Hout Bay, South Africa
Not all that
Dined
in December 2013
A Little Story:
I planned my trip to South Africa months in advance. I knew
that on this day for lunch I would be near Hout Bay. The plan was to visit
Table Mountain in the morning, go on a boat cruise around Hout bay in the early
afternoon, then after lunch, drive the famous Chapman’s Peak road. So with this
busy schedule I wanted to eat light but still enjoy some South African cuisine.
The websites I went to spoke about Dunes as if it was one of the best. I booked
it. Well, Mother Nature hated me that day. In the morning, a storm closed Table
Mountain, and high rough seas stopped all boats from going into the bay. So I
have time, so I go over to Chapman’s Peak to do the drive, and it was closed
because of a rock slide. The heck with it, I went to eat. Basic and not all that.
Thank god I went to the Constantia Wine route after lunch and a great dinner at
Constantia La Calombe, so all was not lost.
Follow Wine, dine, and Play:
Star
ratings chart:
|
5 stars
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Extraordinary
|
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4 stars
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Outstanding
|
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3 stars
|
Exceeded
expectations
|
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2 stars
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Above
average
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1 star
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Average
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No star rating
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Basic,
poor, or appalling
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Review basics:
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Star rating by Wine,
Dine, & Play:
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1 of 5
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Quality of food:
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5 of 10
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Presentation:
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4 of 10
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Wine selections by
region:
Scroll below the main review section to see the tasting notes
of the wines chosen.
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5 of 10
New World:
1.
South Africa: Cape Peninsula, Constantia, Stellenbosch, Cederberg, Durbanville
Hills, & Hout Bay.
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Customer service:
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4 of 10
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Ambiance:
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3 of 10
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Corkage fee’s:
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Restaurant standard is R80.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Dress code:
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Casual
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Reservations:
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Not Required
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Walk-ins:
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Accepted
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Child policy:
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yes
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Cuisine style:
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Seafood, beach food, basic, South African.
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Experiences:
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Great
outdoor Dining, Rustic, Scenic views, Hole-in-the-wall, and a Tourist grabber
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Music styles:
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Background instrumental
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Gratuities:
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South Africa standard is 10% added to parties of 6 or more
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Credit cards:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diner’s,
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Parking:
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street parking
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Transport options:
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taxi, personal vehicle, and walking
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Wi-Fi:
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yes
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Noise level:
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Low
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Smoking:
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Smoking restaurant, and Smoking patio
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Patio:
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Yes
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Food price per person (excluding gratuity)
Price chart:
$£€ - Under 50.00
$£€ x 2 - Under 75.00
$£€ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€ x 5 - Over 400.00
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My food bill:
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Currency :
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Price chart :
|
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R200.00
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ZAR
|
|
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$18.52
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USD
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$
|
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£11.24
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GBP
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£
|
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€13.62
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EUR
|
€
|
Visit these sites to
get up to date currency rates:
From restaurants home page:
Situated on the beach at the mouth of the Hout Bay River,
our popular beach restaurant and bar is central to both the picturesque fishing
harbour and the majestic, world famous Chapman’s Peak Drive. Soak up the
breathtaking views of the Cape Peninsular from our terrace. The perfect place
anytime of the day and for any occasion. 5 minutes from South Africa's largest
bird sanctuary and the Hout Bay Harbour with bustling markets and boat rides.
We have the perfect play area for your kids - jungle gym, swings and sand
between their toes.
Main review:
The restaurant has an excellent location overlooking the
entrance to Hout Bay, and is situated on the beach to cater to you being on the
beach or visiting the area like I was. There was a main restaurant downstairs,
bar upstairs with an upstairs and main floor patio that went out onto the
beach.
I looked over the menu, ordering a local South African beer
to start with called Castle Lager. For a starter I had their homemade smoked
Snoek pate’ which is a member of the snake mackerel family, served with toasted
and regular sliced bread and pickles. It had a very strong fishy flavor and I
was only able to finish it with large amounts of beer.
My entrée course was an oven-baked Kingklip fish which is
one of the most popular eating fish in South Africa. It is fished in deep water
off the coast of South Africa, from Namibia to the Eastern Cape, usually on
rock ground (its name comes from the old Dutch word “koningklipvisch” which
translates as “king of the rock fishes”). The dish was served with French fries
and vegetable medley of carrot, onions, and zucchini with a tartar sauce. The
fish was a little on the strong side, but had wonderful flavor.
This Restaurant reminds me of:
The food was common seafood found along the Western Cape of
South Africa with a very relaxed beach atmosphere. The service or lack there of
threw me off to give this restaurant a higher rating than I did. I would
compare my experience and food at Dunes to restaurants such as Wipe
Out Bar and Grill in San Francisco.
Cost of wines and other
alcoholic beverages:
$25.00
Restaurant address:
1 Beach Crescent,
Hout Bay 7806,
South Africa
Cross streets:
The Promenade & Melkhout Crescent Road
Contact Information:
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reservations
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+27 21 790 1876
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Website:
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Email:
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Online
Reservations :
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Social media:
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Hours:
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Monday
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9:00 am –11:00 pm
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Tuesday
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9:00 am –11:00 pm
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Wednesday
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9:00 am –11:00 pm
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Thursday
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9:00 am –11:00 pm
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Friday
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9:00 am –11:00 pm
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Saturday
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9:00 am –11:00 pm
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Sunday
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9:00 am –11:00 pm
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S. African Standard time (GMT +2:00)
Proprietor / Manager:
Sean
Other trending restaurant and wine articles from
South Africa on the WDP Blob:
Review by:
Chef Sean Overpeck (CFE)
"Culinary perfection
consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things
extraordinarily well."
ttfn
