Restaurant Review

I have been wanting to review Althea da Silva’s food for a long time. She was the previous owner of Tin Roof and has opened Bistro 98 at Dunkirk Estate.

I am a little biased to this venue as I worked there when Umami was still open so I know it intimately. I love what they have done with the seating arrangement and the decor.

It is a very clean cut and modern venue and creates a relaxed atmosphere. The menu is vast and has a broad selection to choose from.

The food is a little more sophisticated than your general restaurant, which I love. For starters we had the camembert with fig preserve. It was a really well-executed dish, although I did find the portion to be rather big, as a full camembert was used. It was deep fried and perfectly crisp, with cheese oozing out of every bite. I loved the slight ginger infusion in the fig preserve.

Although the avocado starter was well-plated I expected a bit more salsa as per the menu, and it needed a bit more acid to cut the fattiness of the avo.

This is the part that I hate about my job. What would have been an almost flawless review was tainted by our waiter not writing down our order and bringing me the wrong main course. I have mentioned this before: there is no shame in writing down orders.

While I waited for my correct main to arrive I sampled my dining companion’s line fish, which was red roman. The dish was very simple yet quite delicious with the fish cooked to perfection.

I was very happy when my main arrived. I had ordered the fillet of beef which was served with crisp polenta wedges and a horseradish cream.

We really enjoyed this dish – the textures of the fillet combined with the crisp crust of the polenta and the cream was a match made in heaven.I did not quite get the carrot and marrow slices but it did not detract from the dish at all.

The service was very good apart from the mix-up with my order. I am really looking forward to going back as the prices are reasonable for what you are getting – and I have heard Althea’s burgers are out of this world!

Raffia Restaurant Zinkwazi Enjoy alfresco meals in the forest canopy a la carte / curries / line fish / light meals OPEN DAILY PRE BOOK TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT 032 485 3344 LEISURE OPTIONS Restaurant Review ∙ WITH DAVID HOEHLER ∙

BISTRO 98 ∙ Monday – Closed Tuesday – Sunday 8:30-4:30, Wednesday/Friday/Saturday 8:30-21:00 Cater for private functions No reservation needed Walk ins welcome 032 525 8187 Interesting to note: Venue Decor Service Food Price Score: 9/10 Verdict Liqueur of the week I have found a new favorite liqueur.

La Pêche is peach cream infused with a touch of tequila. At first glance I didn’t think it would work but I found that it definitely does. The tequila is not too prominent and the cream and peach really add to the finish. I can highly recommend it. I would serve it as a straight shot as it is not too harsh and would go so well over crushed ice. Available at Tops @ Lifestyle R129