5-Star Hotel Restaurant Eating
 

I have also been a guest at The Cellars-Hohenhort, where I was invited to stay overnight. With all the recent press around journalistic integrity, I want to disclose any possible influences.

Like all my reviews, I returned to these venues unannounced and paid for my meal in full.

Bosman’s Restaurant

The leader, by a long shot, is Bosman’s Restaurant at Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl. Every aspect of our evening was perfect. We were celebrating a birthday so sipped a sparkling Graham Beck in the lounge while studying the menus. Every night, chef Frank Zlomke creates specialist menus apart from the a la carte – gourmet, flavours of the Cape, vegetarian, seafood and low fat.

Most of the menus are priced at R420 per person for five courses or R460 for seven courses. A la carte items are on average R80 for starters and R140 for mains.

Our waiter, Thorsten, epitomised perfection in his craft. He explained how we could mix and match from various menus, with a high degree of European efficiency tempered by warmth.

I opted for the gourmet menu but enjoyed the roasted crayfish, served with butternut risotto and vegetables in a rich bisque from the Seafood menu.

A creamed veal sweetbread was served with a prawn, marinated asparagus and truffle vinaigrette as a starter. Grilled tuna on roasted paprika couscous followed. The third course’s smoked foie gras (goose liver) was accompanied by biltong chutney and beer sauce. I was already in culinary heaven, elevated even further by the buttery Mulderbosch Chardonnay that Roger ordered. An Indian lemon sorbet was sent to prepare the palate for the onslaught of the crayfish. As I write this I can still feel the tingle of its rich aroma in my nostrils.

Grande Roche

Grande Roche upholds the classic, silver-service tradition. One of its more flamboyant attributes is that main courses are covered by a cloche (a silver upturned bowl that covers the plate) and with a flourish removed simultaneously to reveal the meal. My crayfish, in the modern tradition, was served in a tower, which made it too high to be covered by the cloche. But as birthday girl, Mandy, insisted on getting her cloche and a photograph of it, too. Thorsten not only obliged but did it three or four times to that I could get the perfect pic. In my book that is what perfect service is about.

With our coffees, and the chef's compliments, a mini chocolate birthday cake arrived for Mandy.

The only criticism that I have about our evening is that the piped music was awful.
Bosman’s is more expensive than the others I visited, but considering the costly ingredients and the fact that we had so many courses, I don’t think it is outrageous. I would rather forfeit two less exceptional meals for another evening there. The food was inspired and I believe that is what separates it from its peers.

The Green House

The Green House at the Cellars-Hohenhort is an elegantly understated room that feels more like a tree house than a green house with its vast picture windows that overlook the gardens and surround a giant oak.

With a menu that is equally divided into classic, contemporary and vegetarian, the Green House offers something for every taste. Its wine list, beautifully leatherbound, reads like a tome.

Both wine writer Gad Kaplan and I selected the char-grilled home-matured beef fillet (R95) served with lamb’s kidney and a confit (preserved in its own juices) of baby onions with a red wine jus. It was a perfect dish, tender and succulent, but in retrospect I think I would have preferred something lighter. We quaffed a Whale Haven chardonnay 2000 (corkage R25) that Gad had raved about, but which left me unimpressed. Organic peas were the fresh veg of the day (R15 per person). A real treat exploding in my mouth with each bite.

We both selected the Apple Tart Tatin (R40) for dessert, which was served with a mascarpone ice cream and nut sauce. The sweet and sour combination of the flavours and differing textures from the pastry and sliced apple make this a treat.

Notable about the Green House was the superb level of service, which while restrained, was perfectly effective. We had our coffees next to the fire in the lounge, and the waitress noticed that I was in the draught of the air conditioner – something I hand't noticed until she offered to switch it off. Owner Liz McGrath’s touch is ubiquitous and visible in the perfect attention to detail. I can’t help but notice similarities in staff attitudes between The Grande Roche and Cellars-Hohenhort – maybe it’s the shared Relais &Chateaux accreditation or perhaps GM Fredrik Aspegren’s touch that I first remember at the Grande Roche.

If the Cellars-Hohenhort is characterised by understated restraint, the Atlantic at the Table Bay is its antithesis.

The Atlantic

Here is a hotel that is grand in its scale and opulence. The night that the Irascible Vegetarian and I arrived, without a reservation, the restaurant was packed. I would have preferred a window table that looked out on to the harbour or one where I could better see Mike Perry, the irrepressible lounge pianist who is a familiar face from The Cape Sun’s Palm Court.

Both the IR and I found the menu to be too small and he, in his usual way, hemmed and hawed as if he were writing a thesis on Food Combining.

On my recommendation he went for the Parsnip and Celeriac Vichyssoise served with a truffle-scented mushroom a la greque, a parmesan chip and pumpkin seed oil (R45) which he enjoyed. I relished the risotto of fresh peas and fava beans, marinated confit tomatoes, grilled langoustine and parmesan froth (R68).

There was much discussion over the main course and the IV’s first choice of grilled line fish was no longer available. Again, with much deliberation, he chose the Trout poached in Chardonnay with wilted bok choy (Chinese greens) with Caviar and Herb linguini. Anchovy and chive Beurre Blanc (butter sauce) (R85) finished the dish.

I opted for the Polenta Corn and Gorgonzola Tart served with a Portobello Mushroom, Honey Spiced Butternut, Sautéed Bok Choy and Balsamic Cream (R60). I enjoyed my taste of his trout very much but found that my dish, while tasty, became a mush as the short-crust pastry disintigrated.

I found the food sounded and looked better than it tasted. Service was friendly but without sparkle.

Cape Colony

The Mount Nelson has always had a special allure for me and as soon as I could afford to I would meet friends there for afternoon tea. I have fond memories of magical evenings in the plush ruddy Grill Room with its studded banquettes and my first experience of the classical hors d’ovaries trolley at the Oasis. My disappointment with our dinner at The Cape Colony is all that more painful as it shatters the romantic illusion I held of the Nellie.

Gad and I were seated at a window in the Cape Colony, which is an extension of the Oasis Room, overlooking the gardens. It is a magnificent room with a stunning silver chandelier and torch wall-sconces that evoke the hotel’s colonial roots.

Beautifully laid tables with table lamps, which I far prefer to annoying flickering candles, and a stunning Cape Colonial mural complete the picture. Sadly, the decorative touches were instantly marred by the chipped olive bowl. I suspect that the olives and olive oil come from Willow Brook and they supply the dishes, but what they are doing at the table of a five-star venue purporting to serve contemporary South African food is a mystery to me.

I ordered the Butternut and Rocket risotto (R48) to start, which Hayley placed before me with the elegance of a bowling ball going for a strike. Risotto is not a dish to order when in a hurry so I was surprised when it arrived almost quicker than a Big Mac. The thought that my dish had been hastily assembled, without much care, really affected  my enjoyment of it.

Again Gad brought a wine along, Bouchard Finlayson’s 2000 Missionvale chardonnay (corkage R35), which we both enjoyed.

When Gad asked Hayley to illuminate one of the dishes, she responded: "The menu is very self explanatory”. Strike two Hayley. For main course Gad ordered the Madagascan Fillet but was served the Fillet with Yorkshire Pudding in error. Strike Three. Our dishes were whisked away but fortunately not for too long. He was happy with his Madagascan fillet (R105) which I also tasted and found to be delicious.

I enjoyed my Malay Kingklip (R87). The fish was perfectly cooked with a spicy crust and attractively presented.

We ordered two side portions – chips and creamed spinach (R22 each).

The special dessert was Malva, served with Amarula ice cream (R42), which I enjoyed. I especially liked the brandy-snap biscuit that crowned it as this  added a crunch. Gad raved about his apple tart (R42), which was deconstructed and beautifully presented. Although the desserts were exceptional they were offered to the adjacent table before finding their rightful place at ours. Strike Four.

We made a point of asking for our coffees to arrive with our dessert but again Hayley offered apologies for lateness on behalf of the bar, which she said was too busy. With our coffee arrived the customary sweets introduced as “friendlies.” Without a hint of irony or sarcasm I clarified: “friendly, as in the opposite of unfriendly?” “Yes, I think that’s how you pronounce friandise!” she said.

While poor Hayley delivered these no-no nuggets, fault must be directly laid at the foot of the restaurant manager who allows this.