April 23

Chef Talk With Rhino Africa – Bistrot Bizerca

4  comments

April 23, 2013

I’ve eaten at Bizerca many times. I am among the contributors to the chatter hailing Bizerca as a restaurant worthy of consideration alongside fine dining establishments such as The Greenhouse, La Colombe and The Test Kitchen. But it isn’t a fine dining restaurant.

It’s a bistro. The kind that transports you to a French courtyard, with Parisians quaffing Pernod before delving into a steak tartare. This is the world that Chef Laurent and wife Cyrillia have recreated in Heritage Square in the heart of Cape Town.

The famous fresh oysters of Bistrot Bizerca

On this occasion I was going to interview the couple over lunch. As I walked in, I was struck by the beauty of the stone courtyard. The plants provide both décor and leafy greens and herbs for the kitchen. Cyrillia told me that the vines that shelter the courtyard are the oldest Cape Town.

The couple behind Bizerca have created one of Cape Town's most beautiful restaurant, all the while never failing to spend quality time with the family

Having owned and managed prestigious award-winning fine dining restaurants in Australia, the couple felt it was time to return to Cape Town and pursue their dream of opening a bistro where guests can relax in a comfortable environment while enjoying truly great food. I began my chat with Chef Laurent – impressed by his thick French accent. It was in France that that he received his training as a classical chef. French influence is at the core of the chalkboard menu but you’ll also notice the Asian influence that is so prominent in Australian cuisine.

On any visit to Bizerca you will find only six permanent dishes that feature; the rest change daily due to seasonality and availability. Laurent explains, “If the butcher says he has something exciting like calf cheeks, then I get calf cheeks, from there I will create a dish.” Other delicacies such as oxtail, veal tongue, pigs’ trotters and kidneys often appear to entice the more adventurous clientele.

Bistrot Bizerca - Yellow Tail Tartare with Avocado Wasabi and Papaya

Since the couple insist on only the freshest ingredients, there is a limited menu – a point of contention for diners. They purchase a certain number of the available products from their producers in order to avoid waste and ensure the freshness of their dishes; this is an area, Cyrillia tells me, that is non-negotiable, it is the principle on which the restaurant is built and there are always a few other spectacular options to choose from.

I have dined at Bizerca before with the sole purpose of ordering their oysters (always on the menu), however on that occasion others clearly had the same plan and sneakily placed their orders before our table. For some people this would be unacceptable, but, though disappointing at first, it actually forced me to try something new and more adventurous. And no dish at Bizerca is a disappointment. It just might not be what you want.

Chef Laurent

Cyrillia went to great lengths to explain that this is not a fine dining restaurant – this is a bistro. It’s apparently the media that has raised expectations of fine dining. I hesitated to point out that it’s her prices too.

Have a look at our review of a full evening dining experience at Bizerca here.

If you are the type who doesn’t like to refill your own glass or hates having to hail a waiter then Bizerca may not be for you. The food is spectacular, the wines are great and the atmosphere and setting are perfect for a lengthy lunch or a casual romantic meal, even a mid-afternoon indulgence of oysters and champagne. But the service and the attitude is laissez-faire and erratic. One evening, despite ordering the apple tart in advance, we waited an hour between main course and puddings. When things go wrong there’s rarely an apology, an admission of guilt or a gesture of compensation. But hey – it’s a bistro. And those puddings are worth the wait.

The stunning decor of Bistrot Bizerca

Being lunch time, Cyrillia and I dove into a plate of fish cakes, prawns and mango salsa and it was as tasty as it was beautiful. Unlike many of the fine dining establishments in Cape Town, Bizerca hosts many of the same guests week after week, a testimony to the timelessness of their menu and the quality of the food. Cyrillia even confided that their frequent guests include the owners of the 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa and the Oyster Box hotel in Durban.

Each dish is piece of art thanks to Chef Laurent

I was also told that there are only four chefs working in their kitchen, one that often caters for 70 guests in one sitting. Some of those chefs started out as scullery maids, washing dishes for the couple – something I admire about the restaurant. For a couple who met in Paris in 1991, they have achieved great success in the industry in Cape Town, identifying a gap in the market and a way to bring magnificent, intriguing food to the city. The couple have a unique philosophy – one that delights and frustrates in equal measure. Food comes first…

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About the author 

Matthew Sterne

Matt discovered a passion for writing in the six years he spent travelling abroad. He worked for a turtle sanctuary in Nicaragua, in an ice cream factory in Norway and on a camel safari in India. He was a door-to-door lightbulb-exchanger in Australia, a pub crawl guide in Amsterdam and a journalist in Colombia. Now, he writes and travels with us.

  • We ate there during our stay earlier this week…food was pretty good, but the service reminded me of surly NYC waiters to be honest

  • I have always had excellent food at Bizerca, but for the money the service should be better. I’m not sure they have the right attitude to customer service.

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