Comments on: Portofino review

By: Dax

Dax — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:44:05 +0000

Cool, thanks for letting me know. I found the article here http://www.timeslive.co.za/entertainment/article400449.ece/SAs-rudest-chef–serves-up-last-meal

Apparently I was also quoted in The Star, but it’s not available online.

By: M

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:05:28 +0000

There was an article on this in The Times today (SA’s Rudest Chef Serves Last Meal”). Dax, your blog was quoted!

By: George

George — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:41:36 +0000

At least they don’t owe money all over town like the previous restaurant that was there. I always enjoyed the food at Portofino and am sad to see it go. There are not so many places in CT that serve great food at reasonable prices like they did.

By: Dax

Dax — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:16:16 +0000

I did tweet about it earlier today, but didn’t have a chance to get onto the site until now.

Opening a restaurant in Cape Town is no easy task. Many have tried and failed. We won’t know if Cormack’s unusual approach to winning customers was his downfall or if it was other factors.

Sadly, Portofino won’t be the last to close its doors.

By: daz

daz — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:54:00 +0000

Dax

Have you heard Portofino has closed…..no mention on your site.

Another one bites the dust.

Read this link, http://www.food24.com/News-and-Guides/Features/Portofino-closes-20100408

Did he really think it would be easy especially with the atitude , i remember and commented when he called one of your reviewers a retard and said to myself that he would last 6 months, well he proved me wrong and lasted 7 months…

By: Roger

Roger — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:06:25 +0000

I have always had great meals and service from Cormac and his team at Portofinos – I do wonder whether those complaining about Cormac’s behaviour have initiated the bad behaviour to begin with. If you treat people like shite (as the Irish would say) then the gloves are off

By: Igor

Igor — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:15:04 +0000

Who cares about Cormac? Just LOOK AT THE BLONDE WITH THE TAPAS TRAY!!! She can serve me anytime, PHWOAAAAARRRRRHHH!

Ha, ha, I deliberately incensed all you humourlessly PC and sanctimonious Capetonians and having got your attention,my real response follows below.

So many people with so much time to waste …. I’ve not read all (too boring) but have scrolled through and a quick tally shows that opinion is split about 50-50. So in sum all you readers have collectively achieved precisely zip, which is par for most websites of anonymous opinion. If you’d all just close down Internet Explorer and go back to your work, perhaps you’d make a positive contribution to the nation’s productivity instead of its bloghouse gas emissions (i.e. hot air).

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:26:54 +0000

the first I heard of Portofino was what I read on 2oceansvibe… “PR might be PR” but ill never step foot in the restaurant, and have passed on the story to many… who are equally disgusted.

By: M

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:44:41 +0000

I haven’t been to Portofino, but my comments are based on what I’ve read here and elsewhere, and on hearing the owner talk to John Maytham on 567.

Seems like the owner feels that if he is abused, then he is entitled to abuse back. Those who applaud him, applaud him for standing up for himself, and for making the point that customers are not entitled to abuse staff just because they are paying customers.

I agree, no-one is entitled to abuse another no matter who is holding the purse strings. If you applaud this owner’s behaviour, you might be standing up for those who are abused, but are you also perhaps condoning abuse? There are other ways of standing up for yourself against abuse — rather than the abused becoming the abuser.

In a country like ours, which is fraught with abusive behaviour, perhaps it’s time to start supporting only those endeavours that are respectful to all, and take a stand against abuse.

By: Sally

Sally — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:08:42 +0000

Maybe the service you get depends on how polite you are, I went to Portofino last night after hearing about it on Cape Talk, it was quite interesting to watch the owner working the room, there was some high profile Captonians there who obviously got plenty of attention, as did most of the other tables including mine, I found the owner gracious and entertaining. What was interesting was the table next to mine had a pair of rather obnoxious people on it who were making the waiters life difficult, the owner ignored this table completely, it was the only table he didn’t talk to while we were there. I was secretly hoping that he would come over and ask the to shut up and get out. I will return, very good food in smart surroundings, the prices were also on the lower end of the scale.