The Mount Nellie’s Oasis Bistro recently reopened with a fresh lick of paint and a modern bistro menu to replace the buffet-style spread. There are just a few short weeks left to visit: the bistro is open for summer months only, so here’s why you should check it out.

Food
Expect well-executed, tasty bistro food at this newly refurbished restaurant at the Mount Nelson Hotel. The old buffet menu has given way for fresh, considered dishes. A tomato and burrata salad is light, luscious and just right with a crack of black pepper and sea salt. The ceviche with avocado and coriander and the spicy calamari and marinated baby marrow salad are other good options for starters.

For mains, opt for the slow-braised lamb shoulder, infused with rich flavours of lemon and rosemary, and served with sweet, soft, pickled onions and creamy polenta. A great option for a slightly lighter meal is the pan-fried trout, done to a turn, with new potatoes and a lemon butter sauce. Other signature dishes include the fragrant Cape Malay chicken curry and the beef burger made with 100% pasture-reared beef from Farmer Angus’s Pasture Reared Foods, one of the winners at this year’s Eat Out DStv Food Network Produce Awards.

All produce has been carefully sourced. The menu also features Farmer Angus’s free-range lamb and eggs, as well as organic veg from Magic Herbs and marmalade from Karma Jams, all of which won awards at the Eat Out DStv Food Network Produce Awards last month. There’s also a focus on green-listed fish, oysters from Luderitz, Port Elizabeth, and Saldanha Big Bay, and an incredible range of cheeses from small producers around SA. Bread and desserts are freshly made on site. We’re particularly impressed with the ice cream flavours that change daily.

Dishes are, however, slightly pricier than some Cape Town lunch spots, with most mains around the R140–R150 mark.

Wine
A very comprehensive list, put together by top sommelier Carl Habel.

Service
Friendly and eager to please, rather than slick and starchy.

Ambience
With views out over the hotel’s crystal blue pool, surrounded by palms, the veranda is indeed something of an oasis on hot summer days. The inside area is cosy for chillier days.

By Katharine Jacobs Have you been to Oasis Bistro?

(Please note: Oasis closes on 30 April and will reopen 1 October 2013.)