Bruce Robertson at The Showroom whipped up fish and chips for us while the crew filmed Bruce at work and close-ups of the cars. Really enjoyed the fish and chips (served with potato squares and onion rings). A great tummy filler. He also sent over a selection of sauces. I like the do-it-yourself pestle and mortar as long as the ingredients are uniform in size. I was forever having long herbs dangling from my mouth which looked like I’d eaten a doll with green hair. Bruce reminded me about that horrid Capetonian habit of booking at three or four restaurants and deciding at 7.30pm to which one to go. I think restaurants should take credit cards to confirm bookings and charge a R100 a head no show if not cancelled by noon on the day.

www.theshowroomrestaurant.co.za

We filmed in one of the newly refurbished garden suites at the Mount Nelson Hotel. It really is a superb hotel despite some of the more arcane standards slipping. In the past housekeepers needed to colour code books on the shelves. I found myself having to turn some of the spines right side up. Graham Viney’s interior scheme is sublime. I loved the muslin drapes over the four-poster bed with embroidered bumble bees. The black and white bathroom is wonderfully art deco.

For R10, 000 you too can spend the night in the Presidential Suite at The Cape Grace. We were invited to stay after we’d filmed there. This was the second time I was resident at The Cape Grace and thoroughly enjoyed my stay especially having a Jacuzzi on the balcony and waving to the folk in the BOE building who were at work while I was splashing about.

Although Phil Alcock will certainly change the menu at One.Waterfront restaurant to echo his European culinary roots, I do hope he will keep some of Cape dishes that impress. Start with the Cape Malay Dim Sum (R85) and follow with the sensational confit duck bobotie (R90). The next time I’m resident there, I’ll order the peanut butter and jelly sandwich dessert up to the room (R48). Think peanut butter ice cream between deliciously crisp almond biscuits with blocks of rose jelly. I narrowly avoided having a genuine Meg Ryan/Sally restaurant moment.

Earlier in the week I visited Ellerman House in Bantry Bay. I won’t dedicate a lot of space to it here as Ellerman House is only open to residents and their guests so you can’t pop in for a cuppa and see what it’s like for yourself. It is very, very special and deserving of its reputation as our finest boutique hotel. I was taken with the blue of the dining room. “It’s Tiffany blue says manager Nick Dreyer, “like being inside a Tiffany box.” It certainly is a jewel on the coast.  With uninterrupted Atlantic views and important South African art on the walls, I look forward to spending time there. Every aspect of the guest experience is bespoke. If you have R50,000 waiting for something to do, take over the Villa that includes the spa suites for a night.

It is the restaurant awards season. Here is my selection in order of the Top 10: Aubergine, Buitenverwachting, Ginja, The Tasting Room at LQF, Bosman’s, 95 Keerom, Constantia Uitsig, La Colombe, Catharina’s and Manolo.

Although I’ve raved about breakfast at The Table Bay before, it was heart-warming to find choros – those pastry thingies that I doused with sugar while walking next to Lake Leman in Geneva. I can’t think of another hotel that offers a wider selection of things for breakfast. From choros to seared fish – sushi to guacamole, congee to flapjacks. Impressive.