One & Only Cape Town’s popular Nobu restaurant by world-class master chef Nobuyuki ‘Nobu’ Matsuhisa has added two great value-for-money offerings to beat the economic blues, affording diners a epicurean journey of delicate textures and flavours with a contemporary twist, as intended by the restaurant’s classical Japanese cuisine.
Start your evening with a Nobu Cocktail and Tacos for only R50. If Tequila is your tipple of choice, choose a Hachimitsu Margarita with honey, fresh ginger and lime; or a Kyoto Classique made with sparkling wine and topped with Sake and Lychee Liqueur. Each cocktail is served with two Sashimi Tacos topped with chopped red onion and fresh coriander accompanied by a spicy tomato salsa.
Or why not try our new Bento Box offering. Consisting of Sashimi Salad, Seafood Ceviche, Assorted Sushi, Tiger Shrimp Tempura, Rock Shrimp style, Spicy Vegetables with Steamed Rice, Whitefish Teriyaki and dessert, this special offer is available from 6pm to 11pm Sundays to Thursdays and 6pm to 7.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, for just R195 per person.
I’m sure you’ve driven past it a dozen times, wondering if anyone other than the occassional tour bus ever comes here… Maybe you haven’t, but I have.
While part of Garden Centre, Vintage India is quite separate from the main retail area. Found above the old Party Shop (now a Biggie Best showroom), the entrance is actually from inside the parking area. You may be finding yourself saying, “that’s odd…” and yes, it’s a little strange but don’t let this little quirk put you off. In fact, the restaurant pays for your parking if you dine with them.
Vintage India could probably seat 500 people but the few times we’ve been there, we’re usually one of 2 or 3 tables. Most would consider this very suspicious, but apparently this is where the tour buses come in… and the mountains of Mr Delivery orders they process.
Onto some more quirks, the decor is very “ornate”… some may even say over the top but it creates a great exotic atmosphere. Similarly, your waiter is bound to be very Indian, to the degree that you may struggle with the heavy accent but again, this just adds to the magic. But then you get onto the food…
The menu is a tome of curries, from traditional North Indian to Goan and Hydrabadi, giving you a choice of multi-Indian cuisine, as well as kababs from the Tandoor oven and naans you could eat until you pop. There is page after page of choices, and most can come either Vegetarian, Paneer (a soft Indian cheese), Chicken, Lamb or Fish. If you can’t find something on the menu to eat, it’s probably only because there are too many choices… If at a loss, ask your ever courteous waiter. Be warned though, hot means hot and the portions are big.
So, let sum up; it’s a unique culinary experience in Cape Town, it’s got every Indian curry under the sun, the service is attentive and speedy, the portions are huge, the prices are affordable even on a student’s budget and they pay for your parking!
If you’re in the mood for a curry, don’t immediately rush off to Bukhara, give Vintage a try. The good news is that if the curry craving hits, you don’t need to book. That said, if you see a couple big tour buses parked under the bridge, it’s likely to be busy… although you should still get a seat.
Vintage India / Gardens Centre / Cnr. Mill & Buitenkant Streets / Gardens / Tel: (021) 462 5106
Hello loyal readers. We know how much you love your specials, so here are just a few more of the Valentine’s Specials on offer:
Vanilla Restaurant in the New Cape Quarter
Valentine’s Day Rose Menu
R350.00 per person
Tel: 021 421 1391
Amuse Bouche
Steak Tartate on a Brioche Crostini, served with Riebeek Cellars Pinotage Rosé
Quail
Pan-fried deboned half quail served with a beetroot and cumin puree, fondant potatoes and ginger caramel, served with Dornier Cocoa Hills Rosé
Norwegian Salmon
Cured and seared fresh Norwegian salmon served on a citrus and vanilla risotto with a shaved baby fennel salad, served With Kleine Zalze Gamaynoir Rosé
Tasting of Vanilla
Summer berry and Champagne jelly with ice-cream Swiss roll and free standing Creme Brulee
Served with Kloovenburg White from Red Brut
Coffee and Truffles
Quay Four at the V&A Waterfront
Valentine’s Day Kill Cupid Party
Forget about chocolates and roses. Quay Four offers live bands and food specials for singles!
Tel: -21 419 2008
Camils Restaurant in Green Point
Valentine’s at Camils
R295 per person
Tel: 021 433 1227
Ceviche, in fresh lime juice and herbs marinated thinly sliced kingklip; or
crispy duck salad with bean sprouts, ginger and chilli ; or
zucchini carpaccio, boccocino cheese, and rocket pesto
East coast sole, filleted rolled, pan fried with grilled polenta cake and apple thyme sauce; or
beef fillet with béarnaise sauce and potato bake; or
Beetroot Risotto with Asiago cheese crisp and bay leaf foam
Coupe Romanoff, a fragrant berry, sabayon and sorbet; or
Chocolate fondant, dark Swiss chocolate bake
For the month of February 1800˚ at the Cape Royale is offering a lunch and dinner special. On offer is an amuse-bouche, 200gsm matured rib-eye steak and a glass of premium red wine for R99.
Parking is also available on reservation.
1800˚ eighteen hundred / Cape Royale / Main Road / Green Point / Cape Town / Tel: 021 430 0506 / Email: info@18hundreddegrees.com / www.18hundreddegrees.com
Posted on: February 5th, 2010 RLPigalle
See Featured Restaurants.
TH: ****
GS: ***
RL: ***½
BH: ***½
Average Rating: ***½
RL and I originally went to Pigalle many many moons ago and were enthralled by the place and seduced by the Naçional sauce so it was the natural choice for “P”.
Pigalle in Green Point has been around for ages yet doesn’t have the feeling of being run down. For some reason you feel the need to dress up when you decide to dine at Pigalle, there’s just something about the place that makes it feel like a treat. When you arrive, you’re immediately immersed in a different world; walking through a grand entrance lobby you’re faced with tinted sliding doors that elude to something magic behind. Yes, I’m possibly being a bit over-dramatic in the description but Pigalle really is an escape. The converted ice rink could have been a big 300 seater canteen with a cheezy band in the corner but instead it’s been lavishly, if slightly erratically, decorated and divided up in to intimate sections, all with a view of the band playing rat pack classics with style.
Feeling swept up in the ambiance of live music, jovial diners and a mysteriously foreign waiter, we threw caution to the wind. Well, not really but Pigalle’s seafood isn’t cheap but we dived in anyway. Our ever present and eager waiter, Patso, ran through the menu and specials and then informed us that if there’s any combination of items on the menu that we’d prefer, he’d make sure it was arranged… a cunning way of selling up while simultaneously making us feel spoilt. For starters, TH tried the Scallops, which I’ve been wary of since Emilys, and found the muscle quite nice but also found the coral a little unusual - we decided it’s an acquired taste. GS had the Mushroom Ravioli but wasn’t that impressed, saying the mushrooms were a little bland. RL had the Mussels with a cream and white wine sauce that was worth trying to eat with a fork but thankfully Patso saved us that indignity by bringing some extra bread. I had the Seafood Soup, which was great. It was full of flavour with hearty undertones and a richness that made me want to sigh with contentment after every spoonful.
For mains, RL and I each had a Pigalle Platter, which at R270 is quite pricey for the volume of food but we added the additional Naçional Sauce to the langoustines and tucked in with wild abandon… in other words, we tried not to think about it. The Naçional Sauce was more fiery that we remembered but made everything taste so good. TH and GS had the Seafood Platter for Two, but, after a good sales pitch by Patso, pimped it up by swapping their regular crayfish for the thermidor version. This seemed like a good value for money at R490 with 2 sizeable portions of linefish (Cob), a good few prawns, some mussels and the crayfish. There were only shells left on the plate at the end which can only be a good sign although GS did reach for the salt once or twice. This was one of those deceptive meals… it didn’t look like a lot of food but after starters and mains, we were all quite full and skipped the desserts.
There are however some negatives to Pigalle that I need to note;
The first thing I need to warn you about is that Pigalle does not serve tap water. I’m not sure why and this isn’t a problem most of the time but to be denied a simple glass of water certainly rubbed everyone at the table the wrong way… Thankfully, Patso managed to smuggle a glass to our table for RL.
The second thing I need to warn you about is that eating at Pigalle can be pricey, the bill for our table with 2 bottles of wine came to R1844,50. That said, you can certainly choose more cost effective options than we did.
Thirdly, I’m sad to say that the bathrooms are abysmal. Considering all the effort they put into the rest of the interiors the bathrooms could really do with a little more than high school style board partitians and melamine.
Finally, book. This place is always busy so unless you’re okay with starting supper at 21.30, I’d recommend phoning ahead of time.
Ambiance: ****
Service: ****
Food: ***½
Wine: ***
Bathrooms: **
Pigalle Cape Town / 57A Somerset Road / Green Point / Tel: 021 421 4848 / Email: pigalle@mweb.co.za / www.pigallerestaurants.co.za
News fresh of the One & Only presses;
World-class master chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s popular Nobu restaurant at One&Only Cape Town introduces Omakase, an innovative tasting menu, taking diners on an epicurean journey of taste.
Omakase means ‘from the heart’, a true expression of what goes into the preparation of this extraordinary tasting menu. The chef will take you on a journey of the senses, presenting a series of dishes, beginning with the lightest variety and proceeding to the heavier, richer dishes. Omakase is not exclusive to the service of raw fish with rice, and can incorporate grilling, oven baking, searing and simmering.
“Too often, sushi in South Africa amounts to little more than raw fish and cold rice. Nobu, on the other hand, demonstrates just how intricate and complex this style of preparation can be and the Omakase menu, while not limited to sushi, is a memorable dining experience.”
- Christian Eedes, Editor, Wine Magazine
Menus include three dishes from the Sushi Bar; two dishes from the Hot Kitchen; sushi and soup served together; and dessert – all for just R550. There is an option of a menu made from indigenous ingredients for R650, and arrangements can be made for vegetarians.
Diners can also enhance the tasting menu experience by pairing Sake with each Omakase dish. Premium Sake, or Japanese rice wine, has proven itself to be worthy of appreciation on the same level as fine wine – the fragrances, flavours, complexity and nuances will captivate and delight you.
