La Mouette – a well-established and fully-licensed restaurant based in Sea Point, one of Cape Town’s most vibrant and picturesque seaside suburbs, is seeking a new owner.
French for ‘seagull’ – a bird prolific in the area – La Mouette is a renowned Cape Town institution, with over a decade spent serving local and international diners. As stated by the current owner Gerrit Bruwer, “After just over 10 years in the restaurant industry, the time has come for me to hand over the reins as I embark on a new venture.”
Housed in an original feature Tudor-style house, La Mouette was once the local mayor’s home. A spacious 90-seater restaurant, spread across two stories and four dining rooms – offering both versatility as well as ample room for socially-distanced dining – the restaurant boasts six fireplaces, original wooden floors, a bar/lounge area and an outdoor cobblestone courtyard with a stone fountain; making it ideal for al fresco summer dining under the stars.
La Mouette’s French-inspired menu has always focussed on seasonality; incorporating the finest, freshest produce from local suppliers, while delivering world-class service in a spectacular setting. While the ownership has changed over the years, Bruwer says that this vision has not.
“Our ethos remains timeless, which is why La Mouette enjoys the lineage it does, and as evidenced in the ongoing feedback from our guests.”
Since opening in 2010, La Mouette has been awarded a number of international and national accolades, including TripAdvisor’s 2020 list of the 10 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Africa, the 2018 Writer’s Choice Top Rated Restaurant and many more. The team has brought in many strong online reviews including 4.5/5 Google reviews, 4.8/5 Facebook reviews and 4.5/5 reviews on TripAdvisor.
While admittedly a difficult time for the global hospitality community, history has shown that once a threat lifts, the economy benefits from a massive boom.
Says Bruwer, “We have seen this pattern time and time again – trade is revived and reinvigorated as consumers celebrate a return to some degree of normality. This is anticipated to be especially true of the hospitality industry, with all of us having missed travelling, dining out and spending time with the people we love.”
La Mouette’s spacious layout, expansive outdoor area, loyal customer base and stellar, long-standing reputation make it extremely well-positioned to weather the storm, and Bruwer believes that this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for restaurateurs, who see the opportunity for future growth.
“While the past few months have been challenging for our industry, we are fortunate in that La Mouette has a strong legacy and deep roots within the gastronomic landscape of Cape Town, which is sure to remain a culinary destination on the global map well into the future.”
Bruwer and his team thank the community, their valued guests and vendors for making La Mouette one of the most successful fine-dining restaurants in South Africa.
Picture/s: Supplied