Day 2 of our 3 day culinary splurge in the Winelands ....
Always a bit harder to review a restaurant which did not meet expirations. Also sad, as the service at Rust en Vrede is incredible, with a lot of focus on detail, and the small things other places often overlook (always serving from the right, not collecting and stacking plates, serving a palet cleaner, gift for the wife on departure ect.) I have to give a nod to all the serving staff which are extremely well trained, impeccable service and knowledgeable on all dishes prepared. PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE END OF THE REVIEW FOR INSIGHT AS TO HOW I APPROACH REVIEWS.
Anyone that might have paid attention to my efforts to find those restaurant gems, will be acutely aware that for me - taste and texture is the deal breaker...
That is where Rust en Vrede disappoints to some extent. For some reason, all the elements that makes up a luxurious fine dining restaurant is absolutely found at this establishment. Take a look at any picture on Zamoto and it will show that this is a beautiful restaurant, with beautifully presented food, in a postcard perfect wine estate, but when I close my eyes and take a bite from every course, I do not feel overwhelmed with amazing tastes and textures. It is as if the tastes have not married yet (as a famous chef-friend of mine would put it) it sure tastes good, but unfortunately, no WOW factor. No thoughts of "... this is insane, let me check if im still on earth..."
Considering the price, I prefer to go WOW for the food, and not WOW for the bill. Once again, if the tastes and textures, sweep me of my feet, and I need to remind myself that this is really not heaven yet, I seldom even look at the price of the bill - life is too short to worry about money after an amazing dine experience...
Before I once again go totally off topic, lets discuss the food... Though we intended to go for the 6 course menu, we fealt that there was too many courses that we do not particularly like (I would prefer a naughty, tempting chocolate desert above a fruit parfait as an example). With the 4 course you have options in each course, so we went with 4 courses. You might say - "Marcello, that's your mistake, the best is actually found in the 6 course - you narrow minded chocolate junkie!"! But as I said in previous reviews -there should not be booby prizes at a restaurant that pitches themselves on this level.
For some reason, me and the wife needed up with exactly the same choices :-(
1) Mushroom starter - probably the best dish of the evening, beautifully presented, subtle tastes, no mind blowing textures.
2) Rabit and prawn - good tasting, yet no Wow factor
3) Duck, perfectly prepared, but unfortunately the sauses, and additions in the plate did not really contribute to an incredible taste sensation.
4) Backed Alaska, I get the idea that an attempt was made to do a fusion type dish of a lemon meringue and a traditional baked alaska. Unfortunately the dish was too sweet, and too sour. To make a good lemon meringue (tart) is a challenging endeavor by itself (and with a tart, at least all temperatures are the same). The temperature differences in a baked Alaska, can result in unpredictable sweetness behavior of the desert...
To end, the last time a walked into a restaurant, and had to tell my wife that she must in future keep a spare jersey close by for me so that I can drape it over my shoulders and tie the sleeves infront of my chest, was when we visited a restaurant in Fancourt golf estate (George) a few years ago... So unlike Terroir, and Jordan, (our recent other visits in the Winelands), Rust en Vrede has a slightly more stiff atmosphere, or maybe some of the guests fealt this this is a fancy place so lets do everything extra slow, and have academic discussions about the way that Max Plank derived the Plank constant...
I wish to specially commend our watress, impeccable service, and thank Rust and Vrede for the effort made with the little things (great breads, great gift from te kitchen, and the Chocolate gift for the wife on our departure! It remains a special evening.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:
How I Rate and review an establishment :
1: Terrible, will never return will never recommend.
2: Ok, not worth special effort, I can make the food better at home...
3: Satisfied, restaurant offer good service and satisfactory food, the money paid is in line with quality of food received.
4: A gem, worth visiting for a treat or special occations and referring friends.
5: The very rare and best - fine dining, incredible food, fantastic taste, texture, presentation, and service. Honestly no more than 6 such places in South Africa !
Establishment: Fine dine
Related restaurants in this class: The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français, The Test Kitchen, La Colombe, Jordan, Greenhouse, Jardin
Food - 6/10
Service 10/10
Romantic factor 8/10
Decor 9/10
Value 8/10
Satisfaction 7/10
Lastly take note- I do not have time to review every chicken coop that sell food or to rate typical places, we all know what you get at these establishments and the average person does not need advice on eating at your local Debonairs or Spur, nor are you really interested at all in the beautiful kakao-powder pattern that Mug & Bean has just now sifted through a paper doily onto my cappuccino's foam!
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