Winter is a special time for restaurant lovers in Cape Town. Literally. Almost every restaurant has specials. It’s fabulous. One such restaurant is Harbour House at the V&A Waterfront, which I actually reviewed this time last year.
It just keeps getting better and better.
Even at only R150 for two courses, and R170 for three, Harbour House is really not holding back on the quality of the food on offer.
After an amuse bouche of yellowtail ceviche topped with caviar, we had Prawn and Calamari Ragout with both a garlic, chilli, basil and tomato sauce and a herb butter sauce. The pastry was light and crisp and the seafood tender and well-seasoned. The balance of the two sauces (spicy vs. creamy) was a gift from the Gods.
The Braised Oxtail Ravioli with poached bone marrow, baby carrots and button mushrooms, on a red wine and parsley sauce. This very hearty dish was gorgeous. I loved that the ravioli was open. The oxtail was like butter, complemented by the rich bone marrow and winter veg.
For our mains I had Springbok Saddle Medallions on an orange and honey jus, with a tian of butternut, creamed spinach and celeriac mash, with onion puree and deep fried leeks. The peppery springbok was even more tender than the oxtail. I didn’t need my knife. I’m not usually a fan of orange, but it was so gentle it just lifted this very rich dish. The tian needed seasoning but was a great homely accompaniment, and the crispiness of the leeks added texture.
The other main was one of those dishes that everyone watches as it’s carried to the table. Grilled Crayfish Thermidor with pomme frites and herb salad. The succulent pieces of crayfish were topped with a generous lashing of a white wine béchamel sauce. The pomme frites great for dipping into the left over sauce and the salad, well, it was ignored.
Lastly, we had Milk Tart Panna Cotta with brandied dates, cardamom crumble, orange segments and dried orange zest. The panna cotta was perfect. It tasted just milk tart. I loved the contrast of the sweet dates, the spicy cardamom and the fresh orange, but the bitterness of the zest didn’t do it for me (probably because I stuck my spoon in and tasted it on its own, so it was very strong).
The Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake with beetroot and rose ice cream was amazing, although I was worried it was going to taste like potpourri. The cake wasn’t sweet and the ice cream was. It was the perfect ending to a stunning evening.
Food, atmosphere, price, service – perfect. Harbour House, you’ve done it again.
PS: This menu continues until the end of June so book now! They will introduce a new menu next month.
