Kleftiko - stolen meat?
Ok, it’s Saturday night, prime time for restaurants who are serious about making money and paying the bills.
Oh sorry! I forgot to mention that its also prime time to demonstrate some decent service which delivers great food to your table.
I nearly forgot, because I had visited Kuzina, a newly opened ‘authentic’ Greek restaurant in the Cape Quarter. First impressions were good; a charming hostess and attractive interior design of aqua greens, blues and classic light fittings, finished off with an antique floor which was imported piece by piece from an old building in Greece.
We were advised that some of the best food on the menu were two Greek classics of Moussaka and Kleftiko, a shoulder of lamb. Dips and pitta bread arrived first and we were left disappointed with their blandness. Two of the dips were inedible.
After a long delay the mains arrived, and as they landed on the table we knew there was trouble.
Both dishes looked dried out and tired. The Moussaka diner gave up after a few bites which resulted in the discovery of a dried out fossilised portion. The lamb was dry, grey, greasy and fatty – all at the same time. Rosemary roast potatoes arrived as an accompaniment – greasy and undercooked.
But our son had a hit on his hands - french fries and ketchup. We all dug in, much to his disgust.
A chef wandered amongst the tables, smiling at the guests and asking was everything ok. He ignored us, sitting silently behind our uneaten plates of food. The waitron arrived and asked if she could doggie bag the food. No curiosity was displayed as to the reasons for the uneaten meals. And some people think it’s fun reviewing restaurants?
I thought of our little Jack Russell, and wondered if she’d like what we rejected. I concluded that no, she too would turn her nose up at the fare. Kleftiko means Stolen Meat, according to the menu. More like a stolen evening, and a stolen opportunity for a good meal.
As we left we noticed that Kuzina was packed – and the other three were only a third full. I predict that soon Kuzina will only be a third full at prime time, unless the chef and the owner get their acts together.
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We ate at Kuzina about a month ago, we ordered a few mezze as it was lunch time and we were going out for dinner. We were not satisfied with the Halloumi as it was too salty to eat, we brought this to the attention of the waitress. Minutes later we had a very angry chef at our table shouting at us, we were so shocked we asked for the bill, paid and left.
Jenny, Thanks for your comments. I personally find it amazing that a restaurateur would spend so much on fitting out a place like Kuzina only to serve up consistently poor quality food. I wouldn’t mind but Greek food is not particularly difficult to get right. On the subject of salty hummus, you are dead right, I found the same. But what I would say is that oversalted food seems to be a regular occurrence in Capetonian kitchens.
my response to this write up is not to back the restaurant but only to point out a few noticable errors.I frequently visit kuzina with friends or clients because i enjoy the atmosphere and the the feeling of being in a little corner in Santorini, the greek island. my favourite dish is there chicken breasts stuffed with figs and feta, served with baked potatoes with oreganum(there is no roasted rosmary potatoes on the menu) and their kleftiko which is lamb shank, not lamb shoulder. as for the halloumi i do agree it is salty, but unfortunately it is preserved in a salted water solution and can imagine that is how it is all over the world.
Dear Pieter,
Thanks you very much for your comments and visiting our blogsite. Addressing your issues I would say that Kuzina do not indicate on their menu what cut of lamb they are serving. If you google it you will see that shoulder is the universally accepted cut of lamb for Kleftiko. So it’s a bit odd that Kuzina would serve up shank instead. Either way I didn’t get to eat it because after two mouthfuls I had to put my knife and fork down, it was disgusting. We did not eat Haloumi on our visit. Perhaps you refer to Jenny’s comments where the chef started shouting at her after she complained. You are quite right that there are no rosemary roast potatoes on the menu, but when we ordered the Patates Fournou the waitron told us, on asking, that that is what they were. As it happened, they were white,soggy, and greasy.
I have visited Greece many times, including Santorini. What I love about the Greek Islands is the taste of the food because it is simple and you end up eating in lots of Tavernas run by Mamas and Papas. It is a straightforward cuisine, and its essence is using fresh seasonal ingredients and cooking them in a straightforward way. No one does calamari the way the Greeks do it. I still say that Kuzina’s floor is beautiful, the problem is that the food is not where it needs to be for me. I am pleased for you that you love it there. What other places do rate in Cape Town? I’d love to hear your views.