Top 10 nominee for 2012, Planet Restaurant lives up to its name, offering stellar fine dining in the historic Mount Nelson Hotel.

Food

Chef Rudi Liebenberg creates modern food with roots in the rich heritage of the Cape, shining the spotlight on the area’s world-class producers. Choose from the à la carte menu, embark on a journey menu of four courses, or opt for the five-course ‘from the earth’ vegan and vegetarian menu. Planet’s seasonal crayfish menu of dishes each paired with chenin blanc is a notable touch.

A starter of slow-cooked pasture-reared egg with salty prosciutto, sweetish pea purée and slivers of sharp parmesan is beautifully balanced in taste and texture. The generous portion of farmed kabeljou for mains is laid on striking black squid ink ravioli with punchy chunks of chorizo and mussels in a creamy sauce – deft interplay yet again between textures and flavours.

Other options from the à la carte menu include pan-fried trout with gnocchi, Malay chicken with lemon atchar, crowd-pleasing rib-eye with hand-cut fries, and springbok with vegetables and a sweet potato and butternut pavé.

The main portion of mushroom and brinjal bake with babaganoush seems on the petite side, but perhaps this is because it had to be ordered off the five-course vegetarian menu – there are no meat-free options on the à la carte.

For dessert, the lightness of a lemon financier is countered by intensely rich beurre noisette ice cream and almond praline with a cute mini macaroon. A welcome choice for those with a salty tooth is the savoury baked goat’s cheesecake, which is creamy and flavoursome.

Wine

An impressive list features extraordinary variety. Two pages of each wine varietal, plus a good selection of blends and bubblies, will leave you with more than a handful of options fighting for favourite. Ask the sommelier for his expert advice.

Ambience

The setting is truly spectacular and whisks you into another world deep inside the grand old Nellie. Guests are mostly groups of older tourists keen to try some of the best fine dining the city has to offer, as well as hotel guests, with one or two tables of younger couples on a romantic date. Juxtaposed with the peach-coloured colonial charm of the hotel, Planet follows through on its name. A giant chandelier is a constellation of hand-blown glass stars, the carpet has a galaxy of blues and silvers, and glass baubles dangle like planets beneath the high white domed ceiling reminiscent of a planetarium. Glass pane doors open out into garden for summer evenings, but in the depths of winter the vast interior is still cosy and the gas fire flickers companionably.

Service  

Service is polished, if a little irregular. The effusive sommelier, Carl Haber, is keen to show off his impressive knowledge, but waiters are a little too few and far between on a quiet winter’s evening.

And…

Have a drink beneath the star-lights in the vibey Planet Bar before dinner.

By Linda Scarborough

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