Posted on: October 5th, 2011 RLFive Flies

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Posted on: October 5th, 2011 RLF: Five Flies: Flippin’ Fantastic

TH: ****½
GS: ****
RL: ****½
BH: ****½

Average rating: ****

For lack of a better suggestion, this month we agreed to review Five Flies. I have to confess that none of us were particularly excited, as we’d all visited this restaurant several times before and had never been overly impressed. Still, we were looking forward to good company, and secretly hoping that enough time had passed and that Five Flies would surprise us.

To our delight, our quiet desires were answered and Five Flies blew us away. For such a long time, we have failed to find a restaurant where every one of us has enjoyed every one of our meals. Each dish seemed to balance presentation, size of portion and good, solid flavour, while service was discreet, and on point. The atmosphere is still a little bland in my opinion, and I do think the decor could use a refresher, but the old world style is not amiss, and the somewhat empty tables are easily hidden in a series of small rooms. Most importantly, despite Five Flies being an upmarket, haute cuisine restaurant in the CBD, not once did I feel unwelcome, or “hushed”. Rather, we all enjoyed the casual atmosphere and this, combined with perhaps a little too much wine, left for a very pleasant evening indeed.

For Starters, although all were excellent, the two most remarked on were the Beef and Springbok Carpaccio and the Chilli Salt Squid. I have made it a personal rule that if carpaccio is on the menu I have to give it a try - how else will I know who offers the very best in this regard? Thanks to this philosophy, I can now tell you, without equivocation, that Five Flies does. The freshness of the beef and springbok, in combination with the delicious dressing, micro herbs, pepper and flavoursome mushrooms was perfection. The Chilli Salt Squid also struck just the right note with its incredibly tender morsels and lovely flavours that brought a spicy heat. Presented with a well seasoned salad and you have an excellent Starter.

The Main dishes were no less scrumptious. In the past, Five Flies has always been accused of serving bite size portions, with many a diner being forced to visit Mac Donald’s on the way home. I am pleased to report that this no longer seems to be the case. In fact, they seem to have found that delicate, and often difficult, balance between satisfying their customers while still keeping the dishes small enough to appear attractive. On top of this, the dishes also taste good - an all round win. The Lamb Shank fell off the bone with such ease that you could quite easily do away with your knife, while the Kingklip was cooked to perfection, cleverly paired with a curry sauce and brought together with a sweet potato purée. The Seafood Curry and Rack of Lamb also proved to be excellent choices, with none of us feeling that we had made a bad selection.

Desserts, although far more subtle and traditional, were as beautifully presented as each course preceding, and rounded the meal off nicely.

And so, with this wonderful meal, which I hope is a rule, rather than the exception, Five Flies has gone from a grey, vague association tucked in the back of my thoughts, to a multi-coloured rainbow of flavour, presentation and satisfaction. Too much? Perhaps, but then, I also have another philosophy - if you’re going to enjoy something, relish the enjoyment.

Ambiance: ***
Service: ****
Food: ****½
Wine: ***

Five Flies / Rembrandt House / 14 Keerom Street / Cape Town / Tel: 021 424 4442 / Email: info@fiveflies.co.za / www.fiveflies.co.za