Whale Cottage Portfolio Blog

The City of Cape Town has spelt out its public transport plans for the soccer fans attending the World Cup in Cape Town from 11 June to 11 July.

A combination of transport methods, including trains, buses, minibus taxis, and metered taxis will transport guests between the airport, the station, the public viewing areas, and the Cape Town Stadium, reports the Cape Times.

Soccer fans with World Cup tickets will travel for free between the stadium and any one of 25 park-and-ride centres in the city, even stretching out as far as Strand, and also including UCT, Camps Bay High School, and Kronendal Primary in Hout Bay, offering 7000 parking bays in total.   Park-and-ride centers include Century City, GrandWest Casino, Kuilsriver, Oostersee, Fish Hoek, Retreat, Brackenfell and Claremont.

A shuttle bus will run from Hertzog Boulevard at the Civic Centre to the Cape Town Stadium, starting 6 hours before the match starts until 4 hours after each match on match days.  

On match days too, an Atlantic seaboard bus service will run from Hout Bay through Camps Bay and Sea Point, to the Stadium, starting 4 hours before kick-off, until 2h00 the next morning.

Throughout the 31 days of the FIFA World Cup, a shuttle bus will transport soccer fans from Cape Town International airport to Hertzog Boulevard 24 hours of the day, in intervals of 6 - 30 minutes, depending on usage.   The cost is a reasonable R 50 per one-way trip.

A further bus service will operate in the city itself, running 24 hours per day, and leaving every 10 - 30 minutes, connecting Hertzog Boulevard, Table Bay Boulevard, Heerengracht, Coen Steytler Avenue, Long and Loop Streets, Buitensingel Street, Orange Street, Buitenkant Street, Darling Street, Oswald Pirow Avenue and back to Hertzog Boulevard.   This will allow soccer fans, with tickets for the stadia, or just coming to enjoy the fan park outside the City Hall, to obtain easy access to their hotels and to restaurants.  Another shuttle bus route will be to Queens Beach in Sea Point, via the Waterfront, until 2h00 every morning.

Trains will transport the soccer fans to public viewing areas at the Bellville Velodrome, Athlone Civic Centre, OR Tambo Sports Hall in Khayelitscha, and the Swartklip Sport Hall in Mitchell’s Plain.

The city has warned that one will not be able to park close to the stadium, and that disabled soccer fans will have to also make use of public transport, its shuttle stations being wheelchair-friendly.

Further information about the transport connections during the World Cup can be obtained on www.capetown.gov.za, or at tel 0800 656 463.

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

The countdown to the last 100 days to the largest sports event ever to be hosted by South Africa starts today.   FIFA has given South Africa 8/10 for its readiness to host the World Cup, with only 100 days left for it to become 10/10, reports the Cape Argus.

A whirlwind visit by the FIFA and Local Organising Committee top executives and 120 local and international journalists of all ten the World Cup host cities has focused attention on the status of the preparations for the event.

1.  The Cape Town Stadium is completed, and two test events which have taken place in the stadium went off reasonably smoothly.  FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke heaped praise on Cape Town for its stadium yesterday, and he said that the city stadium pitch should be the benchmark for all stadiums.   Valcke also said that “Cape Town will be the perfect place to be during the World Cup.”   He lauded the Cape Town Stadium, and said that it would attract many thousands of soccer fans, even after the completion of the World Cup. 

   The pitch at Mombela Stadium in Nelspruit is currently a sandpit, but will be ready for the June start. 

2.  The roads in most host cities and highways leading to them, have been significantly improved, and should be completed by April.  The roads in Cape Town in particular will be transformed, with the N1 and the N2 both having more lanes, and previous traffic blockages such as Hospital Bend on the N2 will be something of the past soon.   Even in the city centre, the roads and pavements have been radically improved in Green Point, close to the Cape Town Stadium, making it a pleasure to drive past the Stadium to get to the Waterfront, and to walk in the area.

    The roads around the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg and the Mombela Stadium in Nelspruit are still in a poor condition.

3.   Bookings seem to have slowed down to a trickle as far as accommodation is concerned, and this is FIFA’s current largest challenge, in that international media are reporting negatively about the “rip-off” pricing in South Africa and the level of crime.   These two factors appear to be the major deterrents to soccer fans attending the matches.   Accommodation in a leading suburb like Camps Bay in Cape Town, a 10 minute drive from Cape Town Stadium, is about 50 % booked for the World Cup.   MATCH, FIFA’s accommodation agency, has been severely criticised for creating the image of “rip-off pricing”,  by adding 30 % commission to all its package components, including accommodation, tickets, flight tickets, and transport.

4.   FIFA’s is expanding the number of low cost tickets it is making available to South Africa, and denies lowering the price of its category 3 and 4 ticket prices offered to South Africans.   But tickets are not selling as they should, meaning that the estimate of 450000 international soccer fans attending the World Cup will not be achieved, meaning more locals will make up the viewership, but will not be using the hospitality facilities which have been pitched at international soccer fans.   More tickets could be made available at lower prices closer to the start of the World Cup.

5.   Excitement in South Africa about the World Cup remains low, and in fact appears to have reduced in interest since the Final Draw of 4 December.   This follows the news that the international soccer fans will not be attending as expected, and that top international trainers are expressing their resistamce and restentment to FIFA for choosing South Africa and maybe even Africa as the host country for the first time ever.

6.   What was meant to be an African World Cup, stressed to be such by FIFA President Sepp Blatter over and over again, appears to be a South African World Cup.  Due to a reduced demand of accommodation, MATCH is not using accommodation in neighbouring countries or in Mauritius, as previously threatened.  Worst of all is that ticket sales to soccer fans in African countries are extremely low (about 2 %), due to the difficulty in making bookings via the internet in African countries, and the low ownership of credit cards on this continent.

7.   What is missing is a campaign of support, to enthuse South Africans to be positive about the World Cup, and to be friendly and generous to soccer fans.  In Germany an advertising campaign was launched in the last few months prior to the start of the World Cup 2006, with the slogan :”Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden” (The world at home with friends), to encourage the generally stiff Germans to reach out and welcome soccer fans from around the world.   The campaign was particularly successful in uniting East and West Germans at the time. Plans to teach locals foreign languages such as Spanish and French, and to guide them in regard to cultural differences,  have not been followed through.   Volunteers have been interviewed but not appointed.  Some of them will be appointed for their foreign language skills, and for their knowledge of their city.   But time is running thin, to train them as to how to deal with the calibre of such an event.

8.   What will give the marketing of the World Cup a much-needed boost will be the attendance of the World Cup by VIP’s : those that appear likely to attend include President Obama; Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder; top businessperson Lakshmi Mittal; Businessperson and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich;  Charlize Theron, who assisted with the Final Draw in December; Victoria Beckham, who is said to have rented an apartment in Camps Bay rather than join the England team in Rustenburg; rapper Akon and possibly Lady Gaga;  Franz Beckenbauer, previous German star soccer player and trainer, will spend the first five days of the World Cup on the MS Noordam outside Durban, reports The Times.

Cape Town celebrates the 100-day countdown with a demonstration of the Diski Dance at Cape Town Stadium, organised by Cape Town Tourism.

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

The Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour generates a significant revenue for Cape Town and its surrounding towns and villages, whilst also raising funds for charity.   The Cycle Race this year is expected to generate R 400 million in accommodation, restaurant, petrol, car rental, shopping, and cycling accessory expenditure over the three day period of 12 - 15 March.

The recession has made itself felt with somewhat fewer entries from other provinces, say the Race organisers, reports the Cape Argus.   International entries are still open, and come in much closer to the time of the race.  

The 109 km race on 14 March will see 35 000 cyclists ride around the Cape Peninsula.  It is the largest individually timed cycle race in the world.  The Race is organised by the Rotary Club of Claremont and the Cycle Tour Trust.   Last year R 2,5 million of the proceeds went to charities, while a further R 2,5 million went to organisations supporting the development of cycling as a sport. 

The Race starts at 6h30 at Hertzog Boulevard, goes via Newlands, Wynberg, Lakeside, Simon’s Town, Noordhoek, via Chapman’s Peak to Hout Bay, Camps Bay, Sea Point, and finishes in Green Point outside the new Cape Town Stadium.   The cyclists drink 50 000 litres of Powerade, 160 000 litres of Coca Cola, 100 000 liters of water and 50 000 kg of ice during the race.

A week before the Cycle Tour, the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Mountain Bike Challenge will be held on 6 and 7 March at Boschendal.

Post-script 6 February

Lance Armstrong has announced via Twitter that he will be riding in the Argus Cycle Tour.  The organisers have welcomed his participation: “He is cycling’s superstar and has done more for the global growth of the sport than any rider in history”. 

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

The Sweet Service Award goes to the contractors and staff responsible for the magnificent Cape Town Stadium, which was completed on schedule. It has become a modern landmark for the Mother City, and will give soccer fans a view onto Table Mountain or on to the Atlantic Ocean.   It is proudly supported by Capetonians, many of whom were resistant to it initially.   The area around the stadium is almost complete and the 9-hole Metropolitan Golf Club is likely to have a better course and clubhouse than ever before.  The road system near the Stadium is outstanding, and it is quick and easy to connect to the V&A Waterfront from Sea Point, Green Point and Fresnaye.  Some of the many contractors include consulting engineers Arcus GIBB, Henry Fagan & Partners GOBA, BKS, ILISO Consulting, Martin & East; quantity surveyors MLC, HP and Abakali;Architects gmp Architects, Munnik Visser, jakupa, Paragon Architects, Louis Karol; OvP Landscape Architects; and many more.  Mr Bev Mitchell was the Chairman of the management committee and Andre Lambrechts the chief project manager.  None of this would have been possible without monies from the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape government, and the national treasury.

The Sour Service Award goes to Vodacom once again, for receiving payment for the cellphone subscription via Pick ‘n Pay’s EasyPay.  Such payment is meant to register on the system the following day, but does not appear to, as the customer was once again cut-off, without warning, despite payment having been made on due date.  It appeared that Vodacom was cash-flow short, as it sent an SMS on 1 December to chase payment, when it usually did so around the 4th or 5th of the month!  The customer was cut off on 3 December.  Once one registers the cut-off at Vodacom, one is promised a one-hour reconnection time, but this is never accurate, the reconnection taking 6 hours, even though proof of payment was sent to Vodacom’s Johannesburg offices, and all ID and address verification procedures had been followed and checked.

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.

More than R 1,5 billion is being spent on the upgrade of roads in Cape Town, in preparation for the FIFA World Cup, reports the Cape Times.

The Bus Rapid Transport system is being constructed between the city and the Koeberg area, as well as between Klipfontein and the city.   Both will be completed before June.

Cycle lanes between the R27, and Table View, and the city are also being constructed.  Cycle lanes are planned as the preferred means of transport to the Cape Town stadium, even though the World Cup months of June and July are traditional wet winter months in the Cape!   “We are building a lot of cycle lanes so that people can cycle to different events and viewing areas during the World Cup” said Trevor Steyn, City Transport Executive Support Officer.

The Hospital Bend upgrade, the airport road upgrade, and the section between R300 and Vanguard Drive, are all expected to be completed by 31 March.   Upgrades are also planned for Symphony Way and Fritz Sonnenberg Street from Granger Bay.

The report also refers to “An inner city transport system is to be set up which will include the CBD and offshore (definition not provided), the Port of Cape Town and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront as well as all the suburbs of the City Bowl.  The project would extend eastwards to include Green Point, Sea Point and Camps Bay and then the Culemborg area, Woodstock, Salt River, Observatory and Mowbray”.  Unfortunately the report does not specify exactly what this “inner city transport system” is, but it is planned to be finished by 30 April.

All road signage upgrades will be completed by April.

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

The new Cape Town Stadium has been completed and handed over by the building contractors to the City of Cape Town, reports the Cape Argus.

The R 4,5 billion stadium has had all its seats installed, the grass pitch has been grown from seeds planted 2 weeks ago, the outer facade has been recleaned and painted after the storms over the past ten days dirtied some of the exterior, and the signage erected, all in time for the roofwetting party.

The stadium allows spectators a good view onto the pitch.   Spectators will not be more than 190 meters away from the soccer action.  Two special VIP boxes are contained in the stadium - one for FIFA President Sepp Blatter, and the other one is speculated to be for President Jacob Zuma.

The stadium construction commenced two years ago.  Three events will be held at the Cape Town Stadium in the first half of next year, to test it before the 2010 World Cup. 

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

An unlucky restaurant location for the Cape Town branch of Bouillabaisse, and new sister restaurant Crepe Suzette, in the Rockwell Centre in De Waterkant in Cape Town, in what was meant to have become Conrad Gallagher’s Epicurean Gourmet Market before he fled the country with huge debts, resulted in both the restaurants closing down in September.  These restaurants have fused, and have just opened as Camil’s Restaurant, ironically in the previous location of Gallagher’s Geisha Wok in the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel on Main Road in Green Point.   Whilst now fused into one restaurant, a creperie menu and an a la carte menu will be offered to all patrons.   Camil and Ingrid Haas are to run the operational side of the restaurant, while the new partner Jochen Buechel, previous owner of the Place on the Bay in Camps Bay, will look after the marketing of the restaurant.   It is bold to close two restaurant brands which were marketed jointly, off the base of the respected Bouillabaisse brand in Franschhoek, and to start from scratch with the new Camil’s brand.   A review of Camil’s will follow.

A new “Caffe”, which opened five weeks ago, is L’Aperitivo, a wine and cocktail bar that serves breakfast, and light lunches and dinners from “9h00 till late”, the sign on the door says.  Owners Andrea Gargiulo (Italian) and Stef Rau (Swiss) are charming hosts.  They met two years ago, on a cruise liner, and fell in love with Cape Town.   Before setting up their restaurant, they ran the Primi Piatti in the V&A Waterfront for two years.  It is located next door to the Bang Bang Club, a favoured haunt of teenage disco lovers, adding a free bonus to L’Aperitivo patrons, if they enjoy the music and watching the youngsters coming and going from the venue from Wednesdays - Saturdays.   The food menu is written onto a blackboard: the base Insalata L’Aperitivo costs R 30, and R 40 when tuna or chicken mayonnaise are added, and R 55 if salmon is added.   The Frittata costs R 40, the Chicken Parmigiana and a salad (just some green leaves) R 55, Roast Beef with baby potatoes and salad costs R 58, and sandwiches R 45.   For dessert the choices were an Affogato at R 22 and half a pineapple and ice cream at R 25.   Every day fresh ingredients are bought, and the menu changed to reflect what is available.   L’Aperitivo only stocks the very good Glen Carlou wines at the moment, Stef having a close relationship with the Swiss owner Hess.  They plan to offer 30 - 40 wines-by-the-glass, a commendable goal (Stef used to work at Belthezar, known for its wide selection of wines-by-the-glass).    Andrea was previously a ‘mixologist’, he says, a cool word for a barman!    His favourite restaurant is Aubergine.   L’Aperitivo stands for fresh quality food, and good and prompt service.  An ordered take-away Parma ham and brie roll turned out to be a salami roll when opened, a disappointment in an otherwise good experience!  Its brochure states: “L’Aperitivo is a Wine & Cocktail Bar with a Caffe providing a variety of freshly produced food, and which encapsulates a European style of life.   Enjoy the gathering of like-minded people to understand the way of life.   The setting is intimate, comfortable and relaxing, to ensure you enjoy your stay at whatever time you visit L’Aperitivo”.   L’Aperitivo, 70 Loop Street, tel 076 574 1805/082 898 7079.   Open Mondays - Saturdays.

Vanilla officially opened in the Cape Quarter just over a week ago, to a record crowd of 250 guests, the launch invitation being such a hit that the expected one-third no-show did not happen.   This created a problem for the owners initially in coping with serving the drinks and excellent snacks, but was quickly addressed.   It is a shame that the City of Cape Town cannot get the paving completed outside the main Somerset Road entrance to the Cape Quarter.   In fact, the main entrance to the centre was closed off on Thursday evening, meaning that one would have to find the entrance from the street behind the centre.  Franschhoek chef Matthew Gordon is the consultant chef to Vanilla, while its chef is Evan Coosner, previously with Reubens in Franschhoek and at Ginja.  A review of Vanilla is to follow.

The Grand Cafe’ branches in Plettenberg Bay and Camps Bay are soon to be joined by a third branch in The Water Club in Granger Bay, adjacent to the V&A Waterfront. 

Franschhoek is set to see the opening of a new bakery and cafe’ in the building which once housed the Franschhoek Tourism Bureau and, more recently, Winelands Experience.  The new La Place Vendome, a stylish center set to open at the entrance to Franschhoek soon, will house another new coffee shop, a deli and food hall, and a champagne bar.

Genot restaurant on Klein Genot wine estate in Franschhoek was relaunched last week, with the owner Angie Diamond taking over the management of the restaurant.   It is beautifully located above the wine cellar, with a view of the vineyards and surrounding Franschhoek mountains when one sits on the terrace outside.  Inside no expense has been spared in the large restaurant space, with lots of chandeliers perhaps making it too bright at night. The restaurant’s model is Baia, a well-known seafood restaurant in the V&A Waterfront, but at far more reasonable pricing.  Angie feels that Franschhoek does not offer its visitors a good selection of fish dishes.  The winelist is restricted with about five choices per variety, one of them being the Klein Genot, where applicable.  The Klein Genot Shiraz is the lowest priced, at R 158 per bottle, but is still very young, being a 2007 vintage.   The chefs come from Malawi, Mocambique and Zimbabwe, and they add an African feel to dishes, Angie says.   Eleven starters are priced from R 38 (chicken livers, sardines) to R 58 (mussels, and a delicious prawn cocktail), with oysters costing R 18 each.   Five salads (Caprese, Greek, etc) cost about R 48 and three soup choices are also offered, at R 48.   Eight seafood main courses range in price from R 78 for the calamari to R 228 for a seafood platter, and include two kingklip dishes.  The baby kingklip was huge, and came on the bone, which re-created an old childhood fear of bones. The restaurant would have filleted it, had one requested it.  Steaks cost R 138 for a 500 gram fillet, and R 78 for a stuffed chicken dish.  Eight desserts (excellent Pavlova being one of them) cost R 48 each.   On weekend nights live music will be offered, and a Frank Sinatra interpretor Andre Ahlers entertained the fully booked restaurant.   It was a pleasure to meet a fellow Twitterer @MarcKatzy, who came over to introduce himself.   Genot, Klein Genot estate, Franschhoek, tel 021 876-2738, www.kleingenot.com

Rust & Vrede has just been named the best Restaurant of all wine regions in the world, in the 2010 Best of Wine Tourism Awards, organised by the Great Wine Capitals Global Wine Network.  It was lauded for its “welcoming, top quality restaurant”.  It is the only South African entry to have won an accolade.   Will it become South Africa’s Top restaurant of the Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards, presented on 22 November?

Steenberg Winery is opening a new restaurant this week, called Bistro Sixteen82, serving breakfast, lunch and tapas seven days a week, its ad says.   Reservations tel 021 713 2211.  

Beefcakes is a new restaurant with a large space on Somerset Road in Green Point, close to Limnos.  It is clearly set to cater for hungry soccer fans when they walk along Somerset Road to and from the Cape Town Stadium for the 2010 World Cup!

Ginja has made the move into its new premises at the previous Nova/Relish location, at the start of New Church Street.  Chef Chris Erasmus and executive chef Michael Bassett run the restaurant, which now also serves lunches.

Bukhara has re-opened in its Burg Street location in Cape Town, after a fire necessitated a renovation lasting about three months.   “Bukhara Cape Town is proud to announce the opening of their new look restaurant”, its ad says.    Tel 021 424-0000.

Doppio Zero has a special Breakfast offer of R 35 for a cooked breakfast, or fruit and yoghurt, with toast and a cappuccino or a fruit juice, at its Main Road, Green Point branch, from Mondays to Fridays.  Tel 021 434-9581, www.doppio.co.za

Clos Malverne wine estate is one of a number of wine estates to open a restaurant this month (George Jardine opens The Restaurant at Jordan next week).  The restaurant opened last week on the Stellenbosch Devon Valley estate, simply called “The Restaurant”.   It offers a choice of five starters, ranging from R 39 - R 44, seven main courses, ranging in price from R 89 - R 98, and four desserts, at R 35 - R39.  The ad refers to the restaurant as follows: “…this Contemporary South African cuisine style restaurant will truly tantalize your taste buds”.   The Restaurant is open on Tuesdays - Sundays for lunch only. Tel 021 865-2022.

Reuben’s in Robertson was a refreshing pit stop on a trip to Plettenberg Bay last week.   The 30-seater restaurant is located in the 10-bedroom Small Robertson Hotel, a beautifully renovated historical building creating an oasis in an otherwise dreary town.    The staff at all levels were extremely friendly.   The menu design is the same as that of the Reuben’s Franschhoek branch, but the menu items differ vastly.   Four starters range in price from R 58 for a salad of beetroot and goat’s cheese to R 70 for salmon sashimi.   Five main courses start with R 78 for a gnocchi, to R 135 for the veal fillet.  Two cheese courses are offered, at around R 65, and four desserts range in price from R 30 - R 62.   Whilst our party of four loved our food and the good service, one was left with a feeling that the prices may be too high for a small town restaurant, no matter how good it is, and that its menu may not be appropriate for someone wanting a good light lunch, having a further 2 - 4 hours to travel to the Garden Route or to Cape Town.   As per the Reuben’s menu in Franschhoek, the menu lists Reuben Riffel as the Concept Chef.  The Reuben’s Robertson team are Aviv Liebenberg as the Executive Chef, and Christien van der Westhuizen as the Pastry Chef.  An interesting feature of the menu not seen on the Franschhoek menu is a listing of the suppliers of the fruit and vegetable, dairy and olive products, and the pork (including Happy Hog!).   Reuben’s Robertson is located at 58 Van Reenen Street, tel 023 626 7200. www.therobertsonsmallhotel.com.  

Reuben Riffel has been a Brand Ambassador for South African Tourism, in its campaign on CNN.   Erstwhile Top 10 chef Richard Carstens is said to be cooking at Reuben’s in Franschhoek.  Recently he was helping out at Roots restaurant in Gauteng, after Nova closed down.

Alle’e Bleue in Franschhoek has a new surprise every few weeks, and the latest is its menu for its beer garden adjacent to the picnic area at the bottom end of the wine estate.   One can order Paulaner beer and a spinach and smoked chicken salad, a quiche and salad, a Swiss sausage salad or a local cheese platter, at prices ranging from R 45 - R 59.  It hosted its first sushi/wine pairing dinner on Friday, and its first High Tea yesterday.

Grande Provence received a rave review in the Weekend Australian last month, journalist Susan Kurosawa describing it as the “best restaurant in South Africa’s winelands”.    She makes one odd comment about the Grand Provence menu: “The menu is seasonal but, for this being South Africa, expect cute wildlife to be involved. …..  I can’t pronounce much of it, let alone countenance eating Bambi’s relatives”!

Allora in Franschhoek, an Italian restaurant that is part of a chain with a number of branches in Johannesburg, has introduced a restaurant booking incentive called the Allora Miles Program.   The Allora Miles Card will be handed to accommodation staff, and they will receive points each time they make a booking for guests (who arrive!).   Prizes are awarded on the basis of points accumulated, and include airtime and Allora vouchers, vouchers for shopping at Woolworths and Pick ‘n Pay, and electrical appliances.   Feedback supplied to the restaurant is that the incentive programme is ‘too Johannesburg-like’ to be a success in Franschhoek.

Col’cacchio Pizzeria makes delicious pizzas (in Camps Bay at least), and all eight branches in the greater Cape Town area, including Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, are offering a special “Mix & Match” lunch offer, with two courses on the lunch menu for R 99 on Mondays - Thursdays, between 12h00 - 17h00.

Baraza in Camps Bay is to relaunch itself next week as Sapphire.

Nando’s, South Africa’s most creative chicken restaurant chain, is turning up the heat in Turkey, when it opened its first branch in Istanbul last week, reports the Hurriyet Daily News of Turkey.   The company aims to open 60 Nando’s in Turkey, to add to its total of 850 restaurants in 26 countries.  Known for its sharp marketing and cheeky advertising campaigns in South Africa, the Nando’s co-founder Robert Brozin said at the Istanbul opening: “I think that we are representing our leader Nelson Mandela with our restaurants.  Nando’s is like a messenger of South Africa.   With each new restaurant that Nando’s launches in other countries, Mandela sends a signed letter to us”!   Nando’s in Knysna has just closed down, reports CX Express.

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

For the first time this past week Capetonians saw the Cape Town Stadium in its lit-up glory, while the lighting checks were being done.   With such a magnificent photograph, taken from the V&A Waterfront looking on to the Stadium, there surely cannot be a single Cape Town sceptic left, who cannot see the benefit of the 2010 World Cup for Cape Town?!

The roadworks on the N1 and N2 are painful, but driving in and out of Cape Town is a lot easier than it has been during the road construction over the past few months. Ultimately our roads will be fantastic once June/July 2010 arrives!  

The World Cup 2010 is a unique event that will be to the benefit of all - for Capetonians and our soccer fan tourists.

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

The Cape Quarter extension on the block of Somerset/Napier/Dixon/Jarvis Roads in De Waterkant in Cape Town will become a focal point of Cape Town entertainment, and of decor and design shopping, especially as the nearby V & A Waterfront is turning more and more shoppers off with its exorbitant parking fees and its lack of airconditioning for the next month in half of Victoria Wharf.  It also will be on the route of 2010 World Cup soccer fans walking to the new Cape Town Stadium from the city center transport and parking hub.  It opened at the beginning of the month.

An extension to the original Cape Quarter design and decor center across the road, the new extension has been developed on a far larger and grander scale, with 10 000 sq. meters of retail space and 8 700 sq. meters of office space, reports the Weekend Argus.  Deloitte’s have already taken 5 000 sq. meters of office space.

Impressively a modern building has been built against the facades of beautiful historic buildings which are erstwhile industrial buildings and warehouses, on Somerset Road, which have been spruced up and repainted.  The center offers 1 000 parking bays, an important requirement due to the shortage of parking in De Waterkant in general.  Currently parking is free of charge.

A collection of non-franchised restaurants has been signed up, and includes Cru Cafe (see separate review to come on this blog) and Voila, which have opened already.  Vanilla will be the largest and grandest restaurant in the centre, on two levels, and opens at the end of the month.   It is being set up by the owners of Tuscany Beach in Camps Bay.   Other restaurants to open are Kuzina - Greekooking, LAZARI, and BICCCS (Bread, Ice Cream, Cakes, Coffee, Croissants, Sandwiches).   Andiamo, which has a large presence in the original Cape Quarter, has a coffee shop Espresso at the entrance.

The star of the centre at the moment is the most amazing Spar Gourmet Food Store at the entrance, with 1 600 sq. meters.  The retail outlet stuns with its fresh look, large variety of products stocked, including wines, and its fresh foods and bakery products.

Furniture and decor shops to open include Gonsenhauser’s Fine Rugs, Victorian Bathrooms, Bank’s Kitchen Boutique, EuroCasa, Pierre Cronje, and homeware shops.  It will have a Hilton Spa, a gym, hairdresser, a range of 15 fashion shops, 4 arts and curio shops, a Tops liquor store, and a pet shop.  

A programme of live entertainmnet is planned from November.

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

The new Cape Town Stadium will be completed on 14 December, says the City of Cape Town’s Director of Communications, Pieter Cronje, reports Southern African Tourism Update.

Cronje estimates that 80 % of the 450 000 estimated 2010 World Cup visitors will come to Cape Town before, during or after the event.   Cape Town’s success will depend on the service excellence and hospitality of all Capetonians, Cronje said.  “If we get that right, the benefit will be repeat visitors and overseas investments” he is quoted as saying.

The FIFA Final Draw on 4 December, which will take place in Cape Town, will be televised live to 130 million soccer fans around the world, with a public viewing TV screen on Long Street.  A festival week is planned at that time, the Christmas lights being switched on on 29 November, and will reflect a 2010 World Cup theme, a Sony FIFA pitch is to be opened in the V & A Waterfront, and the Khayalitsha Football for Hope community center will open.

During the soccer tournament , the Grand Parade Fan Park will operate from 10h00 - midnight every day, with free access, entertainment and music.   Smaller public viewing areas are at Vygieskraal in Athlone, the Bellville Velodrome, and at OR Tambo Swartklip on the Cape Flats, but these will only screen Cape Town-based matches, the semi-finals, and the final match.

Special shuttle buses will run between the airport and the city centre and the stadium during the tournament, Cronje said.

The 2010 World Cup runs from 11 June - 11 July.

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