Eatsplorers

Rockpool - Sydney

2011-01-08T00:41:00.000-08:00

We ventured east to Australia for a two week holiday/conference and were looking forward to trying out the culinary delights on offer. Not knowing much about the Aussie restaurant scene I did some research and we booked restaurants with help from friends who live there and internet ratings and Rockpool was our destination on the first night we arrived.

From the start this looked like it was going to be something a little different and it certainly proved to be. We did not know what to expect and it was like being ambushed in a very good way. From the first drink poured by the Japanese sommelier trained in France to the most unbelievable tasting menu we have ever had, it was a thrill from the start to the very end.

Just starting with the amuse bouche of Sterling caviar with prawn toast, it really lit up all our senses. Our comments after this were if they could back that up it was going to be an exceptional evening, and it certainly was. Normally we find that tasting menus are a bit of a roller coaster ride, but this menu was different, each course was sensational in its own right and we were going through twists and turns rather than ups and downs. It simply has to be our best meal out ever, and believe me, we have eaten more than a couple.

To highlight individual courses in this menu that is so well rounded was always going to be difficult and I think that it falls on some of the items that we had not eaten often before, that tended to be the ones we singled out for discussion later. I am not a rabbit fan, but their signature rabbit and sweetbread pie was out of this world and if rabbit was served this way I would eat a lot more.

The standout dish in everyone’s mind though had to be the wagyu sirloin with the hot and numbing oyster sauce. It simply was phenomenal, best steak we have ever had. The flavours were simply sensational with the richness of the steak being offset by the hot sauce, simply a symphony.

We chose to do the international wine pairings with our meal and they were simply superb and wonderfully matched. One wine that literally fizzed our socks off was a Deseado late harvest sparkling wine from Argentina. It was paired with a grape fruit and pine nut tartlet and was a showstopper for the effervescence the fizz and sherbet flavour brought to the pairing.

I could go on for hours, but in conclusion, if you are ever in Sydney, break the bank and go to Rockpool for their tasting menu it simply is the best meal out we have ever had and that says something. I wish that more of our tasting menus here in SA would offer this consistent quality throughout the meal and at about R2300 per head, I would still pay for it. On second thoughts if you are ever in Australia, get there, it is that good.

Rust en Vrede

2010-12-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful sight on arrival. The last time I visited this estate was about 20 years ago and it looked nothing like this.

It really looks a picture and we duly sat outside and enjoyed a wonderful glass of chilled Creation vigonier (Platter does not rate this wine, but we enjoy it) on a warm summers evening. Looking at the wine list, it really offers something for all with an obvious bent to the Rust en Vrede wines, but an excellent selection all round.

On being seated in the restaurant we received a friendly hello and smile from David and his team in their open kitchen, which is always a good start to the evening, but we would expect no less from the number one restaurant in the country. The Service was to prove really top class for the rest of the evening with the waitress being knowledgeable about the food, the sommelier being superb and very engaging allowing for some good hearted banter. The sommelier really did add something special when announcing the next course and its wine pairing - it wasn't just his knowledge of the wines, but the manner in which he delivers it. It felt as if the dining experience was a very personal one with David stopping by as well. No wonder they won the top service award in the country as well!

We decided on the six course tasting menu with pairings, with very high expectations. We were not disappointed as the food was very good. Each course was very tasty, but what stood out for all of us was the pairing of the wines which we thought was exceptional. We have found that in other top notch restaurants the pairings are fair to average due to various factors, cost being amongst the foremost of them, but at Rust en Vrede they have it spot on. My favourite dish of the evening was the fillet of beef with all its accompaniments (see photo above) while my wife enjoyed her desert the most (see photo below).

As an overall impression we thought the restaurant was very very good and certainly worth the money spent. If I had one complaint it may be that I would have liked bigger portions of food as I am not sure that most men will feel full after completing the six courses. Rust en Vrede carries a "highly rated must visit" recommendation and certainly makes it into our top ten!

Maze - Cape Town

2010-05-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

A friend and I recently went to Maze and were not very impressed at all. Firstly, after sitting down outside on the deck, his chair broke with him landing up on his backside. To say that other diners were mortified is an understatement. They duly fetched another chair, but did not make much of a fuss about the matter. He also confessed that he thought their response was perhaps not adequate and being the type of person who can afford to frequent the hotel and the restaurant I don't think he will be frequenting either in the future.

Anyway, moving onto the food, which I have to say was average at best. Sure, you are paying for the view and being in the waterfront, but at least put some really quality food on the plate. We both opted for steak and chips and I just thought to myself, surely you can get better than this. We were in Franschhoek a couple of weeks later at The French Connection and again dined on steak and chips which as he remarked, was far better. He also remarked that the chair did not break and he felt the service was better. Pretty unbelievable when you have something which is so hyped up, yet fails to deliver. It seems to becoming a trait with Gordon and Maze if comments on their gala dinner recently are anything to go by. So for us, save your pennies and go elsewhere, get a better view and pay less for better quality food.

Terrior - Stellenbosch

2009-10-30T00:55:00.000-07:00

Well, off to another top 20 restaurant to try their wares and this time it is the much talked about Terroir in Stellenbosch. We had booked dinner and arrived in the dark to what seems to be a lovely setting by day, but was wonderfully rustic and cosy by night.

Obviously high expectations abounded all round and when the menu arrived, on a large chalk board, we had to spend a considerable amount of time in deciding what we were going to eat. In the end the four of us decided to order six starters as this would allow us to taste the dishes that caught our fancy. Needless to say we required something wet to accompany the food and after having a thorough look through the wine list, we decided on the Kleine Zalze sauvignon blanc, double gold no less and a very enjoyable wine at that.

After deciding on the starters we all went for different main courses that included venison, lamb, fish and pork, their signature dish. The starters arrived and most received rave reviews, but the two that did not, were the white asparagus with ceps and the seafood ragout. We had one of the main courses, mushroom risotto, as a starter and it was fantastic.

So on to the mains and again most of them were very good and enjoyed by all. I however felt that the signature dish of the pork, which had been cooked for eons through various techniques did not live up to my expectations. It was very good, but comparing it to the pork belly I have had elsewhere, it just seemed to lack the oomph to give it the real wow factor and set it apart from others.

The desserts come on a smaller chalk board, but are equally tempting as the other courses. We thoroughly enjoyed the apple pie and burnt lemon cheesecake, but the white chocolate with mascarpone (just added to the menu earlier in the day), was the clear winner and should remain on the menu for quite some time!

On reflection, this is a very good restaurant. However, as we have been working our way through various restaurants in the top 20 we are seeing a clear trend of a few that stand out above the rest and are the top tier and a second tier of very accomplished restaurants, but whom lack that special wow factor in either the food or venue or both. We feel that Terroir is for us in the second tier, but yes, it is a very good restaurant to visit and you will certainly enjoy your meal and outing there without a doubt!

I would like to mention that our waitress was absolutely fantastic! In fact we wish all of them were like her as restaurants would sell far more with her attitude and manner.

Hartford House - KZN

2009-09-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

We were in KZN for a wedding and decided to make use of the opportunity to spend some time at one of KZN's top getaways and culinary destinations. It is not a long drive from Durban and if you are living in Gauteng it is pretty easy to get there, but coming from the Cape, it takes a bit more planning and travel. The effort to get there however is certainly worth it, idyllic living in the middle of a very impressive stud farm with horses and other animals surrounding you. We arrived in the afternoon and were given a refreshing cocktail before retiring to our room for a well deserved nap after the previous evening's wedding festivities. We awoke, all ready for the dinner that evening and joined the rest of the guests for pre-dinner drinks in the main house.

We had had a glimpse of the five course menu and were really excited to see what was to be produced. We enjoyed a glass or two of bubbly with some canapes which wet our appetites for the main attraction. The wine list is excellent with a host of fantastic wines to choose from at what must be the best pricing I have seen in quite a while. They really allow you to enjoy your food with very reasonably priced wines. To illustrate this point we enjoyed a bottle of Chocolate Block on the Friday night and Meerlust Rubicon on the Saturday night without getting a call from the bank manager. I am surprised though that a wine pairing was not offered with the dinners as this would certainly elevate the experience even higher than its current lofty heights.

Mick Goss, the owner, took us through a brief history of Hartford House and then left us in the extremely capable hands of Jacqui Cameron. What a feast, it was exceptional. The caramelised onion soup was fantastic, so was the salmon main course, the dessert and the cheeses, but the standout dish for me on the Friday night was the spicy lamb bunny chow which had a wonderful richness and depth in flavour that left me thinking that I would certainly like a main portion of that. A wonderful elegant interpretation of what is a favourite dish in SA.

This left us very excited about the Saturday evening meal as it would be a completely new menu. Before dinner Mick Goss, with his wonderful story telling ability, gave us a history of the area including the many wars that have been fought there and we were then treated to some Zulu war dancing by the local youngsters, very very impressive indeed. Jacqui had a lot to live up to and did not disappoint, we thought she even outdid her efforts of the Friday night.

Again, all courses were delicious, but the one that stood out for us and was probably the best dish of the weekend was the fillet with shitake butter, truffle infused potato creme with a fantastic truffle sauce. This dish really set itself apart from the others with its wonderful textures and stunning flavours. In fact, the truffle sauce was so good that we requested some bread to mop up what was left on the plate. Hey, if the Europeans can do it then so can we!

Not only does Jacqui provide fantastic dinners, she also provides the most different, in a good sense, breakfast menu I think we have ever seen. It really is very funky and we spent some time deciding on what to eat. Luckily we had two days of breakfasts so that we had a number of goes at trying out different dishes from her menu. They were all very good and we really enjoyed the banana smoothie, jungle oats with whisky, cream and sugar, the omelet and the traditional English breakfast. To top the main breakfast off we enjoyed the desserts, particularly the bucks fizz as it was cold and refreshing on a hot spring morning.

Hartford House really is a fantastic venue and is highly, highly recommended if you have the chance to visit. The setting, surroundings and best of all, the food are fantastic. This fact is borne out by it screaming into our top 10 destinations and restaurants. A very special destination indeed!

Ile Maurice - Durban

2009-09-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

This much vaunted Durban restaurant was a disappointment to say the least! We managed to get a table for two about an hour before opening, never a good sign really, although when chatting later to one of their managers he stated that they had turned people away because they were fully booked. Stretching the truth a bit or were we just incredibly lucky?

Upon arrival we were shown to our table and found that we were sitting next to the distinct smell of fresh paint - obviously dolling up the place before the season starts! The waiter eventually arrived and we managed to order a bottle of water, although this took some time to arrive and was kindly placed on the table so that we could pour the water ourselves. Unfortunately this was a portent of things to come. It was not that the waiters were not trying, it is just that they were clueless about their role! They simply had no idea about the menu and what was on it. We enquired three times as to what was on their Madame Mauvis platter and eventually got a garbled reply which still did not define exactly what was on the platter.

We were informed that they had the best langoustines ever and this was the house special, at R375 for 4 very large ones. We mulled over the menu and eventually decided that we would have a three course meal with starters, the langoustine dish to share and a main course. The wine menu has a large variety to choose from with some very good wines available, some of them a bit more expensive than at other restaurants though.

We decided as it was raining and cold that we would have the De Toren Z, a wine well known to us and much enjoyed. When the wine arrived and we tasted it though, something was not right. We called the manager, Francois, over and he proceeded to tell us that the wine was fine and that he knows De Toren well and went through its virtues, pity he was talking about the Fusion wines and not the Z. He however stated that if we were not happy with the wine he would replace it with something else. I take my hat off to him as many restaurants would not offer you this option. He did however admit later that the wine was indeed not quite right. We then drank the very pleasant Morkel Bellevue Tumara blend.

Francois then kept us entertained throughout the evening with some of his wine stories, pity the rest of his crew were not as good. The starters (my wife had a choux pastry filled with spinach, cheese and salmon and I had the garlic snails) arrived and were mediocre at best. We waited for the langoustines and "very large" is certainly in the eye of the restaurateur instead of the diner. They were however perfectly done with a great garlic and peri peri sauces as accompaniments. We certainly didn't feel that we got value for money on this dish though.

The main courses arrived and were not great: the duck my wife ordered was smothered in a cherry (instead of orange) sweet sauce which soon made the crispy skin soggy and my pepper fillet was ordinary. The frites (thin potato chips) were the highlight of the main and were really good. We decided to skip dessert and head off home rather than tempt fate gain. All round not very good and would not recommend that you go there for seafood unless you have loads of cash and are looking to impress. I believe you can find the same quality seafood elsewhere at a better price.

Salushi - Claremont

2009-08-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

I am not a great lover of sushi, but my wife certainly is. Out on a shopping expedition to Cavendish she suggested that we try one of the nice looking restaurants around the corner from our shopping destination. Off we went and the first restaurant we looked at did not have an appetising menu. The next one was Salushi and we decided to try it.

Well what a find. I do not know a lot about sushi, but what they delivered was fantastic. The salmon was fresh and beautiful and certainly was the star of the show. We ordered their 21 piece platter and absolutely wolfed it down. We then decided to order a number of other dishes off the menu to try them and each was as good. The chicken spring rolls, chicken noodle in cape curry, the banana and chocolate spring rolls and creme brulee with wasabi were simply fantastic.

It was a beautiful day and I am sure this added to our bonhomie and the feel good factor, but the food was good enough for us to order another 21 piece platter to enjoy parts of and still take some home to enjoy for supper that evening. As I said before, I do not know much about sushi, but if that is the quality that can be delivered regularly, then I am sold. Again the common thread with good food in restaurants was the freshness of the produce and the beauty of its preparation. Something to add to the all over feel good factor of the meal was that the sushi was half price as it was part of their winter special. Certainly a winner all round.

Zibaldone - Tygervalley Waterfront

2009-08-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

Having lived in Europe, I learned how great pasta can be when fresh, prepared properly and served with the correct sauce. My experiences back in South Africa have not been very good to say the least and I therefore always go to Italian restaurants with a sense of trepidation as they have not lived up to my high expectations.

We received an invitation from some friends to join them at a new Italian restaurant they had discovered. Off we went and on walking into the restaurant and looking at the food on the tables I was surprised and thought that this restaurant may indeed be the one that delivers. Getting to our table, we spent some time chatting and catching up on news before looking at the menu.

We ordered some wine from a very well put together list in terms of pricing and selection as well. It is a small list, but contains something for everyone. The menu however was a delight. There was a wide variety of Italian dishes and certainly enough to have your mouth watering if they delivered. What to choose? I settled for mushroom soup to start which was very good indeed. The main was however where the measure of the restaurant would be determined for me.

I had ordered the meat ravioli with a Bolognese cream sauce, something I had eaten on numerous occasion when overseas. The food looked great and tasted just as good. It really is a delight to have fresh pasta with a delightful sauce and filling and it was as good as I had enjoyed when overseas. The rest of the table had tortellini and veal. All were full of praise for their dishes and I must admit that I wish I could have tried a couple more of the dishes on the menu as there were many yummy things on other people's tables.

The restaurant itself is very nicely done out and there was certainly a hum in the air as the patrons enjoyed their dinners and chatted - always a good sign. I would certainly recommend this restaurant as it is the first real Italian place to deliver for me, simply delightful. I look forward to trying out the rest of their menu and if you are an Italian food lover, I suggest you try this one as you will not be disappointed.

Reader's Restaurant - Tulbagh

2009-08-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

It was a crystal clear Sunday morning and we decided to head out to Ceres to see the snow. As things turned out there was not much snow to see any more, but the drive was worth ever cent of petrol: rugged mountains with their peaks slightly dusted with snow created the perfect backdrop for carpets of bright yellow canola flowers and patches of pink peach blossoms which lined the road.

After purchasing our snow map from the friendly lady at the Shell garage in Ceres who recommended that we phone before driving all the way to Ceres again just to see the snow, we decided to head to the picturesque town of Tulbagh for lunch.

Based on a recommendation from the owner of a farm stall (whose clever sign “Scones in the Oven!” enticed us in) on the road between Ceres and Tulbagh we settled on Reader’s Restaurant.

We were seated in the darkest corner in an empty restaurant and only after opening the stable door next to us could we make out the menu. We asked for a large bottle of mineral water and when the waitress reappeared we were told that only small bottles were available. The waitress pestered and pushed us to order our drinks and when we requested she bring us 2 bottles of wine so that we could read the labels as she did not know her way around the wine list (nor did the owner for that matter) we were told we had to wait as the cellar was locked and the owner had the keys. Looking back now these were signs of the terrible lunch that lay in store for us and we should have got up and left!

Once the owner arrived and we had seen the 2 bottles of wine we were torn between – we decided to have the Saronsberg Seismic 2005 which deserves every one of its 5 awards! This turned out to be the only highlight of our lunch at Reader’s Restaurant.

Allow me to tell you about the owner before I tell you about our meal – the owner had on what I could only describe as her gardening clothes and when I asked: “What is good on your menu?” she promptly replied “Everything”. I then enquired about the slow roasted springbok shank and she advised that they had none. Is it only us who see the irony?

My husband and I both had the cauliflower, bacon and blue cheese soup as a starter. The soup lacked depth of flavour and was served with Spar’s crisp white bread rolls.

As my main course I had the bobotie which was nicely spiced and very pleasant. It was served with white rice where I would have rather made yellow rice. The sambals were quite interesting as there were peanuts, raisins and a spicy syrup.

My husband ordered the fillet steak with whole grain mustard sauce. Well, I have never seen steak so grey in my entire life and the whole grain mustard sauce was pink! My husband eventually gave up on his steak as even after sending it back to the kitchen it was rare and not medium as requested. What did the owner do about our complaint? Absolutely nothing!

By now we had gotten the message and went next door to No. 10 for the most delicious milk tart and coffee!

So if you ever find yourself in Tulbagh, give Reader’s Restaurant a miss and head straight to No. 10.

Creation - Hemel and Aarde Ridge

2009-08-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

This little gem is certainly off the beaten track. You wind your way past all the well known wineries in the valley such as Bouchard Finlayson and Hamilton Russell and keep going until you hit the dirt road and then you go some more. After some distance you arrive at Creations and need to navigate your way through their vineyards to get to the restaurant and winery. A tip, do not come here if you drive a vehicle with little ground clearance as it will be a problem.

Once getting here though, you certainly appreciate what you have come out all the way for. There is a lovely view across the valley to Ataraxia and we watched the cold front blowing in during the afternoon through large glass windows. This is certainly a restaurant with a difference and provides for a relaxed atmosphere with couches and tables dispersed around the fireplaces, providing for a very cozy feeling on a Cape winters afternoon.

We had booked a wine tasting to start the lunch off with and it was suggested we include the canapes specifically designed to complement and enhance the wine tasting experience. A very very good idea indeed and it certainly is recommended. We were taken on their wine journey with one of the sommeliers and it was great to be able to interact, question and understand what you should be looking for. In fact we showed enough interest to be taken down to the cellar and do some barrel tasting, thereby enhancing our experience even further.

After tasting all their wines, they have an interesting merlot, more a french style than traditional South African, we enjoyed a lunch of fresh breads accompanied by a platter of meats and cheeses. The food was very enjoyable and we whiled away the afternoon chatting, drinking and eating while it was storming outside.

If you are looking for something relaxed and off the beaten track this restaurant is certainly for you. There are so many nice touches and ideas implemented here, including their canapes with the wine tasting and their platters on offer. Their wines are really enjoyable, particularly the viognier, with the other varietals being very good as well. They really are making an effort to present some very interesting events and we are certainly planning more visits and look forward to some great food wine and a relaxed afternoon.

Delaire Graff Restaurant - Helshoogte

2009-07-25T02:32:00.000-07:00

Well, there we have it! The perfect example of how to take something with potential and realise it! This is a superlative venue and for me is not far off being on par with the Restaurant Mosaic as the top dining experience destination. I remember the old Delaire and everyone whom I chatted to about this estate felt the same in that it had loads of potential. Pity that none of us had the capital or vision to do something about it.

That fact on the other hand may be a good thing as what the Graff's have done is do justice to that potential, simply magnificent, not sure I would have achieved it even if I had the capital. Your arrival at the restaurant is very impressive and the expansion of the old wine tasting area and restaurant is way beyond what I had envisioned. Gone is the old wine farm feel which has now been replaced by something chic, with a definitive style that shouts "I am the future and I am damn good, even if I say so myself".

I just think that this venue provides you with all the best things you want to see when going to eat out at a wine estate: fantastic views, beautiful furniture and art, see through glass walls in to the cellar and barrel maturation area, which are rounded off by beautiful marble and massive fireplaces everywhere. Where Restaurant Mosaic presents rich colours and tapestries, this venue presents cool colours and clean lines, each at their own end of the spectrum, but both exceptional at what they are.

In addition we understand that a hotel and spa will be added in the near future and it will certainly be interesting to see what that looks like. Based on the present evidence I have no doubt that it will be stunning. Anyway, on arrival we were shown through to the lounge for an aperitif. This gave us a chance to have a good look at the menu, which is small, but will provide for most tastes as there is a good variety of dishes available.

The wine list is very impressive with a wide variety from a number of local and international estates. The estate's own wines make for really good drinking while there is a good measure of reasonably priced wines with some expensive ones and a couple which are in the stratosphere and whose prices look like the year they were made in. This however means that they cater for all types of patrons that will dine at this venue. To me this is a perfect example of how an estate with its own wine should present itself. The reality being that, as we did, most people will select your estate wine to try it in any case. If they however prefer something else, then there is a wonderful selection to choose from.

Well, as they say, the tasting is in the eating and so we did. The food is very impressive and as it is a three course restaurant, the portions are generous which is always good to see. We tried the tuna and the salmon starters, delicious, we would certainly recommend the salmon if forced to choose. For mains we tried the recommendations, being crayfish lasagna and the roast duck cassoulet. Both dishes were fantastic, but the duck for us was the better dish. The crayfish lasagna was very very good, but the duck was beautifully done with the best sausage cassoulet we have ever eaten. The duck is a powerful dish, but absolutely smashing and delivers loads of flavour. My mouth waters just thinking about it. The desserts were good as well, but the star of the evening for us was still the duck.

So where does this leave us? For me the restaurant experience is fantastic (I forgot to mention the very friendly and efficient staff) and South Africa could certainly do with more of these types of venues as they are magnificent to frequent and really make life enjoyable. On the restaurant side, it certainly goes straight into our top ten as the food was simply fantastic. In closing, if you find yourself in Cape Town and are looking for something special, then this restaurant is certainly the venue for you, particularly on a warm summers evening with something cold to drink, fantastic food to eat and magnificent views. It doesn't get much better than this!

The Tasting Room - Le Quartier Francais

2009-07-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

You certainly expect a lot when going to the number one restaurant in South Africa. We have waited for this day for some time now and it was with much eager anticipation that we entered the refurbished Tasting Room. They certainly are a well drilled machine and very welcoming. The decor, some will like and others won't, but I think there is meant to be a horizon with trees on it on the one wall but you can't really see it when sitting on that side of the room. Well, did they deliver, in one part yes, on another, not really.

On the food side the restaurant was fantastic and they really do delight the palet with some deft touches in the dishes and some delightful interpretations. Eight courses is a long time to keep people interested and they certainly achieve this by giving you a wonderful array of tastes and food to keep you waiting to see what is next. All of this starts with their bread which is fantastic and really sets you off on a delightful journey ending with the best petite fours I think I've ever eaten. We have attached the menu so that you can see for yourself what we had and again I would like to say that the food is top class.

It's part of the wine side that I have a problem with. One would expect that being at the top restaurant in SA that they would pair the food with the best possible wines without making the price outrageous. What I did notice as a matter of interest is that less than half the wines accompanying the tasting menu were on the wine list. I understand that these will however be on the wine list in the near future. The wine list I might add is fantastic and includes a section detailing wines being matured for future consumption that you may enjoy when coming to the restaurant again.

So many neat touches and some lovely pairings, but the one that got to us was the pairing of the Vergelegen vin de Florence with the most sensational dish on the menu, the sous vide quail breast. This dish really is the star of the show and I must admit that I am sure that there is a better South African wine that can be paired with this. It really did not complement the food and we felt a bit let down by this. The sweet wines with the last dish was okay, but again nothing special, how about Vin de Constance or something else instead, this is after all South Africa's premier dining experience?

Our overall feeling was that the meal was absolutely fantastic, but some of the wine pairings could have been better and when I compare this experience with that of Restaurant Mosaic, The Tasting Room would match the food delivered by Chantel, but not the wine pairings which just did not deliver that something special to round off a fantastic meal.

Spur

2009-07-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

This may seem like a peculiar restaurant to have on this sight and indeed this post is not about the food, but the pricing. I happened to be at Durban airport recently and decided to take a seat at the Spur and do some work. Looking at the menu, I was surprised to see the pricing.

A fillet steak (270g) was no less than R104.95 excluding sauce, but including chips and onion rings. I found this astonishing in that many people think that they are unable to afford to go to the likes of Reubens, Ici (Le Quartier Francais), French Connection and many more upmarket restaurants because the meals are not affordable. The pricing at the Spur however proves this wrong as for R120 you can have a steak, with chips and sauce at Reubens, Ici and many others.

People often ask us where we go and tend to look starry eyed at some of the places mentioned, but in reality the pricing is not that far off from your common Spur. So the next time you sit eating that steak at Spur consider that you could also be at one of the top restaurants eating a better meal for the same pricing. The accompaniments such as the wine may be more expensive, but the basic food does not seem to be far off.

Overture

2009-07-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

It's a cold rainy Cape winters day and having properly celebrated Bastille Day in Franschhoek the previous day we went off to Overture to celebrate a friend's birthday. I must admit that it may not be the easiest restaurant to find, but it is certainly worth the trip. It truly is in a hidden valley and the venue and surrounds are magnificent. Clearly no money has been spared in setting up the cellar and the restaurant and it is always a pleasure to see something built with passion rather than just purpose. Unfortunately we did not have the best of views, but got glimpses of how magnificent it must be on a clear day.

Our friend had been kind enough to provide us with a four course selection and this meant that each could choose a number of delights to pleasure the taste buds. The menu is small, but comprehensive enough to provide for most tastes and we sat pondering on how to make the best use of our four choices.

I found the wine list to be disappointing as there are only a few wines, mostly from the estate, on offer. I just find that although restaurants look to offer something unique when based on an estate and offer their wines, they tend to limit themselves and the patrons to what may be an enhanced experience if other wines were available. I also feel that they limit themselves in terms of the spending opportunities they offer the patrons as if you do not enjoy that particular estate's wine you are not likely to order another bottle. Each to their own though.

However, getting to the good stuff. Their top ten rating and platinum status hangs proudly on the wall as it should. This establishment really makes fantastic food and there were only praises flowing from all the members of the party. This taking into account that there were 15 people and not one negative peep. Between my wife, her mother and I we tried all but one of the starters, all but one of the main courses, the cheese and both desserts and I have to say that we would have happily had any of those dishes and almost each one was as good as the next. It really is great to see the consistency of the food quality across the board.

As good as the food was all round, there was one dish for me that stood out a little above the rest and that was the braised blesbok. It really seemed to have a little something extra, besides the fact that it is an antelope that is not often offered on menus. It's great to try something else other than kudu or springbok.

This restaurant certainly will require further visits, particularly when you are able to see all the way across to Cape Point on a beautiful day with something cold in your hand. On top of this all, the costs of the various menu choices were very reasonable taking into account the restaurant's status and rating.

Ginja

2009-06-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

Well, what a little gem. It has been highly rated before and one can see why. You get a distinctly old world feel when walking down the passage to enter the restaurant and there is a mixture of modern with old world inside. It looks good, at night anyway.

There was only going to be one menu that would interest us and that was their winter tasting menu. The menu certainly is a wonderful mixture of tastes starting with something creamy, then moving on with clean Asian flavours, blue cheese without the bite with some interesting accompaniments, a great apple sorbet, then onto rich lamb and ending with a wicked banoffee dessert.

Their wine list is curently being updated, but we certainly found some good wines to enjoy at a reasonable price. The service was also very good and the restaurant is certainly highly recommended as they deliver good food at a reasonable price. The most amazing thing is that the price of this tasting menu was less than what I paid for a steak meal in one of the V&A waterfront establishments. It really makes you think, doesn't it.

Bouillabaisse - Franschhoek

2009-06-24T05:04:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine was travelling to Cape Town on business and we decided to go to Bouillabaisse for lunch as there certainly has been a lot of coverage regarding the original restaurant and subsequent add ons in Cape Town. One's first impressions are good as the restaurant, although small, is well laid out and looks upmarket. Studying the menu, there are some very impressive looking dishes and we both selected a variety of starters and mains.

We waited eagerly for our food to arrive, but unfortunately none of the dishes delivered on the palate what our eyes had seen on the menu. It really was rather disappointing and the dishes are certainly not cheap. I must admit that if I had to choose an Asian influenced meal I would far rather recommend Haiku as the food is far better and probably a little cheaper.

One other annoyance was the fact that goods were being delivered while we were eating so the door kept on being opened, allowing freezing air into the restaurant. Unfortunately this was a long drive for not much at all, more hype than passion on a plate.

Monneaux Restaurant

2009-06-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

On a cold and rainy night we ventured out to Monneaux Restaurant in the Franschhoek Country House and Villas and were soon ensconced in a comfy couch in front of a roaring fire sipping some sherry.

After thawing we escorted to our table alongside another fireplace. Despite the other tempting items on the menu we both opted for the 5 course gastronomic menu at R325 per head. On the menu was vegetable spring rolls, mussels in a lovely spicy oriental sauce, my husband enjoyed the venison (gemsbok) with an unusual pumpkin pie while I had the salmon trout, this was followed by Gorgonzola and fig parcels, and for desert we had passion fruit creme brulee and apple tart.

This was a lovely meal out, but not exceptional!

Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient Hotel

2009-05-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Sensational, sensational, sensational, this is easily the best dining experience in South Africa. Where do I start as there are so many superlatives that originate with this experience. Firstly, on arriving at The Orient hotel you are enveloped in a Moroccan theme with luxurious colours, rich tapestries, art and furniture that make a massive impression on you.

The attention to detail is fantastic and the service is equally so as the staff are friendly and courteous, yet unobtrusive. This was not our first visit as we have made the trek out here on a number of occasions before, the venue however never ceases to amaze us every time. Whilst waiting for our guests to arrive I decided to look through the bible, our term for their wine list (rather a large thick book) as it is probably the most comprehensive wine list I have come across in SA, for a suitable champagne to start the afternoon with. The champagne duly arrived and we tried a rosewater and pomegranate syrup with it, simply delicious and a novel way to start the day.

We were escorted to the Tiffany room for lunch, a quiet dining area away from the other tables with a lovely view and its own lounge to relax in after the meal. Our guests were blown away and they hadn't even tasted the food yet. Lunch was an easy choice as we selected the five course menu with wine pairing. Chantal arrived for a chat before lunch and appeared before each course to go through it with us. The food she prepares is simply sublime and she fully deserves her place in the top ten, hopefully she will be number one soon as she fully deserves it.

The menu takes you through a wonderful array of flavours and tastes as you journey through it. She starts with her signature truffle custard, always a winner, and moves on through the courses getting richer and deeper in flavours as the main course approaches. All three of the main courses on offer were ordered and all were full of praise for the food. On reflection however I have to admit that the duck accompanied by the duck mousse, her signature main course, was the best overall. It saw one of the guests requesting more, and this from a person who doesn't eat duck. It really has a wonderful chocolate and rich duck flavour to it and I admit that I would have been happy with that for dessert. The cheeses, desserts and coffees were a perfect conclusion to an exceptional meal and afternoon. Another joy was the presence of a sommelier to explain and take us through her pairings of wines and the meal. It always helps to understand why and what we should be looking for to enhance our experience.

Chantal took us on a tour of their cellar and spent much time chatting to us. It really is great to chat to her about food and our experiences elsewhere and as my wife says, she speaks beautifully and is always great to listen to. Our friends knew they were in for something special when we invited them to join us. We had previously introduced them to Roots and they have thoroughly enjoyed that ever since, but they agree with us in that this is simply a step above, simply the best dining experience in South Africa. This is even more relevant when taking into account that one of the friends specialises in inbound tours and regularly frequents the top hotels and restaurants in the country.

La Belle Terasse - Westcliff Hotel

2009-05-23T04:58:00.000-07:00

What a disappointment. We were expecting a lot from this evening out with friends. Instead we were embarrassed when opening the menu and seeing the prices and small menu on offer. Our friends are not foodies like we are, so would not necessarily go and pay these prices for the fare that was available. We expected expensive, but not exorbitant.

The menu was very limited and the starters averaged about R140. The mains were averaging at about R240 and we did not even look at the deserts. The wine list was again exorbitant and did not really do the establishment any justice. One wonders if the pricing and menu had anything to do with the IPL being in town as I cannot imagine that they believe that the food on offer is worth the price you pay for it - its simply outrageous!

I had the fillet and again using the French Connection as a benchmark, this is no better, in fact not even as good, and priced at R45 more for your meal. On the Sunday I was chatting about our experience to a friend of mine and he stated that they had a similar experience at the restaurant with a burnt dish which was not appropriately replaced or apologised for.

The most amazing thing is that Dario is the head chef at the restaurant and we had hoped to see some of his influence coming through in the menu and wine list, but it certainly does not seem so. We have been avid followers of his at Yum and Yum Nostalgia and feel that his offerings there are far superior and better priced than what is on offer at this restaurant. Very, Very disappointing.

The Sugar Club - Beverley Hills Hotel

2009-05-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

I must admit that after having heard so much about this hotel that I had rather large expectations from its restaurant. I had previously been for a lunch, but looked forward to the supper menu. I found the menu fairly limited in what it offers the diner and was expecting more. The food however was good and I enjoyed my meal. The real disappointment though was the price of the food as I feel that at these prices the food should be exceptional whereas I thought the food was good at best. My feeling is that they should be charging two thirds of the price if they are going to serve food of this quality. French Connection would still be a better bet though even at reduced prices.

The Vic 1906 Hotel

2009-05-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

We were actually on our way to another establishment when we passed the Vic. It has an upmarket 50's look to it and we thought we would make an effort to get there if we could. We arrived at the original establishment for lunch to find it was closed. It did not take long for us to retrace our steps and we found ourselves at the Vic.

A quick glance at the menu saw us looking forward to a hearty country meal. We again marvelled at the relatively cheap pricing of the food and the wine. We had hearty main courses with a bottle of Springfield wine for under R200, amazing. Yet another establishment in Montagu has surpassed our expectations at to the quality of their fare and wine, at very reasonable prices. We would also certainly recommend this establishment to anyone looking for a good South African country meal. Loads of real chicken in the pie and a worthy bobotie, something I am very particular about.

Templeton's

2009-05-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

Certainly the find of the weekend and what a find this was. The restaurant was rated in the top 20 a couple of years ago and we were unsure of what to expect. The restaurant is very well done out and certainly creates the feel of an upmarket restaurant. The menu, although small in size certainly caters for a wide variety of tastes and we found more than enough to entice us. They carry a wide selection of wines and we certainly tucked into a couple of our favourites (Raka). The quality of the food was excellent and the portions were generous as well, which certainly helps to achieve that feeling of well being.

When it came to the desserts we struggled to select only two, so we ordered three as from what we had eaten before we did not want to miss out on any possible gems. The desserts went down a treat and we were certainly satiated for the evening. We highly recommend this restaurant and would suggest that it not only be tried in passing through the town, but that you make an special effort to go out to Montagu to enjoy it as well, you certainly will not be disappointed.

Mimosa Lodge

2009-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

We booked into the lodge after a friendly greeting from the staff. We had booked to join them in their restaurant for their set 4 course menu and they advised us that pre-dinner drinks would be in the pub at 18:30, before dinner was served at 19:30. We duly arrived to find Welsh and Kiwi visitors who would be joining us for dinner. A complimentary glass of red muscadel turned into a few more and we ended up chatting merrily with everyone before we went off to dinner.

The menu was very interesting and unusual in some of the dishes served, but all worked well. It certainly was the first time I had borscht or a version thereof, and beetroot at that as well. We enjoyed a local chardonnay from a boutique winery which was very pleasant for only R65. The meal overall was very good and there certainly were oohs and aahs from the tourists as the food set in front of them was far superior to what they would eat at home for a similar price. We would certainly recommend the Mimosa Lodge and its restaurant as we feel they provide very good quality at a very reasonable price.

A really wonderful meal was followed by an evening of unusual entertainment as all the guests sidled off to the pub again and it was not long before the Welsh contingent asked us to sing our national anthem. Luckily we were assisted by the kitchen staff in singing as I am not sure that we would have had any guests left if they were exposed to my singing as part of a duet with my wife. We were of coarse accompanied from about halfway by the Welsh. Next up were the Kiwi's, again accompanied by the Welsh. And lastly it was the Welsh with great pride and fervour and for good measure they gave us a few more songs as well. It really is great to see people that enjoy singing this much and who are not naturally inhibited as we South Africans are.

They really provided us with an entertaining evening and we had some long discussions about living in the UK and how lucky we are to live here in SA. I must say I agree with them although unfortunately sometimes we fail to see the wood for the trees.

Montagu

2009-05-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday over the weekend and my beloved decided to take me to Montagu for the weekend. What a lovely discovery! The town boasts:

Hot Springs: We could not quite put my finger on Avalon Springs - in some respect it is a resort stuck in the 1970's but yet has the most beautiful modern Swiss chalets emerging from the mountain slopes! One thing is indisputable though; the friendliness of the staff and especially the talent of the blind switchboard operator to remember mobile numbers!

Good Food: The town is full of great places to eat! We highly recommend the restaurant at Mimosa Lodge, The Vic 1906 Hotel and Templeton's, all of which we have detailed individually!

Sweet Wines: Plenty sweet wines are on offer at ridiculously cheap prices! I am clearly a snob as I paid a little extra for a green glass bottle and cork as I could just not bring myself to walk out with the 5 litre plastic bottle which contained exactly the same liquor for less!

Markets: On Saturday morning there is a lovely market, right next to the church which dominates the town's sky line. We found a very proud pig farmer selling lovely pork products (roasts, bacon, chops)!

Shopping and Galleries: There are a number of great little shops (home decor, bric-a-brac and fresh farm produce) and art galleries to stroll through as you walk off your last meal!

Beautiful Homes: The homes about town are simply exquisite!

We thoroughly enjoyed touring around the town and spending an evening with tourists from Wales and New Zealand (parents of Toby Morland, the Chiefs scrumhalf). They were all very complementary on the friendliness of the people they had met along their travels. Other positive comments related to the general cleanliness of the country as well as the relatively cheap accommodation and food. All points to a hopeful return back to our shores in the future by these travellers.

One of the most amazing things noticed during our stay was how cheap the wines on the various restaurant menus were. We must commend all the establishments we visited as they provided us with a good mix of local boutique wines as well as fond favourites such as Springfield. It really is nice to be able to order another good bottle of wine without worrying if you are going to break the bank.

We would certainly recommend Montagu for a visit!

Lemon Butta - Hermanus

2009-05-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

On our way to a weekend away after the elections, we stopped off in Hermanus for a bite to eat. Not knowing what was good or not, we picked a spot that looked like it had a good view and hoped for the best. The restaurant looked pretty cool and was sushi and fish orientated with a great view out over the bay.

We ordered starters which were good and started looking around at the other tables to see what people were eating. My wife opted for the seafood pasta (when she should have gone with the very popular fish and chips) which I must admit was not a sound choice as the dish seemed to lack flavour and the pasta wasn't well done. I however hit the jackpot by ordering the baby kingklip done on the coals. This is easily the best kingklip I have ever eaten and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is a fish lover. The flavours are simply superb as they use an Asian rub on the fish and it works perfectly with the flavour from the coals. My compliments to the chef for an innovative way to serve the dish and for the meal overall.

Balthazar - V & A Waterfront

2009-04-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

We were near the V & A waterfront at lunchtime and decided to go and find something to eat. I suggested steak and off we went to Balthazar. A quick look at the menu confirmed what we wanted, rump and we duly ordered. On leaving the waitress asked if we wanted the 350g steak to which both of us answered yes. I thought the question was odd at the time as I do not and neither does my business colleague look like people that eat 150g steaks.

This was my first visit to Balthazar and I was looking forward to seeing what they produced. The steaks arrived and were tasty and properly prepared as requested. My view however and as I have previously experienced at other restaurants renowned for their meat is that they are certainly overpriced and over hyped. This was borne out even more when the bill arrived and where we assumed that we were paying R138 for a piece of rump, we were in fact charged R184 for the 350g option. I also find this odd as this tends to seem to be a businessman's venue and there was only one lady accompanied by loads of men at the tables around us. One would think that this being the case, like other restaurants, the 350g option is displayed and the ladies steak is an option or maybe I was just there on the wrong day and their clientele are primarily ladies who eat 150g steaks.
Now I will admit that we did not read the fine print (and you shouldn't have to) as you would assume at that sort of pricing that you would get 350g. At that price it should have been fillet, grass fed and dry aged. For my money I would rather have driven to French Connection in Franschhoek had two fillet's of the same quality with a better sauce and chips for the price we paid for one. You only catch me once, I certainly won't be a patron of your establishment again.

Riebeek Kasteel

2009-04-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Riebeek Kasteel at about 14:30 on a Sunday of a long weekend to find that it was a little problematic to find a place to enjoy a late and leisurely lunch!

We stayed at The Royal Hotel which is one of the oldest hotels in the Western Cape and has the longest stoep south of the Limpopo River. It is oh so very colonial! The hotel is said to be in the top 50 most fabulous places to stay in South Africa, but in my opinion it lacks that something wow - this is true for its rooms, which are comfortable, but not luxurious, its menu which sounds appealing but fails to deliver and its wine list which is limited. However, the staff are friendly and efficient and for whom nothing, even eradicating shongololo's from our room, is too much effort!

The town has a few nice shops to browse through and we particularly enjoyed Crisp, where unusual imported produce is stocked for the town's rather high foreign contingent. On this note - we visited a few estate agents out of pure curiosity and were shocked by the audacious property prices! When heading home on the Monday we stopped by the legendary Kloovenburg Wine and Olive estate, which was closed for lunch! By now such things should not have surprised us - but it did! Especially as the Kloovenburg website says that they are open on public holidays (and this was not a Christian holiday) and on Mondays from 9:00 to 16:30.

Bar Bar Black Sheep Restaurant

2009-04-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

Ever been to a place that had all the makings of a great restaurant - magnificent setting, great vibe, funky decor - but just failed to deliver on the food? Well Bar Bar Black Sheep in Riebeek Kasteel falls squarely into this category!

For starters my husband ordered the baked lemons - at a cost of R45, I too could have cut 2 lemons in half and stuffed them with ricotta cheese and a few tomatoes - disappointing to say the least! I had a country cheese and tomato tart which did not taste too bad - just a pity the pastry was so doughy and not light and crisp.

Moving onto the main course... My husband ordered the last fillet in the house which was the worst cut of meat I had ever seen and instead of being served medium as requested, it was served well done! I had the fishcakes which would not have been worthy of a mention if it was not for the spicy pineapple salsa it was served with.

Poor showing indeed!

Swartberg Hotel

2009-01-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

We booked into the Swartberg Hotel on the way home as a break in our journey. I had previously enjoyed a very good stay there. We arrived via the Swartberg Pass, stopping on numerous occasions to admire the spectacular views. We arrived in the late afternoon and looked forward to the hotel and touring around the town. The staff were very friendly and settled us into our room. We wandered around town, but decided to settle on the food at the hotel based on my previous experience. Unfortunately this was a mistake as the food arrived cold and was not very appetising, certainly not in the same category as previously experienced. The visit was then further soured by the fact that the street facing room was very noisy, the fan was very ineffective and we could not open the windows as it would have been even noisier. The towels in the bathroom were dirty and slightly larger than a handkerchief and almost as thin, not very good for a 3 star establishment. We had specifically requested a queen size bed, but only had two singles in the room that were very uncomfortable. To add insult to injury after a bad nights sleep the breakfast was very bad with the bacon not being edible. Other patrons were feeding theirs to the cat. The final straw was at the checkout when we were billed the full amount for the room excluding the deposit we had paid. First the manageress would not believe us and only relented once my wife showed her an electronic copy of the transfer made when booking. I asked if they reconciled their bank accounts as they would then have picked up the deposit, the answer to this was no. One hell of a way to run your establishment and this just reflects the poor performance overall. We would definitely not recommend this establishment to anyone and wonder how they managed to get their three stars as they are certainly not even worth one.

Aberdeen

2009-01-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

On the way home from a holiday in the Eastern Cape we decided to take the less travelled route and stopped in the little town of Aberdeen. We had seen an article in country life magazine and decided to see what art was on display. All it took was ten minutes at Art's Cafe, a visit to the ATM and we left with three pieces of art at very reasonable prices. Certainly a worthwhile stop on our journey.