We are still trying to adapt to what we need to do in the time of Covid - observing the restrictions and staying safe. There are many things we used to do that we miss a lot. But we can eat out and, because we want to support an industry that has been very hard hit in lock down, we try to eat out when we can. It is not always going to be top end restaurants; we live on pensions and money is a bit tight but, even if we just have one course, it is exciting and stimulating to go out and eat someone else's food. We had not been to The Black Sheep in upper Kloof Street for a long time and being in the area recently made us determined to go again. A sunny Wednesday and a need to have a story for MENU saw us eat there and have a really great meal
We booked for lunch at 12.30 and at that time were the only people there
But it did fill up nicely as it got closer to 1. We like the extra time to study the menu - which is on blackboard
- and the wine menu, both are also accessible via your phone using Snapscan
The spotless tables are well spaced apart, well sanitised and they do spray your hands and take your temperature when you arrive, masked of course. We had such a friendly and helpful waiter, Jamie
Getting there early got us the best table in the house, the one in the window with this fabulous view of the mountain
These are the dishes of the day. They do change the menu on the blackboard and on line almost daily
as different seasonal items come into season or are available. It is a good selection
and would also suit people on plant based diets well. The starters and desserts are on one blackboard
The mains and sides are on another
We decided just to have a main course and see if we had room for a dessert after that
We had been sent some bottles of wine to review by RMBWinex and took this bottle of Saronsberg 2020 Rosé with us. They do have a corkage policy and we were happy to pay the R70 charge in order to taste this wine with food. Rosé goes with most dishes as it is so versatile. This is the most extraordinary wine, very different. Perfumed with rose petal, raspberry and strawberry ice, vanilla and it has a lovely eye of the partridge colour. On the palate it is silky and full, with lots of red berry fruit and plum. And then a flavour like wood appears which must be from fermentation as it has had no wood contact. We watched Saronsberg winemaker Dewaldt Heyns on line later at RMBWInex and he said there is a dash each of Grenache and Mourvèdre added but only a little. It went very well with the food we ordered
Lynne really liked the sound of the South Indian Fish curry in coconut milk and it was a very good choice. The fish that day was Swordfish. It comes with a large poppadom covering most of the dish, lots of soft caramelised onions, curry leaves, al dente quartered courgettes and gooey slices of aubergine. And the sauce is deliciously complex, clever spicing which surprises and delights. On the mild end of the spectrum, but you do taste a buzz from chilli. The star of the dish is the Swordfish. It has always been one of Lynne's favourite fish. Eaten many times in beach front restaurants in Greece and Turkey, it is so well handled in this dish. To her regret, sadly, in South Africa it is often cooked to extinction, often on a fire like a steak which takes all the subtle flavours away and becomes like hard cardboard in texture. This was so skillfully cooked, it was soft and moist and flaked well, it absorbed the sauce and amazed. Do go and see how good Swordfish can be while it is still available. Thank you chef
John ordered the Kudu steak topped with Chimichurri, full of garlic and herbs and a bit of a chilli hit. The medium rare (as requested) kudu steak had been sliced and served on a bed of peas, beans, spinach, sliced raw red onion and was doused with good local olive oil, full of flavour. The meat was well cooked and delicious, if a little chewy, as wild game often can be
The kudu was accompanied by a dish of the best triple cooked chunky chips
Oh, they were good! Lynne was allowed a small allocation, but had rice and sambals with her dish, so did not need many
Our bill. We thoroughly recommend this restaurant and hope to return soon with friends
All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
