Wijnhuis Interior.
The Wijnhuis nestles in Newlands village, the heart of a very leafy spot in the Southern Suburbs.
It looks interesting from the outside. The restaurant dominates the whole of a first floor of a small shopping complex. There are huge windows facing on to the village and on warmer days they are opened up.
To enter the restaurant you need to go up a stair well. The interior is a bit higgledy piggedly. Tangerine faux art deco lamps, trimmed with beads, dot the room. The lighting is dim.
Waitstaff lurk in the gloom, arms folded, as they watch diners enter and leave.
There is a mish mash of styles in the furniture. To my eye it looks a bit tired. The wooden floor is plastic laminated wood. Varnished wooden wine crates cover walls and ceiling. Wine bottles are prominently displayed. It’s not unattractive. But look closer and there is a lot of dirt and dust lurking.
This place has seen better days.
At first glance the menu looks interesting. Pasta, fish, and meat, it’s a line up of the usual runners and riders with a Mediterranean
A great wine at ripoff prices.
influence. Very quickly I realize the waiters are programmed to up sell which is really tiresome. I end up with a starter which is too big and it’s not really what I want. A tomato and garlic salad is badly executed. The tomatoes don’t taste of much and are thickly cut, this is a simple dish which could be delicious. This Wijnhuis version is amateurish.
A salad arrives, it’s uninteresting. The lettuce leaves are turning brown on the edges. The dressing leaves leave a lot to be desired. I don’t normally comment on the bread which is brought to the table. But the bread on this occasion is substandard. It’s unacceptable. The olive oil on the table is unpleasant. I’m beginning to feel that the quality is not here.
My pasta with tomatoes and basil is disgusting. The pasta is overcooked and the sauce is overpoweringly sweet. The aftertaste in my mouth makes me want to gag. This dish is topped off by a big sprig of basil which is covered with brown spots.
Cheese arrives, it’s not parmesan. The surface of the grated cheese has hardened because it’s been left out so long. I scrape it off.
I drank a Rijks Pinotage, but at R289 I felt that was a bit steep. At Magica Roma in Pinelands the same bottle is R215. If fact, a scan of the wine menu indicated that the mark-ups on the wine are eyepoppingly high in general.
This is not the first time I have eaten here. So it’s not a question of an off night. This restaurant, from a food quality point of view, has been in terminal decline and has now flat lined at bad.
Here’s the sting in the tail. In order for this type of menu to deliver on its promise the ingredients have to be fresh and top quality and I’m afraid the Wijnhuis does not deliver.
As I leave I spot a man hosing down the floors in the kitchen. I feel I need to be hosed down myself, having eaten there.
Hose me down.
A microwave is perched on a counter.
Says it all really.
This is not a place for people who are serious about their food.
Winjhuis needs to stop fooling around and start producing the goods.
Of course the question is; could they be bothered?
Wijnhuis Restaurant
Kildare Centre
Main Road
Newlands
021 671 9705
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Thanks for this honest review, I’ve always looked up at this place while having my perfect cappuccinos from Melissa’s across the street, and wondered….I’m glad I do not have to bother and check it out myself. Sorry you had to suffer through overcooked pasta! YUK!
I have avoided this place for years. Not only is their food disgusting, but they are dishonest. They were the guys caught serving pork as veal. Nice move. And were totally unapologetic when caught out. The sooner they go under the better. Unfortunately they seem to have a following amongst the poseur brigade. Good luck to them.
I know a guy who used to work the tables there. What he had to day about what went on behind the scenes would make your toes curl. It would actually put you off going to restaurants.
Clare, their Stellenbosch branch sucks too.
I believe they charge a R15,000 fee just to list your wines. Now that’s a ripoff.
Hi Claire!
We had a meal here once and it was so dreadful that we promised ourselves never to go back again. It is so sad that this corner of Newlands has no decent restaurant. Apparently the Italian place that is now in rebuild wasn’t much better…
Best,
Deon
Dear Clare,
Have been enjoying your blog for the past while, and as a newly-returned ex-Capetonian now living in Claremont, eagerly devouring (bad pun, I know) your restaurant reviews and general take on the culinary/foodie scene here. Can’t believe I live just down the drag from the awesome spring you recently wrote about – I’m a complete convert – and goddamn lady, your review of the piss-poor Die Wynhuis was right on the money!
Anyway, to get to the point…some very dear friends of mine are headed Barcelona way in September..and following on from your Spanish adventure – do you perhaps have any recommendations for a self-catering spot they could try in Barcelona? According to them, everything they’ve looked at is booked out/overpriced. They’d like to be near La Boqueria so as to buy and cook the deliciousness for themselves.
Any suggestions welcome, and thanks again for a wonderfully entertaining blog.
Jan.
Wijnhuis used to be really decent, simple food prepared well with a very good extensive wine-by-the-glass list, I’ve been there about 10 times starting about 6-7 years ago, but the standards have been dropping noticeably with each visit and I haven’t been back for at least 18 months. It’s a pity though, because it’s so central from where I stay and the venue has lots of potential, especially on a warm summer’s day on the open balcony.
Hi Paul, The sad thing is that I’d trek across the city and dine in a dump if the food was worth it. A lot of places in Cape Town trade on their locations. The Wijnhuis people learned how the trade off (great location and venue vs dodgy food and service) worked at La Perla, and it seems as if the cynical lessons they learned there are being applied to Newlands. A friend tells me that the Stellenbosch branch also “sucks”.