Fresh at Paul Cluver Wine Estate

Thursday, May 15th, 2014

Reviewed by Andrey Borovik

Good day,

This restaurant is a very lovely place and the cuisine is very good. We enjoyed it once in 2012 and wanted to do it last Sunday.
Well this story is about big disappointment that me and family have experienced. I started my route from Mossel Bay at 11 am and wanted to have a lunch en route to Cape Town at "Fresh". Knowing the restaurant might be booked I phone them and asked for the table. Lady told me that it was fully booked, then I told her that I was coming only at 3 pm (usually people finish their lunches and there are free tables before this time) and could I expect to have a table? She told me and I quote "Give me your telephone number and they will call you back". So did I.
You know it is 350km between Mossel Bay and Elgin and I covered it for just 3.5 hours making NO stops. I didn't get any feedback from the management, but I finally got there.
When we arrived we initially saw free tables, but when we asked waiter he was confused and tried to sing an old song "we are booked". Well...they were fully booked at 11 am, so how could it happen? Why no one called us when these tables became available? He was not ready to answer and called the manager. After brief chat she gave up telling us that they are not capable to cook for us, because their kitchen cannot manage many people in the restaurant. I case of the call back she told me something about "misunderstanding", but I am young enough to remember what I was told. After a short quarrel she indulgently offered us this table (remember it was booked when we came), but she remarked that we will might wait for a long time. We left, exhausted and tired (I have 2 year old daughter), to Cape Town (1 more hour, but they don't count).
Well to conclude: we didn't get call back, we traveled 350 km to have a lunch but got only poor management and attempt to fool us (hello to waiter), we we left hungry and upset. Manager tried to persuade us about misunderstanding, but it was only a "nice try".

Well, the food is brilliant but if you want to go there book in advance 1 week. You will probably not be able to get there by chance. Moreover they will most likely not be capable to serve everyone in the restaurant.
At least in our case management did everything to get rid of us. Keep your eyes open and don't let any waiter of manager to fool you.

Regargs,

Andrey Borovik