Perhaps the most ambitious of the new restaurants in the new De Waterkant, others being Cru Café, Viola, and Lazari (which all have more of a café feel) is Vanilla – operated by the team behind Camps Bay’s Tuscany Beach. Here they spent as much as R7 million on the decor… and in keeping with Tuscany’s “vibrant” style, Vanilla looks like a movie set from Ken and Barbie’s version of Miami Vice. There’s even a white piano on a mezzanine level. Upstairs has a more enclosed feel, but the “open wall” sensibility of the whole development also pervades Vanilla, and a view of an ATM or a perambulating Capetonian is likely. For example, we had conversations with two tables alongside us, so “open” is the feel.
OK, it has only been open for a few nights, so easy on the drama, but I immediately had the feeling it would take some doing just to get a glass of wine. (The man at an adjacent table overheard me and said the best way to enjoy the place was tiddled, but getting to be so would take a while). And when I did get a glass, the wine was baked – even though the wine list carries on about their superior wine delivery system. The wine list is also full of typos, which never inspires confidence. (And “sashimi” spelt wrong on the menu also leaves you doubting whether you want to try the sushi…).
The menu is a “best of” hits and classics with something for everyone, including sushi – that modern comfort food – of course. And you know, the food wasn’t half bad, although pricey. It was a quick in and out meal, but our blue cheese and pear salad was full of macerated flavour, the salt and pepper squid was light and delicious, and the salmon well-cooked and served on a bright, al dente risotto of fennel and vanilla (I had to). So will be back for another look.
Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 021 421 1391. Ave spend for two courses R160.
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7 Comments
I recently went for dinner. OK early days but service was dreadful, food was ok, but not at the (quite hefty) price point and certainly not noteworthy. Personally I don’t like the decor or vibe. I see no particular reason to return!
A quick starter here the other day, salt and pepper calamari, was very good – tender and very clear s&p flavours.
Undecided about whether to try Kuzina,( but rather uninspired by their lack of ambience), I sat at Vanilla with 2 of my friends. We were on our way to the airport to catch a flight back to Johannesburg, so when we eventually got the attention of the only waiter in the restaurant, we placed our order for 12 Oysters, and 2 Lamb burgers.
When the Oysters arrived, they arrived on NO bed of ice and warm. Being hungry and almost late for the flight, we ate the Oysters, and merely commented on whether they were fresh and if it was wise to eat warm Oysters at all.. By the time we had ordered, eaten, paid the bill and arrived at the airport, one of our party started to show signs of being ill. By the day after, all 3 of us landed up in hospital with food poisoning.
Very poor service, if one can say service at all… almost lethal experience… and as far as the R7 million mentioned above and in my opinion misappropriated funds towards colourful decor is concerned… nothing to write home about either. Extremely poor show all round!
It is never easy to reply to a customer that gets sick and then immiediately accuses a restaurant that it was “food poisoning ” , a restaurant owners nightmare , i am sure shared by many restaurants, especially when cape town has been plagued with tummy bugs and vireses over the past season .
Sure there can be a bad oyster that is just not easily picked up in a kitchen , but for all 3 people to get sick , so quickly , it does not sound that this was indeed the problem.
The writer actually remembers the 3 ladies in question , there were no comments or complaints on service or food at the table .
The oysters are opened out of the fridge , served cold , not on ice , but on a coloured rock salt
with a tobasco and lemon granita or just plain chilled .
By her comments that all were sick are we to assume that both the oysters and hamburgers being their three dishes were al off .
We sold dozens of oysters and burgers that day , being a very busy lunch , we have had no other complaints .
Our question is that they were obviously travelling together and where else did they eat .
We are sorry that their holiday was marred , but do not think that the problem lies with Vanilla .
Nigel Newhouse (Owner)
Well some months on and it would appear that nothing has got better. Went for a celebratory dinner for 2. Decor is obviously sumptious, but wouldn’t like to negotaitate the stairs after a second glass of wine – all glass and no bannister – a litigationists dream; we watched with bated breath as a waitress lost her footing carrying a plate of food. Fortunated she managed to recover her balance. But to the food and service: -at those prices one expects flawless service – our request on booking to be seated upstairs was unnrecorded (but fuliflled – the restaurant was failry empty on a Saturday night). We ordered mussels and lamb rack on ravioli and requested an off menu green salad as a starter. Salad arrived and was excellent, but waiter turned an empty pepper grinder oblibious to the fact that no pepper came out. When main arrived no sign of ordered steamed vegetables. When we asked the response was “did you order them?” Mussels were hardly generous, in a very gluey white sauce that clearly had some kind of starch thickening it; the rack of lamb at R170 was not a rack, was blue grey in colour and there was no sign of the risotto. It may have been hidden under the slices of lamb, but we never found out as we returned it just as the totally unimaginative steamed carrots, courgette and caulifolower arrived. We shared the mussels, the supervising waitress was charming, gracious and apologetic and comped us the salad and the wine, and we hastened to La Boheme to complete our meal with delicious, unpretensious good value food.
Hi
We sincererly wish to respond to your comments and address your complaint , but really the writer ( owner ) asks for further clarity on your experience at Vanilla .
We have absolutely no record on saturday of any booking as you have described , no lamb rack that was returned , infact we cannot even find a lamb rack that was served by one of two waitresses on duty that night .
The writer was on duty that evening as every night ,as was my manageress , none of us including Chef can recall a lamb rack being returned , and certainly there is no record on our point of sale of any comp on the salad or wine.
So we are very puzzled , following any complaint or return of food , we immiediately would address the problem at the table .
Our managers are continually checking the floor asking customers if they are happy with their food plus the writer was on duty there as well , none of us can recall this event .
The lamb rack is actually R165 , genuine Karoo and is a rack , it is sliced , stacked and served on a bed of pea risotto in a large bowl , not on a flat plate , maybe thats why the risotto was not initially visible .
The mussels are one of best sellers , 25 plus are served in a white , wine sauce , so we really are at a loss to hear that the dish is inadequate or a problem with the sauce .
The steamed vegatables are exactly as they say , 3 different vegies lightly steamed and served naturally with no added spices or msg products.
What more can we say , except that we really do care , please accept this letter as a genuine attempt to address Mr Rabkins comments ,would he please phone the writer so we can resolve his complaint to his satisfaction .
Nigel Newhouse
Thanks for taking the time to write Nigel. This example illustrates how divergent two points of view can be! I feel it is important for customers to complain on the night so that any grievance can be attended to then and there. Furthermore, should a complaint be taken further (sent to this website for instance), an explanation of the problem with specific examples is always needed. This was furnished in this instance, but the facts are clearly disputed…