Makaron at Majeka House, Stellenbosch – Delectable and darn good-looking!

I’ve dined at most of the best and renowned restaurants in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, and have never come across this gem, never even heard of them, until September that is, and what an absolute pleasure it was!

The Good:

Everything!

The setting is beautiful and modern, the staff is friendly and service prompt without being invasive. Great location, as Makaron is situated in the Majeka House in the beautiful Stellenbosch. I was pleasantly surprised, wowed actually at the immense style this restaurant depicts from the get-go.

 

Extensive and exciting wine list, we had the Catherine Marshall Pinot-Noir which was enchanting ( the sommelier thought this very amusing and coincidental upon discovering that I am a vegetarian, as Catherine is a vegetarian, and therefore her wines are all vegetarian…) Fun fact.

The amuse-bouche was delightful and beautiful, followed by a surprise course of the chef’s play on a pink-vienna dish, which she cleverly turned into a mouse, and served in a tin. Such a fun idea to proof that her favourite child-time food ( the vienna) could be so much more, and could be served in a 5 star restaurant. I had the pleasure of sampling the Ancient Grains, delicious!!

 

We did not order starters, which I am truly haunted by to this day – having known then what I knew know, I would have ordered a full 3 courses, even if it meant having to force-feed myself like a foie-grass duck!

Mains were a winner all around, plated to perfection with delicate details. There is no doubt that this young chef does every single this with love, care and passion. I had the Roast Butternut Cannelloni, it was to die for! Definitely the best pasta and/or butternut dish to have every graced my taste buds.

 

 

Desserts were great too, and very creative – but comparing desserts to amuse-bouche/second course and mains, the first bunch comes out on top. And then, just to make you wonder again, there is a wooden chest filled with ice, and different flavoured bite-sized ice-cream sandwiches… I mean really, what more do you want? This is perfection!

 

The Bad:

Hold on to your seats – I have nothing to say here. This might be a first.

The Ugly:

And here it is for a second time – nothing, yes, absolutely nothing.

 

Tips:
Book a table here NOW. Go, on treat yourself!

Do not eat lunch before dining here, if you are going for lunch, skip breakfast. In fact, just starve yourself for a good 24 hours. The food is amazing and inspired, and you’d want to be able to eat as much of it as possible.

Now I can safely say that this is by far one of the best dining experiences I’ve had, in my life. And I can vouch for this, by letting you in on a secret: we had a gorgeous and big lunch the afternoon before our dinner here, and were stuffed (hence not ordering starters). And even with the feeling of not knowing how we would feasibly eat one more morsel of food – we devoured every single plate! Even with all the extras. Everything was just so darn delectable and good-looking that you could not possibly say no.

I’m salivating as I think back on this lovely experience.

And in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger – “I’ll be back”.

One more day ‘till weekend, you can do this.

Until we eat again…

Tokara Restaurant, Stellenbosch – Famed Mediocrity

On a recent culinary adventure, eating our way through Cape Town, we had dinner at Tokara.

This was our first time, and we were very excited as this was a nominee for one of the Top 10 restaurants in South Africa… I’ll give you the outcome of the nomination at the end of this post, for now, let me get started.

The Good:

The setting is beautiful, overlooking the lush green vines with a crackling fire giving a prefect ambience in dining room. Friendly and informed waiters, who are able to provide clarity on any aspect of the menu and its intricate dishes.

The menu is well balanced, and makes you salivate just by reading the descriptions of the dishes. Even for me as a vegetarian, I had difficulty deciding what to choose (this happens on very rare occasions).

The Bad:

Food arrived, looking gorgeous, but the taste unfortunately did not live up to the description or look.

Starters all around were pretty good, but nothing that made your taste buds dance, or which you’ll remember a week later.

Mains were disappointing all over, and the portion sizes very stingy! Some main portions were literally smaller than the starters.

Dessert was a disaster! I think this is where one should keep the “less is more” rule in-mind. It was just too many elements, of miniscule proportions, that just did not work together. And I’m still confused about the sickly-sweet the meringue shards featured on all of the desserts?

 

The Ugly:

No bad attitude or bad service, and again the ambience is lovely.

Look, I’m not saying it was horribly disastrous, but disappointing, definitely yes.

Tips:

All in all, I think the Deli at Tokara (aptly named DeliCat ) is a much better bet, for a lovely lunch among the striking scenery.

Compared to most other highly rated restaurants ( especially in Cape Town), I do not think that Tokara was a deserving nominee for the Top 10, and it seems that my instincts were right, as this restaurant did not make the cut onto the final Top 10.

Happy Monday ( and last month of work left for 2014, for most)

Until we eat again...

That’s Amore, Parktown North – Nothing Amore about this place...

Always on the lookout for new restaurants in Johannesburg, reading about That’s Amore on a very popular Jhb-blog ( let’s call it Joburg’s Sweetheart for the purpose of this review) we were ecstatic to hear about this authentic Italian gem in Parktown.

So according to the review, this place is such a jewel, and you have to book at least 2 weeks in advance, which we then abided by. Never the less, upon arriving we were the only table of patrons. Later 2 other tables of 2 arrived.

There is so much to say about That’s Amore, but very little to nothing of it is very Amore… where to start?

The Good – ambiance is ok, and the wall with the name on is pretty. I also liked the glass panelled kitchen. And the beautiful big wine glasses.

The Bad – Service.  Menu.  Food. Wine.  

The only waiter is actually the owner of this hole in the wall, and catching her attention is unbelievably so – rather difficult. As I mentioned there were only 3 tables on this evening. Have you ever heard the one liner “service with a smile” ? Well, the folks at That’s Amore, have obviously not…

On the website, they boast a very extensive specials menu, more or less double the size of the normal dinner menu, which I found a little strange. However once seated and waiting for the specials, out of the 30 on the website there was only about 3 specials mentioned? This was rather disappointing, as one of my fellow diners was looking forward to having one of the 5 duck dishes they boast about, but not even one of these were available.  I mentioned our disappointment with regards to this, and the manager/waiter came back from the kitchen 3min later to advise that they do have duck, but it will take at least 45min… the only way a duck breast can ever take 45min to prepare is:  A) if it is frozen, and you need to defrost it before cooking; or B) if you’re planning on turning it into charcoal to use for fire later. In this case I think it was option A. Have restaurants not learned, that in this day and age, patrons do not want frozen food to be reheated for them, especially if the price you’re paying is that of authentic fresh food. Let it be known – we are not fools.

We started off with the Caprese salad for the table, whilst waiting on one more friend to arrive. The R105 dish consisted purely of 5 slices of tomato, 5 slices of buffalo mozzarella, and one basil leaf – yes, one solitary little leaf. I questioned whether perhaps they brought us a half portion, as surely this could not be the one for more than a hundred Rand. I was wrong. We did ask if it was feasible that we have more basil leaves, as this is supposed to be a 3^rd of the dish, we then received an unfriendly side plate with a couple more leaves, in the end, at least we all had one basil leaf.

I have to mention that I find it strange for the above 10 piece dish to be more expensive than the main Meaty dishes. We were advised in no uncertain manner that our comments and feedback was not appreciated, and that everything was imported from Italy… (Even the frozen duck breast and tomato? – I have my doubts).

On to mains – Gorgonzola Gnocchi, not bad, not brilliant either but very mean with the Gorgonzola sauce. The spinach and ricotta ravioli was nice, good amount of filling and nice balance of flavour, again a little shy on the sauce. The “special” seafood pasta was…well, a bowl of dry spaghetti, 2 mussels, one clam and a butterflied baby prawn, the Neapolitan sauce was virtually undetectable. 

 I think my favourite of all was the “Spaghetti e Vongole”  - described as Neapolitan spaghetti with imported clams – a very generous 8 clams. Now have a look at the pictures – the Raviolini with Neapolitan sauce, vs the clam Spaghetti, also apparently with Neapolitan sauce… spot the difference? Yes, that’s right – no sauce!  What a disgrace.

On the wine side – there were 2 white and 2 red’s. And you could have a glass for only a mere R60-R70, half the price of the bottle. I wish I could convey my tone of sarcasm on paper.  Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you should have at least some variety in price categories – house wine, the medium priced bottles, and then your extravagant priced wines, no?

The Ugly – Attitude.

If you are unable to provide good food, and good service, at least be able to take some feedback to try and better yourself. As a service provider in the restaurant business, which is driven by word of mouth and returning clientele, telling a table of 5 patrons (which is more than half of your customer for that evening) “ this is my restaurant, feel free not to come back”, after having a not so inconspicuous rant about your customer’s feedback in the middle of the restaurant with your “chef” ( and I use the word chef very lightly here). 

Bad move signora.

But rest assured, we won’t be back. Ever.

In a nut-shell, there is nothing authentic about this place, the food is a joke and the service and arrogance a humiliation. Nothing here is very amore.  Avoid, avoid, avoid!!

Life’s too short for dry pasta and overpriced tomatoes.

Until we eat again...

(Note to self – don’t trust “Joburg’s Sweetheart” on any restaurant reviews – she obviously has no idea about good food).

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…

Scusi Bistro, Parkview – Delightful and Deliciously unassuming

Dear Universe I love, you know I do – but I’m rather annoyed at the fact that you kept me from this darling bistro for 2 years…

A good friend of mine has been telling me about this little bistro for more than two years now, but it seemed the universe was against me discovering this delightful eatery. At long last, I finally I got the chance to go for an early dinner directly after work a week or so ago.

Situated on the corner of Tyrone Avenue and Ennis Road, in the leafy JHB suburb, this café is elegant and vibey with a strangely soothing feeling.

Filled with black and white photographs, it pays homage to our lovely city of Gold.

The service is friendly and helpful, and the menu as a good variety, form the Grill, to Seafood and Vegetarian. The wine menu is sufficient, but could perhaps have some more wines added – my opinion.

As you might or might not know, pasta and me are not friends.  Like rice – it is a vehicle for sauce or the actual thing with flavour. So why not just have the thing with flavour, or the part f the dish with the flavour on something else with texture and flavour?

I have exactly 3 pasta dishes that I would gladly eat again, 2 of which is very unlicky to cross my path again as they are in Peru, the other in Cape Town.

Now, I have a forth to add to my short list of delicious yummy, non-useless pasta dishes. ( if this trend continues I might be converted into a pasta lover…somewhere in the far future…)

I had the butternut ravioli with a slightly creamy sundried tomamto sauce – bliss!

My friend had the fillet with mushroom and pamasan risotto, she cleaned her plate which is a good sign, and I’ll say it looked gorgeous and had a wonderful truffel mushroomy scent, one of thebest aromas in the world.

Scusi definitely do not penny-pinch, you get what you pay for. The portions are lavish.

Due to the above fact that we did not order one of the lush desserts on offer – but next time I most definitely will.

 

The only negitave I can comment on for now, is that they are only open from Monday- Friday, which saddens me, as this is a perfect spot to induldge and relax under the leavy trees on a Saturday or for Sunday Breakfast…

 

I’ll definitely be back within the next week or 2.
Don’t miss out.

 

Until we eat again…

The Foodbarn, Noordhoek - Real Food, Simply Delicious

Take a drive along the coast of the Cape, and take a turn to Noodhoek, just off the street you’ll find the vibey Noodhoek Village that offers a pub, some touristy shops, swings and playthings for little children on the grass lawn and an old hotel. Look to your right, there you’ll see a sign above a door, reading The Foodbarn. Walk towards it. Step through the door.

Once inside you are swept away by the serene all white innards of this building, with just little touches of blue to remind you that you are in fact not lost in the arctic snow. Bliss.

Simplicity is key with décor, and to a certain extent with the food as well, even though you’ll never know as Franck Dangereux manages to conjure the most define and powerful flavours out of any ingredient. A true artist who can make 6 ingredients taste like 16. Perhaps this is the freshness of the ingredients, or just his sheer brilliance in the kitchen? Who knows! I think it might be the combination of the two that gives your palate the buzz.

We were presented with dazzling Springtime menu, filled with choices and flavours that makes you want to be a glut, and order for 2...

A lovely wine list (which is to be expected when dining in the Cape) as well as a selection of local craft beers. The service is efficient, personal and friendly, without being familiar and having you feel like you should pull up an extra chair. Extremely helpful and knows the dishes off by heart.

 

Usually I’d now proceed on dissecting what was eaten and what the menu offered – today however, I’ll rather just give you the menu and photos of the delicious and beautiful food, as we were 5 people, all ordering starters, mains and desserts, so it might take a while.

 What I can and will say, is that no-one had an inkling of unhappiness about any bite of food they took. No surprize really, as it is Franck’s restaurant. I would have liked more than one goats cheese fritter as a starter though – very small portion, but I was slightly starry eyed at the spring risotto, which very rarely happens to me when eating risotto (or any pasta). Food is plated elegantly without being over the top or disguising what exactly it is that you’re eating – what you see is what you get, just with much more flavour and perfection than you could imagine.

 

 I expected a little more from the dessert menu, nothing really drew me... but the Pear tart Tatin was the perfect end to the meal.

 

When I’m in Cape Town again, I’ll gladly drive around the coast to enjoy the beautiful view, on my way to The Foodbarn.

***Note – you’ll definitely have to book in advance!!

 

Until we eat again…