By Brian Berkman

WHILE the winter rains come down in Cape Town, Durban puts its tongue out at us with its warm and sunny weather and bath-temperature seas.

As a first time visitor to Indaba, the massive tourism show, I am overwhelmed by what’s on offer and a little sad that The Western Cape isn’t without competition. It is a shock to my parochial view that Cape Town isn’t the only crown on our lady South Africa. We may be simply one of her tiaras.

Bleary-eyed and with stubbled chin I met Le Quartier Francais’ owner Susan Huxter while on the pre-dawn bus to the plane.
She mentioned her exceptional meal at Noma, the Copenhagen restaurant that topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

The Tasting Room, her restaurant with Chef Margot Janse moved up six places on that list to 31. They have a stellar special offer if you move very fast: for R350 per person they will surprise you with a special menu designed by Margot Janse and her team to let you taste the best of The Tasting Room. Call 021-8762151 today.

At Indaba I chatted to entrepreneurial Chef Bruce Robertson who has become a Licensed Gourmet Guide (the first one, he claims) and also launched bush de.vine with recruitment ace Theresa Dold that will match chefs with lodges.

He was chatting to Cape Grace GM Nigel Pace, where Bruce worked before launching The Showroom.
I love the Cape Grace’s Library as a smart and convenient place for business meetings and look forward to trying Chef Malika van Reenen’s Vegan Tasting Menu at The Cape Grace’s Signal restaurant.

We will be dining at La Colombe, now in twelfth place on World’s 50 Best as well as at Uitsig and The River Club in the next weeks, but here’s a taste of their special offer. Diners at Constantia Uitsig Restaurant will be able to enjoy a three-course menu with a carafe of wine at a cost of R260 for lunch and R290 for dinner; a three-course lunch with a carafe of wine, and a five-course degustation dinner menu with individual wine pairings at La Colombe at a cost of R280 and R380 respectively.

A three or four-course lunch or dinner (with a carafe of wine of course) will be on offer at River Café for an impressive R195 or R225 respectively.
River Café patrons will be delighted to note that one child per dining adult eats absolutely free this winter and in addition, the popular laidback eatery will be offering a 20% discount on table of 10 or more for breakfast bookings.
At Indaba I also heard the very sad news that Lannice Snyman had died. She was regional chair of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards and wrote her first book Free from the Sea in 1979 which sold more than 150,000 copies in 10 impressions. Snyman had twin careers of food writing, restaurant reviewing and book publishing.

Tortoises and Tumbleweeds, dedicated to her parents, was her 16th book but she has published 11 books that are still in print including Vin De Constance with Michel Roux Jnr which won the 2007 Gourmand Award: Best Food and Wine Matching Book in the World.

I experienced her as a very warm and generous person whose life revolved around her family and the kitchen of their Hout Bay home, where I know her husband Mike and daughters Tamsin and Courtenay will continue to celebrate her spirit and contribution to eating well.
www.lannicesnyman.com

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