Nature abhors a vacuum and landlords too. So the Geisha-shaped black hole left by Conrad Gallagher in the rococo façade of the Cape Royale has been plugged in wallet-friendly fashion by Camil Haas, that Franschhoek fishing fiend who has washed up in Main Road, Greenpoint. The pumpkin-coloured Platter of the SA restaurant scene, Rossouw’s Restaurants, called the wine list at Geisha “overly expensive.” A mistake JP Rossouw, the Brian Ferry of Fancy Food, cannot accuse Camil of making when Springfield Sauvignon Blanc is R120 a bottle. For both the Special Cuvée, beloved of Eurotrash who Eat and Life from Stone, popular with South Africans on a Spend. Corkage is a modest R50 a bottle, even for the Cuvée Clive 2003 we took along to taste blind against a rich and buttery bottle of Le Mesnil 2000.

Luan Nel and Camil Haas last night

For food, take a chance on Camil and let him construct an elegant chef’s table. Mine consisted of a foie gras starter and a spatch-cocked spread-eagled quail with a trio of sinful crêpes made by Camil’s better half, Ingrid, for pud along with a bottle of Delheim Spatzendreck Late Harvest 2009. Following the quail with a sparrow, a nice touch we thought. House wine comes from Overgaauw, that most under-rated producer in the Stellenboschkloof and the 2005 Sémillon is a grassy knoll from which to marvel at the Greenpoint Stadium, the most beautiful of SA’s civic creations made for the Fifa festivities next year.

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