My first (brief) look at Bruce Robertson’s new “idea child” – a street-food venue that specialises in… bunny chows (half loaves of white bread with filling). Robertson recently closed The Showroom to concentrate on a few other food ideas, this being one of them. It is styled, in terms of interior and approach, in his signature “design meets humour” idiom. The fittings are still being completed, but it’s already a welcome departure from boring.
The small space features a central table for communal eating, while Peter Beard prints and white shelves with jars catch your attention – these to soon be filled with (shall we say) “unusual” contents. There is also a wall of instructions about how to eat bunny chow, apparently correctly known as “quarters”. The menu, above a wall where the one server greets you, offers a selection of bunnys, straight or “gourmet”, quarter loaf or half, with toppings and sauces as extras. The meal is very affordable, with a beer you are unlikely to be out more than R60, and a bunny is around R40. But this is no corner cafe, the server wears latex and a designer watch, and the meals are all vac-packed… opinions on quality differ so far, but this is still work in progress, and it’s a very exciting idea – love to know your thoughts. Some more impressions here from Dax.
The Quarter is next to Granddaddy Hotel at 44 Long Street and open daily 10am to 10pm; Sat 4pm to 4am
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5 Comments
The server wears latex???
bring out the gimp ….
Bunny chows were a integral part of my student life. The sight of a half-loaf filled to the brim with slop brings back memories of Oppikoppi festivals, dodgy Durban street corners at 2 in the morning and waking up with massive hangovers. Obviously, I’m thrilled that I can now enjoy “gourmet” bunny chows a few minutes from my home without the inconvenience of being a poor, dirty student.
Having to peruse a menu when ordering bunny chow is an entirely new experience for me. I wasn’t quite prepared for the variety of fillings available and, when asked by the waiter/barman behind the counter, opted for a safe (if boring) mutton with mango atchar. (you can take a look at the menu here and prepare yourself a bit better: http://picasaweb.google.com/sluiper/Menus#slideshow/5353956666809044658)
The Quarter is not how I remember the standard bunny chow emporiums of my not too distant youth. For a start, it’s clean. Secondly, you can order wine. And thirdly, the fittings are less than 30 years old. These aspects of The Quarter are obviously improvements on your standard bunny chow dive, but it does feel a bit weird ordering bunny chow over a spotless white counter and not having to worry about whether or not you’ll get food poisoning this time.
Wine choices are limited to a Lutzville Sauvignon Blanc and Backsberg Dry Red, a slight improvement on the standard student fare of Tassies. A fruity Gewürztraminer would have been nice, seeing as we’re having strong curry, but let’s not get too carried away. Also available are local beers and your normal assortment of cooldrinks.
The setup is pretty much as described by JPR, except that the fittings now seem more complete. The staff seem to be fully into the swing of things and handled my order for a takeaway deftly and quickly. Before I had a chance to take a good look around, my brown paper bag with bunny chow was in front of me.
Entrance to exit could take you less than 2 minutes, so I can definitely see the appeal for anyone in a hurry and in the mood for something better than a burger or a pie.
The bread was fresh, the curry not too hot and the atchar divine. It tasted… well, like bunny chow. For all the fancy tables and setup, the spotless interior and modern chairs, what you get is no more and no less than good, honest bunny chow.
I had opted for the half-loaf, but my appetite is not what it once was and it was way too much to finish by myself. Next time I’ll definitely only go for the establishment’s namesake: the quarter.
The back wall is lined with various bottles of wine of a better quality than the aforementioned species and, when asking about the wines, I had a very interesting conversation with the waiter/barman regarding their usage.
Apparently, Bruce Robertson also uses the restaurant to cook 6-7 course meals for parties of 10 or more people, served (of course) with the better quality wines. I couldn’t get an indication of the price per head, but apparently it’s reasonably varied depending on the types of foods served. I was told that if I or anyone else wanted to arrange such a dinner to contact Bruce via email, whose address, if anyone’s interested, is ask@chefbrucerobertson.com.
Thanks for the detailed comment… and for explaining those better bottles!
Having read the review in the Cape Times Good Weekend supplement, I really looked forward to a refreshing dining experience.WRONG. Bruce Robertson, knowing that he was understaffed, decided to leave the restaurant in the incapable hands of his cocky and obviously ill trained flunky. The orders took long in coming and to ask for a simple chopped chilli did not materlise in over 30 minutes. The side order of pap was only offered after the food was finished yet still before any sign of even a piece of spice could be brought to the table.
Robertson knew his kitchen only had one worker to greet guests, take orders and then still prepare the meals! Yet he disappeared leaving his restaurant and his reputation to one person clrarly out of his depth in the hospitality industry.