.: Birthday dinner at Aubergine

John proposed to Lynne when we were at a fine dining restaurant celebrating her August birthday so, each year, we treat ourselves to a great dinner. When we entered the third Lock Down, Jordan Wine Estate issued another of their fantastic R600 vouchers to support the restaurant industry, for which you received a box of 6 good Jordan wines and a voucher for R600 to spend at a restaurant of your choice from their list. Aubergine has long been a favourite of ours and we had not been for several years, so we bought one. Aubergine was closed for their winter break and have now reopened, so we were able to make a booking on Lynne's birthday last Saturday night. It was very good indeed to see Chef Harald Bresselschmidt again; we have long memories of superb meals he has produced over the years, and even back to the days when he was at Grande Roche. He told us that he has owned Aubergine for 25 years. Time goes so fast; John remembers when he opened. He had a client across the road and it was a favourite venue for a business lunch

We had booked for 7.30 and then learned about the mad rule which dictates that no alcohol is to be served or drunk after 8 pm. So we changed to 7 pm, which helped the restaurant. The room did fill up and the seats are nicely spaced apart; good for us, but not for the restaurant’s income

At the moment they have this A la Carte Menu which you can find on line at https://www.aubergine.co.za/

There are some very good choices and the Maitre d’, Johan, who really looked after us, came around to tell us about the daily specials. We actually had quite a time deciding what to have; there was so much that we love to eat on the menu. One thing we liked was the list of Vegetarian options, which can be had as a starter or a main

First to arrive was the bread platter with slices of fennel and sundried tomato sourdough and a pork rillette, rich in pork dripping. Then we were served a delicious amuse bouche from the kitchen, a tiny, tingly crisp Taco topped with really fresh tuna and avocado, perfectly dressed, and topped with a hat of mayonnaise and a coriander feather

Lynne's choice of starter was unusual for her, as soup usually fills her up, making further courses difficult. But offer duck under any guise and she is sure to succumb. Duck velouté, rich, smooth, creamy and silky, topped with an umami foam and full of layers of duck flavours. Four mini hapjes (bites) of crisp buttery toasted brioche topped with rich duck parfait, a slice of duck ham, and topped with a small button of pear gel and micro herbs, graced the edge of the bowl with some crisp duck crumbs. They were such a good foil to the soup and set her dreaming of Duck and Pancakes. Wow. The perfect starter for a chilly winter night

John, ever the carnivore, chose the Trio of beef: Carpaccio, cured, and tartare and accompanied by beetroot and balsamic. He enjoyed it very much. John is not a huge fan of beets so asked for a very small portion to be put on the plate, and that is why it is hard to spot.

Usana The Fox Cabernet sauvignon 2014, something quite new to us, recommended to us by sommelier Ralph Reynolds. We each had one glass of this which went with both our starters and main courses. It was a classic Cabernet, full of dark, heady and concentrated berries, chalky tannins and dark wood, from the Winshaw Vineyards in Lynedoch, Stellenbosch. The 2017 was awarded 4 stars in Platter

We should mention that Aubergine's wine list is quite superb in its length and depth and will excite anyone who loves wine
They do have foreign wines as well and vintage wines, properly aged in their cellar

The other side of the table menu with second and third courses

John could not resist the special of the day;
Springbok loin, perfectly medium rare and tender, served with cubes of butternut on a bed of spinach and a rich red wine jus
The dark piece at the top was a crisp wafer of dried purée, and was delicious

Lynne really enjoyed the slow fried belly of Iberico pork, served with two slices of moist and tender pickled loin. The crackling on the belly of pork was crisp and crunchy, the fat had been nicely rendered and it was served with very buttery mash, some purple cabbage, a lemony kumquat jus and deep fried baby bay leaves