Restaurant week is on in Cape Town again, a bit of a misnomer as it started in the last week of September
and continues until the first week of November
Lynne perused the listings in Cape Town to see what interested us, what was new and what we could afford
Prices have gone up alarmingly this year in the restaurant trade, so we were looking for a deal
Do check the restaurants' normal menus before you commit
You might find that you are not getting any special deal or that there is another one you might prefer.
We like Asian food and love Japanese food and, as our favourite restaurant is not on the list this time,
we made a booking at Yatai, which is a Ramen Bar below its partner Nikkei in Bree Street,
Lynne perused the listings in Cape Town to see what interested us, what was new and what we could afford
Prices have gone up alarmingly this year in the restaurant trade, so we were looking for a deal
Do check the restaurants' normal menus before you commit
You might find that you are not getting any special deal or that there is another one you might prefer.
We like Asian food and love Japanese food and, as our favourite restaurant is not on the list this time,
we made a booking at Yatai, which is a Ramen Bar below its partner Nikkei in Bree Street,
both owned by the Pan Collection
A basement restaurant with moody lighting and the bar
We were shown to a table in a corner with a pretty window decorated with silk cherry blossoms,
wanting to see our food clearly and with good light for the food photographs
The Restaurant 'Week' menu. R445 per person, not including any alcohol
When we booked on line, we were asked if there were any allergies
and we added mushrooms for John and oysters (unlikely here) for Lynne
But when we asked if either of these was in the dishes, they didn't know about our warning
Mushrooms are in all their stocks and soups. Oops. It does show on the Dineplan booking, but they didn't see it
There was a long discussion with the chef as to how they could either make John a simple separate miso,
or provide something else. They handled this with great patience and skill and we were very happy with the compromises
They are common allergies, so they do need to take it on board
The table setting
The wine list is small and well-chosen, but prices are high. We often drink beer with Asian food
However we like taking a chance on wine when we don't know quite what will pair well with the food
so we ordered a 2025 Nederburg dry Rosé and this Grenache Carignan blend was crisp and zesty, so a good pairing
The Welcoming Dish is described as a Miso bomb served with Chawanmushi, a thick custard
You put the bomb in your mouth and burst the gelatin and it's filled with warm miso soup,
which, unfortunately, went all over the table!
The Chawanmushi, a savoury steamed egg custard, was hidden beneath the Bomb dish
So pretty, it looked like a tiny forest with tiny shimeji mushrooms and macro herbs. It was delicious
John was served a different dish from their menu, no mushrooms involved
Tofu on a stick, grilled with a chilli and soy glaze, topped with shredded spring onion
He is not a huge fan of Tofu, but said he enjoyed it, with its good soft texture and umami
The next dishes were small plates to share
1. Delicate and fresh thinly sliced Cape Bream tartar with unyielding charred cabbage,
Yuzu Kosho (a condiment made with yuzu citrus, salt and chilli pepper),
lime aioli, nori dust, and crisp rice paper 'worms'. Lynne had taken hers off the plate
2. Steamed Prawn dumplings. Just one each to share and they were epic
Served with a lime slice and a crisp radish salad, chilli and coriander
Not very generous, we think two each should be the minimum!
This was Lynne's full plate of the Tori Paitan Ramen,
deep fried crispy coated tender chicken that had been marinated in buttermilk and togarashi spice,
long and tender Tokyo ramen noodles, Paitan chicken broth, half a marinated egg, a sheet of nori, radish,
deep fried shimeji mushrooms and excellent crispy garlic
It all went together so well, except the rather tough nori seemed out of place
deep fried crispy coated tender chicken that had been marinated in buttermilk and togarashi spice,
long and tender Tokyo ramen noodles, Paitan chicken broth, half a marinated egg, a sheet of nori, radish,
deep fried shimeji mushrooms and excellent crispy garlic
It all went together so well, except the rather tough nori seemed out of place
Very satisfying, good flavours and very filling, at last
John's plate came without the mushrooms.
A Shiso sorbet on a green wakame very sugary crumble base with soy mirin, sweet custard smear beneath
and squares of, not the persimmon on the menu, which is out of season, but melon
Called the Goodbye Dish, these 10c piece sized very crisp brown tea biscuits
were sandwiched with rich black sesame ice cream, lit up by yuzu sourness. Just a mouthful each
Our bill had the service already added, not something we appreciate
With the wine and very good service from Jayden Freund, it came to R1220.00
The other restaurants in the stable
All the stories we have produced since 2012 can be opened from the archive list near the top of the column on the right of this page
