“I love those decadent wenches who do so trouble my dreams” Rembrandt
Something very sexy indeed has opened up at the end of our road. It’s the latest offering from the Caviar group, the same people who own Sevruga and Beluga so these guys know a thing or two about running a successful restaurant. The first thing you’ll notice as you approach from the city is the enormous modern day, Monroesque, colour mural on the outside wall. Inside, glamorous monochrome pictures of stunning blondes abound.
This is a hip and trendy venue. A gastronomic tribute to nubile, fair headed temptresses the world over. It’s named after restaurateur Oscar Kotze’s most endearing weakness – blondes. An immaculately renovated, double storey, Victorian town house with original solid Oregon pine floors and ceilings, a renovated staircase and polished marble floors. The interior is lavish and ultra plush – rich fabrics, ornate fire places, high ceilings and crisp white linen complete the picture. This place could easily have stepped straight out of Soho or LA. The restaurant seats 120, but it feels far more intimate – I counted five or six separate rooms as well as the seductive bar area.
Service was slicker than a BP mishap. And knowledgeable. But not blonde. Brunette in fact. And male. A smooth transition through the courses including a small platter of melba toast, beef carpaccio, onion marmalade and chicken liver pate, an amuse bouche of roasted red pepper and tomato soup AND a palate cleansing some lemon sorbet after the starters. A meal in itself. But that didn’t deter the two fatties. No Siree – three courses for us please.
The whole menu is fantastic – another of those where I would have been happy to order anything and certainly reason to return. Main courses have been split into two categories – ‘Blondes’ and ‘Mains’. Now I’m not sure whether this was intentional, but the Blonde dishes are simpler, while the Mains are more complex. It actually works really well. We tried something from each list and loved both. It works well because it caters to different moods/occasions – if you fancy a quick pie and a glass of wine at the bar, or if you’re after a rather more fine dining experience. There’s a great wine list to choose from and even a mezzanine level cellar which you could book out for a private party.
To start, we had the spice-fried baby calamari, sautéed julienne vegetables and spicy peanut dressing as well as a white onion velouté with seared scallops and petite onion rings. Hard to pick a winner between these two – both outstanding. Onion and scallops was a new combination for me, but it worked – the velouté was creamy and delicious – a posh soup with a glamorous garnish. The flavours in the calamari were sensational with the perfect amount of heat coming through late on in the show.
Main courses were the trio of duck, the trio being a maigret, confit duck leg spring roll and flash sautéed foie gras as well as a slow-cooked lamb shank pie, with parmesan pommes purée and puff pastry. Great winter fare. The flavours were sublime although the maigret could have been pinker and crispier. The pie was flawless.
Puddings were probably the least impressive of the three courses but still pretty good. A lemon sabayon tart was served with a basil sorbet. Undeniably basil tasting. Undeniably unique. But not a combination that worked for me. The passion fruit crème brulee with almond biscotti was good, if a little heavy on the brulee. And be sure to have a glass of the Vin de Constance with your pudding – one of the very best dessert wines in the world.
Blonde will make you feel sexy. It’s a seductive restaurant serving great food and certainly one of my favourites in Cape Town. I suggest you get down there soon before it becomes impossible to get a table…
Blonde
129 Hatfield Street
Gardens
Cape Town
+27 21 462 5793
