Caveau Wine Bar & Deli
Published: 01 Jul 05
Category: Contemporary
Well, having visited Caveau a few times during its first year of operation to sample some of the 300 wines on offer, it's still the same laidback yet vibey place. Walls are ancient stone with wooden beams above, but these comfortably cohabit with modern touches like halogen spots. But all the stone in the smoking and non-smoking sections (separated by the serving area) means there's nothing to absorb loud outbursts of laughter and raised voices. When packed (Fridays and Saturdays) it can be difficult to hear the person opposite.
My mission this time is gastronomic rather than vinous - to check out the food that a friend raved about recently. And I can report that the rave was justified.
The winelist is a thing of beauty with owners Jean-Yves Muller (yes, he's French) and local sidekick Brendon Crew having consulted friend and wine writer Jean-Pierre Rossouw in drawing it up. Naturally their emphasis when they opened last year was on wine but their approach was different. They didn't just want to break it down into varietals and vintages. They opted instead for categories such as food friendlies, time out wines, giants, and rich and robust, which makes the wine choice difficult because there's so much to choose from - and the wine by the glass selection is vast and varied.
It takes me a thirsty 10 minutes to scan the winelist before settling on a glass of Klein Constantia Rhine Riesling (R30 a glass or R120 a bottle). If you've got the time and are a wine anorak you could probably spend about half an hour going through all the options!
The menu is chalked up on a large portable blackboard and changes every day, according to what's fresh and available. Moving this blackboard around between tables and chairs, for patrons to have a closer look, proves a bit of a mission for the waitron.
The idea at Caveau is to offer a brief bistro-type menu with the wine remaining the hero. Today there is an extensive range of tapas, four substantial mains and then five dessert offerings. Being in the mood for a range of flavours to test a glass or two of wine, we opt for the tapas, selecting beef cubes and Béarnaise sauce, yellowtail skewers with home-made mayonnaise, a bread and tomato soup, open Porcini lasagne and pork wontons with sweet chilli sauce. All range in price between R20 and R27,50 and are ideal for two of us to share. Freshness and flavour are really not in question, with the Porcini lasagne and tomato and bread soup vying for top honours but not managing to dislodge the ultra tender beef cubes with a wickedly rich Béarnaise sauce.
Now nursing a glass of Bradgate Syrah (R24/R96) and Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc (R19/R76), we're tempted by the mains, which include beef fillet, tiger prawns and mash (R79,50), rare tuna on Asian noodle salad (R74,50), Merguez on couscous (R69,50) and pan-fried baby calamari with rustic chips (R70,50).
But instead we choose the path of least resistance. Caveau bread and butter pudding (R18) gets full marks for presentation, arriving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in one mini-ramekin and the pudding itself in another. Unfortunately the top half of this nursery favourite is dry while the custard has all sunk to the bottom (lots of nice raisins and spice make up for it though). The white chocolate mousse (R22) is almost too creamy and delicious, while other options include malva pudding (R25), handmade chocolate truffles at R3,50 each or Dalla Cia grappa chocolates - R5,50 a pop.
Apparently Caveau also does a thriving breakfast business, offering healthy things like muesli and yoghurt or French toast, Caveau Eggs Benedict and decadent omelettes with all sorts of fillings.
Average three-course meal without wine: R120.
Well, having visited Caveau a few times during its first year of operation to sample some of the 300 wines on offer, it's still the same laidback yet vibey place. Walls are ancient stone with wooden beams above, but these comfortably cohabit with modern touches like halogen spots. But all the stone in the smoking and non-smoking sections (separated by the serving area) means there's nothing to absorb loud outbursts of laughter and raised voices. When packed (Fridays and Saturdays) it can be difficult to hear the person opposite.
My mission this time is gastronomic rather than vinous - to check out the food that a friend raved about recently. And I can report that the rave was justified.
The winelist is a thing of beauty with owners Jean-Yves Muller (yes, he's French) and local sidekick Brendon Crew having consulted friend and wine writer Jean-Pierre Rossouw in drawing it up. Naturally their emphasis when they opened last year was on wine but their approach was different. They didn't just want to break it down into varietals and vintages. They opted instead for categories such as food friendlies, time out wines, giants, and rich and robust, which makes the wine choice difficult because there's so much to choose from - and the wine by the glass selection is vast and varied.
It takes me a thirsty 10 minutes to scan the winelist before settling on a glass of Klein Constantia Rhine Riesling (R30 a glass or R120 a bottle). If you've got the time and are a wine anorak you could probably spend about half an hour going through all the options!
The menu is chalked up on a large portable blackboard and changes every day, according to what's fresh and available. Moving this blackboard around between tables and chairs, for patrons to have a closer look, proves a bit of a mission for the waitron.
The idea at Caveau is to offer a brief bistro-type menu with the wine remaining the hero. Today there is an extensive range of tapas, four substantial mains and then five dessert offerings. Being in the mood for a range of flavours to test a glass or two of wine, we opt for the tapas, selecting beef cubes and Béarnaise sauce, yellowtail skewers with home-made mayonnaise, a bread and tomato soup, open Porcini lasagne and pork wontons with sweet chilli sauce. All range in price between R20 and R27,50 and are ideal for two of us to share. Freshness and flavour are really not in question, with the Porcini lasagne and tomato and bread soup vying for top honours but not managing to dislodge the ultra tender beef cubes with a wickedly rich Béarnaise sauce.
Now nursing a glass of Bradgate Syrah (R24/R96) and Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc (R19/R76), we're tempted by the mains, which include beef fillet, tiger prawns and mash (R79,50), rare tuna on Asian noodle salad (R74,50), Merguez on couscous (R69,50) and pan-fried baby calamari with rustic chips (R70,50).
But instead we choose the path of least resistance. Caveau bread and butter pudding (R18) gets full marks for presentation, arriving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in one mini-ramekin and the pudding itself in another. Unfortunately the top half of this nursery favourite is dry while the custard has all sunk to the bottom (lots of nice raisins and spice make up for it though). The white chocolate mousse (R22) is almost too creamy and delicious, while other options include malva pudding (R25), handmade chocolate truffles at R3,50 each or Dalla Cia grappa chocolates - R5,50 a pop.
Apparently Caveau also does a thriving breakfast business, offering healthy things like muesli and yoghurt or French toast, Caveau Eggs Benedict and decadent omelettes with all sorts of fillings.
Average three-course meal without wine: R120.
By Fiona McDonald
Address: Caveau, Heritage Square, 92 Bree Street, Cape Town. Tel 021 422 1367. Website: www.caveau.co.za. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday. No BYO.
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