….and the heat continues!
No need to introduce myself as you hopefully would have read last month’s article.
As this month went on, I really wanted to try something different. So off I went to sample the delightful gourmet spread from Anne’s Cotton Club (on the R40), about 5 minutes out of town. The menu was happily not exhaustive, which seems to have added to the personal attention to, and quality of, the dishes that were served. And a good selection of dishes there was.
Seating was initially a little confusing as the tables from Anne’s Cotton Club, kind of melted into the restaurants table placements from next door – but that was sorted, and we settled down under the big trees outside. Being under the trees was very pleasant and relaxing, and it was well appointed and quite peaceful, despite the busy R40 alongside!
We were a tad boring in our selection of food – ideally, we should have had many different choices. But we opted for the melanzane and the vegetarian platter (with added avo) and a portion of homemade chips – hand cut, and perfectly fried.
Well, we were blown away! It was unanimous that the servings of melanzane were arguably the best melanzane ever! Maybe we were just very hungry, but it was outstanding. Clearly, it was freshly prepared – not oily, and not baked for hours on end. One comment was that it could have been accompanied by a fresh slice of ciabatta, with beautiful cold salted butter. Maybe that just comes from the fact that there was a ‘bread addict’ in the midst!
The tomato was light, and the amount of cheese was just right – great balance of contents met to perfection. Even though it was a warm day we did not feel that we had overeaten at all. Take note it seems that it was prepared there and then – a welcome change to the general restaurant norm. The taste of the melazane took us straight back to Sicily and the ambience and memories of the port trattoria!
The vegetarian platter with a side of chips was to die for – thank heavens we saw the chips going to another table …. and that was that. The dish was not an overly ‘wow’, but it was a great dish for the occasion, well prepared and tasty – on a hot afternoon under the shade with a glass of wine – close to perfection. The humus was fabulous, and I always enjoy a good pita, but I did add avocado, which I think would generally be a good addition to the spread.
The chips – oh my goodness, the chips! They were hand cut, thick, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and “HAVE to be the best chips in town”. At the time there was a unanimous vote of confidence in that assumption. We’ll see about that going forward.
The only real small piece of counsel I feel, must be levelled at the waitron. No doubt she was on the ball and attentive, but slightly abrupt and imposing. She did interrupt from time to time and at a point, almost had her elbow in my face whilst attending to the table – a little more training and finesse I feel.
Wonderful lime and sodas – cold, lots of ice and not short of a good tot of lime. The glass of house wine was certainly quaffable, and nice and crispy and cold – perfect for a hot afternoon.
To round off our wonderful lunch we opted – as I often do on a whim (hence the figure) – to sample the desert delicacies. We ordered apple tart and cape brandy pudding. Wow!
The tart was fantastic, the apples were clearly freshly prepared in a sugary, cinnamon, buttery glaze. The phyllo pastry was crisp and light. It was a taste and texture delight.
Then came the cape brandy pudding – brace yourselves Hoedspruit! This was a taste sensation, with a festival a flavoursome, moist, soft, date-loaded sponge, dripping with brandy sauce served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. The fight was on for the last piece, and we were all in agreement that we would all certainly come back to sample this wonderful masterpiece again!
On our return I may even decide to follow the advice of Ernestine Ulmer who once said – “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”
The ‘damage’ was on the upper side of the scale, but we all agreed that the quality of the food was worth every cent spent. Well done to the Anne (who I have not yet met) and her team. I’ll be back!
AE
