Review of Camil's & Cafe Chic first published in 48 Hours. (30-Jan-10)
I FIRST met Camil and his wife Ingrid in front of a huge, wood-burning stove at Residence Klein Oliphants Hoek guest house in Franschhoek. I don’t recall what he was cooking but do recall that I wanted to eat it. Years later at Bouillabaisse restaurant in the village they produced easy-to-eat cuisine rooted in the excellence of the Dutch/French kitchen. Although they arrived in Cape Town last year with their eaterie at The Rockwell, it is only in their newest spot, hurriedly vacated by Geisha Noodle Bar in the Cape Royale, Green Point that I first visited.
It is a glamorous room: smart chairs, gleaming floors and elegant napery with occasional oversized thrones. You’ll recognize the glass “blowfish” lights from Bouillabaisse.
There’s a café area offering their famous crepes but the dinner menu is sophisticated and affordable – a too infrequent combination.
The starter at R55, shredded duck with chilli and ginger tossed through greens with an oriental dressing is delicious and such good value it might be sufficient for an appetite smaller than mine as a main. I’d already tasted the smoked salmon blini off their bar menu which was good. Ingrid recommended the veal rib. I was expecting a chop so was pleased to receive a large, juicy cut, still on the bone. The veal is oven-roasted (I like it rare) and served with a watercress and potato emulsion and sweet-wine pickled onions. The seed-rich mustard mayo delivers tang. R135 is very reasonable for an elegant, well-made dish such as this one.
Rather than order dessert from their menu, I opted for a savoury goat’s cheese crepe from their lunch menu. I’ll tell you more about my attempts at making these at home another time, but rest assured that here you are in the presence of the pancake pantheon, the crepe creator – these are master crepe makers. Don’t take my word for it, order the mini French pancake sampler. Once you’ve tried the Nougat and caramelized butter or the apple with calvados or the puff pancake with lemon curd you will wish you’d left room for the Crepe Suzette too.
Camil’s, Cape Royale, Somerset Road, Green Point. 021-433-1227. www.camils.co.za
Café Chic has newly opened in Breda Street, Gardens. Breakfast, lunch, dine or lounge on the wrap-around covered terrace or in one of the many glamorous rooms in this large Cape Victorian restoration.
I like that they serve breakfast all day and look forward to returning to a breakfast sandwich of kassler chop, scrambled eggs and mushrooms (R52). I started with a Caesar salad which won’t win points with purists but was good to eat with boiled egg, chicken, bacon and croutons. The blue cheese-filled litchi salad also caught my eye (R60).
My monkfish (R115) (a very tasty and white firm-fleshed fish) was, according to the menu, soused with vanilla and fresh ginger. I found it so subtle and ethereal I had to ask the waiter to check if either ingredient had been included. His report was in the affirmative. Had I been served this dish without first seeing the menu, I’d proclaim it excellent, perfectly cooked and divinely served on mash with a deep-fried onion cross-section as garnish.
The slow-roasted pork belly (R95) with fondant potato was also attractively served and flavourful with herby thyme notes but I thought it needed a sauce to help it on its route from my throat to my belly. This is the sort of place Sally Bowles would love. “Divine decadence, darling.” Good coffee.
Café Chic, 7 Breda Street, Gardens. 021-465-7218 www.cafechic.co.za • Permalink • Comments [0]
Nomu Fonds and Tokara Deli. (22-Jan-10)
FOR a while Woolies kept a range of liquid stocks in one litre long-life containers before inconveniently discontinuing them , just as I became reliant on them. They’re back in store now, albeit at half the size. Now that I’ve tried Fonds, the new concentrated liquid stock from NoMU foods, there’s no turning back. The bottle looks rather like an old-fashioned cough mixture dispenser and the thick, glossy concentrate (200ml that dilutes to six litres), looks like cough mixture. I think of it as medicine for my food.
We often make a risotto-style dish with rice-shaped pasta and mince. When we made it using the Beef fond, the dish almost tasted like something from a restaurant. It added a depth of flavour and a sheen that wasn’t there with the stock powder we usually use. We also added a drop of the Vegetable Fond to steaming carrots with very good results. I look forward to trying the lamb and chicken Fonds and hope the chaps at NoMU, being the innovators they are, will deliver a Fish Fond soon .
I’m looking at olive oils differently now. The Deli Cat Essen at Tokara’s The Olive Shed, Stellenbosch, offers tastings of their range of oils. Some are from single groves of trees while others are blends. As the snob that I am, I reached first for the Premium bottle which is a blend of Leccino, Frantoio, Coratina and Mission olive varietals but found that I enjoyed the more run-of-the-mill multi-varietal blend best.
The Deli restaurant is new. Foodies will know about the fine-dining Tokara restaurant which remains but the Deli now delivers delicious, quality food at a fraction of the price, in a family-friendly environment. You can order a selection of platters, the antipasti for two is recommended if you want to take time and soak up the atmosphere before moving to cooked dishes; as is the cheese platter for a savoury end to the meal. We were equally impressed with the Tokara Elgin Sauvignon Blanc which we quaffed while thinking about mains.
The weigh-and-pay system is perfectly suited to those with differing appetites and I liked the option of having tasting-size portions first before returning with a front-end loader. At R18/100g I thought it extremely good value. I found the food tasty and well made, even though the selection lacked the pizzazz I associate with dining-out. Buffet food here is what you’d expect from friends who’d invited you to weekend lunch on their farm. Culinary fireworks are, after all, just a block away at The Restaurant, so it makes sense that the offering of delicious roasted chicken and lamb with a selection of salads is what you want to eat.
Not only is there a little-people friendly menu, but also a selection of wooden toys and books. The biggest appeal though will be tree houses designed like weaver-bird’s nests and organic-shaped timber climbing frames in the gardens.
The views from anywhere on the Hellshoogte road are vast but from inside the glass cube structure at the Deli, breathtaking. We began our meal outside but by the time we were ready to end it, we were too hot and headed for the air-conditioned comfort of inside. My uncle visiting from London said he knew of nowhere in Europe where good food was served in sophisticated surroundings with mountain and valley views such as we had here. I think he’s right.
www.tokara.com 021- 808-5900. • Permalink • Comments [0]
Quarters Hermanus. First published in 48 Hours. (15-Jan-10)
MUCH of the accommodation available in central Hermanus is either English Country or French Provencal in style, so the contemporary roominess of The Quarters is very appealing. Because it is newly built, albeit in the historic centre of Hermanus, there is off-street parking available for hotel guests, which is about as rare as finding parking in Paris or Clifton.
There was some controversy during the building on the site of the old library and the structure was originally intended as an apartment block. Not only does this mean that all rooms have fully functional kitchens, but also that the quality of workmanship is excellent, built to last.
The Marine Hotel has long occupied the premier position and reputation in Hermanus, right at the cliff face overlooking the sea. The Quarters’ position however, also delivers views (there is a large picture window in the bedroom that looks right out to whales frolicking in the sea) but is at the centre of village life with craft and market stalls in the immediate surroundings. Unless you’re after a quiet, rarefied stay, I can’t think of a better position in Hermanus.
We were in one of the nine suites with a large sitting room and big-screen TV and dining area, but there are also nine standard rooms that can be easily converted into family suites by closing a corridor door. This makes sense if you’re travelling as a family or need somewhere for your security detail, driver or pilot to stay nearby.
Durban’s Quarters Hotels are smart refurbishments of historic buildings whereas this one is brand new. They do however all share Quarters’ high level of personal service by an all-female management team. I liked their energetic approach that appeared out-of-the-box, like arranging a kayak excursion for conference delegates.
Food is promising at the Kitchen Bar restaurant in Harbour Square, under the hotel. The scallops are served on the shell, poached in chardonnay and Roquefort sauce with fresh herbs. (R59). The tasty sauce goes especially well with their home-baked brown bread. Salmon Carpaccio with lemon, capers and avocado cream cheese is another good option as a starter. (R50)
Ox tail is slow braised in red wine with butter beans, carrots and mash (R95). Absolutely delicious tasting but three of the four tail bones needed a lot more cooking. On seeing me struggle to wrestle the meat free, they brought another juicy, meaty bone to the table.
When chatting to the manager afterwards, I shared my doubts that other diners would receive the same good treatment, but he assured me otherwise.
The grilled calamari with sundried tomato, feta and chili on fettuccini (R69) is another good choice. The man-sized portion of calamari was deliciously tender and the pasta was lightly sauced, the way Italians like it. Lighter fare includes sandwiches such as chicken and mayo (R35) or BLT (R35) served with side salad and chips.
The restaurant menu is also available for in-room dining.
There is a deli in the building along with a snazzy jewelry store, ideal to select something sparkly for your loved one while you’re there over the Valentine’s Day weekend. If you book soon, you should still be able to find a R3200 suite for that weekend.
www.quarters.co.za 028 313 77 00 • Permalink • Comments [0]
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