I absolutely love Reverie Social Club both as a concept and as fantastic dining experience. Now I have to admit that I am gainfully employed literally two minutes from this restaurant, for the last two years I might add, and I was totally oblivious to its existence.
Chef Julia prepares a set menu for a small group of approximately twenty diners, so booking is imperative and it really was an absolute treat.
We were the first to arrive and we mulled around enjoying a glass of the complementary Diemersfontein Sauvignon Blanc, as we waited for the arrival of the rest of the guests.
MENU
1st Course
Trout tartare with apple and fennel salad, sriracha, radicchio and black rice.
Diemersfontein Rose 2016
2nd Course
Soup with pickled vegetables, smoked cashews, beetroot and radish with charred aubergine veloute.
Diemersfontein Shiraz
3rd Course
Karoo lamb with a lamb jus, broad beans, horseradish, vanilla cauliflower and roasted garlic. Diemersfontein Carpe Diem 2015 Pinotage .
4th Course
Cremona panna cotta, liquorice choc cremeux, hoisin sauce, coffee brioche crumbs.
Diemersfontein Pinotage
5th Course
Persian orange and almond cake, with dried apricots toasted meringue naartjie curd and apricot sorbet.
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Our party were the only South Africans barring another gentleman, with the rest of our fellow diners ranging from a group of Aussies, a young New York couple here on honeymoon to a German family on their second visit to South Africa and Reverie Social Table. And I guess this speaks volumes about the quality of the dining experience.
Now, I’m no social butterfly by any stretch of the imagination, but maybe this kind of setting and the wine on offer, makes one more relaxed and open to the “social” experience that Reverie Social Table is well-known for.
Persian orange and almond cake, with dried apricots toasted meringue naartjie curd and apricot sorbet.
Our first course of the evening was trout tartare with apple and fennel salad, sriracha, radicchio and black rice. Which was served with the Diemersfontein 2016 Rose, this was a lovely course and the black rice was an interesting twist, once upon a time reserved for the Emperor and forbidden to “common folk”.
Next was the Soup with pickled vegetables, smoked cashews, beetroot and radish with charred aubergine veloute .This course was delicious and the smokiness of the cashews was a nice addition. This course was paired with the Diemersfontein Shiraz.
This was followed by the main course was delicious karoo lamb with a lamb jus, broad beans, horseradish, vanilla cauliflower and roasted garlic served with the Diemersfontein Carpe Diem 2015 Pinotage . This was my favourite course for the evening, the lamb perfectly prepared and I enjoyed the charred rind, this might be too much fat for some but I loved it.
The next course was served with the second Diemersfontein Pinotage for the evening and was perhaps the most interesting course on the evening. Cremona panna cotta, liquorice choc cremeux, hoisin sauce, coffee brioche crumbs. Now this was the savoury course and lovers of gorgonzola will instantly love this course, others maybe not so much as every spoonful seems richer and heavier than the last.
Last but not least was the dessert course. Persian orange and almond cake, with dried apricots toasted meringue naartjie curd and apricot sorbet. I enjoy all things tart and citrusy so this was a treat for me.
Reverie Social Table is about more than just fabulous food, and it really was fabulous. It’s about meeting new like-minded people perhaps, but more importantly it’s about creating an environment where social interactions and connections happen by default. A first for me, but most certainly not my last visit.
This eatery is maybe not in the most fashionable part of Cape Town or Observatory for that matter but it certainly is a gem. Add it to your “Must Do” when in Cape Town.
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Restaurant Info:
226A Lower Main Rd,
Observatory,
Cape Town,
7925
Tel No: 079 060 6971
Email: info@reverie.capetown
Written for JAR PHOTOGRAPHY by Mario Arendse
Photography for JAR PHOTOGRAPHY by Jason “Dubbz” Petersen
