The idea of a game reserve within 40 minutes of Cape Town is still strange to me. As a child we would drive (seemingly for hours) to Wiessenhof or High Noon to see the animals or for days to Kruger Park for the safari experience so many foreigners still think we have between the shops at the Waterfront.

I was surprised, then, to receive an email from Trish Wood at the Solele Game Reserve in Noordhoek about their Mnandis restaurant. I enlisted the help of a local, Carrie Hampton who, although English, seems to know more about game lodges and Noordhoek than anyone else I’ve met.

There was something but the chummy email style which gave me the impression the place would be a bit of a joke. This was entrenched when I made the reservation and heard on the recording that the chef was probably out kanoodeling and if I wanted to speak to the Rouges, Scoundrels and Charlatans I should key one on my phone pad. Sense of humour (not!) aside, I was more expecting church-fete ladies in leopard print and party hats than the professional and appealing environment we encountered.

Perhaps I should say that I prefer my wildlife experiences sitting on deep pile leather couches and watching National Geographic DVDs in stereophonic rather than the red-eye, dusty dangerous environment of the outdoors. I know others (like Carrie) find the idea of walking to an outhouse with picture windows open to nature and sitting on the loo within snorting distance of a rhino appealing but, frankly, I don’t.

Had they offered a decent bubbly by the glass, we would have made do, but, forced into a corner, we quaffed a delicious bottle of Graham Beck. As the bubbles floated into my bloodstream, I forgot I was in game reserve on the edges of an informal settlement, miles away from home and street lights.

Chef Simon Phillips said he had only two portions of fresh porcini mushrooms so we secured with his recommendation of Gnocchi for a main course.

To start I loved my black-sesame seared tuna with Asian salad (R49). The dish was beautifully presented with a sea weed and sprout salad accompanied by ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.

Carrie had the Smoked Franschhoek Salmon (R46) which was served on warm grilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce. We were both very impressed with our starters.

I found the potato gnocchi (R56) with a creamy porcini sauce, proscuitto (Italian bacon) and an asparagus sauce with parmesan shavings too heavy while Carrie’s duck (roasted in duck fat with garlic, ginger and red wine failed to deliver. The dish was accompanied by stir-fried veg and poppy-seed Duchesse potatoes. I was really looking forward to trying her Duchesse (baked, mash meringues) as they are not often found on menus nowadays but the disappointed look on her face persuaded me otherwise. The duck, while tasty, was a tough ol’ bird.

We didn’t have dessert but I would be tempted on another occasion to try the iced bourbon and maple syrup soufflé with green-tea stewed prunes (R28) and my childhood memories Dr Seus would have enjoyed eating Green Eggs on Ham (R38) for breakfast. They serve poached eggs on Avo.

In Trish’s email she described Mnandis as “housed in a beautifully restored National Monument dating back to 1752. The building has a warm natural feeling. Striking features are the massive poplar beams and the exposed clay brick walls. Our mission is quite simply to provide excellent food and service in a tranquil environment. We hope that our guests will leave Mnandis with a spring in their steps and fluff in their tails, reminded that they are essentially natural beasts in need of natural surroundings, good humoured company and the occasional priaptic (sic) entertainment.”

Service was friendly and the home-baked bread delicious and if it weren’t for the disappointing main courses and the possibility of being munched by a hippo, I’d happily recommend Mnandis.