Enjoy the delights of the Secret Garden
The good news is ... the Secret Garden at Uncle Tim's Cabin in High Road has a new owner ... Bev Carrington-Hall (of the Bell Pepper in Kensington fame and well-known in Benoni eating out circles).
The Victorian theme of the Secret Garden lends itself to high teas and, although the restaurant has been open only a month, several successful teas have already been held at this intriguing venue.
The restaurant caters for breakfasts, ranging from macon (it is a non-pork establishment) and eggs, eggs Benedict to yoghurt with honey and light lunches, including lasagne and curries — international food with several items on the menu with French/Moroccan leanings.
Bev will soon introduce her popular Thursday nights, again with a French/Moroccan/international theme and the liquor licence for the restaurant is also in the process of being finalised.
My guest and I opted for half portions of delicious salads (roasted vegetable with mixed lettuce, butternut, mixed peppers, roasted cherry tomatoes, couscous and grilled haloumi for Nicolette and smoked salmon with capers, peppers and your choice of blue, camembert or cream cheese and avocado [seasonal] and roasted cherry tomatoes).
After much chatting and catching up we selected our mains — quiche baked in phyllo pastry, served with chips and pasta (my choice was penne) with a spicy Moroccan relish sauce accompanied by chopped green chillies.
Both dishes were delectable, the phyllo adding an unusual touch. The spicy Moroccan relish with the al dente penne had plenty of bite so I did not need to add any chillies.
Bev confesses that she trained as a master builder and then later became a chef.
Well, if her buildings were as “well constructed” as the food that comes from her kitchen then I’d be very happy to live in one …
The Secret Garden won’t stay a secret for long and it’s definitely a place to revisit. HG
