Whale Cottage Portfolio Blog

The price of petrol is set to decrease by between R 1, 05 - R 1, 11 per litre on 7 January 2009, according to the Shell South Africa website.    This brings the price of unleaded petrol to just over R 6 per litre.

The decrease in the price of petrol is excellent news for the tourism industry, in that it will encourage South Africans to travel again, despite continued forecasts for a tough 2009.   Further predictions for a decrease in the interest rate will stimulate the tourism industry too.

The Champagne and Oyster Bar Bouillabaisse, which has successfully operated in Franschhoek for the past two years, has spread its wings and opened a new branch in Cape Town today. 

The upmarket tapas-style eatery is designed around a central food preparation station, and patrons sit on bar chairs with a full view of the station.   The menu is identical to that of the Franschhoek restaurant, and includes predominantly fish dishes, but meat lovers and vegetarians are catered for as well.    The portions are small, and the idea is that one enjoy a number of different bites to eat, building up one’s own menu.

Located in The Rockwell, parallel to Somerset Road in De Waterkant, Bouillabaisse and its sister restaurant Crepe Suzette are the first retail outlets to open in what will become the food centre of Cape Town, when its Epicurean Food Emporium opens in May.    The Market will provide the freshest foods under one roof.

Camil Haas, the Bouillabaisse chef and owner, will be largely based at the Cape Town branch, while his wife Ingrid will travel between Franschhoek and Cape Town.

Hotels in Durban are experiencing a poor festive season, with bookings down by 10 - 15 %, despite special offers, reports the Sunday Tribune.

The newspaper quotes Gerhard Patzer, the local Chairman of FEDHASA and GM of the Hilton Hotel in Durban, as follows: “For the hotel trade, it’s definitely been the worst Christmas in five years.   It’s clear that people are cagey about holiday spending - obviously trying to save money and paying off cars and debts, instead of going on holidays.”  

“Everyone is trying to negotiate better deals, also booking for much shorter periods - two or three days, instead of a whole week” said Alan Vels, the past FEDHASA chairman.

The article also quotes Mike Sutcliffe, the manager of the Durban municipality, as saying:”…compared with Cape Town, Durban’s hotel trade had done “pretty well” under the circumstances”.   This would seem to imply that Sutcliffe is saying that Cape Town is not doing well this festive season, which is far removed from reality, as Cape Town is buzzing.

Just two weeks ago the same newspaper proclaimed that the “year-end stampede to Durban and KwaZulu-Natal coast is well underway and it could be a record season”!    The article speculated that 2,5 million visitors could be expected in the region, compared to the usual 2 million.   It also stated that beachfront hotels were 90 % booked at that time already.

Vida e Caffe is set to open its first two London stores, its magazine Obrigado reports.  

The hotshot coffee shop with a Portugese touch and distinctive red branding, has spread in major cities, and has branches in Stellenbosch, Sea Point, Willowbridge, Camps Bay, Somerset Mall, Cavendish, Claremont, the V & A Waterfront, Canal Walk, Kloof Street, Green Point, Bayside, Green Market, Black River Park, Constantia and Collosseum.    In Johannesburg the seven branches are located in Sandton, OR Thambo airport, Greenside, Rosebank, Hyde Park, Parktown North, Bedford Square and Commissioner Street.   Knysna and Bloemfontein each have a Vida, while there are three in Durban.

A joint venture is also on the cards between a Vida e Caffe and Nando’s Peri Deli in Rivonia.

The UK paper The Herald has compiled a top ten non-Euro holiday destination list, which offers British visitors good value for money.  South Africa is one of the destinations on the list, and Cape Town is mentioned specifically.

The Herald says the following about South Africa:  “A beautiful climate, staggering scenery and chance to experience a safari make modern South Africa a dream destination. The fact that the rand has been faring badly against the pound, and is now 12% weaker than it was last year, makes it more affordable for UK visitors. While airfares to South Africa are not cheap, after touching down there are a number of excellent budget accommodation options.”   

The paper recomends the following “must see”: ‘Table mountain dominates the city’s skyline and a visit makes for a memorable holiday highlight. Experienced hikers can get to the top for free under their own steam. However, most visitors opt for the revolving cablecar which costs R130. (£8.80). From the top you can enjoy views which stretch as far as the Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope.’

Other destinations that are on the top ten list are Turkey, Iceland, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kenya, Mexico and Egypt.

The Sweet Service Award goes to Spar in Regent Road Sea Point, for a surprise gift of a bunch of flowers for a grocery purchase of over R 1 000.   As it was the customer’s birthday on that day, the gift was doubly welcome.

The Sour Service Award goes to LimelightDesign, suppliers of chandeliers with Swarovski crystals, with branches in Cape Town, Johannesburg and George.  Third-generation co-owner, with his mother, and designer Patrick Miller was quick to make a sale of a chandelier, and led the customer to believe that it would be hung on the same day.   He came to have a look later that afternoon, but without the chandelier, stating that it could only be hung by an electrician five days later.   A time was agreed.   On the appointed day Mr Miller called to change the appointment to the following day, due to the electricians running late on another project for the company.   When the customer was unhappy about the appointment change, especially as it had to be hung prior to a party on the following day, the electricians did arrive on the appointed day.  However, Peter, the LimelightDesign installations person, was an hour late.   He made himself very much at home during his time in the home, and called for the customer from one end of the house to the other, without having met the customer or asking the staff to help locate the owner.   When the upset customer asked for the mobile number of Patrick, and dialled it, it rang through to Peter’s phone!    The upset grew when the team left, without volunteering the information that the electricians had damaged the ceiling during the installation process.   No attempt was made to rectify the situation immediately.   The hole was fixed a day later, but the person doing this work left very dirty marks on the chandelier structure, despite the chandelier serving as a centrepiece for two parties.   Mr MIller was not contactable during the installation process, and told the customer that he was far too busy to come to the site, as he was in customer meetings all the time.    However, when it came to delivering the invoice, and chasing payment, Mr Miller had all the time in the world to do so personally.    Surprisingly, the LimelightDesign branch on Buitengracht Street in Cape Town closed down during the week between the purchase and installation of the chandelier, and the company will only operate in Johannesburg, according to the notice on the shop. 

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com.

The Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, and the previous CEO of Transnet and soon-to-be CEO of ABSA Bank Maria Ramos, are said to get married in Franschhoek on Saturday on L’Omarins estate, which belongs to the Rupert family, reports The Times.

Franschhoek is known as the Wedding Capital of South Africa, and is even said to be changing its name to the Franschhoek Wedding Valley, due to its popularity as a wedding destination.

Three new restaurants have opened in Camps Bay on trendy Victoria Road, opposite the beachfront, thereby bringing the number of restaurants in Camps Bay to close to 30.

The three new restaurants have just opened in the space of the erstwhile Caltex petrol station: The Kove, Bungalow and Gateway to India.

The Kove and Bungalow are owned by the same owner (Paul Kovensky) as Paranga in Camps Bay, just a hop away, and Pepenero in Mouille Point.  

The rather oddly-named The Kove is “a traditional grill house”, according to its advertorial in the Cape Times.   “Combining old-school classics with new-age cuisine, this beach grill offers upmarket dining for discerning patrons”, its PR blurb continues.   Its interior has a red and white rose and ivy design on the ceiling, intended to create an “Alice in Wonderland” effect.   It sports a sommelier and an “award-winning wine list”, the latter being a claim it cannot make as the restaurant only opened this month.

Bungalow is described as a “cutting-edge, contemporary cafe”, with “cutting-edge molecular gastronomy”, its advertorial claims.    Chef Gabriel le Roux has international experience, including at Michelin-star restaurants, and he creates unusual dishes with unique flavour combinations.  “LIme airs, citric atoms, foams and liquid nitrogen are all an integral part of his culinary creations.”

Christian Barnard, a partner with Kovensky in Paranga, does not seem to be involved in the new ventures at all.  

Gateway to India has opened its doors in the past two days, and is a sister restaurant to a same-name Indian restaurant in Umhlanga Rocks.    Its luxury chandeliers attract attention from the beachfront, but may be over the top for an Indian restaurant, and for a restaurant in general in the time of the global credit crunch.

The Grand Cafe in Camps Bay, a little further down on Victoria Road, is fully booked every night, even though it has only been open for two months.  On Monday night John Cleese was dining there, as well as a very very important VIP, who had 5 bodyguards protecting him and his fellow diners sitting outside on the terrace.    Staff were not allowed to reveal more than his first name “Paul”.

                                                 Just less than three hundred metered taxi drivers in the Western Cape have undergone a four-month training programme, to make them welcoming hosts and information guides for the 2010 World Cup, reports the Cape Argus.

The course content included the security and safety of their passengers, tour guiding around Cape Town and the province, and business skills.    Cab driver Gale Jacobs, one of the newly trained metered taxi-drivers, said:   “The training was like a breath of fresh air.   I always thought the job was just about getting the client from point A to B, but now I’ll also be able to show clients and tourists around on a guided tour of the city.”

The role of minibus taxis is uncertain, and was the cause of a one-day taxi strike earlier this month, causing wide-spread chaos as employees tried to get to work.   FIFA is not allowing minibus taxis to become involved in the World Cup, given their poor safety record, and the minibus taxi industry is unhappy about being cut out of the action.   In addition, it feels threatened by the new Bus Rapid Transit system, that is being introduced prior to the start of the World Cup as an improved public transport sytem.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an activist whale protection agency, launched a full-on attack against the Japanese whalers in Australian Antarctic waters, including launching rotten butter bombs at the Japanese harpoon whaling vessel the Yushin Maru No 2.   The attack on Friday had to be cut short due to unfavourable weather conditions, but has stopped the Japanese whaling activity for the time being.

The Japanese fleet is whaling in Australian waters, despite an order of the Australian court for the Japanese to cease and desist from killing whales in Australian waters.

Commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean is illegal.  The Japanese are undertaking commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary under the guise of scientific research, for which provision is made by the International Whaling Commission.