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GQ Wheels & Meals

Cod save the Queen

There is nothing more British than Fish & Chips eaten with salt and vinegar. While the English are decimating the cod-population in their part of the Atlantic for this purpose, South Africans prefer hake. But if you combine the chips with kingklip you’ve got a royal meal fit for a Bentley driver.

Words Dieter Losskarn; Images Elke Losskarn

In a recent interview with a hip hop online magazine rapper Ludacris was asked about his favourite possession? „I would say my Bentley Continental GT and I’m about to move in that motherfu**er“. That car is so smooth. It's sexy, comfortable, powerful - you couldn't ask for more. And he raps about it: „Peaches and cream I need it cause you know that I'm a fiend, Gettin' freaky in my Bentley limousine, It's even better with ice cream
Know what I mean, peaches and cream“.

And what about his fellow bling-blings? Well, let’s check some of 50 Cent’s lyrics. Yea man. „This is 50 Cent, I have an expensive Bentley car“ - „Could you love me in a Bentley? Could you love me on a bus? I'll ask 21 questions, and they all about us. Could you love me in a Bentley? Could you love me on a bus? I'll ask 21 questions, and they all about us“.

Rap music has done as much as anything to turn the Bentley nameplate into a hip brand. In 2005 Bentley was mentioned 51 times in various rap songs.

Who would have thought that something so distinctly British will one day be the transport of choice for the sexy, muscular, gold-chain laden and diamond ear stud decorated kings and queens of hip hop.

I am not quite sure whether hamburger-conditioned Ludacris or 50 Cents are familiar with another British cultural phenomena, the UK’s most popular choice of fast food. According to the National Federation of Fish Friers there are currently more than 8000 fish & chip shops trading across the UK, eight for every one McDonalds outlet.

No surprise here that in Britain’s former colonies fish and chipped potatoes have been recognised for quite some time as providing a nourishing meal offering good value for money. In South Africa they are concentrated around the Mother City. The mission: testing Britain’s most popular fast food in the fastest road car Bentley ever built in the 85 years of the company’s history.

Seeing the car for the first time creates quite a visual impact. Before simply getting into her and driving off, you have to take your time contemplating the lines, of which there is not a single faulty one. It takes your breath away, no matter from which angle you look at it. This car wasn’t built, it was crafted.

Next step, opening the door, getting in. The comforting smell of leather, lots of it. Bentley’s ability to blend classic features with modern conveniences is impressive. In addition to all the high-tech you expect in a car like this, like a CD changer invisibly tucked away in the glove box, a power rear window sunshade and a GPS navigation system, you’ve got the starting procedure. It’s keyless, thanks to a Bentley tradition - a simple Start/Stop button located on the center console. With the ignition key in your pocket, apply the brake, push the button and enjoy the concert. The powerful 12-cylinder engine omits an absolutely addictive exhaust growl. The slightest touch of the gas pedal rockets the car forward with such surprising force, that your head is pinned forcefully against the headrest. The Continental GT dominates Long Street, traffic seems to slow down, conversations stop, people get out of the way – and stare.

At number „205“ the growling diminishes in front of Cape Town’s oldest fish & chips shop. „Revelas“ has been serving them constantly for the last four decades in the same white-tiled surroundings. And at 19 Rand they are still the cheapest.

Fisherman’s Choice in the Waterfront is considerably more touristy – and expensive. Not only do they serve their chips with the typical hake, but also with the more up-market kingklip, which will set you back a whopping 75 Rands. Or you can have the same, served not on a rustic, wooden table in a carton, but on a plate and starched white table cloth, while you are being pampered by attentive waiters in one of the Waterfront’s best restaurants, One Waterfront, in the Cape Grace. Their „tempura batter-fried kingklip with rustic cut chips served with cottage cheese tartar and home-made tomato sauce“ uplifts a vulgar meal into the higher echelons of haute cuisine. The fat chips, however, look more like fish fingers than fried potatoes. At 80 Rand it surprisingly costs only five Rand more than what the „Fisherman chooses“. For an additional fee of 24 Rand you can have a nice glass of Kanu Sauvignon Blanc with it. And by the way, due to the Cape Grace’s policy of relaxed luxury, nobody will turn up their nose if you just order the fish & chips in their restaurant.

Most of the fresh fish sold in Cape Town is landed in Hout Bay. Which is why the Republic is widely regarded as something of a fish & chips Mecca. But before exploring two famous locations there, a delightful stretch of gripping coastal tarmac is waiting to be covered. In the GT this turns out to be an exhilarating experience. Smooth steering, unbelievable torque, permanent all-wheel drive and air suspension have quite a Red Bull effect -they literally give you wings. Cars are not supposed to be this luxurious and this powerful at the very same time.    

In Hout Bay’s harbour „Bistro Wharfette“, below Mariner’s Wharf, and „Fish & Chips on the Rocks“ are attracting lots of hungry visitors. The latter has not only got the better location, literally on the rocks, but also the better fish (firmer) & chips (crispier).

For an entrance fee of 22 Rand Chapman’s Peak Drive offers some more driving pleasure with the GT. The half tunnel should be enjoyed with open windows and the sound system off. A true wellness treatment for your ears. As soon as Noordhoek beach comes into view there is a wide parking bay on the left, perfect for turning around to go for another round.

But the best piece of road and the best fish & chips are still to come. After sampling hake & chips at „Kalky’s“ in Kalk Bay (R 23.00) and „Salty Sea Dog“ (R 21.50) in Simon’s Town the navigational arrow is pointing towards Hermanus. Naturally via the scenic route along the coast. Clarence Drive, better known as R 44, is one of the most stunning stretches of windy, smooth black top in the country. In a Bentley Continental GT it is pure bliss.

A lesser known private road branches off to the left into the mountains, just at the outskirts of Gordon’s Bay. It ends at a spectacular viewpoint over False Bay, next to the Steenbras Dam gate. The bendy road itself is pure Southern France. With the grey-white cliffs and the deep-blue sea in the background it looks like a typical James Bond car chase location. Talking about Bond, who, in the movies, is closely associated with another British icon, the legendary Aston Martin, it is funny enough that in Ian Fleming’s novels Bond favoures Bentleys. Allegedly he was the proud owner of three of them over the years. His first was a 1930 4.5-liter with an Amherst Villiers supercharger, introduced in the first Bond book, „Casino Royale“, followed by a 1953 Mark VI in „Moonraker“, published in 1955, and by a 1954 Bentley Continental R in 1963's „On Her Majesty's Secret Service“.

"Bond's car was his only personal hobby," writes Fleming in Casino Royale. "A former Bentley mechanic, who worked in a garage near Bond's Chelsea flat, tended it with jealous care. Bond drove it hard and well and with an almost sensual pleasure."

What a chance for the newest instalment in the Bond franchise to go back to the roots. Considering how teutonic the new blue-eyed, blond-haired „Bond“ Daniel Craig looks and how much effort Volkswagen put into the Continental GT, it would have made sense to let James Blond pilot a Bentley in the upcoming movie „Casino Royale“. Ok, I must admit, the brand-new Aston Martin DBS doesn’t look too bad either, but the Bentley would have beaten it, if only by a small margin.

Back to the ultimate fish & chips location. „The Seafood at the Marine“ in Hermanus aptly named their culinary interpretation „Rich man’s fish & chips with tartare sauce and tomato salsa“. For 130 Rands they even throw in a delicious starter or a tempting dessert. A delicate, crisp batter turns ordinary hake into a gourmet meal. Especially when it is joined by a chilled glass of Southern Right Sauvginon Blanc. Nevertheless I have had enough fish & chips for now to last me some time.         

And to sum up the Continental GT experience, I do agree with both Fleming and Ludacris. I most certainly did feel an almost sensual pleasure driving the Bentley, and yea man, I could also move in that motherfu**er.

Bentley Continental GT

Engine: 6-litre, twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder

Power:                      411 kW

Torque:                     650 Nm

Top speed:              318 km/h

0-100km/h:               4.8 sec

THE CAR: The Continental GT would never have been conceived or built without Volkswagen's monetary input. There was a time, back in the 1980s, when the Bentley brand all but vanished. It was the neglected stepsister to better-known Rolls-Royce. In 1998, a tough bidding frenzy was resolved with Rolls going to BMW, and Bentley being sold to VW. While Rolls moved off to an all-new headquarters near Southampton, Bentley remained in its ancestral home, VW pumping in several hundred million euros to modernize the Crewe plant. Bentley sales have been on the rise since VW took over. 2005 sales hit 6600; in the decade from 1993 to 2003 it sold only 16000.

Naturally the new Bentley features lots of Volkswagen parts. The front axle and transmission come from the Audi A8. The air suspension is similar to the one used on the A8 and Volkswagen Touareg. You can find the Continental GT's 12-cylinder engine, without the twin turbochargers, as an option on the Volkswagen Phaeton sedan, with which the GT and Audi A8 share mechanical underpinnings. Even Bentley's CEO, Franz-Josef Paefgen, is German.

Paying the bill

Seafood at the Marine, Hermanus

„Rich man’s fish & chips“

plus starter or dessert                                               R 130.00

One Waterfront, Cape Grace Hotel, V&A Waterfront Kingklip & Chips main/starter                         R 80/50

Fisherman’s Choice, V&A Waterfront

Kingklip & Chips                                                       R 75.00

Bistro Wharfette, Mariner’s Wharf, Hout Bay

Hake & Chips                                                            R 27.50

Kalky’s, Kalk Bay Harbour

Hake & Chips                                                            R 23.00

Salty Sea Dog, Simon’s Town

Hake/Kingklip & Chips                                 R 32.50/49.50

Fish & Chips on the Rocks, Hout Bay

Hake & Chips                                                           R 26.00

Revelas Fish & Chips, 205 Long Street

Hake and Chips                                                        R 19.00

The Marine, Hermanus

www.marine-hermanus.co.za

One night, double room with breakfast from          R 1 500.00

Bentley Continental GT                                        R 2 600 000.00

Driving it                                                                   priceless

The Continental GT was supplied by Bentley Cape Town (SHG House, Lower Loop Street). Call dealer principal Adrian Schroeder on Tel. 021-4190595 or 082-4652263 for more infos. To see the complete range of Bentley automobiles visit www.bentleymotors.com.