Eating Out - Inspired Living SA

Myoga 7 Course Tasting Menu

The Vineyard Hotel is one of my favourite hotels in the Southern Suburbs. Located in the leafy suburb of Newlands, the hotel is popular with the both locals, as well as international visitors. One of the major draw cards of the hotel, is the wonderful culinary offering and more especially the Myoga 7 Course Tasting Menu!

Myoga 7 Course Tasting Menu

One of my favourite dining experiences to date, has to be the tasting menu at Myoga. The restaurant recently underwent a revamp and we were delighted to be invited back to enjoy the 7-course tasting. The sophisticated space is now lighter and brighter, making it an ideal lunchtime venue as well as a special place for dinner.

Myoga offers a tasting degustation menu, which is different from the tasting menus found in other restaurants because it offers so many choices.

Degustation ~ a culinary term meaning a careful, appreciative tasting of various foods and focusing on the gustatory system, the senses, high culinary art and good company. Dégustation is more likely to involve sampling small portions of all of a chef’s signature dishes in one sitting.

The Myoga 7 course tasting menu, created by award winning chef Mike Bassett, offers no less than five (sometimes six!) options for each course.

In addition to the 7 course menu, you will find a unique dish of the chef’s creation – a palate “tickler”. To delight your palate even further, there is a clever and delicious surprise at the beginning and the end of the meal. I will spoil the surprise for you – you will simply have to experience it for yourself!

The innovation and creativity, which Mike Bassett is renowned for is evident in every one of the dishes served! One of the dishes, which stood out for both Grant and I was a savoury Oatmeal porridge. What an amazing taste journey, from such an unassuming dish!

The menu will truly delight all your sense and take you on a culinary adventure! The Black Salted Squid, with black aioli, anchovy lime condensed milk, white almond gazpacho sphere, Iberico ham and celery scented potato, was pure sophistication on a plate.

One of my favourite dishes was the All White Scallop! Served with macadamia buttered root vegetable puree, refried white beans, horseradish cream and a orange gastrique – it was one of the most amazing scallop dishes I have ever eaten!

Every dish is beautifully presented – an artwork on a plate. The “Granny Smith” desert above is no exception! Sour cream apple cake, served with caramel créme pâtissière, roasted apple ice cream, apple gel and almond crumble was a sublime ending to an extraordinary meal!

As well as experiencing amazing new taste sensations, we enjoyed a great selection of excellently paired wines. Some of which neither of us had tasted before.

I can go on and on about the Myoga 7 Course Tasting Menu but it is something you should definitely experience for yourself! Just when you thought the was nothing new under the sun, you taste something which truly surprises you!

Details and Location:

The Myoga 7 Course Tasting Menu including wine pairing is R620 per person or R355 without wine. To book please contact Restaurant Reservations Tel: +27 21 657 4545, Fax: +27 21 657 4543, via email: [email protected] or visit the Myoga Website .

Opening Hours: Dinner: 19:00pm – 22:30pm Monday to Saturday, Lunch: 11:30am – 15:00pm Tuesday to Saturday

Location: The Vineyard Hotel, Colinton Rd, Newlands, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa

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Dash Restaurant and Bar {Review}

Grant and I recently found overselves at Dash Restaurant and Bar for a romantic lunch! With life being so busy, it is not something we get to do very often but it was complete bliss.

Dash Restaurant and Bar

You will find Dash Restaurant and Bar in the popular V&A Waterfront, in Cape Town. This hidden gem is tucked away in the unique Queen Victoria Hotel. The five-star boutique hotel, is an intimate space with gorgeous interiors and creative flare!

Dash restaurant at the Queen Victoria Hotel, is named after the Queen’s favourite pet. The space however is not what I would describe as cute and fluffy but rather the epitome of sophisticated fine dining. The 36-seater restaurant offers diners an elegant yet relaxed experience, with a touch of drama in the presentation of the well-crafted menu.

We started off our lunch with a wonderfully boozy cocktail! Their signature pomegranate cocktail was wickedly delicious. If we did not have to hit the shops after lunch, I would definitely have had two!

For starters Grant decided on the Soup of the Day, which happened to be his favourite, a spiced Butternut Soup! The cheesy toasties were perfect for dunking.

My starter was a rather colourful Caprese Salad, with a selection of tomatoes and rustic ciabatta croutons. It looked like summer on a plate!

I really loved the creative presentation of each dish and Grants main was definitely the dish of the day! The Salmon with Sticky Soy Glazed Fish Cakes and Apple and Mustard Seed Chutney was as beautiful to look at, as it was to eat!

My Sirloin Steak, served with textures of mushrooms, sweet and sour cabbage and sweet potato fries was as scrumptious! I particularly loved the earthy mushrooms, which complimented the steak really well.

Naturally we could not leave with trying a desert! The Vanilla Créme Brûlee was everything a desert should be, decadent, yet balanced and not too sweet! The shortbread biscuits and tart black cherries were a real treat.

We both really enjoyed our meal at Dash Restaurant and Bar and were quite sad that it had to come to an end! I know we will definitely be back, maybe for dinner this time or even for a few of their amazing cocktails.

Contact Details and Location:

Contact Tel: +27 21 418 1466, Fax: +27 21 418 1475 or email [email protected]

Physical Address: Portswood Ridge, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

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Bistro Allee Bleue Franschhoek

I recently wrote a post which featured some of the great eateries Franschhoek has to offer. One of the restaurants I mentioned in the feature was Bistro Allee Bleue.

The Allee Bleue Estate is located a few minutes outside of the town of Franschhoek, just off the R45. Allee Bleue (blue avenue or drive) owes its name to the statuesque, blue eucalyptus trees that magnificently line the entrance to the estate. The estate has an unmistakably French feel, being part of the Franschhoek Valley (or ‘French corner’). Picture perfect rows of vines, fields of lavender and meadows, stretch towards the Drakenstein Mountains in the distance.

Bistro Allee Bleue

As you enter the estate you will find Bistro Allee Bleue directly on your right. The Bistro offers breakfasts, light lunches, afternoon tea and cakes, as well as a full à la carte menu.

Chef Beau Du Toit recently introduced a new menu at Bistro Allee Bleue, which Grant and I had the opportunity of tasting. The new menu focuses on using in-season, local produce and a variety of fresh herbs, grown in the estate’s herb tunnels.

The bistro has an elfresco dining area, including a kiddies play area, perfect for warmer weather. Inside, crisp white tablecloths, blue chairs and blue-wash on the walls, emulate the estates “bleue” theme.

We started lunch with a glass of the Allee Bleue Brut Rosé, which was perfect, as it was a rather balmy winters day!

Before ordering our starters, we were offered a complimentary herb salad with farm baked bread. I think that this is a really nice touch, especially if you are not planning on ordering starters.

For starters I decided on the Smoked Salmon Trout with coriander, mint, sweetcorn, pickled chilli, garlic and a lemon aioli. My starter was absolutely delicious! I loved the sweetness of the corn, which was off set by the heat from the pickled chilli and the zingy citrus from the aioli – it all complimented the smoked trout really well!

For mains I had to try the Venison and ‘skaap stertjie’ Burger, which I had heard so much about! The burger is served with sautéed wild mushrooms and thyme, sweet potato chips and a homemade sweet chilli mayo. The earthiness of wild mushrooms worked really well with the burger and I loved the sweet potato chips! I decided to pair my dish with the Allée Bleue Shiraz, which complimented the dish perfectly.

Grant opted for the Pulled Pork Shoulder Pie, which came highly recommended by our waitress. The pie is served with mash, gremolata, caramelised root vegetables, pickled cabbage and gravy. We both agreed that this was the winner out off the two main dishes we tried – it was utterly divine!

I am not entirely sure how but we managed to squeeze in a desert – but we did! We both thought that the Malva Pudding with custard and cream was the perfect way to end our meal!

We really enjoyed our lunch at Allee Bleue Bistro. Great food and wine, topped off by friendly service, made for a wonderful experience!

Location: Intersection R 45 and R310, Groot Drakenstein 7680, South Africa Contact: For bookings please email or call on 021 874 1021. Allée Bleue Bistro is open from Tuesday – Sundays & Public Holidays 08h00-17h00.

Disclosure Ranking:4