Morells , North cliff – A Wolf in Sheepskin .

Most of you might know the name due to it being acclaimed as a 5 star boutique hotel and exclusive wedding venue in North Cliff. They recently also opened a French style bistro at the venue, so this exclusive little place is now open to the public.

I’m a sucker for French cuisine (well anything French actually) but especially French food. Having read about the bistro on more than one platform, and finding ourselves wanting to try something new on Sunday, we set off for lunch with great expectations.

Let’s start off with the good shall we, and I urge you to read the following 2 – 3 sentences carefully, as this will be the full extent of the good:  The venue really is gorgeous and has a lovely ambiance,  feels like you’re sitting in a secret garden, when in fact you’re on the corner of 14^th Avenue. Everything is neat and clean, and you are welcomed by a man in a penguin tail tuxedo with top-hat and cane. The owner/manager is a very friendly lady, offering blankets should you be a little chilly by the water fountain.  

The bad: I will try to keep this short, but I will also tell I like it is. As picturesque as the setting is, quite the opposite is true for everything that follows; service (or rather lack thereof) and food.  Service:  As we were seated our waiter asked if we would like anything to drink, we order water while waiting for the wine list…which never arrived. We sat and admired the surroundings, and chatted for about 10min, with no waiter approaching our table again, after standing up to call someone, we received menus.

Again we waited roughly 10min to catch a waiter’s eye in order to place our food orders. When ordering, I specified that I would like the French Onion Soup for starter, and the Tomato Tart ( which is a starter) for main – our waiter confirmed with me that I would not like to order a main, but that I would like the second starter as a main instead, I confirmed this a 3^rd time.  Needless to say, I received both the above mentioned with the other starters, and one of the luncheon party did not received her starter. No one apologised for this mess-up, or for the delay in the correct missing starter being brought out when the rest of the table where just about done with our starters.

Mains arrived 45min after the starters have been cleared – also only after calling a waiter to ask what is the hold up. This time around, I did not receive the Tomato Tart, but a fillet of Salmon, which I advised was not my order. Again, no apology for the mess-up, or delay in receiving the tart – which was by no means re-made since being brought out an hour earlier, as this was stone cold, so the delay in bring me the correct, but cold, order is slightly baffling to me.

The ugly – or rather The Bad continued; I warned that there is not a lot of good about this one…Food:  Menu has a lovely variety, and descriptions are full of flavour. You really get excited when reading this, really actually mouth-watering. Unfortunately this is a complete hoax. Guaranteed the descriptions are looked up on the internet or in a proper French cookbook – but the food does not live up to this at all.

French Onion Soup is one of my favourite soups, due to the pure simplicity of the flavours, on this occasion every spoonful tasted like a mouthful of onion jam – now don’t get me wrong, I love a little dollop of onion jam on a melba toast with a slice of brie; but as a savoury onion soup – not so much. (and the cheesy baguette – turned out to be what looked like Parmesan powder?)

The tomato tart, which in the menu, is described as a Confit Tart Tartin, served with basil lentils and a poached egg and red wine reduction, came as a cold hard baked slab of puff pastry, with 4 cherry tomato’s half, a dessert spoonful of cold brown lentil (with a finely chopped green something – could have been basil, could have been grass, who knows?). The poached egg was a hard pan fried quail’s egg, and perhaps a teaspoonful of balsamic vinegar that is supposed to be the red wine reduction.

The Seared Pork shoulder turned out to be a piece of pork fillet, also cold – and underdone in the centre, wrapped in bacon, served with sweet potato mash, crumbed sweet potato, one baby onion and a 4cm cut of celery. No sign of the Parisienne sweet potato, red apple puree or cauliflower crisps… really just unacceptable to say the least.

Osso Bucco came in a gigantic portion, double the amount of couscous to meat, and just a dollop of sauce. As I don’t eat meat, I can’t give much of an opinion on this – but it evident that this was not too great from the fact that not even one of the pieces of meat was eaten, and did not receive rave reviews from the rest of the table.

In all honesty, I think the Seared salmon option was the best of the lot…keeping in mind that it does not take a lot of talent from any kind of food to be better than any of the described dished, in fact I think McCain pre-frozen veggies, that are steamed with a smidge of béchamel or a simple grating of cheese would outshine them all. But hey, perhaps that’s just me.

Dessert, which is customarily my favourite part of any given meal, we completely skipped, as we could only imagine the catastrophes that would come out of the kitchen.

 

All and all – disaster.

And what mind-boggles me the most, is that this is a supposed “5 star” exclusive venue, hosting extremely expensive weddings. Now dear management, if you, your service team and kitchen struggle on a Sunday afternoon lunch service – not fully booked might I add, perhaps half ( and this is not a big restaurant ); then how in the world do you handle a wedding?

There is a saying – the higher the pitch, the lower the profit. I could not think of a better description for this “elite” restaurant. Leave the penguin suits, top hats, and fancy descriptions at the door – and rather focus on producing good and proper food.

Avoid at all cost!! Rather order pizza.

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…

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…

Hard Rock Café, JHB – what is in a name?

Since learning of the opening of Hard Rock Café in Sandton , the entire JHB has been in a frenzy to visit this iconic restaurant.

Located on the popular Nelson Mandela Square, but tucked away in the corner, this is sure to be a huge success. And indeed it is.
This restaurant/bar is overflowing with customers practically every day of the week.

 

Home of the burger – this is a burger lover’s dream, I think. If you prefer an old-school type “real” burger patty, and not the more recent gourmet burgers that you can find at Dukes and The Wolfpack. I’ve never been a fan of the burger, so I to me this is more of the same. A veggie burger would be nice to see on the menu though. Or a meat-free salad as well…
I opted for the Chicken Quesadilla – without the chicken and added mushrooms instead.

I can comment that the portions are plentiful, very generous, and everyone seemed to enjoy the food a lot – whether this was because it was so darn delectable, or due to the fact that we’ve been having a couple of bottles of wine, and only ordered at around 9:30pm, I’ll leave open for debate…

 

The service was great, we had an amazing waitress and two managers who checked in regularly, without being overbearing.
All in all, I’d definitely go back for a drink or two, not so much for the food. Meat/burger lovers might disagree. It promises to be a fun night out.
For now though I do think the hype is all about the name, we’ll see how this plays out over the next 6month or so.

 

 

Opt for a seat on the patio, the music inside grows louder as the evening sky grows darker, until your ears almost start to zing.

 

Until we eat again...

Casparus, Stellenbosch – Just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to…

The chef of the restaurant was one of the first professionally trained chefs, all the way from Belgium, in South Africa and produced amazing food in the heydays.

He then disappeared from the food scene for a couple of years – in which the Cape winelands grew to be THE destination for decadent dining.

Situated in an art gallery in Dorp street in Stellenbosch, it look intriguing and contemporary. The menu and combinations are set-out to match this vibe.

Some odd combinations which one would easily have gagged about a couple of years back, are now as common as bread and butter, and you struggle to think of a time when you would not want salted chocolate, chocolate and chilly, strawberry’s with balsamic and black pepper, or even fillet with a chocolate sauce.

Ethienne Bonthuys is riding on this wave, but taking it to extremes – and unfortunately he’s crashing into a boulder with most of his weird combinations.

 

The signature dish is calamari with oxtail…I saw that face-pulling action going on just now, and rightly so. It tastes exactly as it sound – and even worse if the calamari is underdone, which it was when we dined there. Another 2 of the most bizarre combinations – Kingklip with a dark red wine and balsamic sauce; and then it’s counter – Fillet with a fishy/prawn white wine sauce? In both cases it was commented that the sauces were really nice – but did not fit with the protein at all, these two should have been swapped around and he would have had a winner.  Fortunately I am a vegetarian and had the privilege not to taste these extremely peculiar combinations.

I had a stuffed giant mushroom (and I was a happy camper seeing this on the menu as this is one of my favourite things). In all honesty I was not aware that it was possible to do a bad job at stuffing a mushroom. Some spinach, pine-nuts and goat-cheese should be one of the most elementary things, apparently not.

 

Dessert is probably my favourite part of a meal, but after the meal itself, we were all so put off that we skipped dessert and coffee.
(You’ll notice that I do not even have pictures – which is a very rare occasion for me not to take pictures of the lovely food everyone is eating.)

 

The setting is creative and unusually inspiring, unlike the food.
The service, or rather lack thereof is rather shocking, and super slow. On the evening we dined there, only one waiter was to be seen for the entire restaurant, albeit only 2 tables had patrons. Which confuses me even more – if this restaurant and food is all that and a bag of chips, why only 2 tables booked on a weekend evening? And how is it possible that the waiter struggles so with serving these two tables?

 

My advice ( to the chef and his combo’s, as well as the unsuspecting patrons) – just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to.

There are so many gorgeous restaurants in this area that leave you desiring to go back for more – do not waste your time at Casparus.

 

Happy Monday, I wish you all a lovely week.
Until we eat again…