(Photo by The Pot Luck Club)
Cape Town
Mulberry & Prince
Our favourite dusty pink eatery is now gifting us with brunch. Starting this week, chefs and owners Cynthia and Cornel, will be serving a Sunday brunch menu, in true M&P style, channeling their new American cuisine with local, speciality ingredients. Think chicken and waffles, American-style pancakes and shrimp n’ grits, as well as some bubbles, served between 10am and 2pm. This is sure to be something special, so make sure you book via their website.
Mink & Trout
A recent brunch partaker, Mink & Trout, are soaking up Saturdays with a Bottomless bubbly brunch from 11am to 2pm, partnering with Steenberg Wines. The menu is à la carte, and features creative twists on classics like Heuvos Rancheros, Peking duck pancakes and smoked salmon rösti. The bubbles are priced at R99 per head, and bookings are essential.
The Pot Luck Club
The bubbles and brunch trend in Cape Town was basically pioneered by Luke Dale Roberts’ tapas restaurant, The Pot Luck Club, which is now a restaurant with a household name, featuring prominently in many guides to Cape Town. Their Sunday brunch offering is like no other, with elaborate small classic breakfast meals combined with a mix of Asian-inspired tapas. On the set menu, you’ll find their signature Pot Luck Club fish tacos, a mini Arnold Bennett, miso-cured aubergine, and other decadent small plates that are reinvented each season. The set menu is priced at R450 per person and there’s also the option of bottomless Graham Beck bubbles for R200.
La Parada Constantia Nek
There might not be a more suited location than Constantia Nek for a Sunday brunch, which takes place on the first Sunday of each month. The expansive deck, allows much room to bask in the sun, while you listen to live music from Glen Hartmann, and get served a three-course lavish meal. Brunch is paired with a bottle of Pongrácz per two people and is priced at R350 a head. The brunch menu includes decadent dishes like the breakfast trifle of caramelised croissant, vanilla Crème fraîche, berry compote, candied nuts and honey and also Panettone French toast, vanilla-strained yoghurt, candied bacon and bourbon banana.
Johannesburg
The Bannister Hotel, Braamfontein
The Bannister is an exciting hotel with a new-age philosophy that fits into its Braamfontein surroundings. The hotel appeals to a younger generation of clientele because of its pricing as well as its vibrant energy and downstairs bar and restaurant, and also because it sits in the upbeat, cool part of town. At the restaurant, casual weekend dinners turn into nights out, but brunch is a decadently curated culinary affair at R295 per head. The three-course brunch offers three 2-hour seatings at intervals of 10am to 12pm, 12pm to 2pm and 2pm to 4pm. The meal includes bottomless cocktails and menu items like a drool-icious pancake stack and Eggs Benedict.
Qunu at The Saxon Hotel
This is the most sought-after fancy brunch spot, as the Saxon combines their quintessential elegance with a lavish and leisurely brunch. The buffet brunch takes place on Sundays and is served either in Qunu or on the Fig Terrace. It includes a cold buffet, a hot plated breakfast and a dessert assortment prepared by the pastry chefs. At R795 per head, nothing is spared and the entire experience is dedicated to your pure indulgence, which includes mini prawn verrines, charcuterie and preserves as well as smoked salmon and a myriad of other dishes that include gluten-free and vegan options. Brunch is available on Sundays from 11.30am to 2.30pm.
Durban
The Ocean Terrace at The Oyster Box Hotel
This is the mother of all brunches and it might even be the case for the country as a whole. If you live or are visiting Durban, treat yourself to an Oyster Box brunch where you will find any brunch item you’ve ever desired, laid right before you. So if you feel like pairing your pancakes or waffles with a glass of bubbles, then no problem, or if you fancy oysters followed by sardines, followed by doughnuts, go wild! The buffet and hot service is essentially over breakfast time, ending at 10.30am, but trust us, it’s worth getting out of bed for. The price per head is R350 for a full English breakfast and R240 for the continental.
Port Elizabeth
The Verandah Restaurant at The Beach Hotel
This is one of PE’s finest hotels, with a welcoming, unpretentious atmosphere and comfortable, tasteful finishes and decor. It sits right on the beach front with a huge veranda, and the inside dining area and bar offer that quintessential beachside holiday feel. The brunch is priced at R125 per person and includes a welcome Mimosa, muesli cup, a full English and buttermilk flapjacks.
Pretoria
Black Bamboo
Black Bamboo is one of the few fine dining establishments in Pretoria, serving delicately prepared plates, exploding with colour, and various flavours and a menu that is constantly changing. The interior boasts plush finishes creating a chic, comfortable space and an all-round air of sophistication which is coupled by polished service. Although they don’t have a brunch menu, they do a have a posh breakfast menu with a section dedicated to slow food, which takes a little more time to prepare, but promises to be worth the wait. These include dishes like a crumpet stack, buckwheat waffles and smoked poached eggs. They also offer a full hotel-style continental at R165. Feel free to order some bubbles with brunch or Mimosas.
Café Beyritz
This popular European-style bistro serves up classic French and Belgian dishes with local flair and interpretations. During the day, the mood is laid back, abuzz with patrons enjoying breakfast or lunch, but at night the atmosphere lifts to a more elegant scene of twinkling lights and white tablecloths. Scrumptious brunch options include smoked salmon croissant, poached eggs served with hollandaise and caviar, banana bread Benedict and ciabatta layered with avocado, prosciutto, rocket and topped with poached pears.
Do you know of a place that serves ultra-luxe brunches? Let us know about it in the comments section below!