Between coffees
Tag Archives: restaurant
Enjoying the sun at Saints
Late breakfast at Tokara
We'd often heard of Tokara, the wine and olive farm, but never visited - so we "whooped" and patted ourselves on the back when we discovered that they served breakfast until 12pm!
We rushed off to Stellenbosch, and ascended the Helshoogte mountain pass, arriving at Tokara at 11h40, just in time to order breakfast.
It's a beautiful place, and I'll post a few more photos, but in the meantime let me say that you really want to visit the delicatessen (where this photo was taken). The (huge) croissant, bacon, and eggs combination was both delicious and well priced - and their coffee, well let's say that they sure know how to make coffee.
Tobago’s Restaurant at the Radisson
On to my review. The service was perfect, and as mentioned, the venue was spectacular. I found the restaurant's menu to be very limited - which, in retrospect, was probably a good thing given my incredible indecisiveness when presented with an extensive menu. Even though the choices were limited, the lack of option was more than adequately made up for by the quality of the food - it was truly outstanding. We ordered dessert after our main meal, which I'm sad to say never lived up to (not even came close to) the standard set by the main meal. The waffles were a little soft, and the meager portion of ice cream not particularly tasty. It's a shame that our evening ended on that note, but still, I'd certainly recommend Tobago's, with caution to avoid the waffles if you're a connoisseur I believe as I am. :)
Pepenero at the sea
The Woodlands Eatery
The Woodlands Eatery has a pretty relaxed feel, our lunch appeared on our table in a reasonable amount of time and the staff were friendly, though not intruding.
The part of the establishment in this photo is mostly used for evening dining - but I decided to post it to show some of the eclectic decor that fills the little restaurant. Unusual, interesting, and pretty awesome, don't you think?
Gourmet Boerie
Boerie rolls have been sold at sports events, festivals, and even along side the road for about as long as South Africa's been South Africa. They're common at braais, and the perfect emergency meal for a Friday evening, when you really don't feel like cooking.
A friend and I visited the Gourmet Boerie (map) launch party on Saturday evening - and OMW, the food was outstanding. Boerewors rolls are normally cool, but Gourmet Boerie's extensive menu that includes gorgonzola, bacon, pecan nuts and rocket, with the choice of lamb, chicken, beef and ostrich sausage, along with the option of white, whole grain, or even rye rolls really takes the traditional braai meal to another level! It really was that good.
South Africans, don't you think it's strange that it's taken so long for a restaurant selling gourmet borie rolls to appear? I'm sure most of us would kick ourselves for not coming up with the idea first!
Good sushi in Cape Town’s Long Street
We met up with a friend at Phad Thai on Saturday evening. The sushi was as great as it had been at Sawadee, and the restaurant wasn't as noisy or crowded as I believe it can be during lunch hours.
It's not a pretentious restaurant by any means - the décor is modest, and there's no need to haul out your best Levis, or most plush dress. If you've never been, you'd probably do yourself a favour to visit pay Phad Thai a visit for a late lunch or early dinner.
Singing and dancing, African-style
For reference, there are two Moyo restaurants near Cape Town - this one, at Eden on the Bay, and another at Stellenbosch's Spier Estate.
An owl at Boschendal
While the visit to Le Café was pleasant and not too expensive, the service was only alright. It wasn't 4 or 5 star quality - something that I would have expected from this well-known premium estate. The omelets and coffee that we enjoyed was good, but we found it strange that the omelets excluded cheese - something that I thought all omelets would contain.
The open-air setting below large oak trees is very pleasant and relaxing, so even though our Le Café experience wasn't what we would have expected, it's still worth the visit.
Royale’s eccentric decor
Even though the view from up top on the balcony is great - for some reason I still prefer sitting downstairs, and prefer visiting in the afternoon - before it gets very busy. Royale's service has always been good, vibrant and cheery; and while it remains such the restaurant will always be one of my favourites.
In terms of a recommendation - I'd certainly recommend the Sweet Petunia burger; a 150g beef patty covered with grilled mushroom, fresh rocket, and drizzled with homemade mustard mayonnaise. And, to drink, I'd recommend the divine Fresh Banana and Peanut Butter milkshake. It's killer. :)
Salmon burgers?
I noted this sign at, what is in my opinion, the best burger restaurant in Cape Town - Royal Eatery. And, that said, I guess if someone's going to pull off a salmon burger, it's probably going to be Royale. :)
Breakfast at Beleza in Cape Town
I especially love the open-air feel when they open the large windows on the deck and how the morning sun streams in on cool Spring mornings. Also, seems as though mostly university students work at the restaurant, so the atmosphere is a young and vibrant one - which is definitely a great way to start the day!
Fez Club
The Fez Club, as you may know, is a super-popular restaurant and live entertainment venue in Cape Town, similar to that of the legendary Madame Zingara (the portable restaurant that's located at Century City, just outside of the city center, until the end of 2011).
Now, thinking of Madame Zingara; we haven't seen her in a long long while - I think we'll have to pay her visit as soon as Kerry-Anne's recovered from her hip op.
On the lawn at DeHugenot Estate
What's awesome about the experience is that (as you can see) the tables are spread fairly far apart so that you're able to enjoy the company of those at your table without the intrusion of other guests in close proximity.
Lunch in the country – DeHuguenot Estate
Even though the food is fine-dining, the main and desert was enough to leave me full and not wanting for anything else. Lunch wasn't cheap, nor was it outrageously expensive. The (particularly-awesome) Chalmar Beef Sirloin cost R120 and Banana Split dessert cost R40.
If you'd like a delectable lunch and good service in the countryside, then DeHugenot Estate is certainly worthy of a visit.
Cafe Caprice for lunch
I've been to Caprice several times for breakfast (the French toast is great) and for lunch a few times. Even though their burgers are acceptable, I'd recommend trying something else on the lunch menu, and I'd definitely recommend the breakfast menu. Besides for these, Caprice is the perfect place to enjoy drinks with friends on warm summer days.
A checkered perspective
Today's theme is "perspective", so take a little time to tour the world by visiting our fellow City Daily Photo sites. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
For interest - I took this photo outside a lovely little coffee shop called Kikka in the town of Paarl - some 60 kilometers outside of Cape Town.
Tsuyo Japanese restaurant has no mayor!
We visited Tsuyo for traditional Japanese Teppanyaki - which is a Japanese cooking technique whereby the food is cooked on an iron griddle. We started our meal with sushi (it's a Japanese restaurant after all) and then moved on to the main course.
The sushi was pretty tasty - though not as elaborate as sushi prepared at some of the other well-known spots. The teppanyaki was pretty satisfying and fairly filling - so much so that we decided even to skip dessert.
The only disappointing part of the Japanese experience was that we weren't served by a Japanese waiter! But then, this is Africa. :)
Breakfast in Kalk Bay
I wouldn't say that it's so popular because it's food is significantly better than their competitor's - I'd be more inclined to say that it's because they're perfectly located with a killer morning view of the sun rising over False Bay. Live Bait is certainly a place to visit for breakfast on a clear good-weather day. If you'd like to visit a slightly more posh restaurant, visit Polana (it's sister restaurant with even better views), positioned conveniently above.
The Radisson and Granger Bay
While visiting, be sure to take a walk along the breakwater (to the left of the photo) - and, when you're tempted to step out onto them, be extra careful not to slip and fall down between the dolose. I did so once - it sure was painful - I shall not repeat the incident.
The Cape Quarter
This is one of the entrances to the Cape Quarter. If you're visiting, or new to the area, you may be confused if you're unable to find this entrance, or the friends who promised to meet you. If this happens, the reason could be pretty simple - there are essentially two areas (separated by a narrow road called Dixon Street) that make up The Cape Quarter.
This photo was taken at The Piazza, the open-air square (map), and if you can't find your friends, it's probably because you went to The Square (which, by the way, has fairly cheap underground parking).
As a tip - the Piazza is definitely a place to visit when here on holiday; and if you're in the mood for some great, and affordable sushi - visit Aqua Restaurant, they have half-price sushi from 12pm to 5pm! :)
Best waffles in town?
Several months ago we had waffles at a restaurant called Blonde, just behind the Company Gardens in Cape Town. The waffles that we had that night were undeniably the best that I'd ever (ever) tasted. I tried typing a sentence to describe how awesome they were, but I just can't seem to come up with something to adequately convey how great they really were.
Subsequent to our visit to Blonde, we were told that Den Anker sells great waffles - so, we naturally headed over there to give theirs a whirl. Unfortunately, even though they were pretty good (and a definite second-place contender) the waffles that we had at Blonde significantly outclassed any waffle we've ever had - including those at Den Anker.
Do you know who sells "the best" waffles? If so, and as long as you don't say Milky Lane, please do leave a comment on this post.
Blonde closed down for a little while - but I believe that they'll be opening again... in which case, you know where to find me. ;)
Dinner and our wedding anniversary at Brio
Since this was our 13th wedding anniversary (we married young, by the way ;)), we decided to go to the classy Brio for fine dining, live jazz and a bit of style.
All in all, the evening at Brio was pretty darn good. The small jazz band was awesome and the warm and cosy atmosphere was perfect. I'd recommend a visit, but be aware that it is fine-dining, so don't expect to pay Spur or Ocean Basket prices!
Aqua Restaurant at the Cape Quarter
Nevertheless, the experience was pretty good - the staff were friendly and smart, and the seafood platter was pretty darn yummy. The particular sushi dish that we ordered (smoked salmon and creame cheese) was unfortunately a fair to moderate disaster, so much so that we left some of it behind (can you believe!?). Kerry-Anne's heard that the other sushi is pretty good, so perhaps we just chose something out of our taste-range... and to be fair, who orders sushi with smoked salmon!? :) )
All in all, I'd visit Aqua again, although I'd be smarter next time and book a table outside. For details I'd point you to their website, but to be honest it's as much a disaster as the sushi was, so for more information, a map, and a few photos visit their page on Dining-Out.
The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is a cocktail described in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as "the alcoholic equivalent to a mugging; expensive and bad for the head.". Apparently, drinking one is like "having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon, wrapped 'round a large gold brick."
Isn't that perfectly awful?
Kerry-Anne ordered this drink at Eastwoods Lounge, near Tyger Valley Center. She reported that the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster never had the alleged brain-smashing effect on her and was fairly tasty, albeit just a little too sweet for her liking.
Dunes Restaurant in Hout Bay
Dunes is a great place to visit - it has plenty of interesting decor, they show the sport on big-screen televisions, and the service was pretty good. The olive starter that we had was however not that awesome (I'm told that some of the olives tasted pretty bad) and the portion of Calamari was tasty, but pretty meager for the price - we felt.
This said I'd still recommend a visit. Dunes is a nice place to visit, it's located just over the road from the beach and I've had their Fish & Chips before - which, from what I can remember, was pretty good.
Emily’s at the Waterfront
Even though the restaurant was empty (on a Friday night) the service wasn't very good. While expensive, the food was ok - but not particularly memorable. Also, it appeared as though the main meals were fairly different in size - leaving some of us still hungry after the meal.
Although the restaurant is beautiful inside, and has beautiful views, with the huge array of restaurants to choose from it's probably not a restaurant that we'd return to in a great hurry.
Den Anker took my shoe!
One of the restaurant's most popular traditions is that patrons are required to hand over a shoe as deposit when purchasing one of these beers. This 8.4% Belgian Kwak beer is served in it's traditional round-bottom glass that by accounts is pretty darn expensive to replace, hence the clever shoe-deposit!
Breakfast buffet at the Table Bay Hotel
Through an arrangement of circumstance Kerry-Anne and I were invited to visit Sun International's Table Bay Hotel (the one next to the V&A Waterfront mall), to enjoy their buffet breakfast before setting out to the other side of Table Bay Harbour to take a few photos of Cunard's awesomely HUGE and beautiful Queen Mary 2. (I'll post a few photos of her docked in the harbour soon.)
I had previously visited the The Atlantic restaurant at the Table Bay Hotel for a phenomenal lunch, so I was more than looking forward to what I anticipated would be an absolute feast. It would take me hours and many words to describe all the yummy dishes that we tasted, so I'm afraid that you'll just have to visit for yourself! :)
Just to give you an overview, let me list a selection of the 230 dishes that comprised the buffet, starting with a plethora of fruit dishes, regular cereals, yummy muesli, yoghurt and nuts; cold meats, salmon, tuna, olives and other savoury treats; cheese, bread, and pastries (including the most delectable custard-filled pastries you could ever imagine); dainty pieces of sushi and nigiri, with a bowl of fresh oysters; scrambled egg, and the most awesome poached eggs and ham; crispy and not-crispy bacon; chicken, beef and pork sausages; mushrooms, French toast and other warm dishes; a small selection of Indian curry dishes; and finally, the daily carvery (usually gammon or crispy duck). What a mouthful! ;)