You may or may not know that chef Bruce Robertson has closed his slick The Showroom – a real pity for lovers of creative eating. He’s now pouring his energy into The Café, downstairs from the newly refurbished Grand-daddy Hotel on Long Street as well as The Quarter which is in the same block and downstairs from the newly-reopened Space Theatre. Round the other corner is Boo-Radley's, good for burgers and after-work drinks to a great blues soundtrack.
The Quarter is all about bunny chow, or, as the menu here suggests "Quarters" or "kotas". For those larneys out there who have no idea what this is, it's street food: a heap of curry loaded into a quarter (or half) loaf of regulation white bread. The Quarter takes the humble bunny quite a bit further. It is styled, in terms of interior and approach, in Robertson’s signature "design meets humour" way, so soon there will be crayfish in various dissections in jars along with the Peter Beard prints and wifi-enabled hipsters.
The small space features a central table for communal eating, and a wall of witty instructions about how to eat bunny chow, with many add-ons: sauces and toppings and extras that soon take the bunny into new gourmet realms. But does the bunny belong here? On Long Street it does (and Quarter is open late). The one thing that's still true to the original intent of this proletarian meal is the price: The bunny with a beer is unlikely to set you back more than R60, and a bunny is around R40 (R10 - 25 at the docks). But this is no corner cafe, the server wears latex gloves and a designer watch, and the meals are all vac-packed...
The Quarter is next to Granddaddy Hotel on Long Street and open daily 10am to 10pm; Sat 4pm to 4am
For more on restaurants go to www.rossouwsrestaurants.com – the independent guide to eating in South Africa. The full Rossouw’s Restaurants 2009 guide is available at leading bookstores and deli's, and from the website.
The Quarter is all about bunny chow, or, as the menu here suggests "Quarters" or "kotas". For those larneys out there who have no idea what this is, it's street food: a heap of curry loaded into a quarter (or half) loaf of regulation white bread. The Quarter takes the humble bunny quite a bit further. It is styled, in terms of interior and approach, in Robertson’s signature "design meets humour" way, so soon there will be crayfish in various dissections in jars along with the Peter Beard prints and wifi-enabled hipsters.
The small space features a central table for communal eating, and a wall of witty instructions about how to eat bunny chow, with many add-ons: sauces and toppings and extras that soon take the bunny into new gourmet realms. But does the bunny belong here? On Long Street it does (and Quarter is open late). The one thing that's still true to the original intent of this proletarian meal is the price: The bunny with a beer is unlikely to set you back more than R60, and a bunny is around R40 (R10 - 25 at the docks). But this is no corner cafe, the server wears latex gloves and a designer watch, and the meals are all vac-packed...
The Quarter is next to Granddaddy Hotel on Long Street and open daily 10am to 10pm; Sat 4pm to 4am
For more on restaurants go to www.rossouwsrestaurants.com – the independent guide to eating in South Africa. The full Rossouw’s Restaurants 2009 guide is available at leading bookstores and deli's, and from the website.