This former Restaurant of the Year and current Top 10 restaurant is known for its impeccable style, top produce and beautifully refined food. We revisit The Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel in Constantia.

Food

This is refined, beautiful food. Each aspect of a dish feels carefully considered and impeccably prepared. Chefs Peter Tempelhoff and Gerald van der Walt source their produce lovingly from local producers and the beds at the hotel itself – and it shows.

A little garden of baby vegetables, dipped in a delicately flavoured mousse, forms an elegant appetiser with fantastic breads hot from the oven. The sous vide abalone with Knysna oyster is deliciously fresh and comes with a little drama: freezing cold yuzu snow melts to form a dressing. For those in search of meatier sustenance, there is an apple-glazed pork belly with turnip-cabbage slaw, cider jelly and crunchy prawn sheets; and Karoo lamb with barley risotto, malted milk and carrots.

For dessert, the miso sticky toffee pudding with poached Peckham pears, Madagascan chocolate brûlée, buttermilk ice cream and crispy milk skin gives diners’ taste buds plenty to think about.

The menu changes less frequently than some fine dining establishments – a good thing if you’re worried about your favourites disappearing, but less so if you’re in need of an excuse to return frequently.

Wine

A superb list with sophisticated pairings available.

Service

Staff are accomplished but warm and not in the least overbearing. Servers adapt well to the needs of your party. This is a smartly run, harmonious operation.

Ambience

Situated in the beautiful grounds of The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel, in a handsome colonial building, the restaurant manages to be both beautiful and sophisticated without feeling stuffy or stilted.

And…

A full vegetarian tasting menu and fish tasting menu will keep vegetarians and pescatarians happy.

By Katharine Jacobs

Watch The Greenhouse video. 

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