Whale Cottage Portfolio Blog

For the past six weeks all attempts at obtaining minutes of two Special General meetings called to change the Constitution of the Cape Whale Coast Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) have failed, with an e-mail from its Vice-Chairman, Daniel Acker, refusing access to the minutes both in my capacity as a member of the Hermanus Tourism Bureau and as a writer of this blog, without approval at the next Board meeting!  We question what the Cape Whale Coast DMO is trying to hide by not making the minutes of the two meetings available.  Maybe the Cape Whale Coast payoff line ‘wonders never cease’ is apt, given that the DMO is working with municipal funding generated from Overstrand ratepayers, and therefore transparency should rule!

More than two years ago the Cape Whale Coast DMO was established by the Overstrand Municipality, which is responsible for the municipal services of the area stretching from Rooi Els in the west to Gansbaai in the east.  The DMO is based in Hermanus, and half of the Board members are from Hermanus, under the Chairmanship of Misty Waves Hotel Manager Clinton Lerm.

When the Cape Whale Coast DMO was established, its constitution automatically made all business owners along the Overstrand members of the DMO, if they were paying rates and taxes.  No membership fee was payable.  The DMO’s main task, as per its name, was to market the Overstrand towns as a joint tourism destination and to manage the tourism bureaus in each of these towns .  The same constitution contained a directive that a CEO would be appointed, to manage the DMO.  This appointment still has not happened.   This means that a Board of 14 Directors manages a Section 21 company with only one staff member, and therefore the directors of the Board have taken over management positions for the DMO.  For example, Lerm’s mother Maxie handles Marketing and Public Relations for the DMO, and Clinton Lerm and Daniel Acker (of People Management Solutions Group, a labour practitioner in Hermanus, with no tourism business interests) represented the DMO in May at the ITB tourism trade show in Berlin, and another in Russia (an insignificant tourism market for Hermanus!).

Earlier this year the DMO changed its Constitution of 28 November 2007, at a second Special General meeting held on 8 March at the Lerm’s Misty Waves Hotel, with a resolution seconded by Chairman Clinton Lerm’s father and Director Maxie Lerm’s husband Henry (after a first Special General Meeting on 1 March had failed due to not attracting a required quorum of 100 attendees - only 14 members attended).  The change to the constitution was motivated to the DMO members on the basis of the changes made to the ‘Municipal Finances & Companies Act’ (no such Act exists - it is called the Municipal Financial Management Act, and it does not appear to contain any clauses that would have necessitated the constitutional changes made), the minutes of the meeting of 1 March stated!   The major change was that Overstrand ratepayers no longer were automatically members of the DMO, and allowed the DMO to set up membership of its tourism body in competition to the tourism bureaus in the Overstrand area.   The minutes of the 8 March meeting are very brief, and do not state who attended the meeting - bizarrely the Constitution allows a second Special General Meeting to be held a week after the first one if it fails to attract a quorum, and can conduct its business as long as at least one member is present!

What attracted attention to and the first criticism of the DMO was that the DMO has set up a kiosk near the key whale-watching area in Hermanus, from which it was taking accommodation bookings only for its members, and not for all members of the Overstrand tourism bureaus.  These members are now asked to pay a double membership, to belong to both bodies, yet each tourism bureau reports to the DMO, an unheard of model of tourism marketing, if Cape Town Routes Unlimited, the provincial marketing body, is the role model for the DMO.  Even more curiously, the Hermanus Tourism Bureau, which has an unfortunate location at the old railway station building, had to vacate its offices due to construction work close by, and was not given the kiosk, so that it can be easily found by tourists requiring accommodation and other tourism information.

Even more odd is that as a result of two competing tourism bodies in Hermanus, the town now has two whalecriers!   The original whalecrier of Hermanus, who was an appointee of the Hermanus Tourism Bureau, had his appointment terminated due to an offence, just as the DMO was heading for Berlin.  Desperate to have a whalecrier on show, the DMO appointed the whalecrier, and took him to Berlin at short notice.  He has been appointed by the DMO to man its kiosk, and the Hermanus Tourism Bureau has appointed its own whalecrier!

Late last year we questioned these actions of the DMO,coupled with the conflict of interest in Clinton Lerm being both the Chairman of the Hermanus Tourism Bureau and of the DMO.  This resulted in a letter from the DMO’s lawyers, threatening legal action.  Nothing came of this threat, probably as the DMO management realised that a number of dissatisfied Overstrand tourism bureau members feel as I do.

In July the DMO held its AGM, and on the basis of its constitutional amendment, disallowed any Overstrand tourism bureau members from attending the meeting if they did not hold DMO membership, and were also not allowed to be nominated or elected to the Board of the DMO.  This is when I started asking questions, requesting a copy of the DMO Constitution (previously this was freely available on the Overstrand website www.overstrand.gov.za), and the minutes of the meetings approving the constitutional changes.  It took four weeks to receive the e-mailed copy of the Constitution, and two days ago the following officious and somewhat threatening e-mail was received from Daniel Acker (all correspondence had been addressed to Clinton Lerm!):

“This response is done without prejudice of the rights of the author, Cape Whale Coast Destination Marketing Organisation (herein after referred to as ‘CWC DMO’), or the Overstrand Municipality. All rights of these personae therefore remain reserved herein.

Your email herebelow (sic) has been read, and the tone & content thereof has been noted. We place on record herewith that we shall not respond thereto in full, at this time, and reserve the right to do so at a later stage and in the appropriate forum.

Regarding your request, related to the minutes ‘minutes that approved the change of the Whalecoast DMO’ . We assume that you refer  herein to the minutes related to changes to the Constitution that were presented to, and approved by, the Counsellors (sic) of the Overstrand Municipality. These minutes are available to members of the CWC DMO, and our records show that neither you, nor your establishment, are members of the CWC DMO. Your request in this regard shall therefore have to be tabled at the next full board meeting, for consideration.”

What the members of the tourism bureaus in the Overstrand want is to be part of the DMO by virtue of their membership of the tourism bureaus which report to the DMO, and that bookings will be taken at the kiosk for all members of tourism bureaus in the Overstrand at no charge of membership, but on payment of a standard 10 % commission of the booking value (the DMO charges 12% commission in addition to its membership fee).    Neither the old nor the amended constitution of the Cape Whale Coast gives the DMO the duty to run a tourism bureau in opposition to those already operating in the Overstrand.

Furthermore, the Constitution does not prescribe that nominees for the Board must be members of the DMO (for example, a representative of the Overstrand Municipality is specified as having to be a director), nor does it prescribe that only DMO members can vote for the election of its Board of Directors, or on any other matter - it was confirmed that Hermanus Tourism Bureau members were not allowed to be nominated as Directors, nor voted for at the recent DMO AGM, according to an e-mail sent to me by Daniel Acker.   Members furthermore question why the Misty Waves Hotel features so prominently as the venue of the DMO meetings, and how two co-owners of the hotel can serve on the DMO Board, one of them handling the PR and Marketing for the DMO.  Whilst the Constitution defines the role of the Chairman of the DMO to be to lead the Board, to induct the directors, to plan meetings, and to ’support the CEO’, it is questioned why Chairman Clinton Lerm, and not his mother Maxie, went to Berlin and Russia to represent the DMO, and why Daniel Acker had to go as well.  The duplication in tourism offices and in whale criers is also questioned, all being wasteful expenses.

It would appear that pressure on Chairman Clinton Lerm may be leading to some changes, and it is rumoured that he has resigned as Chairman of the Hermanus Tourism Bureau, due to the conflict of interests in heading both bodies, something we pointed out in our blog post of 28 December already. However, he has not yet formally announced his resignation, nor confirmed it when we requested this of him by e-mail.

POSTSCRIPT 2/9:  The Comments section for this blog post makes for interesting reading, in setting out two points of view - two guest house owners’ perspectives, who argue along the lines of this post, and that of a Director of the Cape Whale Coast DMO, who protects the interests of the DMO.

Furthermore, the Hermanus Tourism Bureau has e-mailed its members an article which appears in the Hermanus Times today, written by Clinton Lerm.  It justifies what has happened constitutionally, and announces that members of the Overstrand tourism bureaus will automatically become members of the DMO, once this constitutional change has been approved at a Special General meeting of the DMO.  Taking bookings at the Market Square kiosk for all Overstrand tourism bureau members is also receiving the DMO’s consideration - we applaud the DMO for listening to their “customers”, and wonder why this was not dealt with correctly from the word go!

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

Today we celebrate the opening in Hermanus of the first Whale Cottage 14 years ago.   Having an all-women team of staff, it is even more special that our anniversary co-incides with Women’s Day today - I salute my ladies, and thank them for all they do for our guests.   Whale Cottage Hermanus has been heavily booked for the long weekend, and all Whale Cottage guests have been served sparkling wine with their breakfast this weekend, to celebrate our milestone.

Filled with nostalgia, I look back at the early days of running our Whale Cottage Hermanus, then located on Main Road - a great location initially in terms of visibility (we had a blue-and-white striped roof in those days, similar to our Whale Cottage Franschhoek).   Our inspiration for the name came from the Victorian cottage in which we set up our first Whale Cottage in 1996, and in honour of the Southern Right whales that became so popular, and put Hermanus on the map, in offering the best land-based whale watching in the world.

There was no internet in our world of guest housing in those days, and we all only advertised in Portfolio’s Bed & Breakfast Collection, which cost us around R 12000 for a third of a page in those days.  We all hated Portfolio, largely due to its dictatorial and unapproachable owner Liz Westby-Nunn.  Their power was tremendous, as they introduced the first attempt at “grading” our establishments, giving them a yellow, purple or red shield, implying different levels of luxury.   The annual visits for their inspections filled us with fear, and we were not allowed to question their instructions as to what had to be changed.  One dared not speak against the company (even though we were paying advertisers) nor argue their directives, and we parted ways with Portfolio when their greed extended to charging commission for bookings on their website, in addition to the ever-increasing cost of their advertisements.

The internet opened up to us at the same time, and it was a huge relief to see how well we did advertising on the accommodation websites SA Venues and Cape Stay, and the former still holds.  Networking with fellow guest house owners became an important source of business, especially in Camps Bay, where we run the Camps Bay Accommodation Association, and we pass all overflow enquiries to our 24 members.  We also share industry information with each other.

After we opened the seafacing Whale Cottage Camps Bay in 1998, we received feedback from our guests that they were missing a seaview in Hermanus, so we set upon the search for a new property to be set up as a guest house, with a seaview.   We found such a property on Westcliff Drive, on the way to the new Harbour, with a magnificent view of Walker Bay, and opened it in 2002, selling the Main Road property.   Barry Lewis was our long-standing manager, and we are delighted that we have his sister Carole Cessano working with us now, with the faithful Juliette at her side.

From June - December the whales attract visitors to Hermanus, who have not found a place in the world where they can see whales as they can do from the well-developed cliff path, running from the new Harbour to beyond Voelklip, all along the ocean.   But Hermanus has wonderful beaches too, that are warmer than those on the Atlantic Ocean of Cape Town, and also has outstanding wine farms in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley area, including Hamilton Russell Vineyards, Bouchard Finlayson, Creation, Hermanuspietersfontein, and more.

Whale Cottage Franschhoek opened five years ago, and Whale Cottage Plettenberg Bay two and a half years ago.   With Whale Cottage Hermanus and Whale Cottage Camps Bay, they make up the unique Whale Cottage Portfolio, welcoming our guests to “a whale of a stay!”.  One of its unique features is the Whale Cottage Loyalty Card, which was introduced from the start in 1996, offering our Whale Cottage guests one night free for every 10 nights that they stay at a Whale Cottage, and this has become a very popular incentive to return to our Whale Cottages.  Nine years ago we introduced our WhaleTales newsletter, which is sent to our Address Book of 25000 every 6 weeks or so, and is written as a tourism newsletter, described by many as the only newsletter which summarises what is happening in the tourism and hospitality industry.  We have never been afraid of being controversial, and of writing the truth.   This policy of independent tourism reporting is also the foundation of this WhaleTales Blog.

We thank our Whale Cottage guests, suppliers, colleagues and friends for their loyal support of our guest houses, and of our WhaleTales newsletters and Blog.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

Oskar’s Delikatessen (their spelling, and comes from the name the co-owner wants to call her son one day, and is a play on words with “Os-kar”, or “ossewa”, as ox wagons were used as there never was a railway line in Hermanus, but it had a railway station) opened in Hermanus about a year ago, on a site that was previously the public library, in the new Quarters Hotel building.  It is a cosy and homely eatery, but has a most unwelcoming co-owner and incompetent service, which will not stand it in good stead to develop a loyal custom.

I arrived whilst the young co-owner was on the phone, chewing gum (an absolute no-no in my book).    She ignored me completely, as did the waitress.   While I waited I took some interior shots, and that made the waitress bring a menu.  I ordered a cappuccino, water and a scrambled egg and bacon, requesting a pumpkin seed roll to be replaced with a rye bread toast, and the exclusion of creme fraiche (R38).   The water was brought in an unusual Oskar’s-branded water bottle, with a straw, a nice touch, except that the bottle’s head is too narrow to take ice, so it was not served cold, as requested.  The cappuccino was very milky and weak.

The preparation area is open to the seating section, which is not very large, with a central wooden table seating about eight, and wooden tables against the window to the street, and the back wall.  My table was against the back wall, with a mirror above it, which had not been cleaned for a while.  Sweet treats are displayed in bell jars on counters separating the seating and food preparation areas, and the cupcakes, rusks, feta and apple tarts, and the other treats, were beautifully presented.  I noticed that each of the seven ceiling lamps was different, a design quirk.  Orchid stems in little glass containers are on the tables.

While waiting for the egg, I asked the co-owner for some take-aways for my staff, specifying what I wanted and the quantity.  She could not remember any of what I asked her, partly due to the loud music in the Deli.  I must have shown my irritation with the poor service, because Illana, the co-owner, came to sit with me, giving me the third degree, as to who I am, why I was there, who I write for and why I was taking photographs - “I am not looking for a headmaster’s report and to be critiqued” she told me.   She felt that I should have asked her permission to write a review and to take photographs.   I know her mother Sanmarie, a fellow guest house owner in Hermanus, and I have been to Oskar’s before.  She then asked me where she would be able to read my “horrible” review.

My first egg dish arrived with the pumpkin seed roll, the second came with the rye bread toast but was served cold, probably not re-made when the bread was changed (I was asked by the co-owner “So how warm did you want the egg to be?!”), and the third attempt was fine in that the bread was correct and the egg was warm, but it was a very disappointing runny egg.  I liked the sprinkling of poppy seed over the scrambled egg, but could not taste it.

One can order nine shakes, with some creative creations available - Lindt Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookie - ranging in price from R 25 - R 30. What I loved about the Oskar’s Deli menu is the ability for one to tailor-make one’s meal, in terms of choices offered, and also saving on costs if one does not like a particular item or ingredient.  For example, one can order a muffin for R15, and pay R5 for butter, R3 for strawberry jam, R5 for cream and R7 for cheese.   Pies (spinach and Danish feta, and Chicken, cost R 15, and Lamb and rosemary R20) can be ordered as is, or with a side salad at R15, gravy (R8) and/or roasted vegetables (R15).   Salads cost R 40 for a basic fruit, feta, pecan nuts, onion, tomato, rocket, baby spinach, seeds and sprouts, and to this can be added extras such as avocado (R6) or black forest ham, salmon or roasted vegetables, each costing R15.  The base pasta is tagliatelle, basil pesto, lemon, Danish feta and pumpkin seeds, to which salmon, black forest ham and/or roasted vegetables can be added, at R15 each. 

But it is the sandwich list that looks most interesting, the base being baguettes, seed rolls, bagels, rye bread etc, on which wonderful fillings are served - e.g. Danish feta, Italian salami, sundried tomato and basil pesto; Haloumi cheese and rocket; smoked salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice and rocket; bacon, Brie and rocket; Emmental cheese, Gypsy ham, basil pesto, mayonnaise, seeds and sprouts - each costing around R35.

I won’t be back at Oskar’s Delikatessen in a great hurry - at least not for a cooked meal.  Perhaps they are best at sandwiches and sweet treats.  The young co-owner needs to learn how to deal with customers, and to bite her tongue.

Oskar’s Delikatessen, 5 Harbour Road, Hermanus.  Tel (028) 313-0629.  No website, Monday - Saturday

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

The Sweet Service Award goes to Salt Deli on Victoria Road in Bantry Bay in Cape Town, for hosting a cosy media breakfast to showcase their cooked breakfast range, which includes scrambled or poached egg and bacon (no fried eggs available), salmon and eggs benedict, and eggs en cocotte.  On leaving, each person was handed a little sweet treat to take home.   New Salt restaurant chef Jacques de Jager, originally from Grande Provence in Franschhoek, came to introduce himself.

The Sour Service Award goes to La Vierge restaurant in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley outside Hermanus, nominated by Ebony Sanders.  Ebony writes that she was disturbed when a team of handymen arrived at the restaurant last Sunday lunch-time, and used power tools to break down a center stage, when she had to wait for more than an hour to discover that her order for her poached salmon had not been placed with the kitchen, and had to wait to have her drinks served.  She was told that the waiter that served her has a medical condition, which must have influenced his service level.  The invoice system was not working properly, so it took time to organise the bill when Ebony and her husband had had enough, and decided to leave, even though the Manager, via the waiter, offered to not charge for the meals.   The waiter did not apologise about the delay in serving the main course, and the Manager never came to see and to apologise to Ebony and her husband. Ebony has subsequently written to say that she received a call of apology from Andrew, the manager, and he has invited her back for a complimentary meal.

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. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.

Cape Town’s restaurants are feeling the hospitality winter blues, with a large number of restaurants announcing their restaurant specials.  The winter has claimed its casualties too, and there could be more in what has been a poor winter for many businesses.

La Mouette has opened at 78 Regent Road in Sea Point.   Brio is a new jazz restaurant, in half of the ex-Riboville in town (on the Adderley Street side), while Liquorice and Lime has taken over the other half of Riboville (on the St George’s Mall side).  Van Hunks has opened at 1 Union Street, off Kloof Street in Gardens.  Cafe Nood has opened in Wilderness Road, Claremont. shu has opened next to Doppio Zero on Main Road, Green Point.  Ryan’s Kitchen has opened at Rusthof guest house in Franschhoek - the chef Ryan Smith is ex-Mont Rochelle.  On Broadway has moved to the New Space Theatre building at 44 Long Street, with a new restaurant where Anytime was.  Buena Vista Social Club has moved to the top end of Portswood Road in the Waterfront.  Madame Zingara has re-opened at Century City, after a two-year absence.   The House of Meat has opened in the Pepper Club Hotel, corner Long and Bloem Streets, offering a full braai for R 295, from 3 pm every day.   Amazink, ex-Roots, in Khayamandi in Stellenbosch, has opened, with Bertus Basson from Overture an advisor. Spiros has opened in Hout Bay.  Mason’s Cafe & Grill has opened in the ex-Cafe Gainsbourg.  La Cantina has opened in the Alliance Francaise. The De Leuwen Jagt restaurant on the Seidelberg wine estate outside Paarl has opened The Fabulous Bakery.   Gesellig has opened on the corner of Church and Regent Roads in Sea Point, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.   Chez d’Or has opened in Franschhoek, with Richard Carstens as consultant Chef, scheduled to stay until September, but he left on 28/7.  It has been confirmed that Carstens will take over the running of Tokara in October, given that Etienne Bonthuys is set to open a new restaurant on Dorp Street in Stellenbosch.  Gesellig is a cosy and friendly new eatery in Sea Point.   The Restaurant at One&Only Cape Town has taken over from maze.  Indochine  has opened at the Delaire Graff wine estate in Stellenbosch.  The Long Table Restaurant and Cafe has opened at Haskell Vineyards in Stellenbosch.  The Wild Peacock Food Emporium has opened in Stellenbosch.  Knife Restaurant has opened in the Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa, a sister restaurant to Fork.  De Oude Bank Bakkerij has opened in Stellenbosch.  Cafe Le Chocolatier has taken over from Cafe Vendome in Place Vendome in Franschhoek. Leaf Restaurant and Bar has opened where Portofino/The Showroom were located.  Epicerie Fine is the new name of the L’Ermitage Deli in Franschhoek, and has a new owner.   Sommelier Restaurant at the Sante Hotel and Wellness Centre has re-opened.  Illyria coffee shop has opened in the Eikestad Mall in Stellenbosch. Babylonstoren is to open a restaurant in October, next door to Backsberg.  The Fish Shack has opened at The Paddocks in Milnerton.  Reubens at One&Only Cape Town opens on 1 October.   Luigi’s from Hout Bay is said to be opening where Vista Mare was in The Promenade in Camps Bay.   Satay Bar has taken over from Zucca in Kloof Street.

Portofino, which opened where The Showroom was, has closed its doors. The first review of Portofino appeared on this blog.   Cafe Gainsbourg on Kloof Street, Anytime on Long Street, Josephine’s Patisserie, Ginja, maze at the One&Only Cape Town, La Table de France in Sea Point, Panarotti’s and Shimmi’s Bar in Hermanus, Miguel’s in Plettenberg Bay, and Bouillabaisse and La Brasserie in Franschhoek have also closed down.   Camil Haas, the co-owner of Camil’s in the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, has left the restaurant, but is doing food and wine pairing evenings in Franschhoek.  Yum in Vredehoek has closed down.   In Camps Bay the Cape Town Fish Market and Terra Mare have closed down.  Luke Dale-Roberts is no longer the Executive Chef at La Colombe, but will consult to the restaurant.   Tank in the old Cape Quarter is to get a new name.   Cafe des Arts has taken over from Topsi’s in Franschhoek.  Satay Bar has taken over from Zucca in Kloof Street.

Some restaurants are closing to have a winter break after the World Cup. Camil’s in Green Point re-opens on 1 September. The Mount Nelson’s Cape Colony re-opens with a new interior and new menu on 1 November. Reubens in Franschhoek is closing on certain dates due to business being so quiet, an unprecedented move: 3, 4, 10, 17, 18, 25, 26, 31 August and 1 September.  Vaudeville is closing between August and October.  Marianna’s in Stanford is re-opening on 14 October.  Bistro 1682 is closing from 15 August - 5 September. The Salmon Bar in Franschhoek re-opens on 1 November, undergoing renovations in a new location (parts of ex-Bouillabaisse and Pam Golding venue). Massimo’s Pizza Club in Hout Bay has gone into winter hibernation, and is likely to reopen in November, in a new yet-to-be-announced venue in Hout Bay.  Bistro 1682 re-opens from its break on 5 September.  Rust en Vrede is closed from 3 - 28 September.  The Sandbar in Camps Bay is closed until 16 September.

The following restaurant specials have been announced (NOTE: This Specials list is updated continuously).  We have seen our list used without acknowledgement on other bloggers’ blogs - please acknowledge Whale Cottage Portfolio Blog as your source:

CAPE TOWN

*   The Cru Cafe in the Cape Quarter: breakfast for 2 for R 85, 2 pasta dishes + 2 glasses of wine for R 119, all days of week, lunch and dinner, until 30 September

*   Wang Thai: half-price sushi and cocktails, Mondays - Thursdays 12h00 - 18h00, at V&A Waterfront, Constantia, Somerset West, and Lagoon Beach branches 

*   Five Flies:  Pay for one main course and get the other free, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, until September.  

*   Andiamo in the old Cape Quarter: R 49 breakfast special (juice, cooked breakfast, cappuccino), until 11h30 daily; 2 pizzas or 2 pastas with 2 glasses of wine R 125; Basil, chilli chicken/salmon salad with bottle of water or colddrink R 59, until 31 October. Tel (021) 421-3687

*   Pure at Hout Bay Manor: 3 course dinner for R 220, and R 280 with a glass of wine added

*   Catharina’s at Steenberg Hotel in Tokai: 2 course lunch at R 135, 3 course lunch R175/3 course dinner R195, May - September

*   Vanilla in the Cape Quarter: 50% off the second person’s main course, and 1/2 price sushi 12 - 6 pm

*   Tuscany Beach in Camps Bay - 50 % off second person’s main course, and 1/2 price sushi 12 - 6 pm, until August

*   Pepenero in Mouille Point : sirloin and chips R 79, seafood platter R 129, prawn platter R 99, oysters R 9 each, half-price sushi

*  Sinn’s Restaurant at Wembley Square:  lunch (6 options) at R 50, including a glass of fruit juice.  Dinner (5 options) at R 95, including a glass of wine.

*   La Colombe : 3-course lunch at R 280 and 5-course dinner at R 380, with a carafe of wine, Mondays - Saturdays, May - September.

*   Hussar Grill, in Camps Bay and Green Point: 1 kg ribs or kingklip plus chocolate mousse for R 99.

*   Pepper Club on the Beach in Camps Bay: “Nip and Tuck promotion” - Prawn platter R98; Potjies R79,95; Sirloin and Prawn combo R89,50; Seafood platter R139,95; half-price sushi - until end September

*   Kuzina in the new Cape Quarter:  Meze platter for two plus bottle of wine R 189, Mondays - Fridays 12h00 - 18h00 and Sunday evenings from 18h00. Tel (021) 418-8000

*   Saul’s Sushi@Vegas, 118 Main Road, Sea Point: “Eat as much as you like” sushi R 120 Mondays and Tuesdays, “two for the price of one” sushi Fridays and Saturdays

*   Cape Town Fish Market: Salmon special, 1 course R 54,95, 2 courses R 69,95, 3 courses R 89,95.  V&A Waterfront Cape Town, Parkview Pretoria. Eastgate Johannesburg, Hemingways East London.

*   Cassis in Garden Centre: Lunch Box special - coffee/juice/colddrink + savoury tart (quiche/tomato tart/sandwich) + sweet tart = R 40, Mondays to Sundays

*   Theo’s on Beach Road, Mouille Point: oysters R 6 each, 1 kg prawns R 99, line fish R79, for lunch and dinner.  300 gram sirloin steak, spatchcock chicken peri peri and 500 gram spare ribs all R 79 for lunch only. Tel (021) 439-3494.

*   Salushi Intaba, 25 Protea Road, Claremont: 50 % off sushi on Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays, from 12h00 - 17h00 (until end May), and other days of the week.  Springroll + noodle dish R 70 on Wednesdays.

*   Sevruga in the V&A Waterfront: Sole special, between R89 - R180, half price sushi 12h00 - 18h00 Mondays - Saturdays

*   1800 in the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, Main Road, Green Point: Sparkling wine + 200 gram “Beef Wellington” + parking for R 99 (be warned - this is not a classic Beef Wellington - just a small fillet with a few chopped mushrooms and wrapped in pastry, no pate de foie gras).  Until August.

*   Myoga at Vineyard Hotel, Newlands: lunch: 2-courses R 95, 3-courses R 125, or salad or soup with bread at R 55, Mondays - Saturdays

*   Myoga at Vineyard Hotel, Newlands: 6 course dinner for R 150, Mondays - Saturdays  

*   Tank in old Cape Quarter: 2 courses R R140, 3 courses for R 165, both with a glass of wine, until end September.  Tel (021) 419-0007  

*   Beluga, The Foundry, Green Point: Prawn & Kingklip R 99, 24 sushi pieces for R 89.  Tel (021) 418-2948.

*   Butler’s Pizza, Newlands, Rondebosch, Wynberg, City Bowl, N1City, Bellville, Tableview: 3 pizzas for the price of 2; 2 medium pizzas + 4 toppings each at R 89.95; 2 large pizzas + 3 toppings each at R 109.95, Sundays - Thursdays.

*   The Kove, Victoria Road, Camps Bay: 2-course meal with glass of wine R120; Fish and chips R 79, 400g ribs R75, Oysters R 9,  Seafood Platter R129, Rump 250gm R 79, Rump 500gm R 109, 1kg of prawns R 99, Lamb chops R99.  Tel (021) 438-0004

*   St Elmo’s: 2 large regular pizzas cost R 105.  2 Dipping Strip pizzas and 3 dunking sauces R 99,90.  On Tuesdays 2 large pizzas out of a choice of five cost R79,90.  At lunch buy one pizza with Coke for R 29,90 Monday - Friday, until 16h00.  Belgravia, Brackenfell, Claremont, Durbanville, Fishhoek, Gardens, Hout Bay, Kuilsriver, N1 Value, Paarl, Parow, Plumstead, Rondebosch, Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Strand, Tableview, Three Anchor Bay, Tokai, Tygervalley, Woodstock and Worcester.

*  Cafe Sofia in Camps Bay, Green Point, etc: All pasta dishes R 49, 250 ml soup + ciabatta toast R 19. 

*   221 Waterfront: two drinks for price of one, Mondays - Fridays, 16h30 - 18h30, two dishes on “Lite” and Sushi sections of menu for the price of one

*   River Cafe, Constantia:   four courses lunch + a carafe of wine R 195, 4 courses dinner + wine R 225.  On Mondays to Thursday 1 child eats free, Mondays - Saturdays, May - September

*   Diva Pizza, 81 Buitenkant Street: 2 pizzas + 2 toppings each take-away special price R 75

*   Pastis in High Constantia Centre, Constantia: free glass of wine with meal.

*   Trattoria Luigi in Hout Bay: margherita pizza plus Savanna for R 45 on Wednesdays.   Mondays - Fridays pizza and pasta half price, until 31 August

 *   Constantia Uitsig: 3 courses and wine R 260 for lunch, and R 290 for dinner, until end September*  

*   Jakes in the Village/on Summerley, in Steenberg and Kenilworth, respectively:   25 % off all dishes, 5 - 7 pm only, Mondays - Saturdays, until end September

*   Buitenverwachting in Constantia:  2 courses R 149, 3 courses R 169, 4 courses R 199, until 31 August

*   Duchess of Wisbeach, corner Main and Wisbeach Roads, Sea Point - free bottle of wine for a table of four

*   Salt, Ambassador Hotel, Bantry Bay : 2 courses R 140, 3 courses R 170, Mondays - Sundays, lunch and dinner

*  Le Restau Paradiso, Kloof Street: Marie’s Menu 3 courses R 110; Capetonian Menu 3 courses R 130; French Classics Menu 3 courses R 150, until December.

*   A Tavola in Claremont: 50 % off all pasta dishes on Mondays, prices reduced by R 4 - R14 per dish on menu (except for desserts) 

*   The Lookout Deck, Hout Bay: 1 kg tiger prawns R 125 (lunch and dinner), 6 oysters R 36 (5 - 7 pm only)

*   La Mouette, Regent Road, Sea Point: 6 courses for R 175.  Express Lunch - 2 courses (with 2 choices each) at R 99.   Monday - Saturday dinner, Tuesday - Sunday lunch, September

*   Blonde restaurant, Hatfield Street: “two …blondes are better than one” promotion of 33% off the bill, until September

*   Lagoon Beach, Milnerton - 2 course meal from R 75, “all-you-can-eat” Sunday buffet R 99

*   Jardine, Bree Street: 3-course dinner at R 150, Tuesdays - Saturdays

*   The Round House in Camps Bay : 7 course menu for R 245, until 30 September

*   Berthas in Simonstown: 1 kg mussels, 1 kg Queen prawns or 1 kg mini seafood platter cost R 99 each

*   Ricks Cafe Americain, lunch special for R 39, Mondays - Saturdays, until 31 October

*   The Square Restaurant, Vineyard Hotel, Newlands: 5-course dinner costs R 165.  2-course lunch R116, 3-course lunch R145.  Tel (021) 657-4500

*   Adega Sea Point, corner Main and Glengariff Roads:1 kg Tiger Medium prawns, R99. 300g Mozambican Pepper Fillet R79.   Oysters R4,90.  21-piece Sushi Platter R 99.  Lunch and dinner, until 31 August. 

*   Pepperclub Luxury Hotel & Spa: 6 oysters and a glass of bubbly R60, Fridays from 16h00, with jazz

*   Aubergine:  2-course lunch R184,  3-course lunch R235, Wednesdays - Fridays

*   Balducci’s: All pizzas (except Flaming Prawns) R49, 26-piece Platinum Sushi Plate for R99, Burgers from R55.  Monday - Sunday, 12h00 - 18h00, until September.

*   Ferrymans, V&A Waterfront: 3-course pairing meal, with wines matching starter and main course, at R200, until September.

*   Bukhara : 2 course lunch or dinner plus glass of wine R125, Monday - Saturday, Sunday lunch

*   Haiku:  2 course lunch or dinner plus glass of wine R125, Monday - Saturday, Sunday lunch

*   Cafe Caprice, Victoria Road, Camps Bay: two burgers for the price of one, Mondays - Thursdays, 12h30 - 22h00

*   Saul’s Taverna: for every meal ordered from main menu, the second person get’s a free main course from chef’s special menu

*   Caviar Deli in the V&A Waterfront is offering 2 ready-made meals for R40 (one costs R25)

*   Societi Bistro: “Tour of France” - 3-course French menu R 150, until October

*   Chapman’s Peak Hotel, Hout Bay: 1kg Tiger Prawns R99; order 2 steaks, and get a bottle of wine and 2 Amarula creme brulees for free.  Tel (021) 790-1036

*   Quay 4: Snoek and chips R59, until October

*   Black Marlin: Snoek on braai R55, half crayfish on braai  R75, Saturdays and Sundays;  3 course meal plus glass of sherry R125, until October

*   Hildebrand: 2 courses R 89, 3 courses R 120; 2 pastas for the price of one with a glass of wine, until September

*   Chenin Restaurant and Bar: Sirloin steak R60, until September. Tel 021 425-2200

*   Leaf Restaurant and Bar : 51 % (no typing error) off sushi from 11h00 - 16h00, and all day on Sunday.

*   Cafe Chic: half-price off all dishes except Tapas, until 31 August.

*   Gesellig, Regent Road, Sea Point: 2 courses plus soup or dessert = R 90 for dinner; lunch costs R40 for dishes usually costing R65 - R77 12h00 - 14h00

*  The Fish Shack Restaurant and Wine Bar, Paddocks, Milnerton: Shack Platter and glass of wine R 90

*   Blowfish in Blouberg: Seafood platter R 179, 20-piece sushi platter R99, 500g rump steak R 95, Lamb shank R95, Fish & chips R59, Prawn curry R69, Seafood Paella R79, until September. Tel 021 556-5464

*   Ocean Basket: Starter, seafood platter, and bottle of Two Oceans wine for 2 for R 235 (only at Hout Bay, Plumstead, Tygervalley and V&A branches), until 31 October.

THE WINELANDS

*   Reubens in Franschhoek : 3 course meal for R 150, or R 220 for a glass of wine per course.  Mondays - Fridays, May until August. Tel (021) 876-3772

*   D’Vine Restaurant at Willowbrook Lodge, Somerset West: 1 course R100, 2 courses R145, 3 courses R170, includes a glass of wine.  Dinners only

*   96 Winery Road between Stellenbosch and Somerset West: 3-course meal plus a glass of wine for R 165, Mondays - Saturdays, lunch and dinner

*   Terroir at Kleine Zalze, Stellenbosch: two-course meal at R 165, and 3-course meal at R 195, until the end of September

*   Allee Bleue, outside Franschhoek: choice of four 250 gram steaks at R 99, including a glass of estate wine, May - September

*   Allee Bleue, outside Franschhoek: 3 course meal plus a glass of wine, at R 130.

*   Mont Rochelle Hotel in Franschhoek: 2006-priced 3-course dinner, each course accompanied with a glass of wine, as well as water, costs R 2006 for a party of six persons (R 334,33 per head).

*   Olivello, Klapmuts, outside Stellenbosch: 2-course meal R 99, 3-course meal R 119.

*   Mon Plaisir @ Chamonix in Franschhoek: 2 courses at R 170

*   Le Bon Vivant in Franschhoek: 2-course meal for R 115, 3 courses for R 150

*   iCi at Le Quartier Francais in Franschhoek: 2 courses cost R 120 and 3 courses R 150, Monday - Friday, until August

*   Grand Provence in Franschhoek: Chef’s Table for 8 or more persons, 4 courses R 200 per person, June - August, lunch and dinner

*   Warwick Winter Bistro, Warwick wine estate, Stellenbosch: Butternut soup R 30, Bobotie R 57, Steak and Mushroom pie R 70, Mushroom Risotto R 75.  Mondays - Sundays.

*   Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine, Jordan wine estate, Stellenbosch: 3 course Menu de Jour lunch R 180, R220 with 2 wines.  2-course a la carte lunch R 200, 3 courses R225.  Wednesday - Saturday lunch, May - August

*   Cuvee, Simonsig wine estate, outside Stellenbosch:   2 course lunch or dinner + glass of wine R 170, 3 courses R 200, August - October

*   Clos Malverne wine estate outside Stellenbosch: autumn special - 2 course meal + quarter bottle of wine R 125, 3 course + half bottle of wine R 155, Tuesday - Saturday lunch and Wednesday and Friday  dinner 

*   Bosman’s, Grand Roche Hotel, Paarl: 3-course lunch and 2 glassses of wine for R 260, Sundays

*   Lanzerac Hotel in Stellenbosch : 2-course lunch R 145, 3 course lunch R 175, includes a glass of red wine.   Chef’s soup of the day with rolls and house wine R 55.    June - September

*   Freedom Hill restaurant between Franschhoek and Paarl: 3 course meal and glass of wine R 150, Tuesdays - Sunday lunch, Tuesday - Saturday dinner, until end August

*   French Connection, Franschhoek: 2 courses R 95 and three courses R 125 

*   Le Petite Ferme, Franschhoek: 2 courses R 100, 3 courses R 150, plus carafe of wine, every Friday evening

*   Fyndraai at Solms-Delta wine estate: 2 course lunch R 135, 3 courses R 155.

*   Ryan’s Kitchen at Rusthof, Franschhoek : 3 course meal and glass of wine at R 195, until August.

*   Boschendal in Franschhoek:  Buffet reduced cost R 145 (R 50 extra cost for dessert and cheeses) 

*   Noble Hill, Klapmuts: Farmer’s Lunch costs R 62, Mondays - Fridays

*   Restaurant Christophe, Stellenbosch: business lunch - 2 courses R130, 3 courses R 150, Tuesday - Friday, served within one hour, all year

*   Rickety Bridge Restaurant in the Vines in Franschhoek: 3 course lunch for R 150, and R25 extra for three Rickety bridge wines, paired per course. Monday - Sunday, until end September

*   Allora in Franschhoek: 3 course winter menu at R89.  Main course lunch plus live music plus ”drink” for R100 Saturday lunches.  Tel (021) 876-4375.

*   Epicerie Fine Deli/Coffee Shop, L’Ermitage, Franschhoek - bowl of pasta plus salad plus homemade bread plus glass of wine = R 45.  Tel (021) 876-9200

OTHER AREAS

*   Season in Hermanus: 2 course meal R 75, bredie of the day R 48, Sunday roast R 65, 3-course Sunday lunch R 110. Tel (028) 316-2854

*   Mediterrea in Hermanus: 2-course R 105 and 3 course meal R 135, Monday - Thursday dinners and Sunday lunches, April - August

*   Nguni in Plettenberg Bay:  main course R 50, different every week, Wednesdays.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

Copyright: Whale Cottage Portfolio

The Sweet Service Award goes to Hermanus Office National, a stationery shop that sells a large range of stationery items in a smallish shop opposite SupaQuick in Hermanus, at the most unbelievably low prices.  Printer and fax cartridges are generally expensive when bought at Incredible Connection.     A typical M40 cartridge for a Samsung fax machine costs R394 at Hermanus Office National, compared to R 401 at Walton’s and an incredible R 499,95 at Incredible Connection! The goods in the shop are neatly displayed, given its small space, and the owner’s son was very efficient in taking payment. 

The Sour Service Award goes to The Fugard theatre, which opened a mere 3 weeks ago.  The booking service was friendly and trusting (telephonic booking of tickets without requesting credit card details), the ticket collection process was efficient, and the ticket price was cheap at R 50.  The entrance to the theatre is via an adjoining ex-church, beautifully restored and lit, a lovely space in which to meet other theatre-goers, with a large bar, at which one can pre-order and pre-pay one’s drinks for interval, a novel idea.   Everything was fine up to this point.  An irritation relative to other Cape Town theatres is that seating is on a first-come first-served basis, like at The Labia, rather antiquated, so one had to go up to the third floor to get a seat, far from the stage, and had to sit on long benches as opposed to individual seats. No one was prepared to shift up to make space for others - meaning a shortage of seating due to gaps in between.  On the way to the seating, four different members of staff asked patrons to switch off their cellphones.  The patron was attacked when she was checking her last Twitter message, the phone having been set on silent - the hostess threatened to remove the phone.   The hostess was standing on the staircase on the aisle, next to the patrons, and kept marching up and down the aisle, berating patrons for even daring to touch their phones to check messages.  One couple arrived late (the theatre shows strangely start at 19h30) and was let in, and shown their seats with a torch, annoying all patrons on the aisle.   A patron wanted to go the cloakroom before interval, and was refused permission to leave by the hostess.  The hostess made a huge disturbance while trying to explain why she would not let the patron out.   The sneakers worn by the staff make a squeaky noise when they walk along the aisles.   At interval the patron went to find the Manager Johan Kupserburger, and only managed to get half the complaint about the disturbances to him, before being rudely cut off by him, as he had just spotted Mangusotho Buthelezi in the audience.   At interval two patrons almost came to blows, as the more assertive patrons were served first by the three bar staff trying to serve about 250 patrons, ahead of those that had stood there for longer.  After interval two hostesses were put on duty where the theatre-goer was sitting, apparently as a fire regulation (the 70-page Western Cape ‘By-Law for Community Fire Safety’ does not mention such a requirement at all) for the building.   The new hostess walked up and down too, talked to her colleague right next to the patrons during the show, and kept moving - standing up and sitting down on the steps.   Feedback presented to the Manager at the end of the show was greeted with disbelief, implying that the patron was not telling the truth!  He did admit that the staff had only been working at the Theatre for 2 weeks.  He then wanted to force the patron to speak to the Director, instead of asking the Director to come to the patron in a quiet corner.  The Theatre has the most terrible karma and the staff are fanatical about reacting to cellphones, not understanding that reading or texting a message, or Twittering, does not affect the volume of the phone.   Ironically, a bottle and plastic cups fell over during the show, for all to hear.   The end result was a horrid evening, with little enjoyment of what was a most unusual production of the Mozart opera ‘The Magic Flute’ a la township-style, with marimbas only in place of a full orchestra.  

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.   Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.

Hermanos opened as a new restaurant in a revered restaurant space previously called Joubert, in Hermanus, about three months ago.   Rave reviews from Whale Cottage Hermanus guests about the restaurant attracted Whale Cottage Hermanus Manager Carole and I to try it 10 days ago.   Our expectations were high.

The co-owner and chef Wayne Spencer came to our table when we arrived early at 18h30, and gave us a friendly greeting.    He told us his background, and then went off to the kitchen , where he cooks almost on his own, with the help of only two staff.  

“Hermanos” is the Spanish word for brother, and symbolises the relationship between Wayne and his brother, who is a financial partner in the business but does not live in Hermanus.   Wayne trained at the Silwood School of Cooking, and has worked at the Phinda Game Reserve, Birkenhead House in Hermanus and La Residence in Franschhoek, and ‘The Mandarin’ at the Port Palace Hotel, a one star Michelin restaurant in Monaco.   The menu is relatively small, and Wayne closes bookings at 50 persons, even if the space could accommodate more clients.   He believes in “local is lekker” in supporting local wine estates and suppliers, and recognises that his two house wines do not meet this stated belief.

While the interior of the restaurant has not changed much, it is whiter and cleaner than Joubert was just before closing down.  We could not sit outside in the fairylit courtyard, due to the rain, which is the best spot, it is said.   Our table for two was small, and at one stage we had to put the bread basket on the floor, as we ran out of space.  

We were disappointed with our waiter, whom we lost early on when we talked wines - the La Couronne Menage a Trois and Brandvlei house wines were not to our liking, and we were disappointed that there was no other choice.  Also, for a winelist that prides itself on Walker Bay wines for wines, the non-Hermanus wines-by-the-glass were an oddity.   We then had to order a full bottle, and this is where the waiter showed that he was not trained on the wine side - everything we asked for he had to communicate to a colleague who was running the bar, just three steps behind our table.  He would then communicate back to us, all via the third person, who never came to our table for a direct conversation.   The waiter did not know what the word “vintage” meant.   We settled on the Raka Biography, and declined it when we were brought a 2008.  Miraculously a 2007 vintage was found, and we could be served the wine, after a long delay on this alone.  By this time we had lost confidence in our waiter, even though he seemed to exude self-confidence, and so we asked the waitress to take over.

The restaurant filled up quickly, and Carole recognised many of the diners as locals, which will ensure that Hermanos survives the winter months.

The menu has 5 starters, including the flagship tiger prawn and avo stack (R52), asparagus and parmesan risotto (R45), Halloumi salad and fish koftas (both R42) and Carpaccio (R 48).   The prawn and avo stack looked attractive, and was served with melba toast slices in-between.  It was a little hard to eat, as the melba toast does not cut well, and the stack soon collapses.   The avo was sliced too thinly for my liking, and Carole did not like the knife shape digging into her palm while using it to eat.   The 8 main course choices are beef fillet hot rock (R 120), signature rib-eye steak (R 112), Karoo lamb rump (R 98), pork loin (R 94), Chicken Ballantine (R 82), linefish (R 90), Norwegian Salmon (R 125), and Crespella di Verdura, a tasty sounding dish of slices of crepe filled with butternut and spinach.     The rib-eye steak and pork loin could not be faulted, except that the steak was a touch too rare for the “medium rare” ordered.

The dessert choice is creme brulee (R 38), vanilla bean ice cream (R 32), chocolate tart (R 42) and a cheese board at R 62.  Carole enjoyed the creme brulee, and I my cappuccino.   While the service from the waitress was better than that of her colleague, she made no effort to really connect, and just asked the standard “is everything ok?” question, without making one feel that she was really listening or interested.

Hermanos stocks a wide selection of wine varietals, with about three brands per variety, and offers a good spread of Hermanus and Hemel-en-Aarde Valley wines.  So, for example, the Shirazes are Wildekrans (R 135), Raka Biography (R 165) and Sumaridge (R 225). The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Benguela Cove (R 185), and from Jakob’s Vineyard and Raka, both costing R 175.  Chardonnay comes from Bouchard Finlayson (R 160), Domaine des Dieux (R 160) and Ataraxia (R 267).   The Sauvignon Blancs come from Jackson (R90), Hermanuspietersfontein (R 120) and Southern Right (R 137).   Methode Cap Classique bubbly is stocked, from Wildekrans (R 160) and Domaine Des Dieux (R 215).

There was no music to create atmosphere.  There was no relationship formed between diner and staff, to make one look forward to coming back, except for the short interaction we had with Wayne on our arrival.  When I first wrote about Hermanos, without having visited, Wayne said that he wanted to come out of the kitchen and connect with his clients, but he is so thinly-staffed in the kitchen that he is unable to do so.  The waitress does not seem senior enough to guide and manage the seemingly untrained colleagues, which could be the downfall of Hermanos.

Hermanos has great potential if it gets its wine-by-the-glass choice and staff quality right, appoints a manager, and opens over lunch.  The food is of a high standard, in a town that is not blessed with any outstanding restaurants.   

Hermanos, 3 High Street, Hermanus.  Tel (028) 313-1916, www.hermanos.co.za  (menu not up to date)   Tuesday - Saturday evenings.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

The Chairman of the Cape Whale Coast Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), and also Chairman of the Hermanus Tourism Bureau, Clinton Lerm, has done an about-turn in his support of an anti-nuclear power plant campaign in the area of his jurisdiction, reports the Cape Times.  

The two proposed ESKOM nuclear power stations are to be built at Bantamsklip, 4 km from Buffelsjagsbaai and 6 km from Pearly Beach, on the Cape Whale Coast beyond Gansbaai.  The “site lies within the hottest internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot”, the Save Bantamsklip website says, and is regarded as a SA Natural Heritage Site and is a Historic Monument.  It is adjacent to Dyer Island Nature Reserve, breeding ground of the penguins, and to the Great White Shark Marine Sanctuary.

Tourism and marine life conservation bodies have been up in arms about the proposed nuclear plant, and Lerm in November expressed his support on behalf of the Hermanus Tourism Bureau to the Save Bantamsklip awareness campaign.  Furthermore he pledged R 1 000 to the campaign, and offered his services and those of his members to participate in a march against the proposed power plant in December, at which time a petition opposing the construction of the power plants was delivered to the Overstrand Municipality in Hermanus.   The petition was signed by the Managers of the Hermanus and Gansbaai tourism bureaus, which report to the DMO.

Now Lerm has withdrawn his support of the campaign, after he was called to a meeting with the Mayor of the Overstrand Municipality, the R 2,5 million funder of the Cape Whale Coast DMO.   

Last week the Mayor of the Overstrand, Theo Beyleveldt, released a statement to state that “his inquiries had found Save Bantamsklip had been “dishonest” in claiming that several organisations had supported its views.    Beyleveldt claimed that Dyer Island Cruises had also turned against the Save Bantamsklip campaign, but its head Wilfred Chivell angrily negated this, saying :”There is no way I will back off from supporting Save Bantamsklip.  This nuclear power station will be horrible for tourism and I will fight this menace”!  Chivell is a founder member of Save Bantamsklip. 

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

In preparation for the FIFA World Cup, the Telegraph newspaper in the UK has selected its choice of top 10 South African wines.  South Africa is the world’s 9th largest producer, according to the report, and has more than 600 wineries and 6 000 wines.   It has a 12 % market share in the UK, closely following France and Italy.

The largest volume of sales of South African wines is of Arniston Bay and Kumala.  But high-end wines such as Hamilton Russell, Vergelegen, Boekenhoutskloof, Meerlust, Thelema, Toakara, Kanonkop and Rustenberg are also imported into the UK.

The top 10 list of South African wines for wine writer Jonathan Ray, are the following, with his rationale and food-pairing suggestions: 

“1 2009 Ken Forrester Cape Breeze Chenin Blanc, 13%vol, South Africa (£4.98; Asda)

Ken Forrester knows his chenin blanc inside out, and his so-called FMC (Forrester Meinert Chenin) is a much-loved classic (and highest-ever scoring South African white in Wine Spectator). This entry-level version might sound like a shampoo or a Duluxpaint, but it’s a great value introduction to the grape, with crisp, sweet-edged fruit and a dry finish. An ideal crowd-pleaser for parties.

2 2009 Flagstone Noon Gun Dry White, 13.5%vol, South Africa (£4.99 reduced from £6.99 until Dec 1; Tesco)

Bruce Jack, one of the nicest and quirkiest of all SA winemakers, shocked many by signing up with the world’s largest wine producer, Constellation. Flagstone, housed in a former dynamite factory, is his baby, though, and he vows he’ll be left to his own devices. This chenin blanc/viognier/sauvignonblend is a typical Jack charmer, being light, aromatic and fruity. Delicious with grilled sea bass.

3 2008 Beyerskloof Pinotage, 14%vol, South Africa (£5.99 if you buy 3, otherwise £8.99; Wine Rack)

Pinotage, a cross between cinsault and pinot noir, is South Africa’s USP, loved for its fruit by some, dismissed as tired and redolent of burnt rubber by others. In the hands of Beyerskloof’s Beyers Truter, one of the grape’s most vociferous supporters, it works a dream. Here, his entry-level version is ripe, juicy and full of spicy plum fruit, withno hint of rubber. Enjoy with slow roast belly of pork.

4 2009 Stellar Organics Syrah Rosé, 13.5%vol, South Africa (£6.05; Asda, Budgens, Londis, Spar)

South Africa is strong on Fairtrade and Stellar was the first organic winery in the world to be so accredited. The winery gets its fruit from farms along the northern boundary of Olifant’s River and processes around 4,500 tons of organic grapes a year. This pink syrah is hardly complex, just delightfully fruity and off-dry in the mouth, with a dryish, peppery finish. Serve it well-chilled at parties, or with stuffed red peppers or roasted root vegetables.

5 2007 Bellingham Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc, 14.5%vol, South Africa (£8.99; Majestic)

Chenin blanc does better in South Africa than anywhere else outside the Loire Valley, and this from Bellingham’s Bernard Series (formerly the Maverick range) is a first-rate example of real style. Made from 40-year-old, high-altitude bush vines, it has wonderfully concentrated rich, ripe fruit withhints of peach, apricot and cream. A touch full-flavoured for an aperitif, it works really well with fish pie or creamy mushroom pasta.

6 2007 Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest, 12%vol, South Africa (£11.49 per 37.5cl; selected Waitrose stores and www.waitrosewine.com)

Andries Burger of Paul Cluver Estate makes smashing wines and I’ve long been a fan of the estate’s pinot noir and their classy gewürztraminer. This is a corker too: a late-picked, botrytised, cool-climate riesling, packed with concentrated honeyed apple/peach flavours and a zingy acidity. It’s great with desserts such as tarte tatin, but even better with gooey blue cheese.

7 2005 Iona The Gunnar, 14%vol, South Africa (£11.95 - £14.95; Really Fine Wine Co 0131 669 7716, Swig Wines 08000 272272, Hic Wines 01977 550047)

Iona is celebrated for its chardonnays and sauvignons and does a fine syrah, too (and a brand new Noble Late Harvest sauvignon, which is gorgeous). This blended red, from cabernet, merlot and petit verdot, is a belter as well. Inimitably SA of course, it also has a touch of Left Bank Bordeaux style and is smoothand rounded with luscious ripe fruit. Enjoy with roast loin of venison.

8 Graham Beck Brut NV, 13%vol, South Africa (£12.99; Waitrose, Wholefoods 020 7368 4500, DJ Foodfare 020 8748 5974)

I’ve always enjoyed Graham Beck’s sparklers, made in the champagne method under the supervision of the legendary Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira. This 50-50 blend of chardonnay and pinot noir from the Robertson region is about as good as it gets for a non-champagne fizz, being crisp and clean, but toasty and brioche-like too. A cracking aperitif.

9 2001 Morgenhof Cape Late Bottled Vintage, 17.5%vol, South Africa (£16.99; Cellar Door Wines 01727 854488, Wright Wine Co 01756 700886)

This is scrumptious stuff, the Cape’s answer to the Douro Valley. Made from 100 per cent tinta barroca, one of port’s major grapes, and aged for four years in French oak, it has raisins, liquorice and ripe damsons on the palate and a rich, succulent finish. Enjoy as you would any LBV port, with cheese, chocolate puddings or a hearty Cuban cigar.

10 2007 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir, 13%vol, South Africa (£24.99; Wine Society, Harvey Nichols)

The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, near Hermanus, is home to some fascinating wines. Although nobody agrees on exactly where the prime valley starts and ends, it’s fair to say that Hamilton Russell put the region on the map with its pinots and chardonnays. Known as the most “Burgundian” of SA’s pinots, this is as elegant and silky as they come, with a touch of vegetalspice and dark berry fruit. Perfect with chicken and truffle risotto”

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

The Sweet Service Award goes to Southern Right Charters in Hermanus, who spontaneously gave Whale Cottage Hermanus guests a 50 % refund on the whale watching trip fee, as they had only seen 3 whales in the 2,5 hour cruise in December. 

The Sour Service Award goes to Newport Deli in Mouille Point, whose kitchen staff take the previous day’s leftover sandwiches, wipe the mayonnaise off the chicken or tuna filling, add new mayonnaise and place this back on a fresh slice of bread, calling their sandwiches “fresh” on their menu!

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.   Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.