Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Lunch at Myoga, The Vineyard Hotel - A fusion of flavours

We were invited to lunch at Myoga, (Japanese: Ginger flower) Chef Mike Bassett's gourmet restaurant, by English friends who were staying at the Vineyard Hotel. It has been quite a while since we last visited; we looked forward to his always adventurous food and were not disappointed. He fuses Asian with modern fresh cuisine in exciting and different combinations. We all had the set four course lunch which had choices for all. You can see pictures and descriptions of the food here. We are now invited to sample their new 7 course dinner menu in April and will also be writing about it in Menu.
We had the best table in the house in the open French windows, with a view of the gardens and the mountains beyond. It was a day of all four seasons in one, so we protected from the wind and showers but enjoyed the sunshine. We started lunch with a bottle of Steenberg 1682 MCC
Our amuse bouche of a creamy oat and mushroom 'risotto'
The 5 course lunch tasting menu
The current à la carte lunch menu, which does change with the seasons
A beautiful pot ...
... revealed a dish of many mushrooms with shaved truffle, truffle asparagus glaze, and oblongs of crispy chilli tofu
This dish of spicy ancho chilli garlic chorizo prawns, mild buffalo wings, blue cheese spuma, avocado butter, crushed tortilla prawns was much enjoyed
salmon, pickled daikon, apple atchar, edamame gel and the three beautiful raw salmon Shiozuke with green edamame gel, crisp and sour daikon pickle and apple achar. The plating is always immaculate and proves the point that you eat with your eyes first. This also had "elements of thai snowball" which was a snowball of creamy fragrant thai spiced coconut and lemongrass "ice cream" atop the salmon
Chilled miso tuna, flavoured with wild African garlic, coconut jalapeno ponzu, on a japanese sesame salad, here being spritzed with lemon oil
Our palate refresher was a sorbet of lime and lemongrass with a kick of alcohol
On to the main courses. We shared a bottle of Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Syrah, which went very well with all the varied choices
Lynne’s choice of the lemongrass ginger boneless lamb loin, crisp coriander sesame arancini, meltingly tender steamed Korean mini eggplant with labneh was a great combination. The plate was dusted with ash & asparagus dust
Pancetta wrapped goucho fillets of springbok, with salted caramel, carrots, broccoli rabé puree, port jus, a crisp pomme Anna, accompanied by a savoury Tin Roof magnum ice cream on ice was the main enjoyed by the other three at the table.
Time for dessert. One to rush back for was the coconut sphere, coconut moelleux, coconut panna cotta, butternut churros, burnt orange sauce, coconut marshmallow. Any different textures and sensations but all combined to give one the kiss of a well remembered toasted coconut marshmallow with warm caramel

The “death of strawberry shortcake” strawberry bombe, strawberry coulis, white chocolate sponge, vanilla ice cream strawberry gel, strawberry pastille, soft strawberry fizzer assorted summer berries arrived under a cloud of spun sugar
And when the warm sauce was poured over it, the cloud dispersed revealing the dessert below. Rather sweet but wonderful.
We can't wait to try the 7 course dinner menu
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

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