I’VE never been a big drinker. A Scotch here, a Martini there but considering that a glass of wine is equal in fat to a single Scotch, Thelema Chardonnay was the choice at a long lunch. At R165 per bottle, it was neither the cheapest nor the costliest on the wine list.

We were the only table there for lunch on a warm Somerset West Friday afternoon sitting under the trees in the garden. Charles Hughes was impressed with his Salad Nicoise (R37), which would have sufficed on its own as a light lunch. The ingredients were positioned separately on the plate: trimmed beans, tuna and egg arranged around greens. I opted for the Thai Fish Cakes (R35), which were delicious if not a little exaggerated in their Asian lineage. Serving a supermarket-bought Sweet Chilli Sauce with a dish doesn’t make it Thai as far as I’m concerned. Nonetheless, it was very good to eat and attractively presented. My gargantuan appetite would not have been sated with the two fish cakes alone while it may have been with the salad. The delicious bread rolls deserve a special mention.

I first heard about D’Vine at Willowbrook Lodge when PR-diva Sandy Bailey invited me to the launch of executive chef Loran Livesey’s cookbook, photographed by Gerald and Marc Hoberman. The dinner that night started with Smoked Salmon before moving to Loin of Springbok served on Spatzle with hot minted strawberries and green beans. We ended with the Willowbrook Trio, a triumvirate of crème brulee, meringue mille feuille and Chocolate Ravoli. I was impressed enough to come back. Aside from the food I was enraptured by Marc and his stories about creating his teddy bear book.

For our mains, Charles ordered the Ploughman’s Platter (R45) while I, having added enough butter to my delicious rolls to make them compete in fat content with a lamb shank, ordered the linefish and prawn skewers (R80). Those who know me will understand that a dish will need to resemble a David Hockney painting for me to feast my eyes on it before eating. Here I was struck at how simply yet beautifully this dish was presented. It was served in a deep bowl with two skewers resting up against each other bonfire-style with grilled lime wedges and buttered mange touts and vegetables arranged in a neatly hollowed-out tomato, crowned with a seeded breadstick. Everything on the plate tasted as if it had been individually made – the vegetables, essentially a garnish, were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The kebabs, delicious with the roasted baby tomatoes that separated the prawns from the fish cubes and exploded in my mouth, provided moisture to the dish.

Charles’s platter, which he said he enjoyed although didn’t finish, offered cold cuts that included springbok, two pates and an assortment of cheeses and biscuits.

You probably know that I have a weakness for a number of things, and lemon tart (R37) is high on the list. Theirs was the right balance between tart and sweet, with a pastry so short it crumbles. It is fabulous.

I mentioned earlier this was a long lunch but I got the feeling that after Pearl needed to leave us and Michael took over that we were not looked after as well as the delicious food and elegant setting promised, and had to resort to pouring our own wine and wild hand gesticulations to order yet another double espresso which, at R22 a pop, left the customary bitter taste in my mouth, for too long. The two bottles of wine and six double espressos came to R462 while the food only R234, just under half. Even if using imported Illy coffee at retail price, R22 represents just under a 300% mark up. Extravagant profiteering, as far as I’m concerned.

D’vine Restaurant is at Willowbrook Lodge, Morgenster Avenue, Somerset West. 021-851-3759.