Casparus Restaurant ▲ 59 Dorp Street ▲ Stellenbosch


Restaurant "Casparus" ▴ 59 Dorp Street ▴ Stellenbosch

Not that Stellenbosch would not have enough Restaurants, there are actually too many bad ones.* With this new one in Dorp Street new hopes are raised to have one more good food place added to the mere fistful of places worth visiting. Casparus Restaurant is the brain child of two artists, Etienne Bonthuys and Strijdom van der Merwe – Etienne a legend in his own time and for good reasons and Strijdom an internationally known quantity on the land art scene. Both together would make for interesting entertainment in an environment designed and executed by them hand in hand with Slee Architecture and Interiors of 101 Dorp Street. Etienne says: “This is actually a show room for Strijdom that happens to have a kitchen at the back.” How is that for modesty.

The open/hidden kitchen screened by giant sliding canvasses
The master himself - Etienne Bonthuys

The menu elegantly brief and humanely priced.

The foyer with a 19th c. photograph of Dorp Street - the oldest residential street in South Africa. As insert: one of Strijdom van der Merwe's installations: Dorp Street oak trees wrapped in red cloth.

The name "Casparus" is taken from the first owner of the portion of land where the restaurant is located.

* You were asking for a definition of a bad and a good restaurant? A bad restaurant: indifferent food – indifferent service – high prices, whereas a good restaurant is run by people who honour food and respect their customers – simple, isn’t it? Add to that a stimulating and liberating architectural environment and you have the basic ingredients for truly good dining.

We will definitely try it.
Colleen & Walter
Betty’s Bay, Wednesday 23 March, 2011

5 thoughts on “Casparus Restaurant ▲ 59 Dorp Street ▲ Stellenbosch”

  2. I ate there last night. Excellent food, beautiful decor, friendly staff – just loved it.

  5. Glad to see that Strijdom has not left any bricks lying around on the floor for his customers to fall over. Then again, that could have his been his induction into performance art! I still remember discussing bricks on the floor with him during his graduation year at US:)

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