A visit to Ginger The Restaurant at The Beach Hotel in Port Elizabeth is always something to look forward to, says Eat Out critic Petro Lotz.

The entrance to Ginger The Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Food

The ambitious menu rarely disappoints. The meal might start with feather-light blue-cheese tart with the tiniest of poached pears; for mains, vegetarians are well looked after with a crusted roast vegetable Wellington, served with a ratatouille sauce. The duck à l’orange is almost too beautiful to eat, while the line fish, served skin up, comes with a little moulded mound of crushed new potatoes and a sweet lemon purée. The herb-crusted rack of lamb is beautifully presented; cutting through the rack, you’ll find it pink and perfectly done. The star of this menu, however, has to be the homemade Spice Route ice cream. A trio of ginger, cinnamon and fennel and honey ice creams is served in a wide rimmed dish with no adornments – a fantastic flavour bomb.

The food at Ginger The Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Drinks

The carefully selected perfectly complements the excellent food. Unfortunately, Ginger seems to have lost some of its key staff members during the past year and the wine service is suffering because of this. Our table was set with a mix of red and white wine glasses, and no regard was paid to which wine went into which glass. One expects better at this kind of establishment. The espresso is delicious.

A cocktail on the verandah at Ginger The Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Service

Our waitress tried her utmost best, but had no support from the manager, who seemed more interested in telling jokes to one of the waiters than looking after his guests. We were also placed right in front of the door on a very cold, windy evening, and despite the fact that we had booked well in advance and that there were tables available out of the draught, were never offered alternate seating.

A dessert at Ginger The Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Ambience

Ginger’s sophisticated interior, with its beach-house look, textured décor and ample amount of glass used in the restaurant, is beautiful. Different upholstered chairs are used at the tables, adding to the luxurious, layered look. They also use the most elegant cutlery. The restaurant can become a bit noisy over weekend evenings, however, when small parties are hosted in the venue.

And…

They serve the most wonderful olive oil with their bread.

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Eat Out critics dine anonymously and pay for their meals in full. Read our editorial policy here.

A view of the ocean at Ginger The Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.