Posted on: March 31st, 2011 RLAnatoli

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Posted on: March 31st, 2011 THA: Anatoli: Effortlessly Authentic

TH: ***
GS: ***
RL: ***
BH: ***

Average rating: ***

After sifting through our options the EA team decided, in honour of our fresh new start on the alphabetical merry-go-round, not to go for your typical fine-dining establishment and try something just a little different.

Anatoli’s, tucked below Somerset Road in Green Point, is certainly a little different.  The restaurant is housed in a Victorian warehouse, with huge, high ceilings, original timber beams, charmingly patterned floors, and hand-painted murals between the hanging tapestries and rugs that give the interiors a rustic, but homey feel.  Serving traditional Turkish fare, the Turkish theme has been effortlessly incorporated into the decor, with chunky wooden chairs and tables, moon-shaped gold candlesticks, and coloured glass pendant lights creating a hodge-podge allure that while not quite elegant, does feel amazingly authentic.

The food is also very traditional.  Don’t be surprised by the tiny, beaten-up, laminated page that serves as a menu.  In fact, unless you’re calculating your bill, it’s wisest just ignore it altogether and let your waiter take you through the variety of options available for meze, mains, and dessert verbally, as is customary in Turkey.

Unlike the menu, the wine list is comfortably broad, but doesn’t have many options in the lower price ranges.  If you’re hoping to order by the glass I’d think again, as they only give you two options, one of which is a chenin - a varietal I personally would prefer to keep off my table.

The meal begins with a choice of flat bread - garlic, or plain - that is brought piping hot, fresh from the oven, and is flamboyantly cut with a dangerous-looking curved blade at your table.  We were warned, as first-timers, that the garlic bread may overwhelm the more delicate flavours of the meze, so we began with plain bread, which was fantastic.  We did try the garlic bread later on in the meal, and found the garlic fairly subtle, as garlic goes.

Meze are then brought round to your table on a huge tray, and the waiter explains each item, some of which are cold, and you can take straight off the tray, and some of which are hot and are brought to you fresh from the kitchen after you’ve made your selection.  We advise choosing a range of the meze and sharing around the table, as there are a lot of options, and they all look great.  Our personal favourites were the Potato Boregi (mashed potatoes, chedder cheese and chilli flakes, wrapped in phyllo pastry and deep-fried) and the Mucver (baby marrows, feta cheese and dill, pan-fried as a small pancake).  Many of the meze (and mains) are served with spiced yoghurt dipping sauces and a variety of spreads.  We loved the yoghurts - fantastic quality and very complementary flavours.

Mains are again explained verbally and visually.  In fact you actually have to get up from your table, head over to the deli-like display, and pick your meal there.  Now this is really not how we usually roll at our EA Featured Restaurants, but somehow having to point to your meal and hope the man behind the counter, who speaks very little English, gets your order right, only lends to the feeling of being in a foreign country.  I can’t say I’d choose this method of service on a regular basis, but as a novelty it was actually kind of fun.  I’m sure regulars get to know the food on offer, and can order without getting up to look-see.

The mains in general were less well-received than the meze.  Both the Manti (Turkish lamb dumplings) and Dolmasi (cabbage and/or red pepper stuffed with rice, lamb mince, pine-nuts and herbs and baked) were mild to the point of bland, saved only by the chilli and garlic yoghurt, respectively.  The Lamb Shish Kebab was more flavourful, but be warned - the spicy yoghurt is so hot it may as well be on fire.  The Yahnisi (lamb ribs, cooked in a thick tomato, onion and peppercorn sauce) too, was flavourful and spicy, and went down well, despite the numerous bones.

Desserts, like the meze, are presented at your table on a tray, and as RL said, “If I’d had room, I would have tried them all”.  We did manage to squeeze in the Chocolate pot and Creme Caramel, both of which were delicious.  The chocolate pot was decadently sticky, and the creme caramel cooked to perfection, without the burnt sugar flavour that they so often suffer from.  The Turkish coffee was also fantastic - rich and smooth - although a little mysterious to order, as your choices are “sweet” or “medium”.  Sweet turned out to be not-very, and medium not-at-all.  We did love the gorgeous silver tray, and beautifully patterned china espresso cups the coffee was presented in.

Despite the cute, traditional touches in presentation, the service throughout the meal was disappointing.  Our waitor, while friendly, was for the most part unintelligable, and seemed to vanish periodically - most notably when we were ready to order, and when we were ready to pay.  We were, however, extremely impressed by the the owner and manager, Tayfun Aras, who had no idea we were reviewing his restaurant, but gave us personal attention and recommendations in a very warm and friendly manner.  He served us himself when he noticed our absent waitor, and even got up from another table to say goodbye as we left.  What a wonderful host; I wish a few other restaurants would take a page out of his book.

All told, our visit to Anatoli was an enjoyable, unusual experience, but sadly not one that we’d be likely to repeat on a regular basis.  While the meze were delicious, the mains, although hearty, were lacking that special something that makes us go “wow”.  The bill at the end of the day also felt a little high for the meal we’d had.

My advice? Try it, see for yourself, but go for the experience, not the food.

Ambiance: ***½
Service: **
Food: ***
Wine: ***
Bathrooms: ***½

Anatoli Restaurant / 24 Napier Street / Greenpoint / Cape Town / Tel: 021 419 2501 / www.anatoli.co.za

UPDATE:

We’ve had a concerned email from the owner of Anatoli suggesting that the last line in this review may be misconstrued as implying Anatoli is not worth your time. We’d like to make sure that you, our readers, don’t get the wrong impression. As we noted throughout our article, we enjoyed our time at Anatoli, and do recommend you try it for yourselves.  We do, however, feel that the food was not the number one attraction of this restaurant. That’s not to say it was bad, merely that it was outshone by the experience.

We toyed with the idea of amending our last line, but chose instead to maintain the integrity of our article, in it’s original form, and clarify any confusion in this comment. We pride ourselves, after all, on giving our honest and above all, unbiased, opinions to our readers.  We’d like to also add that we are once again impressed with the passion Tayfun Aras obviously has for this family establishment.  He clearly takes his patrons’ comments to heart, and we look forward to trying Anatoli again some time in the future.

Posted on: March 31st, 2011 THEating Alphabetically: Round 2

After more than 2 years of Eating Alphabetically, we’ve finally made it through the entire alphabet.  We’ve found some amazing culinary gems, had some unforgettable meals, and experienced some surprising disappointments as well.

All in all we’ve loved every second of it, and hope you have too.  In fact, we loved it so very much that we’re starting all over again, and this month sees us back at “A”, keen and eager to bring our readers our unique insights and opinions on some of Cape Town’s fine dining hotspots (alphabetically, of course) as well as the inside info on restaurant specials and dining events happening all around Cape Town.

Happy eating!

The Eating Alphabetically Team

Posted on: March 30th, 2011 RLCafé Sofia Wine Deal

Back by popular demand, the Café Sofia franchise is offering one of 3 River Garden wines at R99 a bottle to enjoy with your meal.

The River Garden Sauvignon Blanc  has a bright colour with a green tinge. Fresh fruity flavours of figs, green peppers and salad greens dominate, with tones of tropical fruit and lime. The wine has a crisp acidity with zesty finish.

The River Garden Rose is clean, bright, crisp and well balanced with fresh summer fruit, such as strawberries, guava and watermelon characteristics..

The River Garden Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon has a ruby red and bright colour. Soft hints of spice and vanilla are well supported by red berry fruits. Lingering vanilla and red fruit flavours produces a balanced wine that lends itself to its daily enjoyment and fun.

Dates: 10 February - 10 August 2011

For more information and specials visit www.cafesofia.co.za

Posted on: March 29th, 2011 RLThe SA Cheese Festival 2011

This year, the SA Cheese Festival celebrates 10 years of scrumptious cheese and family fun at an exciting new venue, Sandringham Farm, near Stellenbosch. With breathtaking views, wide open spaces and exquisite sunsets, this new venue will allow visitors an exhilarating carnival experience with numerous expansions to the regular festival. Visitors can expect a gourmet event jam-packed with more flavour experiences than ever before.  The organisers have given the festival new zest without compromising cheese’s position as the belle of the ball.

Dates: 29 April - 2 May 2011

For more information visit www.cheesefestival.co.za

Posted on: March 17th, 2011 RLSt Paddy’s Day at Quay Four

If you’re looking for something to do tonight, why not pop down to Quay Four at the V&A Waterfront. They’re having a St Patrick’s Day celebration with a live Irish band, as well as what I’m sure will be lots of drinking and carousing!

Quay Four Tavern / Quay Four / Pierhead / V&A Waterfront / Tel: 021 419 2008 / info@quay4.co.za / www.quay4.co.za

Posted on: March 14th, 2011 BHPicnics at Jonkerhuis

Looking to share the last rays of summer with family or friends in a relaxed and picturesque setting? Try Jonkershuis, at the Groot Constantia Wine Estate, surrounded by vineyards and ancient Oaks, overlooking the Constantia Valley.

VINEYARD PICNIC BASKET

LOCAL CHEESE BOARD with savoury biscuits & grape relish
OLIVES & PICKLES
SLICED MEAT PLATE with piccalilli
SMOKED SNOEK PATE with orange marmalade
SPINACH & FETA QUICHE with fresh rocket
MOROCCAN CHICKPEA SALAD with peppers, apples, lentils, baby potatoes, paprika
ARTISAN FRENCH BAGUETTE
KOEKSISTER
CHOCOLATE

R270 per basket, Feeds 2 guests

VEGETARIAN PICNIC BASKET

LOCAL CHEESE BOARD with savoury biscuits & grape relish
OLIVES & PICKLES
TOMATO TART with Dijon mustard, seasonal tomatoes, puff pastry
ROASTED BUTTERNUT PATE with flavoured with honey & cinnamon
SPINACH & FETA QUICHE with fresh rocket
MOROCCAN CHICKPEA SALAD with peppers, apples, lentils, baby potatoes, paprika
ARTISAN FRENCH BAGUETTE
KOEKSISTER
CHOCOLATE

R270 per basket, Feeds 2 guests

GRAND CONSTANTIA BASKET

LOCAL CHEESE BOARD with savoury biscuits & Grape relish
OLIVES & PICKLES
SLICED MEAT PLATE with piccalilli
SMOKED SNOEK PATE with orange marmalade
SMOKED SALMON TROUT with capers, red onion & horseradish
SPINACH & FETA QUICHE with fresh rocket
MOROCCAN CHICK PEA SALAD with peppers, apples, lentils, baby potatoes, paprika
PRAWN AND AVOCADO SALAD with marie rose sauce
ARTISAN FRENCH BAGUETTE
KOEKSISTER
CHOCOLATE

R370 per basket, Feeds 2 guests

KIDS PICNIC LUNCH BOX (Includes takeaway lunch box)

BROWN ROLL with grated cheese (no butter on the roll)
LIGHTLY SALTED POPCORN
FRUIT YOGHURT
FRUIT JUICE
BARLEY STICK
CARROT STICKS
CUCUMBER STICKS
CHERRY TOMATOES

R 70 per picnic lunch box

BOOKING, CONFIRMATION & PAYMENT POLICY

Basket orders must be placed and finalized no later than 24 hours in advance.
A 50% deposit for bookings of 5 baskets or more due to confirm your reservation and the balance is payable on the day of your picnic.

Please note provisional reservations for bookings of 5 baskets or more will be released without notice should the deposit and confirmation of deposit not be received within 24 hours from the date & time of the reservation.

Please note baskets will only be kept for an hour after the initial reservation period.
Deposit payment may be made by either credit card or cash - should you wish to pay by electronic fund transfer or direct deposit, please contact us and we will issue a specialized reference number.

Be aware that an EFT or direct deposit without a reference number from Jonkershuis office will not be allocated and the booking may not be confirmed.

All prices quoted are inclusive of VAT at 14% and are based on estimates which may be revised should market related food prices flutuate.

Picnic blankets are NOT provided - however you are more than welcome to hire a blanket from the Jonkershuis. A R100 refundable deposit is required per blanket.

Welcome to bring your own blanket.
We are fully licensed and have a great selection of Cape Wines, BYO at R50 corkage per bottle.

Jonkerhuis / Groot Constantia Wine Estate / Constantia / Cape Town / Tel: 021 794 6255 / www.jonkershuisconstantia.co.za / email: info@jonkershuisconstantia.co.za

Posted on: March 11th, 2011 BHSummer Lovin’ at Pepper Club On The Beach

Enjoy the last rays of Summer watching the sunset in Camps Bay, while tucking into the following specials at Pepper Club On The Beach until 31 March 2011;

Prawn Platter, served with lemon butter & rice - R98.95

Sirloin & 3 Prawns, served with rice or chips - R98.95

Seafood Platter, served with rice or chips and a choice of sauce - R149.95

Sunset in Camps Bay wouldn’t be complete without cocktails, good news if you can get any of the following for R25;

Cosmopolitan, Caiparinha, Daiquiris, Martinis, Long Island Ice Tea, Mojito, Bloody Mary, Black or White Russian, Singapore Sling

Pepper Club On The Beach / The Promenade / Victoria Road / Camps Bay / Tel: 021 438 3174 / onthebeach@pepperclub.co.za / www.pepperclubonthebeach.co.za

Posted on: March 9th, 2011 BHBlack Marlin Evening Special Menu Continues

Posted on: March 8th, 2011 RLHello Sailor

Long been a Observatory favourite, Hello Sailor has recently moved a little way down Lower Main Road into a far more central and convenient location. Surrounded by the buzz that only Obs can provide, Hello Sailor makes a welcome addition whether you’re looking for a scrumptious and incredibly well-priced breakfast, or a burger for lunch. Everything on offer is a tasty, tuck-in and feel satisfied kind of dish accompanied by people watching and service with character. Definitely worth a turn, Hello Sailor is sure to become your new chill spot in Obs.

Hello Sailor Bistro / 86 Lower Main Road / Observatory / Cape Town / Tel: 021 447 0707