This review only needs to be 11 words long.
If I could eat at La Mouette every night, I would.
That’s it. Done. Bye.
Want more? Fine.
La Mouette keep mixing things up. They were one of the first restaurants to create an affordable tasting menu changes every month, they created the Twitterati party and they host a variety of functions, the most recent being, “The La Mouette French Feast”.
Not only is La Mouette’s style that of French cuisine, but 2012/13 sees France and South Africa swapping stuff. We celebrate their cuisine, style, culture and shizznizz and they celebrate ours. It’s an incredible international endeavour, which is very exciting for South African tourism. Read more about it here.
To kick off the swapsies, Henri, Mari, Gerrit and their FABULOUS team threw a feast of epic proportions on Wed 5th September. For just R280 we were treated to a 5 course dinner, paired with stunning wines from Domaine Grier estate.
To start we had Truffle and Bayonne ham croquettes dipped in a bearnaise sauce, with Villiera MCC Tradition Brut NV. They made me a special portion of ham-free croquettes (I would have cried if I couldn’t eat them) and they were as delicious as ever. The delicious, rich, creamy, cheesy croquettes went beautifully with the light, fruity bubbly. A great start to the evening.
Next up seafood bouillabaisse with crispy prawn, fish, croutons and aioli, served with Domaine Grier Rosé 2011. I was so enraptured with my soup (plus, my camera was giving me trouble) so I didn’t manage to get a shot of this stunning dish. The seafood was perfectly cooked, the fish was flaky, the soup clear but well seasoned, which went perfectly with the sweet wine.
Thirdly, we had silky caramalised French onion soup topped with gorgeous cheesiness and crunchy croutons. I was worried that the croutons would be “soggy” after floating atop the soup, but they weren’t and I’m embarrassed to admit that even though I was adamant I wouldn’t, I finished the entire bowl. The Domaine Grier Grenache 2009 it was a sharp wine, as it needed to hold its own against the richness of the soup.
The main was confit duck with sautéed potatoes, red cabbage, walnuts and peppercorn sauce. It was incredible. The duck was full of flavour, moist and tender balanced by the sour bite of the red cabbage, the walnuts added earthiness and texture and the peppercorn sauce added spice. Paired with the Domaine Grier Odyssea 2009 – this course was a.m.a.zing.
And for dessert we had Tarte aux fraises, or French strawberry tart, with a gorgeous thin layer of what we decided to call “custard cream” as there is no exact English translation. Don’t judge me – I was sitting with the owner, manager and French wine representatives, so it was an extremely educated discussion and resulting description. Paired with a light, and perfectly sweet Grier Brut NV Méthode Traditionnelle Sparkling Wine, everyone had seconds (of both).
It was a phenomenal evening, where I met new people, tried new wines and ate the always lovely La Mouette food. You may have missed this one, but luckily there is another one coming up:
Wine and Dine with Mike Ratcliffe
Date: 11 October.
Time: 7pm.
Cost: R320p/p with wines
Menu:
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Pea soup mint oil, confit onion, yoghurt
Warwick Prof Black Sauvignon Blanc 2012
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Crayfish ravioli vanilla, almond crumble rhubarb and hibiscus foam
Warwick Chardonnay 2010
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Moroccan style lamb confit shoulder, crispy pastilla, smoked aubergine puree, tomato harissa
Warwick Three Cape Ladies 2010
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Chalmar beef sirloin Bone marrow crust, braised shin, smoked onion puree and alligot
Warwick Trilogy 2009
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Kir Royal Champagne foam, rhubarb and cassis sorbet