – jutting out over the beautiful Hemel-en-Aarde valley with a champagne veranda and big window views to soak it all in. Besides the choice of French bubbly, the winery’s own selection is eclectic (pinot noir of course, being in this valley, but also Weisser riesling). The food is flavour-packed, plentiful and colourful: result – you can’t but help feeling festive here. Hemel-en-Aarde Road, Hermanus. 028 313 2007

Gauteng

Kream

A stylish option for parties (and popular with corporate groups): modern and on multiple levels, with triple volumes and diverse spaces – all dressed in cream and white and matched to silvers and metal. Hip music, a big lounge-bar, very attractive patio seats, and across the way they have their other venue, called Pangaea, a multi-purpose, social space with mixed media décor and diverse inside and out areas. Kream’s menu is abundant and wide-ranging with mains dominated by steak variations, while luxury seafoods are served in big portions and are popular, as are “comfort” options like oxtail. The wine list showcases a good spread and a welcome respect for vintages. Brooklyn Bridge. 570 Fehrsen Street. 012 346 4642

La Pentola

Welcome to the wild side, pre-packaged for parties. The appropriately-named Shane Sauvage’s madly eclectic “Afro-Parisienne bistro” is full-bore exuberance: OTT Afro, highly theatrical and charmingly energetic. The menu continues the wild individualism, multiple specials explained by well-trained, caring staff. This is true fusion cuisine, pushed to extremes. The flavours are rich and unusual, also lots of fortification with liquor and loads of cream. Basic ingredients are well cooked, and you’d be hard pressed to find this level of entertainment in any restaurant. Plus the wine list is very good and diverse. Corner Soutpansberg and Wells Street, Riviera, Pretoria. 012 329 4028

 La Rustica

If you’ve never been, you’re likely to be very surprised to find this rambling Italian country restaurant in the middle of big city Johannesburg – set on a large Houghton property, there are lawns, a fountain, cool outdoor areas under trees, patio seats and warm and inviting rooms inside. There’s also a fabulous cellar room where a group of you can celebrate the spirit of the vine in appropriate surrounds. The menu sticks to the tried and tested Italian songbook, plus they cook good wood-fired pizza and the wine list is well-priced with a number of Italian choices. 103 Houghton Drive, corner Lloys Ellis Ave, Houghton. 011 728 2092

Burnside’s

Another surprising find in the city, this chic restaurant presents a relaxed plantation feel and is pleasingly casual – the lovely reed ceilinged patio extends onto a garden with fountain – it’s all ideal for parties and the tables are appropriately generous in size. The service is relaxed and personable, led by the owner. The wine list is challengingly small (but decent), food menu similarly focussed, though bigger in the breakfast/lunch department. Fresh and flavoursome, this is easy eating with a touch of style and the result is very popular; just beware that lunches are unreserved. 6 Burnside Ave, Craighall. 011 326 3970

Kwa-Zulu Natal

Roma Revolving Restaurant

For a party with a distinct difference, take the lift up to the 32^nd floor of this harbour-side Italian – when the doors open you’re transported into another world and a different era: a retro-kitsch Italian boudoir with rich colours, statuettes and Roman frescoes – all on a floor that rotates, offering you a 360 degree view of Durban. Waiters are old-school in bow-tie, and the menu is deeply classical: avo Ritz, melon maraschino, minestrone, pastas, sole bonne femme, steaks, chateaubriand, duck á l’orange, rabbit. Usually a selection of good fresh fish, and the quality is reliably good. Just a pity the wine list is also stuck in the past. John Ross House, Jonsson Lane, Victoria Embankment. 031 368 2275

Czar

An extremely elegant, romantic option for festivity set in a very beautiful colonial building with lovely treed grounds (it’s quite possibly the prettiest dining space in town). Veranda seats are delightful, the interior features a plush bar and then also dining in low-lit, mirror-clad, dark wood and pillared luxury, to soothing lounge music. The wine list specialises in upmarket choices, and there’s also a small champagne selection. Start with Asian “tapas” including platters: satays, dumplings, tempura – these half price on Mondays, while sushi is half off on Wednesdays. Mains are more western-styled, with their sauces and starches: seafood and steak-driven. 178 Florida Road. 031 312 8001

Craft Trattoria

There’s a party guaranteed at this modern and playfully-designed trattoria, and the noise levels bear testimony. The interior is a single-roomed affair, with designer lights over a screeded floor, wood-clad walls and similar blonde wood tables all for a cabin-like impression. A wood-burning pizza oven in a corner alongside a deli-like zone where wine bottles and foodstuffs are stacked is a good sign – and indeed the pizza is great – or order “stuzzichini”: bite-sized appetisers that are great to mix and match at a group table, the rustic flavours they offer are fantastic. A concise, cheeky wine list presents good options from cheapies to fancier wines for your party pleasure. 35 Newport Avenue, Glenashley. 031 562 1951

As published in Classic Wine Dec/Jan 2012. www.classicfm.co.za

The interior of the restaurant space is upmarket and very well designed and appointed, featuring a superb and plush bar with moody blue back lighting and white leather seats; the white theme is carried through to the patterned linen, and table appointments are all of high quality. Cosy nook seating for groups of four and elegant free-standing tables with views of the water and boats set really lovely and romantic tableaux.

Service is attentive and efficient and the menu sails close to bistro favourites and lists them in English and French. Smoked line fish carpaccio, steak tartare, avocado Ritz, snails and a leek and potato soup as starters all come in at very reasonable prices, around R50 – but, like the mains that were to follow, do not “eat” as well as they read. The vichyssoise-style soup was offered as warm or cold, but lacked any real depth of flavour. The “Chez Patrick Ritz” on my companion’s plate featured butter poached prawns (these were mealy and not buttery) and tuna carpaccio pieces that were clearly defrosted and grey.

The main of seared tuna fared better for being cooked (R135) and came with gnocchi of fair quality and some steamed green beans and an anchovy sauce, all OK. The grilled rib eye (R135) was lacklustre in flavour and the frites lacked snap, and this is a dish that really should be fail-safe. The mushroom and Hollandaise sauce was similarly poor. Other mains included a seafood platter and crayfish, sole “bonne femme”, roast duck and fillet with roast garlic and mushroom sauce.

We ventured desserts in the form of a chocolate fondant (with cocoa fennel “soil” and salted caramel truffle, R60) and a crème brûlée (R50). The fondant was, finally, a complete success of a dish; but the worst was kept for last in the form of a brûlée that was curdled. There was the appropriate consternation when I sent it back – but a dish like that should never have left a kitchen that’s awake.

In sum, the cooking is at best erratic and the quality of the raw ingredients is not always up to scratch – all a great pity since the restaurant has oodles of potential. Great wine list though and warm service – so a wonderful place for drinks.

For: Superb location and beautiful quality fittings.

Against: Lacklustre food.

Triton Avenue, Port St Francis. 042 294 0121. Tues-Sun breakfast & lunch; dinner Mon-Tues

Christy’s Catch is a very casual “lean-to” seafood shack with rough and ready wooden furnishings and a large garden patio out back with bar and big screen for sports and parties. The locals come for the freshest seafoods (the owner runs a fleet of fishing boats) and the sushi is good. It gets madly busy in season and for the sushi special nights, and has a Chinese and Thai menu thanks to a resident Oriental team. The St Francis Links Golf Course has a decent restaurant that you may only know of if you are a golfer, but its well worth a look: the general quality of the service and menu is satisfying and the Wednesday night curry special is a fantastically-priced treat. The setting, with its golf course views, is lovely, as is the bar area. Five Elements has undergone some kitchen changes and improvements and is one of St Francis’ more upmarket options, very warmly run by proprietor Charles Black. The concise menu features modern cuisine as well as wine pairings from a good and well-priced list. Then there is Big Time Taverna: here just the path into the restaurant, lined with electronic billboards, gives you some indication of the firmly capitalist enterprise you are entering. The irrepressible spirit and hospitality of owner, Peri, is at the heart of this eccentric Greek experience where “prices may vary according to customer’s attitude” and stories of ludicrous bills are legion – but only seems to add to the charm of this perpetually bustling taverna.

Look out for my review of Chez Patrick on Thursday.

Owner-operated places are immediately leaps ahead, since the line of energy is unbroken. Of course, this does not ensure great hospitality but usually assures at least an escape from the rote. So it is with Yamas, ostensibly a Greek taverna, where the core and chief attraction is the owner-chef Barry. With irrepressible enthusiasm and energy, he treats all who walk through the door with a warmth and welcome that’s simply a masterclass in making and keeping regulars.

Arriving without a reservation to a very full, very convivial restaurant, a small glass of wine was offered while we waited for them to make a plan, a promise that was neither empty nor grudging. The place is plain, a suburban house transformed into eatery, and filled with an eclectic collection of tables, chairs and items – most donated by other restaurants in the area, it transpired. Assorted objects and the earthy colouration gave just enough of a Greek bent to the whole, while the hand-written menu is totally Greek – and refreshingly personal (“operated by a South African-born Russian Jewish Scottish Turk”).

Mezes are R60 for the “basic” selection to share: dolmades, spanakopita, hummus and tzaziki, you’re then invited to “upsize” and R30 per person. Salads can similarly be upsized; then there are pita-based meals like schwarma and souvlaki (around R45-65). House specialities include vegetable moussaka, meat mezes, kleftiko and the item that is apparently the most popular – “feed us” where the kitchen makes an arrangement at R85 per person.

The prices are fair, as it turned out so was the food. Fair rather than spectacular, with meze that did not speak to really robust flavour, but were adequate. The kleftiko portions, I was informed, had already been fully booked, so I had to settle for a lamb souvlaki which was ordinary, with chewy, plain meat in a very doughy pita. Owner-made Turkish coffee, done at the table with a gas burner, was an excellent touch and well-made. So while the food was not a winner on the night, the very pleasant nature of the experience and the “feed us” option still to sample make it easy to imagine a return.

For: Wonderful hospitality and a great community vibe

Against: Food that can be a little too plain for price (but this easily forgotten)

15 Bright Street, Somerset West. 076 031 6563. Tues-Sat lunch and dinner