Salushi - Claremont

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

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

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

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.