A Toast To Tapas and Wine

The Publisher and Editor enjoy a little French Toast in Cape Town | The Month April 2012

When the Publisher, who never seems to tire of the Cape Town vibe and its cosmopolitan make-up, called to say he’d stick me to tapas and wine at the trendy French Toast Wine and Tapas Bar off equally trendy Bree Street recently, my first thought was:  “Please, not on a Monday”.

You see, on Mondays French Toast has an unbelievable offer of a 50% discount on all their wines priced R400 or less, and there are many on that list that both he and I count as favourites. And when the Publisher offers to pay, I know I’m in for the long haul as it nearly always involves “the next big thing” for The Month.

Arriving early, on a Monday after all, I parked close by and headed through the downstairs bar area to sit upstairs at the long raised table that forms a focal point in the small, but airy, ex-warehouse. The exposed
brick and steel and the many windows lose what could be a cold edge, thanks to some tasteful decorating in muted colours and the clean and simple  settings of the dining tables that line the walls. It’s clear that the relaxed and uncomplicated approach that greets the eye is meant to be indicative of the general approach here, and as I notice another bar area at the far end of the upstairs space, a friendly waitress offers me a wine and tapas menu respectively and the kind of smile that says she’s doing what she loves.

As I’m early, I mention that I’m going to wait for a friend and pull out my 2012 Platter’s and a copy of the latest The Month. “Oh, that’s a brilliant read,” she says, still smiling. Chuffed I thank her and explain that it’s “my baby”. “Wow,” she says, a little taken aback, “you’re the first person I’ve met from Platter’s.”

With the arrival of the Publisher there’s a flurry of activity; we relocate to sit at a regular table, in comfy chairs and with space to spread ourselves out a bit. We quickly dispense with listening to an explanation of the tapas items, the wine specials and the inside info that things will get a bit hectic later as there is to be a function at the bar. Happy for the relative quiet we unwind our way through a bottle of Constantia Glen Three without an agenda and a bit of small talk and for once the man sitting opposite me says something that really sinks in. “I like this place,” he says looking about, “it’s got a good feel about it, but I think these guys work hard.”

As if on cue, Karin Visser, one of the owners of French Toast arrives at our table with her own broad smile and an offer to replace our empty bottle with another or something different. Keen for a chat we quiz Karin about the business and discover that this serious golfer was once a biokineticist. Why on earth, I ask her, would she want to make the radical shift into the restaurant business? Her answer is as honest as it is simple: she loves wine and people and had no reason not to believe that the venture would be a success. In October this year the restaurant will be two years old and she’s still excited about things – and gets time to work on improving her handicap. No wonder she’s happy.

Feeling relaxed but picking up on the energy that now seems to be filling the place (the function guests have arrived, some with gifts and others with volume) we order from the tapas menu and settle on another sub-four-hundred rand wine, a Tamboerskloof 2007.

The food – all of it, from prawns to meatballs and aubergine chips to patatas bravas - is tasty and adequately supplement the main stars of the French Toast show for me; the wine and the relaxed but smart space in which to chat and enjoy life.

Contact 021 422 3839 or visit www.frenchtoastwine.com for info.