A restaurant with a view is always hot-property, and in Cape Town (when the summer sun stays up through your entire dinner) we have so many views to choose from. One of my favourites is the view from Wakame in Mouille Point –I love the sea, but I hate sand – so Wakame is a win.
At a whopping 28 degrees we cooled off with cocktails. My friend had the Passionate Wafu (R45) made with vodka, mint and lime, then topped with ginger ale and passion fruit pulp – it was like a Mojito with a twist. I had a Pink Wafu (R45) made with white rum, Malibu, pineapple juice and grenadine, it was refreshing and not too sweet at all.
I want to mention here, that we ate a lot. Don’t judge.
To start we shared, *ahem ahem*:
Wok Seared Scallops (R78) topped with a red onion and chilli salsa and caviar. They were ever so slightly overcooked but the balance of the warm scallops, cold salsa, fiery chilli, oily caviar and zesty lime was the perfect combo.
When I saw this on the menu, I just had to try the Salmon and Avocado Springrolls (R45) because to be honest, they sounded awful – cooked salmon and avo just ain’t my kinda thang. However, because they’d been flash fried, they weren’t warm through and I must admit, I really liked them.
Of the three starters we had, the Crispy Fried Calamari (R61) was our favourite. Topped with Hoi Sin sauce, coriander and lime and served with warm wasabi mayo, soya sauce and sweet chilli sauce, these crispy little pieces of heaven were magical.
For our fish course (yes, we even had a fish course) we had:
New-style Sashimi salad (R108) made up of layered salmon, tuna and avo, with a side of dried seaweed and a soya and apple dressing. Although really delicious, this little number is a tad on the pricey side for its size – but if the cost doesn’t matter, then it is quite a treat.
Because their sushi pieces are ENORMOUS, we had a half portion of two varieties. The Rockshrimp Tempura rolls (R105 for 9) were spicy salmon and tuna California rolls topped with crunchy tempura shrimp and Wakame mayo, made with mayo, 7 spice and soya sauce. They were light and crunchy and delicious, but in my opinion, were completely outshone by the incredible Rainbow Reloaded (R88 for 8). Prawn California rolls wrapped in salmon and tuna and topped with mayo, caviar and Teriyaki sauce. Once again, these were huge pieces and were completely worth their price tag.
And then there were mains.
The Sesame Crusted and Marinated Tuna Steak (R129) was truly man-sized, as was the portion of Pak Choi it was served on. Topped with über skinny, crispy sweet potato chips, the combination of textures was perfect. Mid
I had the Marinated Ostrich strips on Egg Noodles (R136) wok-fried with crispy fried garlic, asparagus and mushrooms, then topped with red onion marmalade, dried chilli and cream cheese. The tender ostrich was perfectly cooked, as were the veg and noodles. The sweet marmalade worked beautifully with the salty soya marinade, and the dollops of cream cheese allowed you to make certain mouthfuls creamy, without making the entire dish too rich. It was a brilliantly constructed dish.
At this point I said, “Ahh Jess, I don’t feel like dessert”. She agreed. Our lovely waiter, George, then asked if we’d have anything else and I declined. He said, “But why not try our Amarula Mousse?” It took -00,2seconds for me to reply, “Ok”. So we shared the Amarula Mousse (R48) topped with chocolate sauce and chocolate pieces. It was smooth and creamy and delicious and divine and amazing. And totally worth the calories.
A beautiful venue, menu, atmosphere and crowd. It isn’t cheap, but if cash dollah doesn’t matter, or you want to spoil yourself – Wakame is a stunning venue for drinks, lunch or dinner.
