O'ways, Claremont

Tired of the lack of vegetarian options and rather uneventful menu options at so many restaurants in Cape Town, we were ready for some creativity and innovation.

The Place – is located right next to Cavendish Mall in an unassuming side street and can be easily mistaken as just another coffee shop. But shortly after having been seated we realised that this place was different. We were warmly greeted with a huge smile of our lovely waitress. O'Ways is the size of a typical coffee shop. Many small tables that comfortably seat two to four people, a coffe counter along the side, and the kitchen in the back with an opening that allows a small peek on where the magic happens. The interior is nothing special, but then the mismatched furniture, integrated tea shop and random deco articles give the place its warmth and personality. Going to a place like this we certainly didn't expect five star service. When ever we looked around and made eye contact with staff we got a huge smile in return. This is a happy place. Even the chef herself, after carefully checking every single dish before it crossed the pass, made the rounds to chat and make sure everyone was happy. When we received a warm refreshment cloth with the menus was probably when we fell in love with this place. 

The Menu – is something else - combinations we've never seen, dishes we've never heard of, in short, one big adventure. O'Ways doesn't serve meat or alcohol, but we didn't lacked either with the exciting menu choice of Asian fusion dishes. It was quite a challenge to decide which two dishes we were going to order. In the end we settled for 'Oat Raviolis delighted with Butternut-Sage ragout on creamy spinach' for R46 and 'Har Gau braised in Black Bean and Cashew nuts sauce, complemented with bell pepper diamonds' for R46. Besides their food menu O'ways prides itself with an extensive tea menu, which again, poses a tough choice. In the end 'Herbal Infusion with lemon balm, peppermint, chamomile, berry leaves, lavender, orange blossoms, lemongrass and heather' won the race.  

The Meal –  After placing our order we were surprised with an amuse bouche (who expects an amuse bouche when having lunch at a coffee shop?). The aubergine fritters with a Dijon mustard humus, mango relish and multi-grain bread were divine and gave us a pretty good impression of what to expect next. The oat raviolis were new ground in every respect. I knew all the flavours on the plate, but the combination was wonderful and refreshingly new. The Har Gau was exceptionally delicious and to our surprise, based on the taste, might as well have been a meat dish. Again, the combination was original and unexpected. Carried away by the great service and atmosphere, with a silly grin on our faces, we couldn't say no to dessert. We ordered a 'cardamom tofu cheese cake with mango sauce' for R32 to share. Only that we then got two, one slice each, for the price of one! The tea, served with a whole range of paraphernalia, was the perfect way to end the meal.

The Wallet – This is unbeatable! Not a single dish on the menu is over R 50! Considering the first class service and the amazing food, this is the deal of a lifetime.

The Rating – 8.5 Uhm, where are my socks?

Would we go back? Yes! Can we go tomorrow?

About the place: http://www.oways.co.za/

River Café, Constantia

On the outlook for a relaxed weekend summer lunch in the shade, we decided to give the River Café a go.

The Place – The River Café is located at the entrance to the Constantia Uitsig wine estate and the least posh option of the three restaurants located on the estate. What we hoped to be a spot in the shade on a hot humid day turned out to a little bit claustrophobic, surrounded by trees and bushes, not allowing in any breeze. However, we managed to find a nice enough table in the middle of the patio and our server was adorable; her service was textbook perfect, which could be interpreted as inexperience, but when coupled with her genuine friendliness was actually quite endearing. Her only slip was disappearing after we had finished our meal, so that we had to go up to the front desk to pay. The tables and chairs outside have maybe seen better days and feel a bit tired, but the inside seating area provides a more formal setting for those that need one.

The Menu – is quite small, and dominated by meat & fish. The only two vegetarian options were a vegetarian salad (phew!- the number of restaurants in Cape Town not even offering a vegetarian salad option is quite astonishing) and hummus with pita bread. Not feeling like any of those, we ordered the 'River Florentine' (potato, onion rosti, with smoked salmon, spinach, poached eggs & hollandaise sauce) for R79, without the salmon. We were asked immediately what we would like as a substitute for the salmon - we chose roasted peppers. Being asked how you want your poached eggs doesn't happen very often, so that was great: "runny please". The other dish was a 'Caesar Salad' (with cos lettuce, anchovies, boiled egg, croutons, bacon, parmesan & Caesar dressing) for R 65.  

The Meal –  Both dishes looked delicious, although late in heat of the day, the ingredients didn't exactly ooze freshness. The River Florentine was good, the hollandaise sauce well balanced, and the rosti and creamy spinach tasty. The star of the dish was the roasted peppers, the optional addition. Disappointingly one of the 'runny' poached eggs verged on being hardboiled. A few greens might have added some freshness to the dish. The Caesar Salad was very tasty with just the right amount of anchovies and bacon; a solid dish even although the lettuce was succumbing to the heat wave. 

The Wallet – Considering the fairly small portions and the quality of ingredients the dishes are relatively overpriced. Even with the option to substitute the salmon for peppers, R79 for two poached eggs on spinach and potatoes is a little extreme, especially sine there are superior offerings in the vicinity for almost half the price. The Caesar Salad was tasty, but at R65 also on the expensive side. 

The Rating – 4.5

Would we go back? We'll just add a bunch of question marks more at the end: ???

About the place: http://www.constantia-uitsig.com/pages/restaurants/river-cafe.php

El Burro, Greenpoint

Good Mexicans food is in short supply in Cape Town, which makes El Burro an extremely rare and valuable commodity. If you've never been to Mexico, this is as close as you'll get to experiencing the land of sombreros in SA.

The Place – is located on Main Road in Greenpoint in close proximity to the stadium, the red wooden donkey at the door an obvious give away to the entrance to another world. Climbing the staircase up to the restaurant, the tunes drifting down are a second clue you're about to take a trip 10,000 miles to the other side of the world. Enter the restaurant and its taken all of 15 seconds to teleport to middle of Mexico City. The interior is authentic and original, but at the same time trendy and unconventional. Mexican style dresses worn by the waitresses are subtle enough to avoid being costumy. Finally, take a look at the extent of the tequila collection stacked behind the bar, and its clear these people are serious. The layout offers plenty of seating options, and although reservations are usually not required, rather be safe than sorry. We chose to sit on the balcony, which is a great option in summer, but beware the smokers who can ruin your whole experience! If you are sensitive to smoke, we recommend you sit inside away from the windows, which is not a bad option, especially at night. Our service was excellent - the best since starting our blog.

The Menu – El Burro offers Mexican classics like fajitas, quesadillas, tacos and enchiladas, but they also get creative with their dishes. Apart from beef, pork, chicken and line fish options, there are a bunch of vegetarian dishes on the menu, so that for the first time in quite a while we felt there was an actual choice. With their corn tortillas, gluten free is an option too. Some super delicious salsa (the best in town) and taco chips are usually provided to get the juices flowing while you decide. For starters this time we chose 'Calamares a la Sartén' (pan-seared squid with chilli, lime & coriander) for R42 and 'Chiles Relenos' (three smoked jalapeno's stuffed with queso fresco, served with rocket, radish & pickled red onion) for R32. For our mains we ordered a 'Mushroom & Courgette Quesadilla' (grilled flour tortilla filled with sautéed field mushrooms and pan-fried courgette ribbons) for R70 and 'Rajas' (sliced peppers, jalapenos & poblano chillis, sautéed with queso fresco, parmesan, crème fraîche, on corn tortillas with pumpkin seed pesto) for R72. In case your carnivorous tendencies are predominant, we've tried the 'Cerviche' (line fish marinated in lime juice, chillies, red onion, ginger & coriander) as a starter, and been back more than once to "make our own tacos" with the braised pork shoulder and the beef short-rib fillings. None of these have ever disappointed.

The Meal – With a cold beer and the taco chips to nibble on, the wait for our starters was hardly tough. When they arrived, the smiles got even bigger. The calamares looked very appetising, even healthy, covered with fresh herbs and chilly, not swimming in oil. The stuffed jalapeno's were delightful and we even had one extra on the plate to share. The mains lived up to expectations too. Although the "new" mushroom quesadilla recipe may not be quite as good as the original one we fell in love with, at its core the combination of wild mushrooms and cheese still makes it a winner. Picking at a very high level, the Rajas may have been a bit oily, but as far as flavour goes, definitely did not require pimping up with chilli sauce etc. Unfortunately, we were beaten by the main courses and could not manage a dessert. But for the record, we've tried the chocolate fondant before and it scores right up there with the best of them... riiiight up there. Instead, we finished off with espresso and americano, both excellent.

The Wallet – For what you get, authentic, high quality food, made with love, prices are fair. Their lunch specials, however, are unreal! On certain tacos and enchiladas (make sure to ask, which ones exactly) and in winter on their entire lunch menu you get 50% off, so that you can eat a full-on lunch for R35. Best deal in town!

The Rating – 7.5

Would we go back? Definitely! Would I have my next birthday party there? Absolutely!

About the place: https://www.facebook.com/pages/El-Burro/159449044124894

La Cuccina, Hout Bay

We're always on the lookout for a convenient place to work during the day: a combination of good coffee, good food, comfortable seating, power outlets, and WiFi.

The Place – is nestled nicely into the back of the Victoria Mall in Hout Bay. The restaurant itself is spacious and full of light, the rustic country style interior has a farm stall feel to it. The atmosphere and range of seating options make it conducive to getting work done and flexible enough to accommodate the odd business meeting. The welcome here is always warm and friendly. We asked for a table close to a plug-in, since there was none available the waiter immediately offered to bring us an extension cord. Awesome! 50MB free WiFi per day. Cool! As soon as we sat down two glasses of water appeared and our coffee order was taken shortly after. Service in general was very friendly and efficient. The manager kept a good hand on things, making his rounds to ensure everyone was happy.

The Menu – When I read it my face lit up for two reasons: lots of delicious sounding stuff AND all the meals are clearly marked with codes for Gluten Free, Gluten Free option, Wheat Free and Vegetarian. But that's not all! For breakfast, lunch and dessert there's an amazing looking buffet with something for everyone. This time we decided to go with something off the menu. We ordered a 'Veggie Full Breakfast' with two eggs, grilled Halloumi, sauteed spinach, grilled mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes and two slices of toast' for R52 and a chocolate croissant for R17. 

The Meal –  The espresso and americano might not have the star power to lure you back there on their own, but were certainly passable. We ordered a second round. The breakfast was FULL indeed, definitely no need for lunch after that one. All the elements on the plate were tasty, the Halloumi cheese verged on salty but was balanced out quite well by the remaining components. The chocolate croissant was light, but oozed enough chocolate for a sweet tooth. We appreciated the fact that we were not rushed to move on once we had finished and could get on with some work. Our waiter returned every so often to check up on us, top up our water, and take an order for peppermint tea.

The Wallet – Considering the high quality and freshness of ingredients prices are more than fair. Some people seem to go there to work quite regularly and stick around for a while. If you factor office rent etc into it, you eat almost for free!

The Rating – 6.0

Would we go back? Absolutely! Next time we'll test drive their lunch buffet and maybe ramp up the rating...

About the place: http://www.lacuccina.co.za/

Massimo's, Hout Bay

Many consider Massimo's in Hout Bay one of the best pizza places around.  We were ready to re-visit it with our blog goggles on.

The Place –  We went there for lunch on a hot Sunday afternoon. The restaurant is situated within the Oakhurst Farm Park, a tiny little mall complex in Hout Bay. We chose to sit outside, since their patio offers enough shade and quite a nice view. The restaurant is fairly big, so there's a good chance you`ll get a table without a reservation. Inside, the center of attention is a traditional pizza oven, where Massimo himself is usually baking the pizze.

In the heat of the day it would have been great if our drinks order had been taken right away, but our waitress scuttled off as soon as our behinds had hit the chair. After perusing the drinks menu and waiting a few minutes too many it took some eye-catching to lure her back... only to learn that the artisan beer which appeared best suited to appease us after the wait was not available... and by the confused look when ordering, never had been. Below par service turned out to be the theme of the day; our lunch took over two hours (without having starters or a dessert). It was a Sunday and we had time to kill, but we hope that they focus more on customer service in the future.

The Menu – offers a great selection of pizze and a variety of other Italian dishes such as pasta and mussels. What we particularly liked about the menu was its clear structure. Pizze for example are categorised under 'Meat', 'Fish' and 'Vegetarian.' Also, gluten free bases and slim choices with less oil & cheese are available. Another nice option is the half-half pizza, which gives you the opportunity to sample two pizze in one. A lovely addition to the regular menu is the spuntini, a selection of little snacks in the range of R24-40. Great to have with an aperitivo, without ruining your appetite. The dessert menu is small, but has some delicious sounding options, including a mini-Tiramisu and some home made gelato. 

The Meal – We ordered a Pepite (delicious fried polenta & parmesan bites, dusted with truffle salt) for R24 from the spuntini menu. For mains we ordered a pizza Vegetariana (tomato, mozzarella, artichokes, mushrooms, olives) for R74, and experimented with the half-half option ordering half Pancetta (tomato, mozzarella, pancetta bacon, pan-fried mushrooms) and half Formaggi (tomato, mozzarella, blue cheese, feta, goat`s cheese, olives) for R85.

The spuntino arrived after about 20 minutes and was devoured in seconds. Now salivating for our main course, we decided to order another round of drinks.. and then the wait began. We watched as pizza after pizza came out over the pass. A few tables had arrived after us so we assumed their orders had managed to jump ours while we were considerately given a breather after our spuntino. An hour later though and it became clear something was not quite right. Eventually our waitress who had been MIA reappeared to ask 'Did you already eat your pizzas?' (as our waitress you should know that we haven't) 'Nope, we are still waiting!' Another 15 minutes later we finally got our pizze, without any apologies. Admittedly, the pizze were awesome and most importantly, authentic. The crust thin and crunchy, the ingredients fresh and tasty. The only shortfall were the canned black olives on the vegetarian pizza. They lacked any taste and the punch element on the pizza was therefore missing. However, we got some wonderfully balanced olio piccante to add some flavour.

It was time to consider desert. The Tiramisu was firmly in our sights, specifically the mini-option as only one of us was indulging, and previous experience had taught us the full portion was overkill on top of a big pizza-belly. Noooo... the waitress returned to inform us they had not made the mini-Tiramisu that day. Just cutting us a slice from a full portion was apparently not an option. No desert then. We were going to have to leave unsweetened. After another round of waiting and being ignored, we went up to the front to settle the bill and got a stunned look from our waitress... the one we had done the 'waiting' on.

The Wallet – Considering the quality of ingredients used on the pizze, prices are fair. The spuntini menu is a great way of having an appetiser, but not spending much money. The desserts, however, disappointed. With only a scoop of ice cream under R38, we felt it was too expensive.

The Rating – 6.5

If we forget about the frustrating service and the ridiculous waiting time, their pizze were awesome. For an authentic Italian thin crusted pizza, this is the place to go.  

About the place: http://www.pizzaclub.co.za/

Tong Lok, Longbeach Mall, Sun Valley

Tong Lok at Longbeach Mall is a good address to get decent everyday sushi.

The Place – Let's face it, it's a take-out joint in a mall and that's what you get. There is absolutely no ambiance, well... mall ambiance, and the place could do with an overhaul. There's only three bar tables with a bunch of chairs. Service is very basic, but friendly; which hasn't always been the case in the past.

The Menu – They have two menus: Sushi & Chinese. We usually go there for sushi, but we have sampled their Chinese menu on occasion too. The Chinese menu offers a fairly wide choice, although not too many vegetarian options. Also, they do take-away and catering. 

The Meal – The sushi is very simple and straight forward - just the way sushi is supposed to be. Their sashimi is consistently tasty, fresh, and served at the right temperature. The fish in general is fresh and good quality. The Chinese dishes we have sampled have generally been okay. Bog standard items such as wontons, sweet and sour, foo-yung and crispy duck have done nothing too offend. At one point they offered a pretty decent hot-and-sour soup, but that has sadly disappeared off the menu. The quality of ingredients is acceptable but not that convincing.

The Wallet – Good value for money. It's not cheap, but very affordable, especially when their midweek sushi special is running. A Maki Roll with six pieces is R28, a California Roll with 8 pieces R40-45. Chinese dishes range from R45-65. If you're looking for consistently tasty sushi, and maybe grab a DVD on the way out, this is a decent option for an uncomplicated and quick dinner during the week.

The Rating – 6.0 (for sushi)

Would we go back? Yes, we do.

About the place: http://www.tonglok.co.za/branches

The Foodbarn Restaurant, Noordhoek

This restaurant has long been on our eating out wish list. Franck Dangereux and his Foodbarn Restaurant at the Farm Village in Noordhoek enjoy an excellent reputation, so we were ready to have our socks knocked off.

The Place – From the outside the Foodbarn is an unassuming old barn in the middle of the Noordheok Farm Village. The place has a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. The main dining room has open space all the way up to the high thatch ceiling, which makes the restaurant feel spacious and airy; the light colours add to that feel. There's also an upstairs dining area overlooking the main room. We chose to sit upstairs, as it has a more intimate and personal ambiance. Even though the restaurant serves fine cuisine, it doesn’t feel overly posh or pretentious. We didn't get the warmest welcome at the entrance, but our waiter was very friendly, if a bit awkward. Even though we felt that sitting upstairs had been the right choice, we soon realised that the second floor is quite a challenge for the staff who have to run up and down all night, and as we found out, the disconnect from the main area can make co-ordinating their service a bit difficult: we finally got the wine we ordered before our main course just as we were finishing off. 

The Menu – The Foodbarn offers a decent selection of starters and main courses in various combinations. They have a set amuse bouche menu with 5 to 6 smaller dishes each paired with a particular wine. Some good sounding items on there, however none of them were vegetarian. In fact, the big shortfall in general was the lack of vegetarian options. The entire menu offered no more than two vegetarian dishes – a starter 'Crunchy cucumber, tomato & mint salad served with fried haloumi and taleggio fritter, finished with virgin olive oil and balsamic syrup' for R78 and a 'Shitake mushroom risotto finished with buttered miso and lemon thyme' for R92. Even then the waiter had to double check whether or not the risotto broth was 100% vegetarian. The lack of choice was disappointing. Otherwise there were certainly some interesting choices. The summer bistro set menu offers a choice out of five or so options for a starter, main, and dessert for R220. Good value for money, although few of the signature dishes make it onto the bistro selection, AND due to the lack of vegetarian dishes this was not an option. For the meat dish we chose a 'Grilled free range beef fillet served with fried Porcini and fondant potato, finished with wild rocket & truffle scented brandy jus' for R155 and a side order of fresh seasonal veggies' for R28.

  

The Meal – The cucumber salad arrived fairly quickly and looked stunning. The portion was generous with some great elements on the plate, but just too many flavours competing for attention: mint salad, a very sweet balsamic vinegar syrup dressing, little balls of watermelon, and two varieties of fried cheese. Each element was great on its own, but in this case less may have been more. The main course arrived and both dishes looked great. The meat dish was excellent - the fillet tender and perfectly cooked with the brandy-truffle jus definitely raising the dish to another level. The side order of veggies was surprisingly plain considering the mains they were accompanying – although fresh, may as well have come directly from a deepfreeze veggie mix. The risotto was smooth and had an excellent texture, the buttered miso and lemon thyme foam would have been a nice combination, but was unfortunately too salty for my taste. The wine arrived just in time for the last bite of the main course. In short, not really good enough. We finished off our meal with very decent espresso and some chocolate truffles which can be ordered individually – a great alternative to a full dessert.

   

The Wallet – Considering the price tag and the high standards we know the Foodbarn aspires to, our dinner didn't quite live up to expectations. What we experienced appeared to be more akin to living off reputation rather than living up to reputation. Certain elements were great, even superb, however at this level you can't help but focus on the lack of attention to detail. The fact that the Christmas Menu 2011 and New Years Eve are still up on the webpage supports this impression.

The Rating – 5.5

We expected more.

Would we go back? Sure, if we both ate meat. Apart from the fillet steak that we sampled, some really great looking dishes passed by on their way to other tables.  As a vegetarian, maybe one day, but certainly not before checking out the menu online first. However, choosing a meal before getting to a restaurant is not how we envision pre-empting a Foodbarn experience. 

About the place: http://www.thefoodbarn.co.za/