Mulberry and Prince — Restaurant in City Centre

Erm…. what a strange place. We were a party of 6 people for a birthday. The first strange thing was that the only alcoholic beverages available are wine or a Gin & Tonic. Wine doesn’t agree with me and I’m not a fan of tonic water so I asked what else I could mix Gin with but there were no options at all. Therefore, I had to be inventive & asked for a Gin, fresh lime & cucumber with sparkling water. My drink arrived in a large glass so full of ice I wasn’t even sure if there was Gin in it. I was also given a large bottle of sparkling water & when I explained that I only wanted something small for my drink. The response I got was “I’m sure people on the table can help you with it. Strike 1, my choice as a customer had been taken away and I was forced to purchase a large bottle.

I couldn’t taste any alcohol in my drink so I ordered another shot to add to my glass, again I couldn’t taste anything. I commented that the Gin tasted liked it had been watered down and the response was “it’s very expensive and yummy” as the waitress stuck her finger in my empty shot glass to taste it. I used to own a cocktail bar in London so I’m sorry… your Gin was heavily watered down!! Strike 2: I wasn’t listened to and in a sense was told that I was wrong. Obviously they had nothing else to offer me either.

The next odd thing was that whatever you order on the menu comes out in the order of the printed menu… now I was the only vegetarian at the table and the only vegetarian dish was at the end of the menu. Therefore, I had to watch my entire group eat for 30-40mins before I had any food. Strike 3: Not thinking about the diversity of your customer or making sure everyone is being fed.

The vegetarian option was a linguine with a Mozzarella curd with courgette flowers… it had also been explained as one of there larger dishes that would be enough to feed 3 people. What arrived was a small plate of slightly over salted pasta tossed in oil with a piece of melted mozerella that had hardened, on the side. It was about 5- 6 mouthfuls and I paid R160 to have this mundane experience. My plate was taken before I was finished & I left very hungry.

The rest of the table had ordered 3 x 350g steak dishes (and nearly every other dish on the menu)… as it arrived, one of our party innocently commented to the rest of the table “did we order 3 of these?”. The waitress cut in to say “well I only have 2 hands, the 3rd is coming" even though my friend hadn’t even been speaking to her.

The lady waitress came across as passive aggressive but seemed to redeem herself later as she overheard us talk about how rude she had been. She was then very helpful in bringing a birthday pudding with a candle to the table at the end. Admittedly, that was yummy.

I always like to try and find some positives so what I can say is that the decor is beautiful but not practical. They couldn’t reach parts of the table as it was blocked in by other tables being too close... so we had to pass plates.

The other 2 x gentlemen waiters were attentive, polite and very helpful although one kept referring to me as "The Vegetarian".

Also at some point I managed to get something in my eye so I went to bathroom to use the mirror but the light was so dark so I had to go back & have phone light shone in my eye at the table to get it out (embarrassing).

I believe this restaurant is based on an American concept….. however the service and food would never live up to a New York restaurant. It’s a really average experience & the customer certainly does not come first…. it feels like they are trying to educate you but with what… I don’t know?? It hasn't been thought out properly.

The rest of my party enjoyed most of their food although it wasn’t anything better than you would find at another Cape Town restaurant & is totally overpriced for what it is. We are all International expats who live in Cape Town so have had the privilege of eating at eateries all around the world & therefore have some experience to give this comparison. Neither are we food snobs so are not trying to...

100% for ambiance and aesthetic! We loved the vibe and the menu is super inviting. We were lucky enough to get a table. Unfortunately we did not have the experience we were hoping for. My friend ordered the Nutella French toast which mentioned it is a custard soaked french toast. When it arrived it looked somewhat undercooked and when we tasted it, it unfortunately was dominated by the taste of raw egg. When we highlighted this, the waiter mentioned that this is how it is served. The waiter was very accommodating and offered for her to order something else off the menu. After it was agreed that she would order a replacement meal the owner approached us and informed us that the French toast is according to their standard, so regardless of the raw egg taste, this is how they do it. We were then informed if she orders another meal she will be paying for both. This was a very uncomfortable interaction. Sadly my pancakes were also underdone on the sides but I decided to eat it as it was well presented. It became clear that customer happiness was not a priority. The owner then went to his kitchen staff and visibly expressed his annoyance about the interaction which was sadly in our eye line. We arrived super early this morning to be able to secure our spot but are now left disappointed. The incident was then escalated when we paid the bill and the French toast was on the bill. My friend informed the owner earlier that she will not be eating it thus not pay for it and assuming you do not eat a meal you expressed concern over, the restaurant leaves it off the bill. We left the restaurant and my friend stated that she will not pay for the meal, the waiter approached us outside and my friend mentioned again that she had already stated that she will not be paying for a meal she did not eat. As we drove from our parking spot the owner decided to take a picture of our vehicle registration, which was both unnecessary and very threatening. What was meant to be a reunion of friends at a beautiful restaurant turned into a very unpleasant experience. The waiting staff are fantastic and I wish you all well! If you read this review I hope your experience is different...

Your friend form out of town calls you on a Saturday and asks if you can go out for breakfast on Sunday. You being the Capetonian and supposed expert on the best spots in the city, take up the offer and come to Google to scroll through pictures of different places and restaurants, looking at menus and wondering "how good is their food"?

Well I can tell you at this point in my review, that this is the place you should be coming to. It has that perfect combination of an open but intimate setting, and the decor will impress. Their social media page will give you all the fomo and once you have finished with your photo shoot on the perky pink door, you will sit down to an impressive and consise breakfast/brunch menu.

Flapjacks, Waffles and French toast are my personal holy trinity in the meal time we call breakfast and Mulberry & Prince really does this in the most unique ways. The Blueberry Compote that accompanies the Flapjack stack is amazing! I love the Brioche bun that is used in the French toast (wonder if it's made in-house?) and those roasted pecans really take the dish to a new level. The Chicken and Waffles are definitely my favorite and please...I beg you, make sure you get the hot sauce when you are trying that dish. They also use 100% Vermont, USA maple syrup.

If you have read to this point here are my pointers:

Make sure you book in advance for the Brunch on Sundays. There is a seating at 10AM and 12PM (you might have to wait a bit for the 12PM as resetting the space takes some time)

You can go there alone - it's an amazing treat-yourself!

The service is friendly and quick, even though you will be in no rush to leave.

Make plans to be outdoors afterwards as you will need to walk it off 😅.

Sorry, I don't have any negatives. I low key wish I worked there every time I go.

Will try make it for their...