A la Bouffe, Linden – Fair, not fabulous French

First things first – the name does not mean “of the beef”, “from the beef” or “at the beef” – basically nothing to do with beef.

Directly translated it means “In the Food”.

I am a huge fan of le Julia Child, and I am not afraid to admit it. Frankly, I think anyone who claims to love food, or be in the know of food, should be a fan of this marvellous woman, the mother of French Cuisine. If you do not know who Julia Child is – I am shocked and appalled! Stop reading immediately, and go and repent yourself.

If you know who Julia Child is, because “..oh isn’t it that lady in the Meryl Streep movie?” – I am still disgusted, but at least you have a slight idea. (Now finish reading this, then go Google le woman, ok?)

Getting back to business, Julia is the ultimate non-French French chef, possibly better than most French folk alive today. The chef at A la Bouffe is apparently le proper Frenchie, so one’s expectations are high…

 

Le Good:

Simple open space, with minimal décor. I liked this less is more vibe.

Le menu is small, basically 5 of everything, starters, salads, mains and desserts. Keeps it light, and you know the chances of you getting re-heated pre-prepped frozen dishes, are slim. This is the opposite of the Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none approach, as it should be.

A good variety of all proteins available throughout all the courses.

Friendly French-speaking waiters. If you are not speaking le French, don’t worry, they do speak English as well, this is a nice touch.

Le Food, or le bouffe, is fresh and yummy. Authentic French…hmm, well this is debatable. There are some dishes, which are traditional in a sense, and then there are some which have a traditional name, but not prepared in the traditional way. All in all, the food is fair.

 

Le Bad:

Even though le waiters are friendly, the service is not sufficient. We had to stand up and look for our waiter more than once throughout the evening. The restaurant was not completely full, yet the barman had to double as the waiter. Perhaps look at employing an extra waiter.

Unfortunately the vegetarian choices are very disappointing, no veggie main? Tsk tsk tsk … in this day and age, it is simply not acceptable to not have vegetarian dishes on your menu. Have at least one option per course. Especially for a French restaurant, there are many lovely options to offer, go on, show-off your skills a bit. A salad simply does not cut it, I can make a salad myself which is much more satisfying.

 
 

 

Le Ugly:

The portion sizes are rather small (possibly in true French style – but we are in Africa after all). More veggies with the protein would be nice, and some mash! Where is a portion of golden delightful buttery mash?

Nothing horrible here that I can classify under the ugly category – instead I will mention a couple of unknown and pleasant surprises.

 

Le Lovely:

We went here for a birthday dinner, and I made mention of this toward the end of the evening to our waiter, during chatting to him about the ordering of le Bubbly. We did not order dessert, but as a surprise, the birthday girl received an extremely generous portion of chocolate mousse (with a candle atop!), enough for the table to share. Not only was this a lovely gesture, but the mousse was delicious and decadent.

 

Le Tips:

- Make a booking, just to be sure – even though I think the hype around La Bouffe has passed.

- I would avoid A la Bouffe for Sunday lunch, as they offer a standard Sunday roast. To me, this is a no-no, I want options and choice. There are many people who do enjoy a buffet-style Sunday roast, I am not one of them.

 

All in all, it was enjoyable and pleasant. Not quite the menu and food I would expect from a proper French chef though. I would go back, hoping that they have more veggie options, and an extra waiter or two.

 

Happy Wednesday dears!

Halfway to the weekend, hang in there.

 

Until we eat again…

La Mouette, Sea-point Cape Town - Crouching delight hidden potential

On a very popular website where people from all walks of life, all around the world are encouraged to jot down their experience at hotels, restaurants and things to do in different cities; is where we found this restaurant rated as one of the best in Cape Town, in Sea Point specifically.

Tucked away just one street from the beautiful beach ( what a pity not to have a sea view).

La Mouette is situated in a lovely old 1920/30’s style house with gorgeous wooden floors.

The Good: Menu. Service. Presentation. Ambiance. Price.

This is a lovely restaurant with an amazing menu, and very reasonably prices – it is clear that this is not yet aimed at tourists coming to Cape Town with Euro’s Dollar or the mighty Pound.

It was difficult to choose, as the courses and descriptions all sounded delectable.

The meal started with oven-fresh breads that melted in the mouth and awoke the appetite, with home-made butter and mushroom mousse.

I had a Pea Soup with Goat’s Cheese Croquettes and balsamic jelly to start – it look gorgeous, and tasted great, a lovely light soup. 

We also had the Cheese and Truffle croquettes, which were to die for! These little heavenly balls are extremely rich, too much for one person to devour (luckily), so we all got a taste. 

The rest of the table opted for the Crispy Pork Cheeks, and apparently it lived up to the expectation and reputation, I’m sure I heard some silent whoops going around…This proved to be the dish of the day.

Mains, where unfortunately, much less impressive than the starters. My Butternut risotto was yummy, the caramelised hazelnuts added an unexpected texture and flavour. 

The rest of the table opted for the following dishes: Bhaji spiced crispy hake – presentation was beautiful, but not a lot of crush in the crispy batter, and no detection of the Bhaji spice, no other spice or seasoning at all for that matter. Beef sirloin – this was cooked well, but the trimmings where a let-down and the star of the dish – Parmesan and Truffle sauce was almost undetectable.

Lastly the Pulled Crispy Lamb, in contrast to the pork cheeks, this was the disappointment of the day. Huge portion, the lamb formed into croquettes which in not what you expect when ordering pulled protein – it could have been anything really. If I have to give credit to this dish, it would be on the dryness, it has to be an art to get anything this dry. I have never seen someone struggle to swallow (what is supposed to be melt-in-your-mouth tender) meat as much as this day.

The Bad: Lack of sauce. Dessert.

This a classic case where the food stated out great, exceeding expectation, and then went downhill from there.

On all the main meals, sauces are served individually with each plate, graciously poured over your food by the friendly waiter. Unfortunately there is not a lot of pouring going around. It’s literally a serving spoonful of sauce, 15ml max. Now that’s just mean.

On the website mentioned earlier in this post, the Rhubarb Crumble is praised to the heavens, so this was an obvious choice. 

The Hot Chocolate description on the menu is quite an eye catcher, and a Lemon Poppy Seed cake, a classic favourite.

The results were disappointing and mediocre to say the least. And the Hot Chocolate dessert was in-fact not a dessert at all, but a cup full of shop-bought powdered drink… uhm…? What?

The Ugly: 

If you offer a dish with a sauce (especially an amazing sounding sauce) then please add the sauce to the dish. Bring it separately, that’s fine, but please bring more than a taste full.

Do not mess with classic dished such Pulled Lamb, or a gorgeous Crumble – don’t “fix” it if it ain’t broke.

 

As previously stated, the service falls under the good category, and I will point this out even more, as it was my brother’s birthday, and they made him a little tasting plate of all the desserts, even though he didn’t order any dessert. A lovely touch. (Pitty is was a tasting plate of the underwhelming dessert, and not the delicious starters).

In conclusion – this is a nice restaurant to go for a light lunch maybe – have 2 starters, 3 even. If you have mains, insist on extra sauce if you want to live, and give the desserts a miss, have a glass of bubbly instead. A charming place with lots of potential.

Happy Monday!

Until we eat again…

Les Delices de France – authentic French in the most unlikely place

Let me start off by saying that I do not have anything against the Westrand, in fact, I grew up and went to school here; but in all honesty this is not the hub for nice restaurants. This is definitely not where you will find a sophisticated charming place to dine… except for this one.

What a spot of luck to stumble upon this delightful authentic French restaurant on the corner of Gordon and Keith Rd.

A house that has been renovated into a spacious and plain restaurant – no frills no fuss. The same approach is used in the food, no frills no fuss, just delicious French cooking.

 I had the French onion soup, and I stand to reason that this is a soup that would have warmed the heart of the legendary Julia Child ( and any Parisian for that matter), and a lovely goats cheese salad.







The non-veggies indulged in the likes of pan seared foie-gras  on an apple puree, an amazingly flavourful lobster bisque, Kinglip (if I remember correctly), saffron seafood curry and duck breast.

 

 

Desserts – usually my highlight to a meal, were all perfection. A passion fruit crème brulee with a perfectly golden paper-thin burned sugar topping – just the way it should be; an individual baked pear tartlet on-top of a silky thin custard, and a lovely light slice of Opera cake, and let it be known that I am not fond of cake, but this one I will gladly eat again.

 

 

The owners are the chef and his wife – all the way from France, which you cannot miss with their beautiful rich French ascent. She runs the front of house, and he obviously the kitchen.

They’re friendly and willing and prepare wonderful food. They also host food and wine paring evening at a very reasonable price.

A nice variety on the menu, and from what I can tell, changes monthly or so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prices are not sky-high, but definitely a little higher that what you would find at your local Westrand steak house, and thank heavens for that!  I do however feel that for them to fully benefit and have an overflowing restaurant the location is not ideal. I’m taking this as a blessing in disguise though, as prices might have been double and portions perhaps half if this was situated in the popular dining cove of 4^th Ave Parkhurst.

Do not miss this little pocket of Paris, in the heart of JHB suburbia.

Bon appetite!
Until we eat again…

DW eleven-thirteen - gorgeous gastronomy, Dunkeld JHB

If you are a foodie and have dreamed about Heston Blumenthal kind of food - then DW is definately the place for you. Magical plates of flavours and textures to excite all your sences.

This is one of my favourite restaurants in JHB, well in South Africa actually, and has been for a couple of years. We have been lucky to dine here since they first open their doors, and have become regulars at this modern restaurant. Why have I not written down my comments about this little gem? I have been waiting for the right opportunity, and I think it is here.

The clean green and white interior with simple lines, and stand-out metal focus points is the perfect setting for the gorgeous gastronomic wonders that appear on your plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service is prompt, professional and friendly. Atmosphere is sophisticated and slick. Menu has a wonderfully diverse variety, and changes seasonally (or a bit more often, but always using fresh seasonal ingredients).  Yes, the prices are a bit pricey – but also keep in mind that you are not dining at your local steakhouse when at DW, you get what you pay for, and perhaps even a little bit more…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The chef (Marthinus Ferreira) has succeeded in exceeding my expectation yet again.  His a master at what he does, with beautiful flavour combinations; sometimes classics, sometimes daringly different – but always exciting and spectacular.

Be assured that you’ll never find something ordinary on your plate, even if it might sound ordinary on the menu, like a tomato soup for instance, will arrive with a touch of theatre and self-engineered droplets of “caviar” topped with flavoured foam.

 

Marthinus will always come out and greet his patrons, it is evident in all he does that food is his passion, and he goes to great lengths to show this in every bite on every plate. Presentation is always amazing, and he ensures that you indulge all your senses when dining here.

As a chef he is not the biggest fan of vegetarians, but will always create a beautiful vegetable plate for you, which is done with careful precision, and bursting with flavour.

I could go on for hours about the food, flavours, combinations, textures and tastes – but I think it will be best to just show you a glimpse of the glorious plates and you can decide for yourself.

This is a world class restaurant, not to be missed.

( Oh - and do not forget to make a booking in advance!)

 

Salivating just looking at these pictures....

 

Happy Monday,

Until we eat again...

Il Leone, CapeTown – Effortless goodness.

The effortless goodness of the cuisine, is reflected in the simple and clean lines reflected in the décor and furniture, with a wonderful ambience created by the lighting. No frills no fuss. This restaurant is all about the food, and rightfully so.

The atmosphere is cosy and friendly, very helpful staff and a well selected wine/beer menu.

 In my previous posts I’ve made it very clear that I am not a fan of Pasta at all, that it is a vehicle for yummy sauces or ingredients that could be used more delightfully in a different dish, in a different way…and a fattening vehicle to boot.
It was at this humble Italian eatery that I had my first plate of pasta that my taste buds dance. ( This was a couple of months after I became a vegetarian, otherwise I would have never ordered pasta).
                                                                                 Perfect pockets of ravioli – so that you could see the orange colour of the butternut glow through, layered with a four cheese sauce.

This was absolute heaven! I never knew pasta could taste like this, and for the first time in my culinary noting life, I could understand how people in Italy could eat pasta every day.  I also have to add that I’ve been in Italy more than once – and never have I come across such a wonderful mouthful of pasta.
It was love at first taste!
Due to this, I make a point of dining at Il Leone every time I visit in Capetown.

I’ve also had the Melanzane which is good and proper, but in my eyes nothing will compare to the Butternut Ravioli with four cheese sauce.

For the meat eaters, they have a lovely selection of hearty meaty dishes, which I have heard the praises of, and seen and smelt the rich aromas.
The seafood also look fresh and juicy.

 

For dessert I once had the tiramisu, which was delightful, and the crème brulee which was backed and torched to perfection.

This restaurant is easily missed, as you only see a small plaque hanging above a small door on a tiny patio.
Even with the lack of advertising and huge signs, they’re always overflowing  with patrons – so do make a reservation a day or 3 in advance.
And be sure not to miss this hidden gem.

 

 

Happy mid-working week!

Until we eat again…