Food
As far as enviable locations for a restaurant go, Salsify is sitting pretty in the upper level of The Roundhouse. This national monument was built in 1786, serving first as a guardhouse and then as a hunting lodge for the 19th-century governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset. Lion’s Head rears up protectively behind it while before you are 180-degree views of the twinkling Atlantic Ocean. But Salsify doesn’t trade on its location alone. Chef Ryan Cole has put together a menu of modern, seasonal dishes inspired by nature, which will resonate well with an international audience, but also pays homage to South African flavours through creative interpretation. It is, as the restaurant promises, an elegant study of local ingredients and unexpected flavour combinations. Salsify offers a 10-course chef’s menu for dinner, and a six-course lunch menu that is a slightly lighter affair, though comprises many of the same dishes. Vegetarian options should be requested when you make your reservation. Both menus are off to the races from the first mouthful of kitchen gifts (aka starter snacks). The Jerusalem artichoke tart is a light and crispy shortbread tartlet made using artichoke flower filled with a light and creamy artichoke foam and topped with small crispy fries, finished off with the complementary earthy notes of white truffle and balanced with the subtle sweetness of amaretto jellies – the flavours pair together beautifully and textures are light and crispy, and melt-in-the-mouth. Alongside that is a take on the beef-and-cheese sandwich: a buckwheat cracker filled with smoked Stanford catalan, basil aioli and horseradish cream topped with Salsify’s own bresaola (cured in-house for three weeks) and freshly shaved horseradish. The ‘Pearls and Oyster’ snack is a romaine lettuce heart served on a bed of ice, topped with oyster cream, cucumber jellies for freshness, black squid caviar, amasi jellies and a lemon snow – for both theatre and complementary fresh citrus notes. In starter territory, the Fire Salad eloquently translates the chef’s love of outdoor cooking. An amasi curd is topped with a nasturtium mousse and turnip roasted in the whey, with blue-kernel popcorn for crunch. The dish is a delicate marriage of textures and flavours, the mildly spicy and earthy nuttiness of the turnip well balanced by the slight acidity of the amasi and complemented by the subtle eppery/mustard flavour of the bright nasturtium. The kitchen really pulls out all the stops for this menu. You’ll work your way through Jacobsbaai abalone, jig-caught Simon’s Town chokka and south-coast crayfish. Then it’s off to the interior (ingredients wise) for crispy Karoo ribs and sweetbreads, and a slow-cooked duck breast with duck-heart stuffing. ‘Ma’s Maltabella’ (naartjie panna cotta served with naartjie jelly, a fluffy Maltabella pillow and popped sorghum) makes for a very clever pre-dessert. It’s followed by a hazelnut and bitter-chocolate tart served with a 75% dark-chocolate cremeux (which gives a delicious, intense, earthy bitterness) and a quenelle of aged-whisky ice cream. The crowning glory, a lightly toasted tonka-bean meringue, is beautifully decorated with flakes of gold leaf. With dinner for two hovering around the R7000 mark (depending on your wine pairing), Salsify is on the higher end of fine dining in Cape Town. But the quality and complexity of every dish, combined with excellent service and those incomparable views, justifies it.
Drinks
Salsify offers two wine-pairing options: the Boutique pairing (at R900 per person for lunch and R1450 per person at dinner) and the Gem Series pairing (R1500 and R2350 respectively). Though on the pricey side, the Gem Series offers once-in-a-lifetime access to some extraordinary finds and special vintages. Sommelier Victor Okolo is there to guide you every step of the way on this unique pairing, and the depth of his passion for wine makes it all the more special.
Service
From the professional parking attendant, as you arrive to the fond farewell, every aspect of the service is polished.
Ambience
Dining in a national monument lends a wonderful sense of history to this already world-class dining experience. There’s nothing museum-like about it, though – Salsify is cosy, intimate and, when all the tables are occupied, buzzing. There are three distinct dining rooms. The Sea Room is bright and airy during the day, with splendid ocean views. The Seasonal Room pays homage to the restaurant’s focus on sustainable sourcing and the plight of the oceans by way of a large-scale ceiling installation created entirely from ocean plastic. Finally, the Somerset Room (named for this historical building’s original master) is a 10-seater dining area for private eve
User reviews
3 Reviews
★★★★★
The experience was fantastic, I knew it would be different when we drove down the driveway and there was a friendly face removing parking cones from an allocated parking bay, just for us.
The service was flawless and the views spectacular. I didn’t quite grasp the treat I was in for. By the time the served me a cocktail my heart already felt warm, my eyes already satisfied and then the scrumptious food started.
The food - Magnificent presentation, mouth watering flavors and explanations and interactions with the chef's. It was truly a culinary experience.
Carmel Hellig
★★★★★
We were warmly welcomed into the restaurant and given a brief history of the building and a tour of restaurant. We decided to skip the selfie booth as this is not really our thing but for many I'm sure it would be.
We had the 6 course tasting menu with wine paring.
The starter of Octopus and Oysters was outstanding. The Octopus had been done with the sous vide method and was the most tender Octopus I have eaten. It literally melted in your mouth. The oyster was nestled in a beautiful sea of herbs and was fresh tasting.
The spiced tuna was seared to perfection and came with a beautiful chickpea lace biscuit and subtlety smoked tomatoes. The addition of pearls and fresh vegetables gave a burst of flavour when you bit into them.
The third course was Ethically caught linefish with peas and beans and yeast brown butter. The fish was laid on a bed of perfectly cooked vegetables with a mussel veloute sauce and one soft moist mussel on top. The fish had a crispy skin and the rich butter sang through the dish. It is probably one of the best fish dishes I have had at any restaurant. For me it was the highlight of the meal.
The fourth course was a Peking Duck breast with salted sour plum and walnut salsa. The duck was cooked two ways, one as a perfectly crisp spring roll and other was a perfectly cooked breast on a bed of walnut salsa. The plate was decorated with plums which gave a good tang to the dish.
The pre-dessert course was Strawberry scone with blueberry jam and champagne jelly. This was a deconstructed scones with strawberry and jam which had delicate flavours and a light crisp meringue on top. The dish was well balanced with sweet and sour and an unusual take on scones and jam.
The final dish was roasted pineapple and coconut cake with goats ice-cream. It was tangy and sweet with a good balance of flavours. As I don't eat coconut they substituted my dish with their cheese platter. The platter came with dense home made seed bread and rich and creamy blue cheese with figs and a orange gel.
The setting of the restaurant is beautiful looking out to the sea and camps bay and the Twelve Apostles mountains. This gave the restaurant a great ambience. The service was very attentive and as we are very serious about our food we wanted to know how each dish was prepared. The staff would go and ask the chef if they need be to ensure we got the correct information.
I would highly recommend the restaurant and I'm sure as they will be around for longer they will get improve on a perfectly good meal.
