If an invitation to dine at the inimitably stylish Dash Restaurant at the Queen Victoria Hotel lands in your inbox, there is one thing to say – yes. It was with great delight that I made my way through the hotel doors, ready for a fine dining affair.
The hotel’s charms are many and begin with the ideal location (who would say no to views of the V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain?), impeccably furnished interiors – think comfortable armchairs around a glowing fireplace, black wood-topped bars and walls hung with Vettriano-type paintings. Pair this with the recent appointment of Sam Wasserman as Executive Chef and you have yourself an unmatched evening.
With Chef Sam at the kitchen’s helm, Dash has seen a menu revamp speckled with continental and Asian influences. With experience at Le Quartier Francais in Franschhoek, a four-year stint at the Soho Hotel in London, matched with time spent on local soil at several luxury bush lodges, a refined, contemporary and multi-flavoured meal was to be expected. Her ability to re-invent dishes to bring out certain flavours and pair unusual foods together, was the meal’s highlight. Nothing quite like a taste surprise when you least expect it.
Between courses, she shared that although it’s important to make food look good on a plate, its essential that the taste matches – and surpasses – it. The five-course meal that she presented was nothing short of incredible, on both fronts. A twice-baked gorgonzola soufflé, light, fluffy and creamy all at once, complemented by a tart raspberry caviar and biltong shavings. The deconstructed meze – lamb loin with smoked paprika polenta, baby aubergine and chickpea foam was possibly my favourite, but not before the carnival on a plate that came in the form of dessert: deconstructed lemon meringue, raspberry mousse, lime and yoghurt sorbet, creme brûlée and lemon tart.
This, paired with great company and many a glass of delicious wine resulted in an evening that – after four and a half merry hours – sadly had to come to an end. Until next time.
OF NOTE
Where Queen Victoria Hotel, Portswood Ridge, V&A Waterfront
Trading hours Daily 7 am – 11 pm
Contact +27 21 418 1466, www.newmarkhotels.com
Photography Courtesy
Looks stunning and delicious
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