Orphanage Cocktail Emporium: A Review

Orphanage Cocktail Emporium opened just a few months ago on what is fast becoming Cape Town’s hippest spot. Humans are social creatures and much like animals to the watering hole, we like to get together and rehydrate.

I am not really a cocktail kind of gal, or at least I wasn't until last night. From the minute Orphanage opened its doors it has been on the lips of every Tom, Dick and Harry, I just had to go and find out what all the fuss was about. If it’s good enough for Gordon Ramsay, it is good enough for me, the infamous British chef spent hours at the bar when he was recently in the mother city sipping his way through the extensive menu of potions and alchemy.

The lighting is low, just as it should be; customers are spilling out onto the pavement, grasping glasses filled with soulful spirits. This is a sophisticated establishment, oozing class with a shot of panache for good measure. The suspender-clad mixologists, lined up behind the bar are no amateurs; they are award winning bartenders, quite literally.

Upstairs is the main bar, with scattered seating, a door at the back leads you downstairs, passed the smoking quarters to the second bar, by the DJ booth, here lies tables used for sit down meals, in particular their weekly supper club soirees, that get packed away when the evening heats up to make room for any debauchery. The vibe is enchanting and the drinks served are seductive and exciting, a far cry from my usual gin and tonic.

We start with the house cocktail, aptly named ‘More Tea Vicar’ served in a little china tea cup but be warned, this is no morning brew. On the silver teaspoon sits a lemon gel, a palate cleanser – of course, to be consumed before the cocktail. The illusion of afternoon tea is playful and unique, adding an indefinable, elusive quality that makes this work night or weekend drink such a special one. 

You want to know what is in the tea-cup? Vanilla infused Ciroc vodka, rooibos syrup, cranberry and lemon, with a sweet foam on top. Unreal. What’s more, R15 of the drink’s cost is donated to the St Francis Children’s home, hence the dubious name. 

There is even a cocktail on the menu containing 22 carat gold leaf, suitably named ‘Great Expectations’. The Orphanage Mojito is not your ordinary mojito, their twisted classics have them using mandarin infused rum and mandarin liqueur for an all together pleasing citrus effect. With over 26 cocktails to choose from, including non-alcoholic options ‘for the viruous’, you should really pull up a chair and order some nibbles.

This drinkery is not about the food but boy is it good; choose from sharing platters or ‘boards of sustenance’, or little plates of food, sharing is caring here and the small portions are deliberate. The truffle chips will change your life as will the hot breaded goats cheese and little lamb buns.

I already want to go back…

The Oddyssey Gastropub: A Review

When pubs were first frequented, very little emphasis was placed on the food – if any at all, you were lucky to get a pack or pork scratching’s with your pint.
Things have changed and the term  ‘gastropub’ we have come to know was devised in the early 90’s, uniting pub culture with fine dining.

Pub grub got a make-over, fine tuning the essentials – tweaking the faithful bangers and mash, fish and chips or Sunday roast to appeal to its new customers. In the 00’s gastropub’s hit America, big time and only last year was the term added to the dictionary. This year, Cape Town’s very first gastropub opened it’s doors for the first time and is a few days shy of it’s 1 month anniversary.

History class over, we can move on to current affairs and social science. Going out is something Capetonians love to do, with many of us living for the weekends.

My new ‘local’ is 199 Bree street in the City Bowl, enter the Oddyssey to find a roaring fire and warm smiles behind the bar which lies opposite several long tables overflowing with chatting, sipping and snacking whilst avidly following the last few minutes of the bokke game.

The menu is exactly what you want from a gastropub, the first section of the menu entitled ‘nibbles’ is exactly that, a few plates of delicious morsels to share with friends. Once you have read your options  on the menu – a meeting may have to be called to debate whether or not to simply order the entire nibbles section and devour that. Having that option is really nice for those informal afternoons that suddenly become evenings, lubricated with hops or grape juice.

We chose the Carpaccio and Chilli Poppers, my parter in dine – claims to be able to judge an establishment on their little stuffed jalapenos and so I take her up on it.  Let’s just say they didn’t live to tell the tale. The carpaccio was out of this world, so flavorful and unexpected. The owner/managers are of Italian descent and the chef is their other cousin, the menu started large and they battled it out to finish with just 6 mains on the menu.  The chicken liver bruschetta was highly recommended but with 3 courses yet to go, I somehow resisted. I had to try the zucchini salad – paper thin slices adorn a plate with a golden crispy parmesan topping, exquisite.

Friends joined our table, glasses in hand and desire in their eyes - they snatch our menus and immediately squabble over who orders what, as we all need to get one of each, no duplicates - so we can all have a bite of everything.  Makes sense, but no, the pork belly from a happy hog prevails, 2 pork belly’s and one calamari are on their way and a starter of ribs has been super-sized to have as a main and the same done with the beetroot goats cheese tart for my waif-like friend.  She assures me she is purely saving room for the brownies that she eagle-eyed on another diner’s plate on the way in.

The evening flew by in a haze of good food, wine and conversation, the benchmark for a good Saturday night out.  We surrendered to the nutty brownies and sticky toffee pudding with slimming ice-cream, of course -  which I must add is the best one we have all ever tasted, hands down.

Next time I am taking an army of friends, as we still have the other half of the menu to get through and I may need some help with the bangers and mash and braised lamb shanks. Who’s in?