Restaurant - Andiamo, Cape Quarter, Cape Town

30 July 2014 - Lovely little quaint place at the old part of the Cape Quarter. We sat on the outside close to the street, which had a lovely atmosphere and was quiet. The other side on the quad's side is busier and noisier.

FOOD - my companion and I shared a HRM pizza  It is topped with mushroom, salami, ham and a whole lot of goodies I can't recall. The pizza itself was OK (Pappino's Hout Bay is still my personal winner). Anyway, although I was not loving the toppings, the base was delicious! Wonderful, crispy and tasty. They also served us a delicious warm bread baked on site, which I enjoyed with thick dollops of butter! I would have been quite happy to just have that for supper. 

DRINKS - the drink prices were outrageous! R27 for a normal tin of Appeltiser!! I know places make their money from the drinks, but this seems excessive. R27-wow. 

SERVICE - the server was very attentive, almost too attentive, but he made a good pizza recommendation and made sure that we were happy. The manageress did seem eager to get us going and paying. Brought our bill and machine before we asked for it. (It was not as if we were the last table to leave). 

VALUE FOR MONEY - fairly reasonable. Except for this crazy Appeltizer price. That really dented my desire to go back there. 

RECOMMENDABLE - OK 6/10. 

Restaurant - Protea - Breakwater, Waterfront Cape Town

30 July 2014 - With a day riddled with meetings all over the Peninsula. I had a meeting at the Protea Hotel, Breakwater Lodge at the Waterfront where (fortunately) the meeting turned into lunch, and we shared a mezze platter. The weather was clear, so we sat outside on the verandah. Beautiful view of the mountain and the V&A Waterfront. The only pity is that there are huge constructions underway currently at the waterfront, so it was quite noisy.

FOOD - I am a huge fan of mezze platters. This one was delicious and quite reasonable for two people at R125. The platter had a variety of cold meats - salami, spicy sausage, pastrami; cheeses - blue an Brie; olives, pickles, rye bread, olive oil and boiled eggs (crusted with paprika, which wasn't quite my cup of tea, but interesting nonetheless). Everything else was very tasty. My only problem with a platter is that I generally end up eating waaay too much!

DRINKS - had a white Grapetiser. 

SERVICE - a bit slow and when I was ready to go there was no one in sight; I just think they forgot about me. 

VALUE FOR MONEY - fortunately I have a Prokard, so got 33% discount which was great. Value in general not bad. 

RECOMMENDABLE - yes, quiet a nice gem of a place in a bustling Waterfront. 7/10

Restaurant - Rhodes Memorial Restaurant and Tea Garden, Rondebosch, Cape Town

27 July 2014 - This is a wonderful place for a tasty meal, pastry (especially their lemon meringue!) and beautiful view of Cape Town. 

The weather had been miserable all week so it was lovely to have a clear day and sit outside to admire the view. Love it when we have guests and the weather plays along. 

FOOD - as tempting as the huge pieces of lemon meringue was, we did go for breakfast, so opted for something (only slightly) more 'responsible', scones. I can't remember when last I had a scone. They were massive, warm and served with apricot and strawberry jam, cream, real butter and for an additional R5, cheddar cheese, which we opted for. 

DRINKS - Capaccinos, lovely big servings.  

SERVICE - Was good. Showed to a seat almost immediately when we arrived. Server was efficient. 

VALE FOR MONEY - definitely. Those scones were huge and the condiments delicious and sufficient, they do not scrimp on their portions. 

RECOMMENDABLE - Definitely 8/10

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November 2014 - headed here for breakfast with the Sidekick.

FOOD - I was torn between having the scones and eggs Benedict - opted for the latter. Very tasty, especially as it is served on a freshly baked herb muffin. Mark's full breakfast looked very good too - his only comment was that he would have preferred to have the mushrooms and sausages grilled a bit more. All in all the food is good.

DRINKS - I had a smoothy - bananas, berries and yoghurt - quite tasty, not overly sweet. Mark had a Cappuccino, which looked like a big decent portion.

SERVICE - Good, but a bit slow towards the end of the meal to get the bill.

VALUE FOR MONEY - Really good. My eggs benedict was R70, and Mark's also there about.

RECOMMENDABLE - Definitely! 8/10

 

Restaurant - Deli Delish, Hout Bay

20 July 2014 - This is a favourite for us, especially as we can take Bella (the puppy) with.  Some time ago the management changed so we decided to go for lunch (celebrate Bell's third birthday), and check it out, as we had not been in ages.

FOOD - very pleased that not too much has changed, the only changes I did notice were small positive ones e.g the menu and outside play area are both a bit neater. I digress, I had their hamburger and local beer special (R69). The meat was cooked just right and the chips tasty. I like that the hamburgers are served on ciabatta rolls.  The better half had a burger with bacon, avo and feta (in the past this specific burger was served with Swiss cheese), he enjoyed the new version too. We are both very happy that the quality of food has remained the same. We like it when we get what we expect and hope for. 

DRINKS - I had a Savannah Light, have not had one in ages. Better half opted for a Windhoek Light. 

Bella got a bowl of water, which was a nice touch. 

SERVICE - efficient and sufficient. 

VALUE FOR MONEY - yes, the pricing seems to be the same. 

RECOMMENDABLE - yes, lovely spot with delicious food in Hout Bay, and we can take the puppy! 9/10

Caffeine Cafe - Cape Town, Hout Bay

On my mission to try new places and to break from a normal lazy-day-on-the-couch-Saturday-morning, we decided to have breakfast at Mainstream Mall in Hout Bay. Generally, I rarely go to the Mall, but when we do go there for a meal, we pretty much always end up at either Gabriele's or the Cafe inside Woolies. Today we tried Caffeine Cafe.

FOOD - Was very happy that they had eggs Benedict on the menu, and it was delicious! 

Mark opted for the full-house, which isn't really my cup of tea, but looked quite big. He described it as very average - mushrooms were not sauteed (only warmed) and the baked beans and sausages had no real flavour; he was not offered an option for white or brown bread toast, only received four pieces of cold white bread toast, which was served only with marmalade -  he would have preferred a selection of jams. He did however say the saving grace for his meal were the eggs that weren't runny. He rated his breakfast 6/10.

The only problem that I had was that I battled to use the cutlery (!) - it is very thin knives and forks that they give you, and because the English muffin was quite chewy, it was a bit of a challenge to cut through it with the given cutlery.

DRINKS - Mug of coffee and Mark had a large Cappaccino (came with a heart) and a piece of chocolate cake - nice touch. I have realised that my favourite coffee is still my morning cup of Nescafe at home. Nothing wrong with this coffee, I just don't have a taste for filter coffee.

SERVICE - very sweet and friendly server.

VALUE FOR MONEY - very reasonable. Full English Breakfast was R54 and the Eggs Benedict R45

RECOMMENDABLE - It is OK, whether I will be back, I'm not too sure - at the moment there are quite  a lot of other places in Hout Bay that need exploring.

6/10

San - Sandton Sun, Johannesburg, Sandton

FJune 2015 - Sadly my recent experience to the establishment was a big let down compred to my visit there a year ago. Their potion sizes have been dramatically reduced. The wonderful large Caesar I had last time is now served in a side dish bowl and still charged at R75. When queried I was informed that they had changed their dishes/sizes. They attempted to redo it but basically put the contents of the small salad on a large plate. The place is fine to sit and work at between meetings (although they are busy with refurbishments, so it is noisy) but I doubt they will see me there for a meal. 

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June 2014 - This is not the typical place that I would generally go to, but it was surprisingly nice. It's linked to Sandton City and I needed a place to sit and work in between meetings and there was a great quiet area where I could sit at a proper table and work while having lunch.

  

FOOD - Their menu seemed quite limited, but I prefer that than having to trawl through thick menus. Am I right in thinking the thicker the menu the more average the food?

Had the Caesar salad - it was a huge portion and very tasty. Delicious bits and pieces in it that complemented each other wonderfully.

I have also had a wrap there - the chips were amazing, but the wrap nothing really spectacular to write home about - the salad would be my recommendation - especially on a hot day, sitting on the balcony over looking Sandton with a glass of white wine -

DRINKS - this time I only had a white Grapetiser.

SERVICE - Quite good, friendly servers.

VALUE FOR MONEY - Look, it's Sandton so it is bound to be more pricey, but the food was good and the portions decent.

RECOMMENDABLE - Yes. (can get a bit noisy later in the afternoon / early evening)

7/10

Manna Epicure - Gardens, Cape Town

This is a lovely spot that I often use to have meetings. I love the all white decor, very tastefully decorated. The only snag is - because it is very popular and can get quite noisy.

FOOD - I have had lunch here several times. Their Nicoise salad with quail is delicious. The most recent lunch that I had there was French onion soup - it was a cold , grey day and the soup hit the spot. It was deliciously flavoured, served with baguette.

DRINKS - they have delicious fruit juice options, you mix your own. I recently mixed pear, beetroot and ginger - very refreshing and tasty.

SERVICE - the waiters are always very friendly.

RECOMMENDABLE - Definitely - 8/10

Restaurant - Mariner's Wharf, Hout Bay Cape Town

I so want to love all the places in Hout Bay. Both Mariner's Wharf and Dune's have such an amazing setting, but sadly they both disappoint, a lot.

My focus here though is Mariner's Wharf. Every time I leave the establishment, I think to myself that I am not going to go back there, and then every couple of years I think - let's give them a try and it is again a disappointment.

A couple of weeks back we got a flyer through the post for their winter specials - really good value options, so we decided on a grey, wet Sunday to go for lunch - just before we left I did spot the small print saying that the specials were only for during the week - I was  bit annoyed, but only at myself and we decided that we would still go.

As mentioned before, the setting is really great, right at the harbour with an amazing view of the mountains where they used to mine manganese many many years ago.

FOOD - My sidekick had the Kingklip with veggies. He really enjoyed the fish, said it was a very big healthy portion cooked to perfection and very tasty with the spices and lemon butter sauce. The sides were chips, rice or veggies. He opted for veggies which he was sadly not as lyrical about - he said that it is frozen veggies from Spar, which were served, cold and soggy. He rated his Kingklip 8.5 to 9 of 10, and no score for the veggies.

With it being a cold, miserable grey day I was in the mood for seafood curry. The portion was HUGE, with a variety of fish | prawns | muscles etc. The flavour was however, unfortunately not WOW - it was very spicy, I quite like spicy food as long as it doesn't burn me to such an extent that I can't taste anything. It was just a bit too burny for me, and lacked something. But it was a lot of food, and waste great when I had it a bit later at home.

DRINKS - Mark had a draft, Seadog or something, which does not really have a distinctive taste, 'very bitter foamy beer' is how he describes it.

I had a glass or red wine, nothing really special (can't actually honestly remember what it was, so could not have been that spectacular).

SERVICE - friendly and efficient

VALUE FOR MONEY - Let's face it, it's a tourist trap, so prices are higher.

Kingklip R167

Mariner's Curry - R137

RECOMMENDABLE - The view is wonderful, but it is touristy,  so very noisy, so for me it is only OK - 

5.5 / 10

Restaurant - Tjing Tjing, CBD Cape Town

13 June 2014 - What a delightful place in the middle of Cape Town's CBD. A colleague from Pretoria's partner recommended the place. It's above 'Dear Me' (not been there yet).

It has a wonderful atmosphere - you can sit out on the balcony, but there were a couple of smokers out there and a bit chilly, so was quite happy to sit on a very comfortable couch.

FOOD - Ordered a cheese platter - this is generaly a safe option when there is a group of ladies catching up - something for everyone. There was a lovely selecion of cheese, preserves, meet, bread.

DRINKS - The server was very helpful and gave me a taster of different red wine options.

SERVICE - Very helpful and friendly.

VALUE FOR MONEY - very reasonable

RECOMMENDABLE - 7/10

Website

Restaurant - Rick's Cafe Americain- Gardens, Cape Town

13 June 2014 - This place's decor really resonates with me, the high ceilings, wooden floors, casablanca photos on the walls and vintage look.

What is a bit frustrating for such a large premises is that there is only one loo for ladies.

FOOD - The cheese platter is delicious; they have a selection of tapas, which is quite tasty too. I have pleasant memories of the cheese platter so can and will recommed it.

DRINKS - They have a lovely selection of differnt wine and also per glass wine selections.

SERVICE - Friendly

VALUE FOR MONEY - Quite resonably priced and very friendly servers.

RECOMMENDABLE - yes! 7/10

Restaurant - Nana -Chicago

What a wonderfully quaint spot for breakfast. Nicole (lady I was renting from) introduced me to this fabulous place. All their food is sourced from local farmers. 

FOOD - This is possibly THE most decadent piece of French toast that I have ever had. Cheese cake filled french toast with coconut!! This was then smothered in a fruit compote. We shared this plus grenola (muesli) & yoghurt. It was absolutely divine! 

DRINKS - opted for tea, but I don't think tea in general in the US is their strong point, so also had an Americano. Both came in delightfully big cups. 

SERVICE - I was truly impressed by the server. She recognised Nicole and welcomed her then she introduced me to the place and also indicated what dishes they had won awards for and which items on the menu is highly recommendable. 

RECOMMENDABLE - DEFINITELY! 8/10

Restaurant - Lou Malnati's - Chicago

One of the first things that was mentioned to me when I said that I was coming to Chicago was that I should have deep pan pizza. I am more of a flat based-Papaccino's down the road kinda-girl, but happy to try something new. 

There are a couple of franchises across the city. Naturally I opted for the one within walking distance. The place was packed with a 15 mins waiting time. What was quite nice is that you can order your pizza while you wait as they take 30 mins to make (!). 

FOOD - The pizza I went for was the traditional Chicago one with a buttered crust (how decadent!). The filling is quite similar to a Margarita but has some or other meat in it. It was OK, a bit bland, but there was chilli flakes on the table which gave a bit of oemph to the flavour. 

DRINKS - opted for pink lemonade. 

SERVICE - fair, we waited some time for the bill. 

RECOMMENDABLE - if this is the place for deep pan pizza, try it out. I still prefer my thin-based Roquefort pizza from up the road. 5/10

Restaurant - Downtown Dog, Chicago

After a visit to the Hancock Centre (amazing views!), I tried another hotdog. As I had not really enjoyed the first one and thought that I should at least give it another try. 

FOOD - It was recommended that I try a 'char' dog, meaning that the sausage is grilled, this made an improvement to the taste, however, the hotdogs are not my favourite. I gave it a shot and it is not for me. 

DRINKS - tried the pink lemonade, quite sweet, but refreshing. 

SERVICE - you order at the counter. Fast & friendly. 

VALUD FOR MONEY - yes, not bad. 

RECOMMENDABLE - if you like hotdogs then this place us great. 

Restaurant - Sunny Side Up, Chicago

This was ons of those hidden gems I discovered via TripAdvisor. I would never have discovered this on my own. I sat in front of a window and the coffee flowed ( I LOVE the milk/cream that gets served here- not one bit healthy, but whenever was anything decadent healthy!)

FOOD - The Oscar Benedict was recommended by the server. This is the normal take on eggs Benedict, but includes asparagus, crab meat and tomatoes, and (of course) served with potatoes (everything seems to be served with potatoes here). The crab meat was a bit cold, but when I queried it, that is apparently how it is served, personally I would have preferred it warmer, but it was nonetheless delicious.

DRINKS - bottomless coffee and continuous topping up of water was great. I did start feeling like an Energizer  Bunny after a couple of cups. 

SERVICE - very friendly, fast and efficient. 

VALUE FOR MONEY - $19.89, so about R200; however can't really compare rates to SA. 

RECOMMENDABLE - definitely a wonderful find. 8/10

Restaurant - The Chicago Art Institute Café

Oh what an experience and visual sensation to get to see all the works of art that was taught in art history. It was raining in the morning so a great way to escape. 

Before I started on the tour of the insanely massive art museum I fuelled up at the Museum's restaurant. It's buffet style with a choice for every palate. 

A margarita flatbread had just come out of the oven, so I was sold. Was in need of a caffeine boost so opted for a coffee. 

DRINK - the coffee was quite big, nothing too special. (Am Missing my morning kickstarter - haven't quite found the equivalent here). 

FOOD - the flatbread pizza was a different take on the normally very doughy pizza base. Really enjoyed the flavour and texture. 

SERVICE - fast & efficient. 

VALUE FOD MONEY - About $6

RECOMMENDABLE - lots of choice, clean eating area. You can sit outside when it is not raining. Yes, quite pleasant. 6/10

Restaurant - Burger King, Cape Town

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, while lazy ing about in front of the television there was an advert for hamburgers (not Burger King). Mark had been to the one in Cape Town when it opened. I've only had BK in London, but remember really loving the big juicy BBQ patties, so we decided to go on an outing to Cape Town CBD for a BK lunch. 

We were not the only people who had that idea! It was packed and the line designations a mess. 

Mark had the Double King burger with cheese and I opted for a Whopper meal. Both came with fries and Pepsi (bottomless). 

Sadly the meal was very disappointing. The patties were paper thin (resembling McDonalds' patties- don't get me wrong,  I LOVE my McDonalds, but not when I expect a juicy patty). 

The meal gave us both such indigestion that I will reluctantly support them again. 

I did however like that on the receipt you get a voucher for e.g. onion rings on your next purchase. 

Restaurant - Kalkies, Kalk Bay

Last Sunday (25 May), Mark and I went to Kalk Bay, we have not been there in ages. 

'Kalkies' has been mentioned a couple of times as the greatest fish & chips joint. I felt guilty of betraying 'Snoekies' in Hout Bay (my favourite for fish & chips). 

There was a lot of peole, but the line moved pretty swiftly. 

DRINKS - We both had red Grapetisers

FOOD - they have a wide variety on their menu, including Snoek heads and grilled tuna. We opted for the hake & chips. The portions were very big, nice big pieces of hake, but sadly not that tasty. The thick batter takes away from the taste. The chips were really nothing special. The condiments on the table is very synthetic tomato sauce, chilli sauce & vinegar. A great sponsorship opportunity for All Gold! 

SERVICE - pretty standard, you order your food at the counter, find a seat, then they bring it when it is ready. 

VALUE FOR MONEY - R40 for the fish & chips. I think we paid R120 including drinks. 

RECOMMENDABLE - if you are on a budget and want something quick it is OK, but on general I think there are a lot of other places to rather try in Kalk Bay. 

Restaurant - The Clark Street Dog

After 'The Blue Man' show at the Briar theatre (which incidentally is amazing and highly recommendable) I was hungry (again!). Reverted to my trusted TripAdvisor, and saw 'The Clark Street Dog', and then took the opportunity to experience a traditional hotdog. 

DRINKS - opted for Dr. Pepper, have never had one before, quite sweet and I can understand the appeal. But a bit too sweet / synthetic for me. 

FOOD - the hotdog had onion, a gherkin, slice of tomoto and chillies. It all looked a bit bleak.  I didn't opt for fries; hungry, but not that hungry. The hotdog was OK, perhaps I did not order the right thing. When I left I saw the onion rings that looked amazing and someone had a chilli dog that looked a lot more appetising than mine. 

SERVICE - nothing special

VALUE FOR MONEY - the place is a bit of a dive, but very reasonably priced. For my hotdog and drink I paid $5.25. 

RECOMMENDABLE - currently not based on what I had. Perhaps yes if I had ordered something else. 4/10

Restaurant - Wildberry Pancakes and Café - Chicago

After a loong haul to Chicago via Munich (approx. 20 hours in the air, not including transfer & layover times) I was again motivated to work harder and make more money so that I can fly business class direct, mind you as my Mom always says, 'think big'. I need my own Boeing!

Knowing that I would be exhausted I decided to plan very little for my first day. However, jet lag does not play that game and at 04:30 I was wide awake. I did get 6 hours solid sleep, so was ecstatic and started planning my day and week.

One of the apps that I have is 'TripAdvisor-City Guides' and I decided to follow one of their recommended itineraries - 'Walking Tour of Public Outdoor Art in the Loop'. It was great, like a treasure hunt looking for the statues of Picasso and Míro and the beautiful Flamingo by Calder. The architecture is AMAZING. The lines, the colours and art of the ages fitting perfectly together like a jigsaw puzzle. After reaching the Millenium Stadium and experiencing the amazing 'Cloud Gate' or 'The Bean' I was HUNGRY! Did a quick search on TripAdvisor for the closest watering hole, of preferably not something that is a food chain I could get at home. Wildberry pancakes was recommended (and closest). All I could think was - feed me, feed me now! The place did not disappoint.

DRINKS - as I arrived at my table there was already a big glass of ice water- most welcome after the long walk in the sun. The soft drinks are refillable. They have a whole list of different flavours of lemonade, I was boring and stuck to original. It came with a thick juicy piece of lemon ($2.75). Wonderfully refreshing.

FOOD - They have a very wide selection of food. Two guys next to me was enjoying their 'skillet' looked delicious and a big portion. (I think it is in the region of about $10 for the skillet, and incidentally for a dollar more you can add a 'special pancake' - which is pretty much a meal on its own!) But, as they specialise in pancakes I opted for their 'Rocky Mountain'- two pancakes filled with: onion, green pepper, ham, scrambled eggs, cheese and topped with creme fresh! The ingredients was not all cooked to a soggy mess, everything was lightly cooked, still a bit crunchy and you could taste all the individual flavours, with a tiny hint of sweetness of the pancake dough- DELICIOUS!

VALUE FOR MONEY - total was in the region of $13 for the lemonade and pancakes. I think that is quite reasonable. There is also free wifi, which is an added bonus.

SERVICE - sweetest, most petite, friendly waitress, she recommended I go for the Rocky Mountain- great choice!
RECOMMENDABLE - definitely! 9/10

Restaurant - Europa - Gauteng, Melrose Arch

19 March 2014 - When I travel, I prefer to try new places, but it was Mark's choice for breakfast and Europa was stone throw from where we were staying.

FOOD: Mark had what looked like a mixed grill, a bit of everything bacon, eggs, mushrooms, beans, sausage, toast, baby potatoes, it looked delicious. I love eggs benedict, sadly Europa's did not crack it. Although the eggs were cooked to perfection (my preference is medium) the rest of the dish was disappointing. The hollandaise was very thick and stodgy and quite bland and there was a lot of it. This was all served on a bagel that was very dry - just too much bread. Maybe if the bagel was toasted it would have been better but I don't think much could rescue that dish.

DRINKS: Mark had two cappaccinos so I deduce the coffee is good. I opted for orange juice, it's Sir Juice, so OK, would have preferred freshly squeezed, but it was fine.

SERVICE: the service was pretty average

VALUE FOR MONEY - Average

RECOMMENDABLE will I go back? I don't think so, there are so many other places to rather go to. Average is not good enough

RATE 4/10