Last month, the V&A Waterfront approached us with a pretty awesome proposal. They asked us whether we were keen to join a panel of judges and rate fusion dishes that have been entered into the Master of the Trade Routes Culinary Challenge. After thinking about it for a few seconds, we said Yes! As a result, we will be dining at 7 different restaurants at the V&A Waterfront during the next few weeks and tell you all about it.
The great part about this winter campaign by the V&A Waterfront is that you can join the action too. You can be a food critic as well and win BIG in the process. Fill in one of the rating cards available at any of the 27 participating restaurants and you will enter into a draw to win dining experiences worth R15.000 as well as being invited to the big grand finale were the top 8 restaurants will compete to win.
Den Anker has been around for more than 10 years and is one of the most successful and popular restaurants at the V&A Waterfront having received many accolades for their food over the last decade. I’ve only been to Den Anker once before and that was several years ago – so I was quite excited to try their new fusion dish. I called up two friends and off we went.
On arrival, I had one of the Belgian beers on offer: Augustijn with a whopping 8% alcohol content. It has a golden amber colour with a mild and soft yet rich flavour. I enjoyed it a lot: It was light, crisp, and refreshing. It also reminded a bit of the Weissbier that was served at Paulaner Brauhaus.
On the Menu (The Fusion Dish) R120
Main Course
Seared Canadian scallop on a white asparagus risotto with a lightly curried beurre blanc. (Signature Dish)
Let’s start with the scallops: crisp exterior, soft interior, sweet, and very rich. Sounds like a steak – doesn’t it? I love steaks too but this was way better! You would think things couldn’t improve much more, but then you would be wrong, very wrong!
Oh Risotto, how much I love you! I’ve often had mushroom risotto in the past but this was the first time I had the asparagus version of it. It was very creamy and only slightly chewy. Perfection. My friend (who is a chef) said that it was slightly overcooked but if that was the case I actually preferred it that way.
The shellfish and asparagus combination worked very well and had me longing for more. The dish was also served with a glass of their House wine (white) which had a complex fruity structure and complemented the dish very well.
Dessert
Pear poached with cinnamon and all spice with a cherry beer.
Next up was the dessert. The aroma and the flavour of the dish reminded me a bit about Christmas. A cold, rainy (and sometimes snowy) European Christmas. It was cold & windy outside so, I guess, it fit the occasion perfectly as well. The Cherry Beer had a reddish colour and was served in a small shot glass. It was very sweet and would pair nicely with any sweet dessert.
To conclude, R120 for a two course meal and a glass of wine is really good value and the quality of the food and presentation was flawless. The competition still runs until the end of August, I can only recommend giving the fusion dish at Den Anker dish a go!
PS. If you read German Beer, Norwegian Salmon, Swiss Cheese you know you are going get the real deal. I was excited to try the Belgian Waffle but it was a bit of a let-down. It was a good waffle but I’m not sure what’s so Belgian about it. It was a waffle. Rant over.
