Hennie Fisher visits Coobs in Parkhurst and discovers informed simplicity and a focus on quality.

Food
Chef owner James Diack has compiled a menu that not only celebrates the produce, but also his passion and understanding of great food. The dinner menu offers starters, pasta dishes, mains and desserts in a modern, fun style, much like the rest of the spots on the main drag of Parkhurst. Coobs aims to trace all their ingredients’ origins, and about 75% of the vegetables used come from their organic farm in the Magaliesberg.

Home-smoked salmon comes seared and served on curry yoghurt with coriander and litchi salsa, and free-range chicken liver parfait with homemade fig preserve and Melba pays homage to an earlier style. The house green salad of peas, avo, beans, cucumber and sprouts can be ordered with additional parmesan cheese. Rib-eye comes either with a porcini mushroom cream or a deep rich port jus; line-fish of the day is served with a heaped salad of beans; and lamb rogan josh bunny chow, with mint bread and sambals, is hot, yet tasty and comforting. Side dishes include organic green salad, parmesan-dusted wedges, Asian veggies or a parmesan risotto. To end the meal, their current selection includes chocolate baked Alaska; churros with cinnamon sugar and rich Belgian dark chocolate sauce; rhubarb tart with honeycomb and homemade vanilla bean ice cream; and lemon verbena syrup cake with Cointreau ice cream.

Wine
A small but superbly compiled wine list of mostly locals with a few imports should speak to any enthusiast. The selection of wines by the glass is good, with even a Graham Beck Brut available. Other bubblies include Pol Roger, Colmant and a Bisol Jeio Valdobbiadene Prosecco. DMZ Sauvignon Blanc, Crystallum’s The Agnes Chardonnay, Tamboerkloof Viognier, and Spioenkop Riesling are examples of interesting whites, while the reds offer an even greater choice of carefully selected options such as Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, Mr. P Pinot Noir, Muratie Merlot, Usana Cabernet Sauvignon, Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc, Blackwater Grenache Shiraz, Morgenster Tosca and many more.

Service
A small group of young, personable men seems to have the whole restaurant in the palms of their hands: never obtrusive, yet there when you need them. This seems to be one of those easy restaurants where things are done without a fuss and one would do well to listen to the specials and to let the staff guide you in your menu choices. The barman is equally happy to get into a deeper discussion regarding their choice of coffees and preparation methods.

Ambience
Coobs is housed in a double-volume space in a brand new building at the bottom end of the famous restaurant lane in Parkhurst. Purpose-built restaurants always come with better lighting, layout, acoustics and overall space utilisation. Much of the raw brick wall space is taken up by large artworks and the wall opposite the entrance boasts a very welcoming bar/coffee area. Outside tables, as they do at many restaurants on this street, allow one to become part of the hustle and bustle. And the chef himself might exchange a friendly word or two and answer any nagging questions about menu choices.

And…
Coobs manages to do something that is becoming increasingly rare: combining good food, great service and a selection of high quality beverages to provide the diner with a good time. Informed simplicity and a focus on quality seem to be the order of the day.

By Hennie Fisher