Restaurant: La Comia

There is a little coffee shop attached to Builder's Warehouse. I went to the one in Tokai (Constantiaberg as they call it) after strenuous shopping. I had a lovely lasagna and my partner had a delicious Thai chicken wrap. The coffee was good and the service was quick and cheerful. The food was prepared quickly and well and the menu was quite extensive for a little coffee shop. It was also well decorated (as it should be, considering that Builders Warehouse is next door). There was a huge television playing a sports game that was loud and obnoxious though. This ruined the mood somewhat. All in all, not a bad place to get a bite to eat when you are shopping for nuts and bolts. Take a pit stop at La Comia. It is cheap and cheerful.

Rating: 7/10

Restaurant: Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen

I went to Chef Pons again and it was a lovely experience. Once again I was offered a taste of the house wine before ordering a bottle. I am really enjoying the service in Cape Town at the moment! I had prawns with chilli and basil again and it was heavenly. My dining partners had the green chicken curry and the cantonese chicken. Highly enjoyable food all round!

A new thing at Chef Pon's is that you can now sit outside on the pavement as well. This is not really my scene but it is another option.

I always like to have a fortune cookie for dessert. It is strange when your fortune cookie has no message. At one stage, I was convinced that I was going to die because I had no fortune. I have since outgrown that craziness (partially) and urge you not to take it as a sign of bad luck!

Still a great place to dine when you want to go out for a safe meal (safe because you will not be disappointed - but definitely not boring).

Rating: 9/10

Restaurant: Cafe San Marco

I recently went to Cafe San Marco at the Waterfront. I have been frequenting this restaurant for more than a decade now and I keep coming back! It is a cheerful place to get a good cup of coffee and a reasonable yet delicious meal.

One negative is that there needs to be more than one red wine by the glass! But they were kind enough to let me taste the house wine before ordering it.

San Marco is the place to go when you need somewhere to grab a good meal but do not want to break the bank or end up in the food court. The rotolato is amazing. I really miss the puttanesca sauce though, I wish that they would bring this back (although that may have been back in the days when there was different management).

For those who want to know, this is how you are supposed to make a cafe latte:

You do not ask the customer to pour it themselves (as at Tank). Please also note that this picture was taken after I had added a sachet of sugar so it was even more perfect when it arrived at my table.

Rating: 8/10

Restaurant: Wharfside Grill - Mariner's Wharf

It is a charming experience to go to the Wharfside Grill in Hout Bay. Not only is the restaurant rich with harbour facts and paraphanalia, but you should expect to have a genuinely good time while eating delicious food. The service is slick and professional but still manages to be warm.

It is still a bit pricey, which suggests that they may be catering for the tourist more than the local. I think that they should have a loyalty club or local discount of some kind to get more patronage from the locals - but that is just my opinion.

Price aside, for a good night out, I would recommend the Wharfside grill for its rustic charm and quaint atmosphere, excellent service and quirky decor.

Rating: 8/10

Restaurant: Tank

For a while, tank was one of my favourite restaurants. Unfortunately, lot has changed since then. And there has been gradual deterioration for about 3 years now.

Where Tank has slipped:

• The ostrich was very boring
• The beef fillet is good (cooked well), but nothing compared to the one with the wasabi mashed potato that they used to do
• The service, although cheerful, is not as professional as it used to be
• It is still pricey
• The restaurant is dead during the week where it once was more vibey and popular
• There were inconsistencies with the cutlery - some people had different knives to others on the same table
• The fish tank was in serious need of a clean
• The wine is very expensive (but also delicious)
• There were broken taps in the bathroom and some plants were removed from the bathroom
• They really should not expect you to pour your own latte and then add too much milk! This is a major no-no. It takes skill to pour a perfect latte with layers and then to take it to a table without messing it up. I would expect at least that level of skill from a restaurant of this caliber.

Upsides:

• There is no television in the restaurant area
• Delicious wine
• The sushi is amazing, especially when there is Yellowtail
• The decor is still good
• Food presentation on the plate is good
• The location is convenient and pleasing to visit

I hope that this restaurant is going to improve and not go belly-up! For old times sake and the memory of the delicious food and excellent service they used to provide.

Rating: 6 /10

Restaurant: Pakalolo's Hout Bay

With flys buzzing around us and drunk patrons wondering into the non-smoking area and puffing away merrily, this was not the best experience. I ordered a plate of nachos which ended up being the most expensive packet of Doritos I have ever eaten (literally-they were Doritos) and my partner had a mediocre fajita.

As a reprieve, I had been there before and had a good experience but that was not on a Friday night.

R8ing: 5/10
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!