Our first full day in CapeTown had our fear friends Vice & Steve joining us from DC and we chose Aubergine, an adorable little spot where Chef Harald Bresselschmidt reigns and has a most superb staff assisting him to make your dining experience the smoothest ever. The décor is simple and elegant and we felt even more truly welcome when the chef came out to greet us.
We spoke to Rolf, the sommelier about our likes and he was genuinely excited to help us find the right wines. He suggested a Cinsault from Leeuwenkuil 2016 in the Swartland which he said would be a light red to start with and we were all amazed at the quality and flavor of this wine which came out to about $15 for the bottle!! We moved on to a truly amazing and full bodied Shiraz 2012 from Mullineux where we shall actually be staying in Franschoek this coming week!
The fun started with an amuse of Orange & Carrot Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds & Pumpkin Oil that I think would have chosen as a starter if he could. Again the bread was a hit with multiple refills of a white and grain, the latter apparently having been made by the same person for 20 years there!
Sam opened with a Burrata and went on to a Roasted Cauliflower & White Truffle Risotto, by passing the option for a vegetarian tasting menu. We all wanted to try many things, but settled on the 3 course menus.
Salmon Trout Delice had baby cos lettuce with avocado and yoghurt dressing and was cooked so rarely it was divine. The big hit for Will and me was the spectacular and flavorful Tartare of Ostrich Fillet with broad bean shoot, creme fraiche, sourdough croutons and bibb lettuce. Ostrich is great at home, but tartare is extremely rare and here with so many farms, the meat can be easily served freshly making it the truly tenderest of meat tartares there can be.
The Line Fish Medallion was a local Gurnard Fish served with Stinging Nettle Sauce, a Potato-Aubergine Fondue, Capers and White Anchovy Aroma, a fish lover's delight full of flavor that could easily stand up to the big red Shiraz. Oriental Style Duck Leg came with rice noodles, pok-choi(what we call bok-choy), cashew nuts and soy egg(which I never did find out what that was). I was in heaven when Will mentioned they had tongue as a main course, and I went gaga over the Wagyu Beef Tongue with a light Horseradish Foam, Bohemian Bread Dumplings and Romanesco Cauliflower. It was easily the most tender and delicious tongue I have ever had, and I was sure to tell the chef afterwards on our departure.
Desserts were huge winners here as well with many choices such as Coconut Composition with Gooseberries, Matcha Syrup and Coconut-Yoghurt Sorbet as well as the Chocolate Fondant with Honey Comb, Glazed Mandarin oranges and Brown Butter Ice Cream. There was also a Chef's Surprise loaded with many different items.
I wanted to try the cheese plate, but chose a winning dessert that offered both: Crispy Phyllo & Blue Cheese Pear with Rosemary Caramel & Pear-Riesling Sorbet. The cheese was superb and crumbled over the pear and rather than being wrapped in phyllo, the layers were roofed over the dish to make more crunch! Rolf procured a Joostenberg 2015 Late Harvest Chenin Blanc Noble as our first and excellent dessert wine of this trip and I know we will have more as the South Africans make a wondrous treat of their sweet dessert wines.
Truly a memorable meal with a truly amazing team at Aubergine and made even better with our friends now joining us for the next 2-1/2 weeks.
