This close-knit family made serving a full restaurant on a Saturday night, look like a seamless affair without a single table wanting for anything, and smiles on their faces. Knowledgeable, passionate, interesting, aware of their surroundings and working as a team throughout! It was both a pleasure to experience first-hand and to simply sit and watch. 

Food: 5/5 

Photography-wise, I have tried to feature a small glimpse of our exceptional culinary adventure recently guided by Chef Farrel Hirsch and hope that I have done it justice, because it truly was an interactive journey of discovery with lots of drama, beautiful plating and unusual taste combinations that did not disappoint anyone at the table.  

‘a muse’ bouche 

Tempura Courgettes with courgette Baba Ganoush, dehydrated courgette skin, lime and coriander shoots.

Cheese and tomato sandwich, brick pastry, huguenots cheese, cherry tomato jam and fresh chives.

Lavash flat bread with Romesco pesto, goats cheese, granola, honey and fresh herbs.

“bokkoms”

Seabass, seaweed, avocado, rice, cucumber, sesame

The presentation, interaction and plating of this dish had us all fixated on the Chef.. It can only be described as artistry in motion. 

the game

Springbok tartare, foie “rocher”, berry, Glühwein, parsley

kaapse eend

Breast and leg, hanepoot and shiitake, pear, pistachio

Chef Farrel achieved absolute perfection with this 14 day dry-aged duck breast on the crown and confit leg.. Tender, juicy meat with crispy skin.

tshishanyama

Aged beef, sweetbreads, carrot, onion, pap, morogo

The beet

Beetroot, hazelnut, coffee, chocolate, cherry

greenhouse petit four

The three petit fours that we finished our evening up with were mini malva pudding, peppermint crisp truffles and mango and coriander jub jub 

kaas op die plaas

Assorted cheeses, ginger-apricot chutney, honeycomb, cashew

Ambiance: 5/5 

Soft, romantic lighting provided mostly by lamps and a clever use of mirrors, paint a beautiful scene for this restaurant at night. 

I was impressed with Greenhouse’s use of the space and simple, stylish furnishings when it came to the table settings. This restaurant, unlike many others in this genre, manages to create ambiance effortlessly without appearing at all as if it is trying too hard. 

*Recommendation: 

Greenhouse at Cellars-Hohenort truly is a world class treat for the senses!  I cannot recommend their ‘Experience’ tasting menu enough and fully understand why it has cemented itself time and time again as one of South Africa’s Top 10 Restaurants.