The Caveau cookbook (and Sunday brunch/lunch)

I was invited by the owner of Caveau to join him for lunch at the Newlands branch (in Josephine's Mill) on Sunday. I sat down to what he described as "the best offering we have as a brand." Big words from a guy who has successfully opened (and then extended) Caveau in Bree Street, Gourmet Burger in Heritage Square, HQ steakhouse and the Caveau in Newlands where we sat. As part of his collective restaurants he's got a sushi bar, a huuuuuge wine offering, Friday night parties at HQ, rugby days at Newlands, annual birthday parties, events in the Heritage courtyard and a deli to buy fresh produce. So...he's got a few things to throw at the public. 

About 15 minutes into the lunch I knew what he meant though. The sky was clear, the live singer (a gorgeous brunette called Louise Day) was singing up a storm, the river was gently trickling along and the bubbly was being opened at pretty much every table. Very skoochie and super-chilled. 

It was about halfway into my second glass of Villiera Brut Natural 07 that I stopped listening to anyone at the table. I had picked up a copy of The Caveau book. The Caveau book???! Who knew they had a book? I didn't. It's bloody well done though. With the food styled by none other than Liam Tomlin and beautifully shot, the book is written in a deliberately informal tone and does well to reflect the relaxed, warm atmosphere that began with the opening of Caveau back in 2004. There are personal anecdotes, food philosophies, recipes, a focus on wineries and the winelist, an explanation of the vision for Caveau and more. The thing I enjoyed most about the book is that the main stars in it are the loyal customers and the staff. The people who have made Caveau a success. 

Anyway, I can tell you my lunch was brilliant too. A potato and leek soup with just the right amount of truffle oil and a nicely seasoned vegetarian risotto with perfectly cooked rice and sweet mediterranean flavours (peppers, courgettes, patty-pans etc.) Next time you wake up looking for something to do on  Sunday consider this as an option. They are open from 10h00 to 15h00 so whether you do brunch or lunch is up to you. Either way, good luck avoiding the bubbles. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. The Caveau book is available at both branches and also at The Chef's Warehouse 

La Mouette - Fancy a dinner for two?

You may well have heard about La Mouette already. It's the restaurant that sparked the infamous Rossouwgate. I actually felt for them, as JP's review of the restaurant was totally overshadowed by the scathing attack that was mounted by readers in the comments section. People totally lost the plot, and more importantly lost sight of JP's opinions. I haven't reviewed La Mouette, as the only eating experience I have had there was the invitation to a chef's table as part of their launch. I can't provide a fair review based on that meal, but I can tell you the food I ate was sublime. I have also heard from others - who's opinion I trust - that their experiences have been equally good. La Mouette seems to be the real deal, and with an undoubtedly beautiful setting it's worth checking out, even if only for a drink or two.  

But what makes it categorically worth a trip is the special they are currently running. R150 for a 6 course tasting menu. That's bloody good value. Even if the food is only average (which I'm confident it won't be) that's worth visiting for isn't it? Dishes like crispy calamari with paprika, fish soup with potato, mussels and leek and tuna tartare with avocado and rocket promise brilliant value for that price.  

What? Still not convinced? How about half-price cocktails in the new upstairs bar. What's that? Does it have a TV? Yes my dear, it has a flat-screen showing all the football. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I'm giving away dinner for two at La Mouette. All you have to do is tell me which teams will be playing in the Cape Town semi-final of the World Cup. Yip, guess those teams and dinner is yours. 

I'll give everyone until 5pm tomorrow to have their predictions in. In the case of more than one person being correct we'll have a draw. 

Go. Go. Go. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

If you don't win, but still want to check the place out, try their website 

Madame Zingara - She's gorgeous

The Madame Zingara  story is a beaut. It's like a soap opera. In a nutshell, it goes like this: 

1. One of Cape Town's most beloved restaurants burns down

2. In one of the greatest marketing/PR coups South Africa has ever seen, the restaurant is resurrected. This time in a massive tent. With live shows.

3. The wildly successful show comes to an end. It gets packed up and the team departs on an overseas tour.  

4. A major investor pulls out. 

5. The team returns to South Africa, battered and in dire financial trouble. 

Last night I was lucky enough to be part of what would read as point 6 in the above story. Point 6 would say: The restaurant opens again. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes! Bigger and better than ever, and this time in the middle of a designer shanty-town. 

The team has done a phenomenal job in creating a faux-township, dubbed eZingalethu. There's a shebeen, a pool bar, some dodgy tattoo shop (they're fake, don't worry), hubcaps on corragated iron partitions, plastic chairs everywhere, a place to hire gumboots and more. The staff are dressed in the trademark whacky costumes and there are several familiar faces from the past MZ adventures. There are some new characters too - my favourite being "the tart". A dude (quite a big dude) who is dressed as a brilliant parody of the Paris-Hilton/Joburg kugel type of girl. She (he) dons a tiny dress and a 1m tall wine glass. She (he) flits around chatting to anyone who will listen and is brilliant. A similar satirical character is "the Trance-party chick", which is another dude dressed as a hippy at a trance party. She (he) has ribbons everywhere, a florescent headband and a moonbag from the 80's. It's classic. She (he) also does a good job of acting like the shrooms have kicked in too hard. Come to think of it, most of the MZ staff do a good job of acting like the drugs have kicked in....

Anyway, once inside the tent you are reminded of how much you missed it. The vibe is electric, the costumes outrageous and the tent itself beautiful. I took my seat and for the next few hours was treated to some awesome cirque acts. A combination of physical strength and raw power, beauty, humour, talent and style were seamlessly strung together. It was awesome to watch and I enjoyed it way more than Vaudeville. Some might disagree but at Vaudeville I found myself drinking tequila to try get in the mood. Last night I had to stop myself from getting tequila. I didn't need it.  The show has something for everyone but the stand-outs for me were the hula-hoop girl and the roller-skate pair. Truly skoochie. 

Another major aspect of MZ is their community work. They have one again teamed up with Ikamva Labantu, a non-profit organisation who help support communities with health, education, food, security and skill development initiatives. Awesome stuff. 

 

Oh, the food. Right, I forgot about the food. An antipasti platter is shared between two people. Not bad. Mozzarella, fresh figs, a sundried tomato tart, a simple salad and some toasted cashews. The starter dish was a artichoke ravioli and for mains you could choose from their signature fillet with chocolate and chilli sauce, a springbok shank, salmon or a vegetarian risotto with roasted butternut and gorgonzola. Dessert was a chocolate torte with a raspberry mousse. Was the food spectacular? No. But it was decent. And let's appreciate that they are feeding 5oo people! That alone is pretty spectacular and gets my respect. And let's be honest, you're not there for the food really. You're there for a night of escapism and to have a good time, which I absolutely did. 

So there it is. Madame Zingara is back. And she's beautiful.

Cheers,

Jamie Who 

P.S. How much are tickets and how do you get them? Well, I was lucky enough to be invited as media so I didn't pay anything. Well...I paid for the wine (the winelist is impressive by the way). For info on prices etc. check out their website on www.madamezingara.com  

 

Jamie Who favourites

I've deliberately stayed away from two types of stories over the last few weeks/months. One is the "winter specials" story. I swear when I have to read about some of the ridiculous things certain places are offering it makes me wonder how desperate they actually are. Come visit us on the first Monday of the month between 1 and 2 pm, wearing a Bafana Bafana jersey and if you order your pizza in Afrikaans you get your second caraffe of wine free if you pay for your first with a R20 note. Okay, it's not that bad but I have read and heard enough of winter specials. Enough. Every single day the list grows and grows and I personally am completely over it. Fellow food blogger Dax wrote a great piece on specials and their shortfalls and followed it up with a piece on the worthwhile ones. Nicely done. 

The second story I have steered clear of is anything World Cup related. These stories often tied in with restaurant specials and I refused to get sucked in. Until recently. The fever has got me and it's got me bad. The socks are on the Fire Truck mirrors (yes, I just told you the name of my car), the flag is hanging out my office window, I've bought a ridiculously-expensive Bafana jersey, I own a Puma Unity jersey and when I finish this post I'm off to get myself an Ivory Coast top. I am totally over-excited for The World Cup. So...I thought instead of listing specials that different places are offering I would provide a list of my own. A list of Jamie Who favourites for visitors lucky enough to be part of this historic event. These will no doubt spark debate (which I would love by the way) but please guys, let's keep it civilised. Below is a list of my favourites. Things I enjoy. I'm not saying they are the best. I'm saying they are MY best. Please understand the difference. By all means, comment and leave your suggestions. Here we go:

1. Best steak: HQ and Carne. (Go for the hanger cut here. Rare.)

2. Best place to have an artisanal beer: Brewers & Union. (I'm a fan of the Berne.) 

3. Best place to have a glass (or more) of wine: Caveau. (Their Heritage Square branch.) 

4. Best pizza: Carlyle's on Derry Street. (It must be made very clear that this is only because visitors won't have the opportunity to enjoy a pizza from Massimo. We should all agree by now that he is king of the pizza)

5. Best beer on tap: Jack Black

6. Best place to enjoy Jack Black on tap: Harvey's Bar at Winchester Mansions and Twankey Bar at the Taj Hotel. 

7. Best bakery: Ile de Pain in Knysna and Jardine Bakery in Bree Street

8. Best restaurant on a wine farm (if you're looking for fine-dining): Overture on Hidden Valley

9. Best restaurant on a wine farm (if you're looking for something rustic): Bread and Wine on Moreson

10. Best place to have a cocktail (if you want a view): Salt at the Ambassador hotel. 

11. Best place to have a cocktail (if you just want a bloody good cocktail): Martini bar at the Cellars Hohenoort and Asoka. 

12. Best food market (for a vibe): The Neigbourgoods market in Woodstock

13. Best food market (for the produce): The Wild Oats Farmers' market in Sedgefield or The Slow Food Market in Stellenbosch. 

14. Best burger: Loading Bay (when they have burger nights). Otherwise Caprice. 

15. Best breakfast spot: Bistro Sixteen82

16. Best sandwich: The Kitchen in Woodstock

17. Best overall lunchtime restaurant: Superette in Woodstock

18. Best healthy food: Osumo (chicken fajita wrap is what you want here. Trust me)

19. Best coffee: (...............) I can't drink coffee so it's up to you to judge by the comments. 

20. Best food memorabilia shop: The Chef's Warehouse 

21. Best curry: Firefly in Knysna 

22. Best value-for-money restaurant: La Boheme 

And now, the big dogs. Let's get a slow clap going....

23. Best restaurant in Cape Town: Bizerca Bistro

24. Best restaurant in South Africa: Zachary's in Knysna

A special mention must go out to Cheyne's in Bree Street. He does private functions in the evenings and the feast he cooked for The Queen's surprise dinner still rates as one of the best I have had.  

There you have it. My favourites. A guide to places I would recommend to anyone visiting Cape Town and/or the Garden Route. If you think of any categories I may have forgotten let me know. We'll chat. Also, I didn't include links to the places I've mentioned.  If you want contact details for any of them please drop me a mail at jamiewhoblog@gmail.com 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Free-range Fridays at Catharina's

You would've noticed my not-so-subtle "preachings" about free-range meat lately. It's a lifestyle choice I've made and it has been tough. No more Wimpy burgers on road-trips. No more bacon thrown liberally onto pasta and pizza. No more boerewors rolls on the side of rugby fields. No more Nando's when you're hammered or hungover. I've had to sacrifice certain dishes I used to love at restaurants and choose vegetarian options instead. Shopping at markets instead of grocery stores has taken on a whole new level of importance for me. Basically, free-range meat is a big deal. It's a huge deal. So when I heard of Catharina's Free-range Fridays concept, it was something I absolutely had to check out. 

I was invited to a lunch to showcase the type of dishes the restaurant will be featuring on the menu, where chef Garth Almazan (surely one of the most underrated in Cape Town) talked a group of us through the philosophy. Not surprisingly, it all starts with the supplier and Garth explained the care that goes into sourcing the finest animals from the best farms. From there, Garth has borrowed from the "nose to tail" eating trend which, as the name suggests, focuses on using every part of the animal (or as much as possible). This brings me to my next point: offal. Offal has never really been given a chance here in South Africa, mainly because I feel people have no relationship with the animals they eat as meat. So the idea of eating livers, kidneys, sweetbreads etc. makes the average person squeamish. I guarantee that if people ate it in a blind-tasting they would love it. 

Anyway, onto the lunch. We enjoyed roasted bone marrow with a quinoa stuffing. Braised beef tripe with pan-fried sweetbreads and a bean ragout. Pan-fried calves liver with oxtail rillette. Pork belly with trotter spring rolls. All paired with gorgeous wine. Think Herold Pinot Noir, Steenberg Nebbiolo, Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal (all from 07). The most unusual - and my favourite - was the Jordan Riesling teamed up with the pork belly. Cathy Marston (wine guru over at food24.com) was there and her explanations of the wine were fascinating. For example, I had never noticed the strong minty/Eucalyptus character of Steenberg wines which she pointed out. Watch out for it next time you have the chance. 

The food was sensational. Honestly, some of the richest, deepest dishes I have enjoyed for a long time. The rain outside made it a perfect day to get stuck into such earthy flavours and the afternoon flew by. Bianca Coleman made an excellent drinking partner and I was quite bummed when I checked my watch and realised I had to get out of there. Next time - and there will definitely be a next time - I will make sure I stay longer, drink more and then roll down the road to my parents' house. (Yip, they have a place there - very convenient.) I'll probably wake up, go for a trail run on the Silvermine Reserve and enjoy brunch at Bistro Sixteen82. Because that's how we do it in Cape Town. 

To find out more about the Free-range Friday movement, give Catharina's a call on (021) 713-2222. Do your bit. Do your bit and enjoy an unbelievable meal. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The 2010 Eat In Awards lunch

Do you know who George Jardine is? How about Bruce Robertson? Luke Dale-Roberts? If you're a foodie then you probably do. But what about Wayne Rademeyer? Do you know him? And Swepie le Roux? Sound familiar? I thought not. 

The first few names above are celebrated chefs within the South African food scene. The last few are two winners of the recent 2010 Eat In Awards which I attended a few weeks ago. The fact that the average South African has absolutely no idea who the real food heroes in this country are (they're the ones putting in hours of unrecognised work to provide amazing produce) was the backbone for Eat In magazine and its creation. The publication aims to showcase the best suppliers, bakeries, butcheries, markets, farmstalls, cooking schools and delis we have to offer, and awards prizes for the best in a variety of categories. This year they hosted a lunch to hand out the awards and it was an honour to share a room with the eventual winners. Men and women whom I respect enormously. 

The lunch itself was a laid-back affair and took place in The Food Corp premises, which is on the seventh floor of the central building in Black River Park. It's a funky venue and one to remember for anyone looking for something a bit different. Food was provided by A Sense of Taste, with a few of the ingredients being provided by the producers. Wine was provided by Waverley Hills (winner in the organic category) and unlike most organic wines I had no problem drinking it. A lot of it. I was seated next to the gorgeous hostess Justine Drake who seemed to be playing her usual game of "making Jamie Who blush as much as possible", which she seems to love. She's also very good at it. The wine was my coping mechanism and worked fairly well. Maybe too well, as I did later find myself pouring a glass of wine at home with the cork still in. 

I was seated across the table from Pete Goffe-Wood and Abigail Donnelly and it was awesome to talk about all things food for hours. I also sat next to the guys from La Petite France who won an award for their brie. (You can get this from the Neighbourgoods Market so look out for it.) We enjoyed fat wedges of it with various preserves and, of course, the Waverley wine. I've also found their camembert at the market so try get your hands on that too. 

The list of winners can be found on the Eat In website. Buy the magazine, have a look at the smaller, independent producers and do your best to support them. They're the guys making food with love and passion. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Neighbourgoods Market antipasti platter

I was at The Neighbourgoods Market in Woodstock on Saturday when I got the call from Mr Awesome looking for a place to watch rugby later that day. Coming off a long week of eating, drinking, cooking and reviewing I was pretty tired and wasn't really feeling the pub vibe so I suggested my house. I wasn't in the mood to cook so I threw together a little antipasti platter, with tasty things I found at the market. All I had to do was sautee the wild mushrooms I found, mix some mashed avocado into the hummus I bought and make sure it all looked good. Obviously what you buy is up to you, but a good place to start is with the following:

• A tub of hummus, with an avocado to mix in.
• A jar of olives (I bought some marinated in chilli) 
• A jar of pesto
• Cheese (I got a phenomenal brie and camembert)
• A bag of mixed wild mushrooms
• Chorizo and Merguez sausage
• Smoked trout fillets
• A few figs
• A handful of mixed nuts
• 300g of free-range, Namibian biltong 
• A loaf of ciabatta and a loaf of sourdough

Okay, so all you need to do is sautee you mushrooms in some thyme, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix a mashed avocado into your hummus and cut your figs into quarters. Throw some nuts over the figs and drizzle with the best honey you have. Make sure you have plenty of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the bread and hot english mustard for the sausage. 

A platter like this is a brilliant way to entertain when you don't feel like cooking. It's also a cool way to eat with everyone getting their hands dirty and experimenting with different flavour combinations. Nice. For me, the sausage and hot mustard washed down with some Berne from &Union was a winner. (Yip, you buy your Jack Black and &Union beer at the market too.) Pretty skoochie. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Five Flies - Fall from grace

When I first moved to Cape Town the Stormers rugby team had just started playing in black and Five Flies was was one the best restaurants in the country. 10 years on and a lot has changed. For the Stormers, they are now wearing a solid blue jersey and for Five Flies...well...it must rank as one of the city's great disappointments. 

Eating there last night was one of the most impersonal experiences I have had in ages. The space itself is beautiful (an old building carefully restored with black and white tiles, an outside courtyard and beautiful exposed wooden beams). I hardly had time to notice though as I was ushered inside and hurried to my seat. The first thing that struck me was the number of tables. And the number of people. In the first 30 minutes I was there I saw two separate tables being turned over for new diners and the whole thing was starting to feel like a bit of a procession. The menu itself was a paradox of expensive food being listed on a plastic, laminated menu. The wine list is separated into price categories rather than grape varieties or regions, and it too (unlike the wine it lists) was cheap in nature. 

I asked the waitress if the meat was free-range to which I received an honest answer of "What does that mean?". Fair enough. I won't be having the sirloin then. Instead I tried mussels to start. They arrived less than a minute later with a suspiciously hot plate and suspiciously cold mussels. Perhaps microwaved. Perhaps frozen mussels. Perhaps both. They were rubbery and tasteless and I left most of them. Another starter of grilled field mushrooms with gorgonzola and caramelised onions was better but still smacked of "amateur-hour". My linefish (cape salmon) was presented skin-side up but the skin in question had not been scored, nor crisped. A grey, soggy piece of fish is not great for presentation. It came on "herbed linguini", which turned out to be linguini with store-bought pesto. I ate about half. Desserts got no better. In fact they got worse. The Queen had her standard creme brulee (she's become a bit of an expert). Tragic. The custard had curdled and it was inedible. My malva pudding was hardly better and had either been baked in bulk sometime in January, or bought. Sometime in February. The sponge was dry and the ice-cream it was served with was rock-hard. 

I should mention that all starters are priced the same, all mains are priced the same and all desserts are priced the same at Five Flies. For example, any main costs R125. There is another list for more advanced food, with surcharges. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during winter they run a special where three courses is R150. Compared to the normal menu, that's great value. Compared to almost anywhere else it is not. For example, Jardine is running a special where they too charge R150 for three courses. No prizes for guessing where I would rather eat. 

Five Flies. Home of chipped, cheap glassware and knives with plastic handles. Where the policy of "bums on seats" is paired with "get them in and out quickly". I have heard a rumour that 60% of their trade is provided by a deal they struck up with Thompsons Tours. I'm not sure about the accuracy of that but it would help explain their fall from greatness to mediocrity. And the fact that they seem quite content in that role. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Good Food & Wine Show ticket winners

A big thanks to everyone who entered the comp for The Good Food & Wine Show. I must say it's awesome to see how many foodies there are out there. I got people writing in with some interesting explanations as to why they deserved the tickets. Tactics ranged from flattery to passion to excitement to threats! I wish I had tickets for everyone but in the end these are the people I picked. Congrats and stay posted to find out where and how you get your hands on the tickets.

1. Hila Jonker

2. Georg van Rensburg

3. Nina Timm

4. Polly Howard

5. Tammyn Gregory

There it is guys. I am so bummed I don't have more. Keep eating and keep drinking.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

"The Pig" by Neil Jewell

"This blood is so fresh when it arrived a few hours ago it was still warm." Neil Jewell's opening line at his presentation at The Chef's Warehouse last night. Quite an icebreaker. I was there to do his class, simply titled The Pig, and had been looking forward to it for weeks. As a big fan of Bread & Wine, and as an admirer of Liam Tomlin and his new operation, I had high expectations. The four hours that I spent listening to Neil last night surpassed all of them. It was absolutely awesome. 

The thing is, you never really know what to expect at these classes. Some are very technical and you end up not really enjoying yourself. Others are really just an excuse to eat and drink and you leave having not really learnt anything (except maybe how to hide a bottle of wine under your jacket but we don't talk about that anymore...) What I loved about last night was that is was a combination of both. 

We watched Neil effortlessly de-joint and butcher a carcass. We watched him make black pudding. We watched him wipe drops of blood from his forehead. We watched him knock up beautiful salami and phenomenal crackling. We learnt how to cure meat and how to make sausages. And we ate. A lot. The quality of food was exceptional and because I was lucky (or unlucky) enough to be sitting at the same table as the boys from Caveau the wine flowed easily. South Hill Sauvignon Blanc 08. Beautiful. 

The thing that had the most impact on me was when Neil brought out a gorgeous cured leg of ham for us to taste. He called the pig the meat came had come from "one of his girls." He always referred to "her" and not "it." He obviously loved that animal and that love translated into the taste of the meat. We can all learn from that. 

For info on other classes check out www.chefswarehouse.co.za. Neil has set the bar pretty high but with some of the other guests they have lined up you should seriously think about booking.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

The Good Food & Wine Show - 13th to 16th May

Gordon Ramsay. He's a clever bastard. The last few years have seen him leapfrog several others to become arguably the most internationally renowned celebrity chef in the world. (Along with that other guy called Jamie I guess). He has done this not only by being a great cook but by being a great businessman. He obviously knows how to market himself and no less than FOUR of his shows are currently on BBC Food (The F-Word, the Cookalong thing, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen.) That's pretty incredible. We know he is hard-core and digs a swear word or ten but he is seriously bright too. He is a brand and a very good one. 

So you can imagine it was quite a coup when The Good Food & Wine Show (which is being held at Cape Town's International Convention Centre from the 13th to the 16th of May) announced Mr Ramsay would be headlining the event. He has some pretty awesome support too with a few chefs from BBC Lifestyle conducting cooking workshops. Most notable for me is Giorgio Locatelli - I love that guy. There are loaaaaads of cool things including a chef's action theatre, timed "cook-offs", beer academies, a cookbook library, brandy tastings, an appearance by The Stellenbosch Slow Food Market, a Garden Party by Top Billing and more. To see it all check out www.gourmetsa.com. 

The organisers are expecting 55 000 visitors over the three days. Let's be honest, that's a shitload. The good news is that you could be one of them. I've got 5 double tickets to give away. All I want you to do is to e-mail me and tell me why you deserve them. It's that easy. Tell me about your passion for food. Tell me about your love of wine. Send me photos of your boobs. I don't care. Just convince me somehow. 

For those that don't win, entry is R80 each. For any additional info check out the website I mentioned earlier. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

HQ - I am truly sorry I didn't mention this sooner

Ask Capetonians who makes the best steak and they get pretty animated. Answers will range from "their local" to "my wife". Some idiots will say Brad's Grill. Pfffffft. Shame. Others will throw in 1800 or Nelson's Eye. People who think they're clever will say "You know what? Spur makes a great steak". Let's be honest though, people who matter will say Carne or HQ.  I've written enough about Carne in the past but it dawned on me that I have never mentioned HQ. I realised this glaring error last night and felt like stripping naked and whipping myself the way that albino monk does in The Da Vinci Code. I was disgusted with myself. I immediately strolled across from &Union, where I was enjoying the redhead (if you know what this means congrats - gold star for you), to see if HQ was still that good. It was.  

For those of you who don't know, HQ was started by the team behind the renowned Caveau brand. How it works is this simple: they serve salad, sirloin and chips. For R155. You might be thinking how expensive that is, but let me dig deeper on your behalf. (It's a pleasure.) The steak is 35-day aged meat from free-range, grass-fed cattle brought in from Namibia. It is - quite simply - superb. Served with a Cafe de Paris butter and sliced for you, it is 250g of heaven. The chips are skinny frites and you can have as many as you want. Excellent in texture. Did I mention you can have as many as you want? The simple salad is a combination of fresh cos leaves and butter lettuce and is served with toasted pine nuts and parmesan shavings. If ever there was an example of how simple food can taste delicious this uninspiring-looking bowl is it. 

Desserts are a part of HQ that never seem to get the recognition they deserve. There are 10 classic versions to choose from, and at R25 each they are surprisingly good value. I tried the chocolate fondant, which was faultless. Light, and with the right amount of wobble factor (very technical cooking term there). 

We enjoyed a bottle of Haut Espoir Gentle Giant 2006 which, with a smooth body and warm, peppery notes, was a match made in steak heaven.

Is the steak the best in Cape Town? That is a debate that will probably never be settled. Is it better than Carne? Perhaps not. But throw in the sexy bar serving up some of Cape Town's finest cocktails, Jack Black on tap, gorgeous staff, the live music and overall vibe and it's a tough place to beat. 

You can call them on (021) 424-6373. 

P.S. HQ is pretty dim, making it tough to shoot. A flash just didn't do it any justice. My bad. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

6 Spin Street - Brace yourself

I'd like to talk about value-for-money here. I've said before on this blog that value-for-money doesn't mean cheap. What it means is value. For. Money. In other words I'm happy paying R100 for a burger if it is the best I've ever had, or R40 for a beer at &Union. I'll also happily accept a platter of sushi that isn't the greaaaatest if it was ridiculously cheap. If I want free-range lamb from a farm in the Karoo I will pay a premium for it. So...basically, when I eat at a restaurant, or when I shop for produce, I am expecting a direct relationship between what I pay for and what I get. It's pretty simple. Apparently the guys over at 6 Spin Street Restaurant are unfamiliar with the concept though, as I have never seen such a discrepancy between prices charged and quality of food. 

Let's start with the good points though. The restaurant is in a beautifully restored building in town. Pressed ceilings, an original fireplace, a stunning stone facade, huge arched picture windows and parquet flooring. The restaurant shares the space with a few racks of books (made to seem even more like a library by the fact that the atmosphere was deathly quiet) and art hangs on the walls. Really, it's a great space. 

I'm not going to spend too long on the food because...well because I get in a bad mood when I talk about it. Power had a piece of kingklip with a tomato and feta sauce which came in at R105. It was a piece of fish on a plate. I had their special of the day which was crispy duck. It was a piece of duck on a plate. When the bill arrived I discovered it was R175. I have eaten all over Cape Town and never been charged that much for duck. Forget the fact that it was actually extremely average. They were also running a special from Phillippa Cheifitz (who I love by the way), where you could try a few dishes from her book, South Africa Eats. Well, it's a great idea but unfortunately it was butchered. The tuna from Phillippa's recipe (which she serves with sweet potato soup) was overcooked so badly it was inedible. A yellowtail and haricot bean salad suffered similarly overcooked fish, was terribly dry and we left half of that too.  Service throughout the meal was appalling (let's keep in mind we were the only people there) and presentation of all the dishes was amateurish. In fact, I've been to loads of dinner parties where the host/hostess's food tasted and looked in another league. 

I understand teething problems but these guys have far more deep-rooted problems. You simply cannot charge these prices and get away with it. We have far too many other options in Cape Town. 

Oh, I drove around for 20 minutes trying to find parking. Good luck with that. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

6 Spin Street is on...umm...Spin Street. Here is the web address www.6spinstreet.co.za

P.S. I didn't want to put a picture of the food up. I like my blog too much for that. 

Bombay Brasserie - Delicious

There's a true story in the world of sneakers. It's a long one and you can Google it if you have the will or the time but basically it involves two German brothers. The Dassler brothers. Named Rudolf and Adolf, these two became estranged mainly as a result of their differing views on Hitler and the nazi movement in the 1930's. At the time, they were involved in shoe-manufacturing. After the fall-out, Rudolf left to set up his own company (Puma), while Adolf stayed behind and re-named his shoes, Adidas (Adi Dassler - see what he did there?) What makes the story really cool, as these two went head to head, was the close proximity of their factories. The story goes that they could actually see each other across the Aurach River. So what does this have to do with anything? And why did it pop into my head when I ate at The Bombay Brasserie last week? Well my lovelies, the extra spice *ahem in the question "where is Cape Town's best Indian restaurant" lies in the close proximity of two if its contenders. 

Just down the drag from the newly renovated Bukhara, Bombay Brasserie has opened to generally glowing reviews. I stopped by last week to check it out and was impressed for a few reasons. Firstly, the staff. Everybody was world-class. In particular, Phineas, who we were lucky enough to have serving us. He was brilliant. In fact, I would go so far as to say he is the best waiter I have ever had. Thumbs-up to the man. 

The decor is plush, and serves as a good indication for what they are trying to achieve at Bombay Brasserie - which is elevating Indian food to a fine-dining level. (Something, as pointed out by JP Rossouw on his blog, Bukhara achieved when they first opened their doors, many years ago.) There's soft lighting, show-stopping chandeliers, thick velvet curtains, white orchids, oversized mirrors, rich wallpaper etc. adding to a good feel. One plus, for me, is the size. At only 40 covers a night, Bombay clearly has the edge over Bukhara in terms of creating an intimate and elegant dinner. The flip side of the coin being that the atmosphere was quiet. Almost too quiet. Bordering on dull.  

So...the food. With diners being encouraged to share, we did just that. Starters were both vegetarian and consisted of apricot and potato cakes (perfect texture) and steamed lentil dumplings. The dumplings were phenomenally light - a result of being held together by just a hint of chickpea, rather than an overpowering binding agent.

For mains we enjoyed a lamb shank, cooked in a saffron broth, and a prawn masala. The shank was put in front of me. I reckon I could've made the meat fall right off the bone if I stared hard enough. Meltingly tender and beautifully seasoned with the delicate saffron. The prawns, as is often the case with a curry, was a battle between aromatic vs. hot - the latter winning pretty comfortably. Our side dishes were a garlic naan bread (too small but thoughtfully cut into two already) and beautiful sauteed spinach with fried garlic. I didn't know spinach could be that good and owe it mainly to the consistency they achieved; almost a puree but not quite. 

Desserts are often relegated to an afterthought in Indian eateries but we ended off with some cardomon ice cream, which certainly deserves praise. 

Something worth mentioning is the strong emphasis on wine pairings which I found refreshing for an Indian restaurant. With so many spices and flavours on offer in each dish it is a sommelier's dream and I enjoyed hearing the thought processes behind the selected wines. The added bonus is a good selection of wines by the glass, albeit at fairly steep prices. We enjoyed some Teddy Hall Reserve Chenin Blanc 08. Shame...

The place is hard on the wallet and I can already hear people complaining about portion sizes. At R350 -R400 per head it is unashamedly positioning itself in the fine dining category. I'm interested to see who wins the Bukhara Bombay Brasserie Battle. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. I tried to get some pics but the romantic lighting made it tricky and a flash would not have done it justice. I'm going to try and source some though so please be patient. 

Kitima Sunday Buffet - A steal

The words "all you can eat" and "buffet" - when used in one sentence - are generally enough to strike fear deep into my soul. I stay way from these offers the same way I wouldn't go to Pep and buy "all the clothes I could wear".  The point I'm making is that quality, as a rule of thumb, is compromised at these special offerings. But, as they say, there is always an exception to the rule. In this case it is Kitima in Hout Bay. 

I used to go there for their Sunday buffet pretty often. Too often probably. I got a bit tired of it. But, after enjoying a birthday party for The Gym Nazi a few weeks ago, and after seeing their new cocktail lounge, I was keen to give it another go. I had given it more than a year and figured I was ready. 

Those of you who haven't been to Kitima will be floored by how beautiful the decor is. The venue is an old manor house and the place has been beautifully restored in a combination of colours and fabrics. Deep reds and blues are offset by delicate silks, lavish ornaments and over-the-top mirrors with gold frames. There are thick carpets running along dark wooden floors, stunning details on pressed ceilings and a new outside area beneath a bedouin tent. The new cocktail bar (I think it's called Raya Lounge?) is also a skoochie addition and a perfect place to have drinks before your meal. Or after. Or during. Or before, after and during. 

I have never eaten from their regular menu but in terms of what they throw out for a buffet you are spoilt for choice. There's sushi, duck springrolls, steamed dumplings, fried wontons, wok-fried noodles, tom-yum soup, pastries, green curries, beef stews and more. With nobody being able to tell me where the meet came from I stuck to sushi and vegetable dishes and nailed a creme brulee or two at the end. While nothing was mind-blowing, nothing was disappointing and at R195 per head I've got to say it is still the bargain I remember it as. 

As I have a habit of doing, I made up for the savings on food by ordering expensive wine and drinking too much of it but they had Moreson 2008 Premium Chardonnay. I mean, come now. If you can control yourself better than I did you can leave having enjoyed brilliant value-for-money. 

The buffet ends at 15h30 so book early (we went at 12h00) and settle in for a long, boozy lunch. There's no rush. I mean...it's Sunday. In Hout Bay.

Cheers,

Jamie Who 

Twankey Bar - You will be sick of me very soon

We've spoken about the foodie club before. It's a weird bunch. I'm a member. You're a member. You also get fake members. Or, as I like to call them, wankers. These people are the ones who order the most expensive bottle of wine instead of the best. They are also convinced they know everything there is to know about food. Real members of the club (yes, that's me and you in case you haven't gathered so far) are aware that you can never know enough about food. There are always new techniques, trends, flavour combinations etc to learn. And what happens when you do discover something new? Well...it's a revelation of sorts. Last night, having a few drinks before eating at Bombay Brasserie, (review to follow) it happened to me.   

We'll get to that just now though. Let's first talk about the general vibe at Twankey Bar, on the corner of Wale and Adderley. As part of the Taj Hotel they have done well to create a separate entrance. So you don't feel like your sitting in a bar at a hotel. Nice. Inside the eye immediately takes in the beautiful marble bar. It's a beaut. There are raised, cushioned chairs instead of uncomfortable stools, lower versions, some leather wingbacks and one or two booths. The place is sexy but discreet at the same time. Like Mrs. Jackson who taught me Chemistry all those years. Annnnnyway...that's neither here nor there. What becomes quickly obvious at Twankey is the attention they have paid to the food. And in particular (and here comes my "light form the heavens" moment) the pairing of oysters with Guinness. Wow. I had never tried it but was instantly hooked. Something about the thick, velvety Guinness and the delicate oyster was..well..it was f-ing amazing. As explained by James, the food and beverage manager for The Taj, it is their intention to introduce this to as many people as possible. In fact - and don't tell him I told you this - if you go there right now and order oysters they bring you some Guinness. For free. To try. With the oysters. For free. With the oysters. 

The rest of the menu is vastly superior to any other pub fare I have seen in this country and had things like quail sitting happily next to chilli poppers. 

With Jack Black on tap and the entire &Union range proudly on display, you know where to find me on a Friday from now on. And Thursdays. Because it's Phuza Thursdays. Maybe Wednesdays. Because let's face it Wednesdays are the mini-Fridays. And Saturdays. (Did I mention there is a nice big TV showing sport?)  

With brilliant service, a winelist that clearly champions the little guy, a passionate manager and a vibe that generally just makes me feel skoochie inside, Twankey has jumped to my number 1 spot in terms of after work drinks. According to James they are going to be very strict on how many people they let in on a busy night. Just another reason to leave work early tomorrow. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. I did take more pics than this but I'm having some camera issues. I'll try and get them up tomorrow. 

Maze at The One & Only - I'm underwhelmed

The problem with putting a restaurant in the lobby of a hotel...is that it often feels like a restaurant in the lobby of a hotel. And Maze, at The One & Only, is a good example of that. Dark wood, thick carpets with geometric prints and heavy, oversized light-fixtures make it seem impersonal rather than impressive. Of course, the space is made to seem all the more soulless when there are hardly any people there and, after accepting an invitation by management to have lunch there yesterday, the first thing that struck me was how dead the place was. In their defense, they have obviously realised the need to get some local lunchtime trade coming through the doors and have introduced a set lunch menu. At R150 for two courses and R200 for three courses it is extremely good value when compared to (a) The rest of their menu, and (b) Some of the V&A Waterfront restaurant prices. 

The new lunch menu is set to change weekly. Yesterday there were three options as starters, three main dishes and three desserts. After checking with the chef that his meat was strictly free-range, I began with a duck and chicken terrine served with peach chutney. Feeling the long weekend a touch prematurely I also ordered a bottle of Bouchard Finlayson Sans Barrique Chardonnay (What, like you wouldn't have? Grow up.) The Queen ordered quail. I was very impressed with my dish. Beautifully presented, with the subtle chicken and the slightly weightier duck working nicely together. The chutney was a win too and was served as a chunky "Mrs. Balls" style along with a much more elegant puree version. They also brought out some toasted brioche - a nice touch. The Quail was good but nothing special. For mains The Queen ordered kingklip with bourgignon sauce. I was intrigued as I have never seen the sauce served with fish before. The combination didn't work for me - the delicate flavour of fish being totally overpowered. My ribeye was a trainwreck. The first few bites were good enough and the sauce was exceptional. (They had smoked tomatoes and combined them with baby mushrooms and a deliciously silky jus.) After a few mouthfuls I started to panic though. I simply could not chew meat that tough. I tried. And tried. And chewed. And chewed. And chewed. Eventually I just left some of the steak on the plate. Desserts were a lemon meringue cheesecake, which went a little way towards compensating for the steak, and a rooibos panna cotta which was equally good. In an effort to right the earlier mistake we were both given a free glass of Rudera Noble Late Harvest to enjoy with the dessert. I must say, I always enjoy managers admitting they have done something wrong and trying to make amends. Too many are far too arrogant and would rather sulk or make the customer feel like they are actually the one who has done wrong. 

Mention must be made of the awesome service. The waiter and sommelier were friendly and extremely knowledgeable. I loved the layout of the winelist too, which is split into regions rather than grape varieties. An impressive selection of wines by the glass too. 

All in all, I would say the place is underperforming. There is inconsistency and a lack of atmosphere that borders on depressing. But there is definitely potential. Chatting to the manager, he told us the aim is to make Maze less intimidating for Capetonians. They want to get people coming for relaxing after-work drinks, business lunches or just a glass of wine. The problem is...in Cape Town we already have so many other places to do this. So there is a lot of work to do. But they know that. And that, at least, is a good sign.  

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Carne - Amongst all the controversy, I was impressed. Again.

You might have noticed I am getting pretty particular about where I get my meat from. This comes on the back of finishing a book called Eating Animals which, as you may have figured out by the name, is an extremely hectic read. It basically takes you through the horrors that animals are exposed to in traditional farming methods. I will do a full review of the book soon but for now what you need to know is that I only eat free-range meat, where I can be absolutely sure the animal had a natural, healthy life (without growth hormones and antibiotics) and was treated well. 

This has been quite a process to manage in terms of buying meat for home but when considering restaurants it has been even more difficult. I am at the stage now where I actually e-mail the place before I go. If the meat is from a reputable farm I'm happy but if they give me a bit of a blurred answer I'll go vegetarian. If you had told me three weeks ago that I would go to The Wijhnhuis and have a mushroom linguini with pesto sauce instead of the beef tagliata I would have laughed in your face but I'm afraid that's where I'm at. 

Anyway, last week I went to Carne. It was on the back of some fairly serious accusations made on another blog which brought the restaurant's meat supply source into question. (you can read all about it here). Now...I'm not looking to spark some hectic foodie debate here and get all controversial but what I feel I need to say is that Giorgio Nava (the owner) personally came to my table and explained his side of the story. He was open to the fact that I am now paying close attention to where the meat I'm eating comes from and he sat and politey talked me through the entire process. In a nutshell, he gets beef from his own farm in the Karoo. He gets a lot of it. He uses other butchers to hang and mature the meat. He never wants to use the entire animal so he then buys what he needs from said butchers. He goes through the same process with lamb and game but uses another butcher. Regarding his buying of meat from other suppliers Giorgio was open about the fact that he does this to "compare flavours". He assured me that what I was to be eating was not from any of these suppliers. I do agree with the point that he should remove the word "organic" from his website though. I am speculating but I find it hard to believe all his meat is 100% certified. 

As I said, there was a bit of doubt before I went. I asked the manager, Jamie, about the meat and he gave me a thorough explanation. I asked the chef and he too gave me a satisfactory answer. I know some people may not accept this but I was there to enjoy dinner not deliberately try and expose some meat conspiracy and bring the industry to its knees. I asked a question and got an answer which I believed. Maybe I'm being a bit naiive but that was good enough for me. There has to be room for a bit of trust in the world. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. When I reviewed this place I had the hanger steak and chocolate souffle. Guess what I had this time? Yip, I'm afraid so. It's that good. 

Kwalapa - Three cheers for the little guy

There's a show on BBC Food called Gary Rhodes' Food Heroes. I normally hate Gary Rhodes but after watching this show...well...I hate him less. The vibe is that he has famous guests on the show who nominate people they think need recognition but aren't necessarily getting it. These people are often suppliers or farmers. Sometimes the nominees are owners of delis who only use local produce. The deli owners all stress the importance of sourcing the highest quality ingredients and, more importantly, looking nearby. 

Since watching the show I have often thought about how cool a South African version would be. Not just because I want to be rich.  Not just because I want to be famous. Not just because I know I would look amazing on camera. But rather because I think there is a story to tell. I want people to meet the farmers and I want people to appreciate the difference between small, independent suppliers who care and the mass producers who pump animals full of growth hormones and antibiotics (this is subject of another post though, still to come). Anyway, the reason I'm writing this rather long intro is to tell you about a place that would get Jamie Who's vote for South African Food Heroes. It is a small organic deli/restaurant in Newlands called Kwalapa. Never before have I seen a place that puts so much emphasis on where their food comes from. 

The vibe itself is very rustic - a huge bedouin tent (with a hole in it for a tree) covers most of the restaurant. There are arts and craft stalls and you sit amongst the Newlands trees. I recently met the owner and she explained their deliberate anti-Hippy approach. "One of my partners wanted to call the place Sprout but that wasn't an option" she explained. "We want people to see organic food as normal food but just farmed the right way, without additives and preservatives". Amen. 

To eat I went for their RAW muesli which came with a beautiful, seasonal fruit salad covered in poppy seeds and freshly torn mint. I have since been back for lunch with Long Distance and had a chicken wrap made with my favourite, biodynamically-farmed Spier chickens. Both times my meals were outstanding. There are soups of the days as well as ever-changing, freshly baked pies. The deli section is also really cool and you'll find plenty of gorgeous cheese, fruits and vegetables. 

It might not be the funkiest venue and it might not get the most press. It doesn't have a celebrity chef or a fancy interior. But it has passion. And that's good enough for me. 

Find them at 31 Newlands Avenue or call on (021) 687-9314.

Cheers,

Jamie Who 

Taste Of Cape Town - A review via Twitter

I've said enough about the Taste of Cape Town Festival so I'm not going to do a whole post about what an awesome time I had there last night. Instead let's have a look at my tweets from the event shall we? Things should be pretty obvious. 

JamieWhoSA
5:05pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

2 glasses of Steenberg 1682 Brut and some yellowtail sashimi to kick off @TasteofCT

JamieWhoSA

5:29pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

Salmon in Miso from The Greenhouse and a glass of bush vine Chenin from Bosman Family Vineyards...

JamieWhoSA
5:39pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

Ragu from Il Leone is a showstopper. im definitely tipsy now

JamieWhoSA
5:52pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

soooo...a glass of Mooiplaas chenin and soft shell crab from Bistro Sixteen 82. approaching drunk now

JamieWhoSA
6:18pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

aaaand a glass of Pinot Noir from Elgin Vintners. beautiful and best value for money

JamieWhoSA
6:55pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

okay, truffle burger from the awesome Overture. oh, and a Grolsch

JamieWhoSA
7:36pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

what? have i been to the Patrone stand? yip, had all 4. its heating up

JamieWhoSA
7:40pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

there's always going to be a disappointment on a night like this. and it comes in the form of Myoga's salt & pepper prawns. pathetic.

JamieWhoSA
8:09pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

sho, grande provence shiraz right now. and the duck from Jardine. i wont be driving home. i love you

JamieWhoSA
8:19pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

Heineken. just to mellow for a while

JamieWhoSA

8:45pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

in terms of skill, presentation and execution the chocolate calzone from Grande Provence is leading the pack

JamieWhoSA
8:48pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

the johnnie walker black was probably too soon. some would say

JamieWhoSA
9:02pm, Mar 24 from mobile web

Ended the night with ice cream with the boys from Societi. argument with an old lady. hilarious.

Yeah look, it was good. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who