Basic Bistro — Restaurant in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

25 Apr 2021: Sorry to say, but deeply disappointed.

Stunning location, nice ambience and with all tables loaded, it drew us in. The friendly staff and tentative owner probably cannot be to blame, but he food was just not on par for such a competitive market.

The stir fry that lacked proper seasoning and visual appeal. One would at least suspect a ginger or soy undertone in a stirfry. There was a hint of garlic though. No sign of chillie either despite the warning, so we ordered extra. Cabbage tends to make everything bitter when it has been sitting for a while. Chicken was tender, yet bitter. Would hate to think it was prepped earlier and reheated on request and topped with fresh coriander, but it was the distinct impression I got. The fact that the rice noodles were a dark colour as the red cabbage seemingly leached out hints at my suspicion being correct. Everything presented as a dark brown blob, except for the coriander. It was fresh. It was green, but when a coriander lover is overwhelmed with the amount it is sure to be overbearing and it was. Again struck me as added last minute to a reheated meal. The torture tunnel test is when a student leaves half a meal...

The Santorini chicken fillet burger also lacked seasoning. With an overcooked fillet the tasty tsatziki sauce did help. The bacon was dry and chewy, but when a cut is used with almost no fat, it comes with a risk. Now the "wafer chips" was a failed attempt at a homemade potato crisp. Soggy and chewy as if it was prepped earlier too and sat out drawing moisture. If you want to emulate a crisp, get out a mandolin, sluce it even and fry at 180°C for 90- 120sec. If you are going for a kettle style crisp, go 170°C for approx 7-8min.

For the rest of the menu, we were both confused by what cooking style was punted here: A Mediterranean soup with coconut and pineapple...never new the Med to produce these fruits / An Italian dish using a tortilla. Were these omens perhaps?

I guess both of us drew the short straw tonight.

Non è tutto oro quello che lucccica...🤣

26 Apr 2021: Great to see such a prompt...

Basic Bistro is my all time favourite place for any occasion: a lone breakfast, getting some work done, a catch-up with a friend over lunch, or a dinner celebration.

It was the first place that I visited when I moved to Stellenbosch and it is by far the place that I have returned to the most.

Sitting inside or outside offers great experiences year-round. On colder days, the inside offers a space of cozy refuge from the cold and wet. In the summer, the inside is cool and calming, giving you a space to reset before braving the heat.

I have preference for the outside, however, where you can observe the local workers, students, or tourists move up and down one of the most beautiful streets in the town. On sunny days, you appreciate the shade, but still feel a part of the joy and energy of a warm day. During winter, the outside heaters are switched on, so you can enjoy the fresh air while stil feeling cozy.

Of course, as a foodie, I wouldn’t recommend a place if it didn’t have fantastic food. I am always craving a Monkey’s Uncle french toast, but if my bank account doesn’t allow it, Basic’s always has the trusty omelette with a great variety of toppings. For lunch I enjoy their fresh but filling salads or wraps, and for dinner I prefer choosing from their great selection of pastas, noodles, burgers, or curries. Always delicious without destroying your budget.

Basic’s (as the locals call it) makes me feel like the main character in some European film with subtitles that people always recommend to you without watching. It makes me feel like a member of a community, enjoying a brief moment of familiarity and comfort before the chaos of unpredictable life takes over again.

For any tourist looking for local highlights or newcomers getting to know the town, I cannot exaggerate how much I...

A few days away from 2023 and it’s sad that as a person of colour we are still walking into situations like this. This review is entirely based off of the nasty un-welcoming staff. We were a family of 7 looking for a spot to have lunch and happened to walk past Basic Bistro and the menu caught our attention and we all agreed to pop in. I understand that a table of 7 without a booking is abit of a challenge and my family and I looked past the cold attitude of what seems to have been the manager. Grateful that they could put seating together to accommodate us. But no greeting, no welcome, NOTHING? Come on. But once again I looked past this because I love supporting local, one-of-a-kind small businesses and ALWAYS give people the benefit of the doubt. It was the unfriendly, miserable, irritable waitress that took our drinks order that set me off the edge acting as if she was doing us a favour. Like we were not going to be PAYING to have a decent dining experience. I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for 6 years now - front of house and back and could not believe how disgusting the treatment was! My apologies if our skin colour was not suited for your restaurant since a light skinned lady was welcomed so beautifully by said staff shortly after we arrived and we received the complete opposite. This left a sour taste in my mouth and I cancelled our drinks and decided to take our business elsewhere. Surely in this economy where businesses are closing down left right and centre no one can afford to lose a table of 7. Money is money right? And I can assure you we were not going to be holding back. Our table could have led to about 14 drinks, around 5 starters, 7 mains and desserts! A pretty good sale for any small business....