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Outstanding value at Restaurant Week
Restaurant Week is the opportunity for Cape Town eateries to demonstrate their true skill – both in the kitchen and in their ability to call-in supplier favours. This is equally evident on the plate as in the vastly reduced price.
It is currently underway at participating restaurants as part of the Gourmet Festival until May 18. www.GourmetSA.com for more info.
I had the pleasure of dining at Sinn’s – Thomas Sinn’s exquisite Wembley Square restaurant. I recommend the seafood spring roll in a Noble Late Harvest bisque. It is served with a perfectly grilled prawn skewered by sharpened lemongrass. If I were scoring a dish out of 10 this would get 9.9. I also tasted the wild forest mushroom consommé. It was a flawless execution of a classical dish garnished with sliced mushroom pancakes, chives and turned vegetables. I didn’t especially enjoy eating it as, as is true for life, I tend to prefer the robust over the wispy.
Equally impressive was the grilled linefish – kingklip served on a rocket risotto, with luminous green Tatsoi oil. Utterly fabulous. I found the other option, slow braised beef on a mustard mashed potato with a Cabernet jus hearty and tasty but swampy.
Desserts three ways seems to be a trend at the moment and theirs – lemon presented as an ice cream, mousse and mini lemon meringue tart is so light and fresh tasting, it could, as easily, begin a meal as end it.
The heady Chocolate Fondant with caramel pear and crème fraiche ice cream will give choco addicts the hit they require.
Two courses for lunch at R75, 00 or three course at dinner at R110 per head is outstanding value. Menus also include a glass of wine.
I’m not going to guess what Sinn’s food-cost percentage is but I will say that either their produce for this event is sponsored, or they’re making a loss on these promotional items.
Sinn’s 021 465 0967
Balducci’s has worked hard at elevating itself from café to restaurant. Service levels since its inception have been amongst the highest but they’ve smartened up their cuisine too and their Restaurant Week offering indicates things to come.
Their tomato tart tatin (with the pastry on the bottom) is magnificent. Chef Fernando has created something as good to eat as it is to look at. Especially attractive is the way red caramelised onions create a chess-board pattern with the tomato. There is a pure white line of crème fraiche which offsets the roasted tomato flavours and a neat square of black pepper. Deliciously restrained. Main course options are kingklip encrusted with Marula nuts which I think is an exciting idea and something I hadn’t tasted before. Think crunch Amarula. The accompanying spicy fig and tabouleh salad is very good. I tasted the Springbok loin on roasted broccoli and cauliflower puree which is recommended. It comes with pesto crostini, deep-fried linguini and a creamed port and water chestnut jus.
Elements of ginger is, you got it, ginger three ways and uncannily similar (in concept anyway) to Sinn’s trio. Expect ginger-poached pear on top of choco filled vol-au-vent with ginger infused crème brulee complemented by a wasabi ginger sorbet.
Balducci’s 021-421-6002. R95 for lunch and R165 for dinner including beautifully paired wines.
[12-May-08]
Brian Berkman
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