I’ve been markedly absent from Blogland for a while. Apologies for that. April was not the best of months for me with the death of my mother and a careless fall on a slippery floor resulting in me breaking my ankle.
Luckily for you I had managed to squeeze in a couple of restaurants before the dramas hit and even some since. It’s been a [new] challenge finding places with disabled access. And it’s taken me a while to get my head back into Eating Covent Garden mode. But now I have and I’ve got plenty to share. Starting with a fabulous lunch at Chef’s Warehouse at Beau Constantia.
Set at the top of the Constantia Valley this modern, stylish restaurant has fabulous views and offers a Tapas for Two menu. This involves eight dishes served as three courses (three, two and then three again), all shared between two people. The seasonal ingredient-driven menu changes regularly.
What’s on the menu
Our first delightful trio of dishes offered fishy delights and one of the most incredible venison dishes I’ve ever enjoyed.
There’s a lot of Asian inspiration in chef Ivor Jones’s cooking. A serious plus for me – I adore Asian flavours. The freshest of coal-seared tuna was served with Thai mango and coconut samba, tamarind and fish sauce caramel. Simply sublime.
The delicately pretty and mouth-watering linefish (yellowtail) sashimi came with citrus jellies and tiger’s milk dressing.
And then the venison. The thinnest of thin pressed venison tartar served with truffle butter, bramble jelly and house brioche. A plate of heaven.
On to the second course
Round two consisted of two beautifully autumnal dishes. I’m not a big risotto eater but do find myself looking forward to the risotto dish here (there’s always one) as it’s always stupendous. Today’s was a sage butter risotto with beurre noisette and puffed sorghum. It looks incredible and believe me it tasted even better.
The assiette of mushrooms was served with a warm malt cream which was topped with slivers of bonito. There were tempura mushrooms for dipping into the deeply indulgent creaminess with the salty tang of the bonito adding its final delights. And there were beautifully pickled mushrooms on the side. That’s some mushroom dish!
And then for round three
The final trio included the most outstanding of gyozos. Stuffed full of tender, flavoursome duck on a bed of zesty plum and ginger dressing with a Chinese walnut salsa.
And how’s this for a beautiful portion? Oven roasted hake atop a roasted pepper with pickled red onions, saffron Catalan and buttermilk dressing.
And to finish a feast of meatiness with great North African/Middle Eastern influences. The roasted lamb rib came with a tahini dressing, the creamiest of homemade ricotta and falafel.
Chef’s Warehouse at Beau Constantia never fails to impress me. Its beautiful setting, outstanding, cleverly conceived of and incredibly tasty dishes as well as the warm, friendly service bring joy to my soul. Every time.
And just in case you’re still not inspired, here’s the setting.
Today’s price point
Tapas for Two costs R900 (£48.50 at today’s exchange rate). Incredibly great value for some of the best food in the country.
