Big hitters at The Big Easy (15-Feb-09)
Big hitters now have a new place to play. The Big Easy, a swish restaurant, bar and private club facility has opened in La Gratitude, one of Stellenbosch’s most historic homes. In addition to providing fabulous (and cellar-door priced) founder’s wines, the moola (and there’s bucket loads of it) behind this operation comes in the form of partners Ernie Els, Jean Engelbrecht (Rust en Vrede), Johann Rupert (L’Ormarins etc. etc.), Paul Harris (Audacia, Ellerman House, FNB etc. etc. and Giuseppe Ciucci whose name doesn’t ring bells but obviously keeps fine company.
Marc Piotrowski created the interiors which are interesting and diverse and move from more casual to formal spaces elegantly. I liked the smaller, private dining rooms and can see that golfers will enjoy a room created entirely with them in mind.
Ronan O’Dwyer is the chef of the moment (there was a French chef there previously...) and the menu is reasonably priced with starters going for R60, salads, R61 and main courses at around the R100 mark. Desserts, with the exception of cheese, are R40 each.
I’m told O’Dwyer was at The Round House previously where I was very impressed by the food. Here though, I found it only okay. It didn’t live up to my expectations or, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, the china. When I was served soft shell crab with avo at The Round House it was one of the most delicious things I’d ever eaten. Here (served with avo and a prawn rissole) it was dull at best. The Caesar salad while loaded with pancetta, parmesan and croutons missed the mark. Instead of incorporating the anchovies into the dressing, the fillets were like hits of rasping saltiness which, when combined with the pancetta, was overwhelming.
The Big Easy lamb burger looked good (served Med-style with roasted peppers, hummus, rocket and tzazki) and spicy potato wedges and my colleague said she enjoyed it. Cob was the line fish of the day and served with colcannon (Irish-style mashed potato with cabbage, spring onions, bacon and parsley) and a heady lobster bisque. The cob was perfectly cooked and would have been entirely delicious served simply on its wilted spinach bed with colcannon. The addition of the bisque in that quantity over-powered the entire dish.
A third colleague ordered the roast neck of pork (served with mash, braised red cabbage, a mustard sauce and piece of crackling.) She said she enjoyed it.
I ordered the local cheese platter (there is also a pricier French equivalent) and loved the delicious confits and accompanying lavoche crisp bread. The lemon and thyme crème brulee and chocolate and hazelnut tart with honeycomb ice cream and granadilla were both accompanied by ooh’s and aah’s.
The Big Easy, 95 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch is open every day for lunch and dinner. 021-887-3462
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BA lists Cape Town as top destination and Mosaic Farm in Stanford is a good reason to vist. (07-Feb-09)
NOW that Cape Town is amongst British Airways’ list of Top 10 long-haul destinations we can expect even more visitors to our shores this year.
According to Lin Glass, British Airways’ general manager for South Africa, Mauritius and the Seychelles, relative to many other markets, South Africa seems fairly resilient during uncertain times.
The airline cites the relative strength of the pound against the rand and the upcoming British & Irish Lions tour as two of the factors that will encourage travel to South Africa.
“We experienced this after 9/11, the invasion of Iraq and the SARS outbreak in Asia and Canada, when tourism to South Africa tended to buck the trend in many other tourism markets. We’re already experiencing good load factors on the route this year and, so far, forward bookings are encouraging.
“While the economic slowdown will certainly impact global tourism, South Africa is relatively well placed and there’s reason for some cautious optimism. The country offers good value, an established tourism infrastructure and plenty to see and do from beaches to game reserves. The Lions tour will be a welcome boost and the 2010 World Cup will help keep us top-of-mind.”
She says the airline is actively courting leisure travellers and has launched a six-month media campaign in the UK, Europe and Africa to encourage people to visit new places and experience new things.
“This should appeal to many of our customers who’ve never visited South Africa particularly as we’ll back the campaign with special offers.”
This is all especially good news when you consider how many wonderful tourism products we have here. What impressed us the most about the luxurious Mosaic Farm Lodge is the rate. At just under R1000 per person, per night including breakfast it is among the least costly wilderness sanctuary experiences. Situated in Stanford, overlooking the Hermanus lagoon and stunning Overberg mountains, it is a wonderful place to recharge the batteries at the same time as staying active if you’d like to. There are guided 4x4 trips to the unspoilt beach in the Walker Bay conservancy, fynbos walks and kayaking on the lagoon.
As a more adventurous soul than I, JP went on a quad-bike excursion which he raved about.
American owners Breese and Kathryn Johnson are the perfect ambassadors for what is good about the United States. Aside from being passionate conservationists, they’ve created a place and a culture of service that is extremely welcoming and, frankly, difficult to leave. Lodge accommodation is in luxury Shamwari-style tents although there are plans to glass enclose accommodation in June to make them more winter proof.
The only downside during our stay was the noise from the Hermanus/Stanford road. In such a quiet environment it becomes the most prominent sound at night. That said, we were visited by an owl which woke us with its too-wit-to-woo’s and a fellow guest said they heard rustling under their tent which was probably a caracal or bushbuck. We watched beautiful blue cranes in the distance and heard the cries of the fish eagles.
Mosaic Farm can sleep 20 guests. It is a perfect location for a intimate weddings or conferences and the delicious food at the beautifully restored 1892 Stanford Spookhuis comes mainly from the adjacent organic garden. In addition to the accommodation in the lodge, there are self-catering cottages on the 933-hectare property.
www.mosaicfarm.net
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Grande Roche and Bosman's (02-Feb-09)
NOW that Grande Roche Hotel is being managed by The Mantis Collection, its management and marketing is likely to change. I’ve always enjoyed Grande Roche’s strong Germanic attitude which translates into a superbly run establishment as far as the guest is concerned. I hope this won’t change under the new dispensation.
I’ve had the pleasure of staying at a number of Mantis Collection properties both here and in London and have only the highest regard for them. That said, I have the tiniest fear that Grande Roche may lose its heel-clicking formality, an attribute I find particularly engaging.
Grande Roche is situated on the site of the old De Nieuwe Plantatie in the Drakenstein valley of Paarl and dates back to 1717 when land was given to Hermanus Bosman. It was renovated in 1876 to reflect the then popular Victorian style before being bought and updated by the Du Toit family in 1926. After a fire in 1953 it was rebuilt as a Victorian manor house.
It was finally restored to its original Cape Dutch splendour after careful research in 1991 and transformed into the luxury hotel we see today.
Immaculate is a word that often comes to mind when walking around the estate. Each blade of perfectly coiffed grass seems to lean in the same direction. Although the accommodation is a little dated, I concede that furnishings and fittings are of the highest quality and probably suited to European tastes rather than mine.
There are two reasons to visit Grande Roche. For locals, Bosman’s is our finest restaurant and despite the high cost to dine there, it offers some of the best value in terms of what is delivered on the plate. The other reason is the outstanding service. Describing service at Grande Roche as world-class is an understatement. I think I only experienced better service at the Oberoi Villas Hotels in India and at The Ritz-Carlton Hotels in KL and New York.
I especially like that Bosman’s has a Flavours of the Cape menu. Select from four courses for R580 or five courses at R620 (without wine) and expect dishes like Cape Malay Seafood curry, served in a deep bowl with perfectly cooked and glistening seafood and an accompanying jug of curry sauce to top the jasmine rice. The poppy-seed and black pepper encrusted springbok loin is one of the best dishes I’ve tasted (accompanied by a butternut and white port wine foam.) Included in the Cape menu is a trio of lamb (served with garden leaves and a smoked tomato coulis) and Tandoori spiced ostrich burger on ciabatta with rocket. Banana Papilotte with coconut ice cream is the Cape dessert selection.
Vegetarians are often ignored at fine-dining establishments but happily Bosman’s isn’t one of them. Four courses are offered at R380 and include Goat’s cheese croutons with pesto marinated vegetables and olive tapenade before Chinese cabbage and vegetable dumplings (with spiced soya sauce) mushroom ravioli with spinach and truffle foam and finally Baumkuchen and Amarula terrine served with an orange salad.
The tour de force at Bosman’s is the Epicurean tasting menu serving six courses (R530) or the recommended eight courses for R620. Relais & Chateaux Grand Chef Frank Zlomke is a hero.
Terrace suites with bedroom, lounge, bathroom and private terrace are R8600 per night.
Grand Roche 021-863-5100.
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