We cried a river when Johan Jordaan closed the doors of Bistro Blues earlier this year. Gone were the legendary steaks, ribs and oh yes, those gorgeous chicken wings.
This institution was considered by many to be Barrydale’s living room, or perhaps the ‘Cheers’ of the Klein Karoo where everybody knows your name.
At Bistro Blues strangers became friends and everyone, even the black sheep, were considered family.
Jordaan’s decision to call it a day after two decades and 234 545 shooters later, left a void in the village and it is therefore the pleasure of News62 to report that new life will be blown into the restaurant and pub within the next month.
The Dawn of a New Era
The first indication that Bistro Blues would reopen came when the Karoo Art Hotel announced that it would once again host a New Year’s Eve Street Party in partnership with the iconic steakhouse.
Initially it was a “one-night-only” scenario, but News62 has learned that renovation work will commence imminently and that residents can look forward to again shouting “stoele” every time a shot is poured.
It is expected that Bistro Blues will reopen, under new management, on or before October 31.
What to expect
According to reliable sauces, Bistro Blues will incorporate a few of the tried and tested recipes that have worked so well over the years. The question, however, remains; will the new owners be innovative or will they try to copy some of the recipes that have worked so well in town?
Will they attempt to make better milkshakes than Diesel & Creme? Or will they be brewing their own brand of beer that will be served with a sourdough pizza as is the case at The Maker’s Brew?
It would also be interesting to see if the new chef will try to produce a better apple crumble than that of The Blue Cow Coffee shop. And should they open for breakfast, will they look to go lower than the Barrydale Karoo Lodge or Country Pumpkin (these restaurants offer breakfasts at R62 and R60 respectively) ?
Could there be Tapas served in the same style as the new MUD Modern or perhaps a few divine platters that could compete with Joubert-Tradauw Vineyards and Cellar?
Maybe they will go the route of Route 62 Stop and compete in the Roosterkoek market or perhaps they will try to replicate Karoo Saloon’s famous enchilada? Who knows?
Another idea could be to try and create better snack baskets than the Dung Beetle, but is that even possible?
Will they be building a wood fired oven to ensure that they can compete with the Karoo Art Hotel’s sourdough bread offering? Or will the new owners pack the bull (or camel) by the horns and deliver a cheese cake offering that will outshine the Camel Horse?
The possibility also exists that the venue could go full circle by preparing square pizzas ala Karoo Daisy style or even target a more sophisticated market by becoming direct competition to Die Langhuis and the Karoo Art Hotel.
What we do know is that the new owners will only reveal their plans when they open their doors, and that the speculation in this article, is just that.
