Of wine lists and worms
After having been presented with an eyebrow-raising wine list from a certain Waterfront restaurant earlier this week team WINE went to investigate. What we discovered is worth sharing.
The premium wine list at Tasca (full name Tasca De Belem) at the V&A Waterfront illustrates a particularly optimistic, if not greedy, approach to wine pricing. An enquiry into the listings verified that the star ratings indicated on the laminated menu are in accordance to Platter's 2010, and hence the vintages rated in this year's buyer's guide. With this as background we proceeded to scrutinize the establishment's premium offering.
Vintages are only provided to four of the wines listed (those belonging to Steytler Pinotage 2001, 2003 and 2007 and the Vriesenhof 1982), the rest of the listed shows a concerning lack of details - no vintage, incredulous star ratings and lack of varietal break-down. The "Glen Carlou" at R1000 being a case in point. Um, would that be the Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon?
But let's talk prices. "KWV Roodeberg" is listed as a five-star wine trading at R2000, to put this into perspective, KWV Roodeberg 2007 currently retails for R63 at the KWV Wine Emporium. "Steenberg Catherina" (sic) red blend, which trades at R175 ex-cellar, reflects a similar star and price listing. You'll be able to order a "Vriesenhof 1982" for R10 000. I can go on.
The list is provided as PDF below - is this fair or just plain exploitation?
Following this investigation we opted to have lunch at more reasonably priced Balducci's around the corner - but the satisfaction was short-lived. A fellow colleague was presented with a gnocchi carbonara containing more protein than the associated bacon bits. Convulsing in his garnish was a worm - or was that a maggot?
On reporting this glaringly obvious "extra" to our waiter the table was offered a half-hearted apology, the only rectifying gesture from management was to prepare a new dish, which was charged at full price. Unappetising and tasteless are words that come to mind. You simply can't trust an establishment too nonchalant to wash its garnish. Is this a restaurant that takes pride in its sleek service?
The incident inspired a debate on the relevance of garnish, which revealed a high-profile chef's recent revelations to Emma Odendaal. She digs into the scummy realities of food embellishments on her blog The Dish.
