Posted on: September 27th, 2009 RLCaramello’s
As we were in the area, we decided to pop into Caramello’s. We’d heard it was a good spot for cake, and never having been there, we thought we’d give it a try. I was in the mood for pancakes, and it there was a good chance Caramello’s would also offer these sweet treats.
I was not disappointed, and I’m happy to report the along with all the other usual light lunches and snacks that cafés usually offer, Caramello’s also features a crepé section as well as a waffle section. I was content. The atmosphere was buzzing, I was surrounded by casual cool kloof street decor, and there were pancakes in my future. They even accomodated my need to have two helpings of traditional pancakes brought on one plate.
Unfortunately the staff seemed to be spinning a little, and the food came out very slowly. They are however very good at offering you coffee to keep you busy in the mean time, and I have to say that my Belgium Chocolate Latte was delicious.
The pancakes however weren’t great, but this might just be because I felt there was too much cinnamon, and not enough sugar. I’m sure if I have gone with one of the savoury or fruit options, the filling proportions would have been better. BH’s Club sandwich however brought a laugh. He’d chosen the side salad option, but this was so small that it looked more like garnish. We joked that if he had chosen potato wedges, would he have gotten one wedge? Ok, it’s not really that funny, particularly as it was a rather expensive sandwich, and not worth the price we paid.
All in all though, it wasn’t a bad experience, and the vibe really was great. I would go back again.
Caramello’s / Shop 16 / Lifestyle on Kloof / 50 Kloof Street / Gardens / Tel: 021 424 8172 / Email: caramelloscape@mwebbiz.co.za / www.caramellos.co.za
As many of you may already know, The Square at The Vineyard Hotel regularly offers gourmet wine evenings. These all offer a welcome drink as well as a 4 or 5 course dinner with complimentary glasses of wine per course. The cost of these evenings is from R225 per person and you need to book early as these evenings can be very popular.
The upcoming Wine and Dine Evenings present the following estates on the below dates:
09 October : Meerlust
16 October : Haute Cabriere
23 October : Constantia Valley
If any of these tickle your fancy, be sure to call The Square at 021 657 4500.
The Square / Colinton Road (off Protea Road) / Newlands / Tel: 021 657 4500 / Email: hotel@vineyard.co.za / www.vineyard.co.za
Posted on: September 25th, 2009 RLSalero
This Heritage Day, BH and I decided, after a long, lazy morning, to continue the day in style, and thought we’d try out Salero in the V&A Waterfront. We’ve had breakfast there in the past, and though a lunch might be a new experience.
We’ve never been particularly blown away by Salero, but I have to say, it’s still a good, solid restaurant, brought to us by the same people who brought us Baia. (Thank goodness Salero seems to be putting a bit more effort in, as Baia continues to disappoint.)
On option for lunch are various tapas, hot and cold, and mains which vary from pastas and seafoods to lamb burgers. All are beautifully presented, and well flavoured. The wine list is pretty good, and the service even better. The interior is well appointed, and has a beautiful view. Don’t be fooled by the empty tables they have set out in the passage; around the corner and through the restaurant, the place is buzzing and has a great atmosphere.
My only complaint would be the prices. As with many restaurants, Salero is a little more geared towards the tourists than they are for the locals. Still, if you can put this aside, it’s worth a visit every now and again.
Salero / Shop 7216 / Upper Level / V&A Waterfront / Tel: 021 421 1916
Feeling in the mood to spoil ourselves, RL & I stopped in at Sevruga and were pleased to see that while their Degustation Menu had ended, they’ve introduced a Spring Menu.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that a few of the items on the Spring Menu are simply repeats of the main menu. While the meals use the same fundamental ingredients, the Spring Menu’s Springbok benefits from a Lindt - Port Reduction, the subtle chocolate undertones enhance the already sublime sauce.
The Spring Menu features dishes with both a summer and winter theme… which seems obvious now that I say it, from a traditional light and fresh Shrimp Cocktail to fantastic Oriental Duck, a Seafood platter to Springbok.
The great thing about this menu is that your selection isn’t limited to only those items, feel free to mix and match as you like, as if you didn’t already have plenty of choices in the Main Menu.
Sevruga Restaurant / Shop 4 / Quay 5 / V&A Waterfront / Tel: 021 421 5134 / Email: info@servuga.co.za /www.sevruga.co.za
The following question and replies are thanks to Rizanne Montagu.
The QUESTION:
Hi there,
Great website! Finally a place to get an honest opinion. I hate wasting money by falling for the glossy pictures establishments put up online or in mags only to arrive at said venue to find the opposite.
Can you help?:
I have been hunting for THE ULTIMATE café to have cake at.
The criteria is:
- Best chocolate cake in Cape Town
- Authentic café experience
- Nice interior – something in the lines of the Melissa’s or Queen of tarts type design.
- Relaxed
Please advise if you can.
Next on the list.. The ultimate high tea (Besides Mount Nelson)..
The ANSWER:
Wow. I have to admit, you had us stumped with this one! Despite the amount of time we spend in cafés, none of us are really cake people. Never the less, we had a challenge, and we wanted to deliver!
So, after our survey, and chatting to a few close friends and confidants, the options are (in no particular order);
- Charlies Bakery, CBD
- Knead in Wembley Square, Gardens
- Carmello’s on Kloof Street, Gardens
- Cassis Bakery, Newlands
- Miss K on Main Road, Green Point
Unfortunately there are pros and cons for each location, but Miss K in Green Point gets my ultimate vote. I was there on the weekend and the vibe was great! The interiors are beautiful, but still have a relaxed, casual feel. Service is good, and the cakes delicious. (As a side note, I would also recommend their breakfasts.)
Miss K Food Café/ Shop 1 / Winston Place / 65 Main Road / Green Point / Tel: 021 439 9559 / www.missk.co.za
Otherwise, if it’s the chocolate you’re after, I can also recommend these restaurants. They each have incredible chocolate desserts, and well worth testing out. (Again, in no particular order)
- 95 Keerom / Carne - the Chocolate Soufflé
- Beluga Restaurant - the Chocolate Truffle Cake and the White Chocolate Beignet (oh yes baby!)
- Sevruga Restaurant - the Chocolate Fondant and the Chocolate Bombe available on their new Spring Menu
Mmmm….. enjoy!
The REPLY
Thank you so much for the huge effort in answering my question. Really appreciated. In the mean time I have also been scouting, here is what I thought:
- Winner: Melissa’s - Best chocolate cake in, possibly, the world (pecan chock). Kloof street branch is nice for something quiet, but if you want a more bustling vibe Waterfront is great. The interior and décor is lovely, with small round café style table’s and chairs + a great big rectangular wooden table in the centre of the store with every latest issue magazine possible. Not unusual to see solo patrons enjoying a slice of cake and a good read around the table. The rest of the food is also great. For something not too intimate, this store takes the vote.
- Runner-up: Miss K definitely.
- Charlies - According to friends, these are the best cup cakes you will ever find. Next on list to try.
- Limno’s bakeries - Their cakes and baked goods are of the best in CT. Anyone that has not been should definitely go. However they really need to update their “look” and décor as is very, very, stale.
- Knead in Muizenberg - is app also the new “in” spot for a weekend sandwich.
- Olimpia Café, Kalk Bay – best croissants
- Coimbra Bakery, Kenilworth – best brownies, ever. Don’t sit down though, the service is shocking, buy your goods and have at home.
- Josephine’s, Loop street – In terms of concept and interior this store is probably the best – they have couches! - but the location is bad and there is no vibe what so ever, and no cake, only pastry type goods. A real pity, this has the potential to be a winner if only…
- Myatt, waterfront. Don’t believe all the hype. The interior is amazing, but no vibe and the prices are ridiculous.
- The One&Only app is serving a High Tea that comes highly recommendable
- Tibetian Tea house. Recommended by a friend, have not made a visit as yet.
Thanks so much. I will be following the A-Z progress on your website!! I am going to Cape to Cuba in Long Street on Thursday, despite the bad reviews, I’m interested to see what I will find!
Posted on: September 4th, 2009 RLKove
See Featured Restaurants.
TH: ***
GS: ***
RL: **½
BH: ***
Average Rating: **¾
Upon first sight, The Kove in Camps Bay makes quite a good impression. By design, we arrived just as the sun was about to set, giving the area a wonderful warm glow. Music drifted from the speakers, enticing walkers by to step inside and relax with a cocktail as they admire the view. Stylish, if intense, decor spoke of professionalism and attention to detail. This was looking good, and thanks to the Promenade, we didn’t even need to struggle for parking. Could it be that we had another good review on our hands?
Unfortunately, the restaurant itself did not live up to its initial presentation as from then on, everything seemed, well, ordinary. Just as you would expect. In fact, as I sit and think on the restaurant I’m so bored, I’m almost loath to continue this review.
I know that’s harsh, but sometimes it seems as though if you’ve been to one Victoria Road restaurant in Camps Bay, you’ve been to them all. You know the type; open to the beach, check. Looks good, check. Will attract tourists, check. Cocktails, check. Staff presentable, check. Pricey, check. Serves seafood, check. None of them offer anything different or special. Even the dishes taste the same. That’s not to say that they’re bad, but they’re all fairly average, and if I was looking for average, I’d go somewhere cheaper.
The one saving grace of all these restaurants is the view and I have to admit; its stunning. Watching that sunset, with my obligatory cocktail, was everything it’s promised to be. Once we were done with the cocktails however, the wine selection was fairly mediocre. Options are fine, but what really worried us was the the red wine arrived warm. WARM. We actually had to put the red in an ice bucket. This made us wonder about their storage, and raise a concern about said storage. Is this same level of care applied to the food?
Perhaps, because the Snails I ordered were rubbery and bland, while the promised “bread soldiers” were more like bread toothpicks. Not that that was a problem. I didn’t want to soak up the garlic butter anyway as there was no flavour. The same could be said for TH’s Carpaccio, but BH really enjoyed his Mussels, and I have to say that the brief taste I got it seemed like a better choice of starter. GS also noted that his Duck Liver Pâté was pretty good.
For the mains, my Calamari was fine, although it did raise a discussion. Should “Cajun” come with charcoal? Traditionalists would suggest so, but as very few of us are actually Cajun, is the burnt touch really necessary? We were divided on this, so perhaps it’s not really important. Both BH and GS said their steaks were tender and juicy but let down by their sauces a little. TH felt that the bones in her Duck l’Orange were a bit much but as she had been expecting a piece of duck, it’s possible she was just surprised to receive a whole bird. Be advised, that’s a fair amount of food, and she simply couldn’t contemplate dessert after that.
BH and I however were up to the challenge and settled on sharing a Lemon Meringue. All I can say it that it was fine. Not the best Meringue I’ve had, but not the worst either.
Service was about the same. The waiter was friendly, if a little too casual, but well presented. He also had a reasonable knowledge of the menu.
The bathrooms however were a little strange. Much like the rest of the interiors, they were well articulated, and pretty, but for some reason, incredibly dark. As TH stated; “sometimes you want to check if you have spinach in your teeth and it would be good if you could see yourself in the mirror.” Guys, I guess that means that if you don’t have such good aim, you might be in trouble in these bathrooms.
Well, there you go. I’ve made it through 9 paragraphs, and for something you’ve probably experienced before, I figure that’s enough.
Ambiance: ****
Service: ***
Food: **½
Wine: **½
Bathrooms: ***
The Kove / Shop 2B / The Promenade / Victoria Road / Camps Bay / Tel: 021 438 0004 / Email: info@thekove.co.za / www.thekove.co.za
