Pepper Club on the Beach, which claims to be one of Camps Bay’s latest fine dining restaurants and cocktail bars, invites you to celebrate Valentine’s Day in style. In their own words, “watch the sun set as you sip champagne and sample the latest in fresh summer flavours.”
Chris Swanepoel will be singing a selection of greatest love songs and you’ll receive a complimentary glass of bubbly on arrival.
Limited seats are available, so for bookings call 021 438 3174 or email onthebeach@pepperclub.co.za
Pepper Club on the Beach / The Promenade / Victoria Road / Camps Bay / Tel: 021 438 3174 / Email: onthebeach@pepperclub.co.za / www.pepperclubonthebeach.co.za
Sevruga Restaurant in the V&A Waterfront is offering “old school romance and red roses” this valentine’s day. For R500.00 a head, you can enjoy an elegant 5 course menu featuring options such as Oysters, Smoked Beef Tart, Springbok, Sushi and Strawberry Pavlova.
Booking is essential as they are already filling up. Contact Lindi at info@sevruga.co.za
Sevruga Restaurant / Shop 4 / Quay 5 / V&A Waterfront / Tel: 021 421 5134 / Email: info@servuga.co.za /www.sevruga.co.za
This Valentine’s season The Oasis Restaurant at the Mount Nelson has cooked up a few specials.
From the 26th January - 28th February you and someone special can enjoy a multi-course dinner “made for sharing”. Courses include Oysters, a classic Beef Wellington, Strawberries and Cream, and a glass of Pongracz Rosé per person.
Cost: R580 for two people sharing (valid for the month of February excluding Valentine’s Day).
They are also offering a Valentine’s only dinner of aphrodisiac ingredients and flavours aimed at getting your juices going! Dishes feature Oysters, Scallops, Truffle, Asparagus, Prawns, Strawberries, Chocolate and a glass of Pongracz Rosé per person.
Cost: R395 per person (only available on Sunday 14 February).
The Oasis Restaurant / Mount Nelson Hotel / 76 Orange Street / Cape Town / Tel: 021 483 1000 / www.mountnelson.co.za
The Roundhouse is inviting you to get in shape by joining them for a hard core, 1 hour workout with a qualified personal trainer in the gardens of The Glen, followed by a health breakfast on the restaurant’s terraces.
Time: Sundays at 8:30 and Thursdays at 7:30
Cost: R150.00 per person, including the workout and breakfast
Contact Jenny for more information at: 021 438 4347
The Roundhouse Restaurant / Kloof Road / Camps Bay / Tel: 021 438 4347 / Email: info@theroundhouserestaurant.com / www.theroundhouserestaurant.com
After a hectic festive season, we decided it was time for the EA team to strategize for the coming year, which loosely translates to getting together to eat, drink and share Christmas war stories… We decided that the venue for this “staff meeting” should be casual but still a little indulgent so we decided to try out the Wild Fig Restaurant.
Situated on Valkenberg Estate, near the observatory, the Wild Fig is linked to the Cape Town Courtyard Hotel, housed in a historic Cape Dutch manor house. Arriving, you really do feel like it’s part of a country estate but in the middle of the city, with buzzing Obz just round the corner. The vibe is cozy and relaxed, with a fireplace inside for those chilly winter nights and a shady spot under the oaks for the lazy summer days.
Having heard good things about the food, we decided to dive right in and while the Quail and Ostrich dishes are no longer on the menu, there is still plenty to chose from. GS & TH tucked into the huge Deep Fried Camembert with a beer batter & fig preserve, licking their plates clean. RL tried the Springbok Carpaccio which disappeared equally fast, although needed some seasoning. I tried the Spicy Calamari Strips, deep fried in an asian style five spice flour and served with a dill mayo. The mayo was a little overpowering but otherwise, it was a great reinvention of the classic starter. For Mains, GS had the Chicken & Mushroom Pie, which consisted of a large pot pie filled with slowly roasted chicken, tossed in gable mushrooms, onions & béchamel sauce, baked with homemade pastry. TH has the Slowly Roasted Greek Lamb in phyllo pastry with minted yoghurt. Due to the size of their starters, GS & TH couldn’t attack their meals with the vigour they deserved but they managed to clean their plates, but this did mean there was no room for dessert. RL had the Lamb Shank on herb mash with rosemary & red wine jus. Almost every restaurant you go to now offers a Lamb Shank but very few get it right. I’m pleased to report that Wild Fig is one of those few places. I had the Venison Special which that night consisted of Kudu medallions served with polenta wedges and a berry coulis. Much like the rest of the mains, this went down very well but left me stuffed.
The Wild Fig is relaxed and casual but with great service and is serving food on par with restaurants charging twice as much. In fact, the majority of mains are below R100 so you can easily go out without spending a fortune, with the most expensive meals priced around R125.
Also, you may want to try Annie’s Arms, the bar at the Wild Fig, boasting over 50 single malts to choose from.
For those of you looking for a relaxed quality meal that won’t cost an arm and a leg, give The Wild Fig Restaurant a try.
The Wild Fig Restaurant / Liesbeek Avenue / Valkenberg Estate / Mowbray / Tel: 021 448 0507 / info@thewildfig.co.za
TH: ***½
GS: ****
RL: ***½
BH: ****
Average Rating: ****
With our third visit to Opal Lounge, we noticed a definite change. The cuisine in the past had always been delicious and well-presented, but the menu has now definitely advanced firmly in to the realm of “haute cuisine” and concept food - with a corresponding increase in price. This is always a difficult style of food to serve… every dish is a unique combination of ingredients and flavours. Small mistakes can ruin the entire dish, and balancing the flavours is often tricky. The top restaurants manage this juggling act, and institutions that do not scarcely last long.
In our experience, Opal Lounge is up to the challenge so far - their food, whilst not the best available in the city, is certainly remarkable enough to warrant a visit. I’d suggest that they need a little bit more time to perfect some of the dishes - the quality of the food varied, with some outstanding dishes and some more mediocre ones, but the overall experience was good. Specifically, presentation was in top form - most of the dishes more closely resembled works of art (at least until the first few bites!).
For starters, RL thoroughly enjoyed the Pan-seared Scallops, accompanied with a Chorizo foam (the saltiness paring well with the scallops). BH ordered the Mushroom Tortellini - a dish which has changed drastically since Opal Lounge’s inception. The current offering is an excellent starter, with a delicately spiced creamy sauce accompanying filled tortellinis. GS’s Venison and Chocolate Dimsung was appreciated by the ladies around the table, but GS remarked that the chocolate itself was initially very overpowering (offputtingly so), although it grew on him over the life of the dish. Lastly, TH’s Prawn and Avocado Caesar Salad bore only the faintest resemblance to its namesake - although the presentation did not get in the way of her enjoying it fully.
Our mains offered a slightly more mixed bag. RL had ordered Almond-crusted Venison, which she found uninspiring. To be precise, her most noteworthy comment was on the amount of caramalized red cabbage that accompanied it - too much for her (or anyone!) to eat. GS had the Thai Marinated Salmon without any complaints. Lightly seared, delicately flavoured in a way that accompanied and enhanced rather than overpowered the salmon itself. The Soya-glazed Duck Salad that BH had was certainly not short on the duck - and the accompanying greens added a lighter freshness to balance the salty fattiness of the duck itself. Lastly, TH’s Lamb Shank with a berry foam was described as “alright, but not the best lamb shank around”.
The desserts were a highlight - no missteps here! The inventive Tiramisu Creme Brulee (served in a martini glass, with the creme brulee resting above the tiramisu), was delicious even without the accompanying ice cream and biscotti with a coffee dipping sauce. The Catalana Custard, whilst less inventive, was also thoroughly enjoyed - enough so that sharing was out of the question!
Price wise, starters averaged around R60 and mains R130. Not quite the bargain we discovered when we first visited Opal Lounge, but certainly reasonable and comparable to other restaurants in this range. We were disappointed that no host greeted us at the door, and whilst the service was technically capable, the tableside manner of the waiter could have been better. He seemed reticent to make any personal recommendations, and could provide little more information on the dishes that the menu itself offered.
In the end, Opal Lounge continues to offer dining in one of Cape Town’s most attractive establishments, and their cocktails alone justify a visit… but whilst you’re there, you may as well stay for the food.
Ambiance: ****
Service: ***
Food: ***½
Wine: ***
Bathrooms: ****
Opal Lounge Restaurant / 30 Kloof Street / Tel: 021 422 4747 / rochelle@theopallounge.co.za / http://www.theopallounge.co.za
