There’s been a refresh of the interior here, the colours are muted, more sophisticated, a few private Maud Sumner artworks and small wirework trees on a wall “horizon”. It’s a successful re-furb, as the ambience is neat and comfortable in a elegantly informal fashion – it still retains a touch of country. On the night, the acoustics were not great though, it was noisy – but this may have been the large table of boisterous men alongside. Service was as warm and certain as ever, with the waiters very firm about explaining what was happening on every plate in detail. … continue reading
Catharina’s, Steenberg Hotel, Constantia
From Cape Colonial and rather old school, Catharina’s has been redecorated – or rather “undecorated”. The new look manages to fuse simplicity with elegance – the main room has been turned into an upmarket country barn, with high ceilings and rafters (lots of light), concrete floors, wooden furniture and one wall completely stacked with logs of firewood alongside the gargantuan fireplace. Chairs are of the plush upright variety and colourful photographs of SA scenes liven the walls. Loads of outdoor seating, plus private rooms, and an amenable bar/lounge area.
The menu has also seen a welcome paring down and has left most of its French styling behind to become more bespoke bistro in style, with Italian and Mediterranean influences the most obvious. Both lunch and dinner menus are to the point, and there is a winter menu for extra value. Served by a very switched-on waitress (after wandering aimlessly looking for a hostess for five minutes and then asking the barman for a table), I tried a mushroom tart with leaves that was good but for a heavy balsamic hand, bursting with earthy flavours and a good pastry (R70). Then the “market fish,” some cob, on a risotto with prawn and an advertised bisque: perfectly cooked fish and prawn, ok risotto, but the bisque was weak (R125). Dessert, chocolate brownies, were anaemic but for price (R50). Coffee ordinary.
So a mixed bag, but mostly good, and the setting is fantastic, as is the revamp. They tell me: jazz brunch on Sunday, this is a good place to be. 021 713 2222
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Reuben’s, Franschhoek
Restaurants that are open seven days a week are beginning to amaze me. The dedication is immense. Even more so if you are serving three meals a day. And this is elevated to a state near madness when you have an eponymous place, where people will expect that the chef is always in the kitchen. Reuben’s has now been cooking three meals times seven for the last six years, and the consistency is matched by an ever-evolving menu, one which is also aware of the season’s change. The reliability is centred around a core of dishes, like the mascarpone blue cheese tart with leaves, and the chilli salt squid – these have become signatures that the kitchen is well on top of – and that the customers will not let him drop. A further boon for regulars and sidewalk flaneurs is the café menu with its well-priced sandwiches and burgers.
My recent lunch also amazed me with its value. The aforementioned blue cheese tart, a generous and richly flavoured plate, was R58 and could be a meal for the light of appetite. But it was my oxtail ravioli with calamari and porcini on a parsnip purée with touches of curry oil that really stood apart, even more for its R89 tag. This was a beautifully-presented plate, and matched by exquisite textures and earthy flavours. A dessert trio of apple: tarte tatin, sorbet and custard, rounded it all off with a fresh lift.
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La Boheme, Sea Point
After finishing a long stint as manager at Caveau, Faisal has now set up his own shop right next to his partner’s Spanish café, La Bruixa on Main Road, Sea Point. It’s a comfortable space, touch of earthiness, touch of modern minimalist – and all very much under his own personable command. The wine list is good, and with 60 wines by the glass there is great value too. The small open kitchen knocks out bistro food, the black board menu features a tight selection and initial feedback from diners is very positive indeed: added to by the very competitive pricing. At the moment, two courses here is R80 and three R100 – for good, flavoursome food that’s not insubstantial. A weekday lunch and I sampled as starters a feta and coppa salad and a spicy prawn on noodle; as mains the balsamic fillet with mushroom risotto and pork belly with mustard mash. Every dish was true in flavour and very well cooked, and the ticket prices make La Boheme a real gem in a suburb that welcomes this options beyond Italian and Asian, or hackneyed chains.
La Boheme. 341 Main, corner Main and Albany, Sea Point. 021 434 8797. Open Mon-Sat lunch and dinner.
Posted in Restaurants Cape 35 Comments
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 that pushed the boundaries of cuisine – and although there will always be a smaller market for places like these, it is something of an indictment of Cape Town’s diners that they stayed open for so short a time.
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Delaire, Stellenbosch
The new Delaire is something to behold. Especially if you were ever familiar with the original. The GDP of a small country has been poured into this property, and the result is a feast for the senses, and also quite a statement for one potential future direction for the Cape wine lands. Here, diamond magnate Laurence Graff has upped the ante, and we can expect a few more of the world’s players to continue the trend.
The wine still needs attention, and winemaker Chris Kelly has recently left the cellar, but the restaurant is under the very sure hand of Christian Campbell with a good team on the floor, including sommelier Tatiana. The interior is a page from a contemporary magazine, not so much Wallpaper as House & Garden: to call it eclectic would be slightly unfair, as there is a strong South African theme, but there’s also lots more – all of the highest quality, in the “Kentridges as decor” idiom. As this was just a first look (and the deck, with its panorama of the Helshoogte Mountains, is some look) I won’t comment in depth on the menu, suffice to say it is not pretentious food, but the dishes are given quite a make-over in look. My Niçoise salad was a plate of beauty and still tasted like it should. Look forward to returning.
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The Greenhouse at Cellars-Hohenhort, Constantia
Peter Tempelhoff is now the group exec chef for this hotel as well as for The Marine in Hermanus and Sand at the Plettenberg – and if my dinner here a few nights ago is representative, it’s the dawn of great things for the hotel group. The welcome on arrival was friendly and professional, while the ambience has always been wonderful. A while back they transformed their wine bar into a martini bar, so that’s a dangerous place to tarry too long. Proceeding, the interior of Greenhouse is all about the garden, daytime views are enveloping, while night-time arboreal touches are very deft. For the rest, the fittings are high quality.
The restaurant is also home to one of South Africa’s finest wine lists, and Miguel Chan is a most accomplished sommelier – but is now regrettably leaving to pursue opportunities in Gauteng. I was presented with a collection of unsolicited Asian tidbits and enquired whether these were the amuse – only to be firmly informed that they were the canapes before the amuse… which was lobster gnocchi (tender and light) in a light tomato. … continue reading
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Cotage Fromage, Simondium
Franschhoek has it’s Bread & Wine; it also has Cotage Fromage down the road, which could be called Bread & Cheese, since the menu is largely based on gourmet sandwiches and cheese-infused dishes. There’s also a great deli with loads of fine cheese, so “Wallaces” — get out there. The rustic deli area is in stark contrast to the modern, white, clean-lined and large-windowed café with its lovely patio seats. Service is warm and the menu is colourful and fulsome – interesting salads, big sandwiches, creative mains (and popular quiches) and cheese platter that include “mature” and “pungent” boards. I tried a gnocchi with wild mushrooms that came in a wet style with a cheesy, winey sauce, it was delicious; also some salmon rillettes with brie crostini, very tasty. A orange semolina cake with some home-made ice cream rounded it all out successfully. Breakfasts until midday, and lunch right until 16h30 is a very welcome benefit. Intersection R45 & Klapmuts Rd, Simondium. 021 874 3991.
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