“A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” – Tenneva Jordan

With all the holidays of late, it might be easy to forget, but this Sunday, 8 May, is Mother’s Day – the one day a year that we get to insist that our mothers eat their slice of pie. Across the country, restaurants are already becoming booked up. Why not take the opportunity to visit one of the new restaurants in your area? Or, try out one of our Top Ten restaurants. While many restaurants will be serving their normal menus, there are also a handful of restaurants offering fabulous specials.

We’ve rounded up some of the best below:

Johannesburg

Bice
What’s on offer? Family-style buffet
How much? R300pp, includes a gift for mothers

Indulgence Café
What’s on offer? Mother’s Day Lunch with live acoustic jazz by Keira Witherkay. Menu includes duck and cherry pie, spicy gluhwein to start and an array of desserts.
How much? R165pp, kids under 10 eat free

Piccolo Mondo at Michelangelo Hotel
What’s on offer? Mother’s Day breakfast, set lunch menu, Mother’s Day High Tea and Lindt chocolate experience in the Il Ritrovo Lounge, Mother’s Day dinner.
How much? R195pp for breakfast, R320pp for lunch for adults, R160pp for children between ages five and 12, R80pp for children between two and five; R195pp for high tea, includes gift for everyone; R275 for dinner

Cape Town

1800 Grill Room at Cape Royal Luxury Hotel
What’s on offer? Three-course Mother’s Day menu, featuring salmon risotto, braised shank of lamb, pan-fried linefish and a choice of desserts. Also stand a chance of winning spa vouchers on the day.
How much? Set menu R225pp

Five Flies
What’s on offer? 2 or 3 course Mother’s Day lunch including options such as West Coast mussels, braised lamb shank on white onion puree, and pear and almond frangipane tart.
How much? R190.00 for two courses & R215.00 for three courses, glass of complimentary bubbly and Moms get dessert free

La Mouette
What’s on offer? A two-for-the-price-of-one six-course tasting menu, including winter pimms, cheese croquettes, caramelised onion soup, linefish, confit pork belly, warm chocolate profiteroles.
How much? R240 for two.

The Square at the Vineyard Hotel & Spa
What’s on offer? Mother’s Day set lunch menu, including options such as roast-duck spring rolls with plum and ginger dipping sauce, prawn and avocado cocktail, roast fillet of Chalmar beef with Yorkshire pudding and traditional gravy, mushroom and baby onion sauté, citrus Turkish delight crème brûlée with toasted pistachio-nut wafers, and hot chocolate truffle pudding with banana and caramel ice cream.
How much? R245pp

Signal at the Cape Grace
What’s on offer? Three-course ‘Fresh and Floral’ Mother’s Day menu, including floral-inspired touches, such as lavender chutney, lemon-scented anchovy cream and geranium jus. The library at the Cape Grace is also offering sweet treats, such as sultana and orange blossom honey scones, petits fours, caramel tartlets and bubbly.
How much? R275pp for three-course meal; R95pp for tea in the library?

Trees at Townhouse Hotel & Conference Centre
What’s on offer? Mother’s Day lunch, including a wide variety of choices such as grilled honey and rosemary lamb chops with roasted garlic jus, roasted butternut stuffed with creamy spinach and button mushrooms, mixed berry cheesecake and jam tart with Chantilly cream.
How much? R165pp

Harveys at Winchester Mansions
What’s on offer? Jazz brunch with music by the Maurice Gawronsky Quartet. Glass of fine wine on arrival, complimentary Sunday newspaper and a brunch buffet that ranges from breakfast to desserts.
How much? R195pp

Greater Cape Town

Restaurant 1802 at d’Ouwe Werf Hotel in Stellenbosch
What’s on offer? Two- or three-course menu, including gluhwein on arrival and choices of roasted roma tomato and basil soup, salmon trout, dill and asparagus roulade, fillet of beef with brandied figs and green peppercorn sauce, honey and sherry duck breast fillet, pecan-crusted Mille-feuille, and mixed berry crème brûlée shot
How much? R195pp for three courses; R165pp for two courses

Bosmans at Grande Roche Hotel
 What’s on offer? Mother’s Day lunch. Set menu including trio of tuna, with coriander mayonnaise and ponzu dressing, pan-fried beef fillet with red-onion marmalade, bean cassoulet and thyme jus, and a homemade chocolate brownie with rum and raisin ice cream. À la carte menu also available.
How much? R255pp, including a little something for mothers

Country Kitchen at Mont Rochelle
What’s on offer? Three-course set lunch menu, including cured Franschhoek trout, apples, micro greens and beetroot gazpacho, followed by roast pork neck and roasted turkey with seasonal vegetables and roast potatoes, and a melt-in-the-mouth blueberry compote
How much? R220pp

Grand Provence
?What’s on offer? À la carte lunch or dinner
How much? R295pp

Mange Tout at Mont Rochelle Hotel & Mountain Vineyards 
What’s on offer? Three-course set lunch menu, including exotic mushroom risotto, Parmesan emulsion and toasted pine kernels, roasted lemon and thyme baby chicken, roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables, tiramisu, Mascarpone mousse, coffee and savoiardi ice cream. 
How much? R250pp, includes a blind-tasting for mothers on arrival of one red and one white wine. Correct answers go into a prize draw.

Proviant
What’s on offer? Buffet, including soup and farm bread, Kassler roast, chicken campagnola, Indian beef curry, yellow raisin rice, roast potatoes, broccoli cheese, sweet carrots, chocolate meringue pie.?
How much? R125pp (including a glass of bubbly for Mom)

Durban

Gigi’s Brasserie
What’s on offer? Mother’s Day dinner, with options such as West Coast oysters, smoked salmon, sushi, garlic and lemon sautéed green beans, wok-fried vegetables, peri-peri spatchcock baby chicken. Guests will also receive a special treat during the evening
How much? R300pp

Bloemfontein

Woodlands Farm
What’s on offer? Mother’s Day lunch buffet, including items such as Hungarian beef goulash soup, smoked tomato, slow-roasted pork belly, lamb curry with coconut and ginger, hot chocolate fondant with red-wine poached pears. How much? R200pp; R100pp for children under eight

By Katharine Jacobs

Image: Dash restaurant