Cape Town’s foodie options are looking up. Reuben Riffel will be opening a 170-seater Reuben’s at the One&Only in October (he initially said no but Sol made an offer he couldn’t refuse) modelled on the food of his Franschhoek bistro. It doesn’t sound like an easy ride - the demands of breakfast, lunch and dinner means 28 chefs will be employed.
Another exciting development is that pastry chef Vanessa Quellec will open a bakery with restaurateur Giorgio Nava (of 95 Keerom and Carne) in Kloof Street in November 2010. She’s spent time in Italy recently learning about Italian pastries, gelato and chocolates, and will be reproducing some of her favourites for Capetonian customers.
I’m already salivating. At only 29, Vanessa is one of the most talented pastry chefs I’ve come across. She loves dreaming up creative sweet stuff and has an impressive CV that includes working in pastry in New York at Le Cirque restaurant, picking up tips from Frenchman François Payard at Payard Patisserie, and later spending time at Gordon Ramsay New York.
Vanessa’s all-butter brioche can produce tears of joy in those who eat it. Her prune and Armagnac soufflé will make new converts, and her chocolate skills more than satisfy. I remember a dinner at Vanessa’s previous Cape employer The Roundhouse. Dessert was an unforgettable triumph of bittersweet chocolate creations on one plate, combining 49%, 64% and 72% imported Felchlin chocolate in a chewy chocolate dacquoise square with chocolate and coconut praline and caramel under a glossy tempered dark chocolate square. A chocolate fondant tart in chocolate pastry oozed decadently while perfect ice-cream rounds resembling river pebbles offered intense dark chocolate, and a lighter, unusually pungent pink peppercorn version.
He has a healthy appetite for breast milk and like his mother, enjoys snacking. So far I’ve eaten mild stews, pizza, Asian dishes livened by chilli, homemade muesli, chocolate, cooked vegetables and plenty of fruit salad without noticeable side effects.
June 22nd was an amazingly proudly South African day. With overseas socceroos in tow from Australia, Mzoli’s Place in Gugs was our logical Cape Town destination to watch Bafana Bafana bow out of the World Cup in style. There are plenty of flatscreens around and the volume is always full blast. Our Bafana boys played incredibly passionate soccer, and the vuvuzela-blowing Guguthlethu contingent we joined were behind them with every cheer and roar.
Specify if you want barbeque marinade (worth having), the required portions of mielie pap, spicy chakalaka of raw green peppers, onion and chilli – essential condiment – and mielie bread (we thought we paid for delicious-looking giant slices but the bread was finished when we collected our order). If you’re there for sport, hold on to your belongings whenever a goal is attempted because people are packed tight and the room reverberates. Bring tissues for the loo and ignore the lack of soap to wash your hands and you’ll manage just fine.
Series of wood fires burn constantly in the grill area and the enamel bowls line up with numbered tickets of individual raw meat orders. People return periodically to nag the grillers that their table is still waiting, but patience is required – our order went in early yet we still waited about three hours for our braaied food. There were some tricky balancing moments while carrying food to the table through the seething masses pouring in the other way to watch their team. But the lamb chops and sausages in particular were charred to deliciousness.
Exotic creatures with broad shoulders, fairy wings and wigs wander past sipping from oversized champagne glasses as you’re taking in the Boot-Ishoe stall selling numbered gumboots adjacent to the temporary tattoo parlour. A mojito is thrust into your hand near the front of the theatre queue as you’re focusing on a washline of pink and orange hot pants hanging above a veggie garden of plastic pumpkins.
Talented Valentina Love conceptualises the show.
Equally awe-inspiring are the Russian roller disco duo of Kristine and Ivan Prokopyuk, who trained in Moscow State Circus. Kristine’s glittery gold and black body is whipped vertically and horizontally as the couple whirl around a tiny circular stage. Fellow countrywoman Polina Volchek contorts her flexible gymnastic body with multiple hula hoops in positions I didn’t think possible. There is local show content too – a vocal high is South African divas Lilian Khumalo, Marguerita Freeks and Dorothy Engelbrecht of The Original Tons of Fun with their cover versions spanning the decades. “You’re just too good to be true…”
News of Lannice Snyman’s passing early this morning left a lump in my throat. We’d been walking in the Clifton area, glimpsing sunshine snatches over wild seas before the Cape stormy weather set in. So I only checked my phone after hearing a text alert from the third foodie friend. I discovered a poignant message from daughter Tamsin Snyman about her mixed emotions at losing her mother on the occasion of celebrating her first mother’s day with new baby Trinity. Wow.
The cooking demo class space takes up half the warehouse. Artisan bread classes, demos by guest local chefs and occasional big international chef names are part of the 2010 lineup.
The headline sounds quite dramatic, but actually nothing went up in flames. That line is merely to lure in all kitchen equipment junkies who get hot and sweaty when talk turns to implements… With a few April holidays to manoeuvre around, I never got around to trying out the luminous green Neoflam Ecolon fying pan I was given to test. So when the Merry Muncher decided to make French toast and bacon over the weekend, I handed over the new pan to be put through its paces.
On that upbeat note, Terroir at Kleine Zalze only offers a tasting menu on request, but they have just launched a Green Season menu that represents great value. I was invited to sample a few dishes from the two or three-course options as they will change over the winter months. I’m happy to report that chef Michael Broughton hasn’t lost his touch, and winter should be a very good time for locals to fill a Terroir table with family or friends.
The man sporting a mohawk has an enquiring mind. His likes: classic recipes, slow braises, deep-frying, cookbooks and good-value meals. Dislikes: sous vide cooking and dishes that look pretty but are devoid of flavour. If he serves a ‘tongue in cheek’ braised ox tongue and pig cheek, it means the Overture kitchen is having fun. But it will be made from scratch with integrity. To avoid wastage, the offcuts will form the base for stocks, sauces, mousse or terrines.
Franschhoek options include Mont Rochelle Hotel and Country Vineyards blankets offer comfy settling alongside the dam or tables in the gardens. Three choices range from the Country Basket (R290 for two), Gourmet Basket (R370 for two) or Deluxe Basket (R450 for two), depending on whether you’re wanting basic country fare, or a gourmet fill of Franschhoek trout, Tiger prawns, shucked oysters and petit fours at the deluxe end. Children under 12 at R85pp. Tel 021 876 2770, 
There is minimalist designer furniture in the circular wine lounge, plus some colourful art. But it’s the dramatic views that draw the eye, thanks to 11m glass sheets stretching the length of the restaurant at Waterkloof from floor to ceiling. In views there’s a choice of Waterkloof vineyards on the Schaapenberg Hill to the left, or Gordon’s Bay towards False Bay straight ahead. Pretty spectacular stuff, and my tourist friends were impressed.
