A diamond in Kimberley
LYVE CAFE: ALL ABOUT FINE DINING, DATE NIGHTS AND WINE TASTING ‘Our dishes are dominated by lamb. Lamb forms part of the Karoo.’
Upmarket restaurant Lyve Cafe, on the corner of Du Toitspan and Chapel Streets in Kimberley, has adopted Greek-style décor and oozes class.
I had a chat with its general manager Thanduxolo Ngobeni. Thando, as he is affectionately known, checks on all operations to ensure everything runs smoothly.
“I am an all-rounder. I do everything, from waitering to cleaning a toilet – wherever I am needed, I am there,” he said.
Asked what it takes to run a place like this, Thando said: “You have to be dedicated. Most of the time, I am here from 9am to closing time. I don’t have a social life, and not in a bad way, this is my social life right here.
“We try to serve people well and make them feel comfortable and give them the best time.
“We are about nine months old. We are all about fine dining, date nights, wine tasting and so forth. Occasionally we host small parties, and it would look like a club, but it is not.”
The restaurant has a private dining area called Mazwakhe, named after Thando’s grandfather, who was a chef.
What sets Lyve Cafe apart?
“We are unique. We stand out – from our name to our logo and the décor,” he said. “My uncle, brothers and I came together to put this place together. We wanted to build a legacy.
Talking about his vision for the restaurant, Thando said: “I want us to be known. We’d love our customers to leave this place, thinking about when they’d be back again.”
Asked what makes his team great to lead, Thando said he has always believed communication is key.
“Once you have set good communication foundation with your staff, you are able to communicate with each one at their level. We don’t treat people differently. We are family. You’d find someone from the front helping in the back, and vice versa. We are not defined by roles. We are about nine staff members.”
Like many restaurants, Lyve Cafe was affected by the lockdown restrictions.
“Covid affected us a lot. Our best bet was to join Mr Delivery to help us run as long as we could without having to shut down.”
Thando also shared what it is about his personality that enabled him to run a restaurant.
“I am very open-minded. I don’t restrict myself to anything. I have discipline and respect. I am friendly; that allows me to communicate with everybody and I treat everyone equally.”
After my chat with Thando, I was joined by sous chef Kabelo Ratlhotse, who prepared me his signature dish: a slow-braised oxtail with red wine jus, served with potato puree and baby vegetables.
Kabelo, who started his culinary career with Sun International, has been with the restaurant since it opened in December last year.
He said: “I am learning a lot and growing with the brand. This place made me fall in love even more with my work and creativity.
“What attracted me to this restaurant is the concept of fine dining; and it is classy. My roots are in the Northern Cape. At some point I wanted to come back and through this job I was able to.”
About the menu, Kabelo said: “Our dishes are dominated by lamb. Lamb forms part of the Karoo.”
Kabelo leads a small team in the kitchen.
“I am the only male and youngest in the kitchen. As a leader, give your team respect, love, support, and encouragement.”