Restaurant Of The Month: La Vierge

July 23, 2011

Restaurant Of The Month: La Vierge

La Vierge, The Hemel en Aarde Valley

There comes a time in your life when you experience something so thought-provoking and awe-inspiring that it becomes manifested in your memories for all eternity. Forget weddings and baby showers! I am talking about food! I am happy to report that I have experienced food nirvana, and I would like to share these memories with you.

Nestled amongst the picturesque mountains and vineyards of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, La Vierge Restaurant occupies a prime location that allows its patrons to soak up the beautiful scenes of its surroundings. The restaurant has a distinctive French flair, and the veranda even sports a demarcated area for the much loved French game of Le Boules/ Petang.

The vibrant pink of the walls and the opulent use of chandeliers create a theatrical atmosphere that is well suited to their dramatic range of dishes. The menu offers an impressive range of French-inspired dishes with a proudly South African twist. On the starter menu you can expect gems such as the Springbok and strawberry carpaccio (R60), Karoo sausages (R40), Bredasdorp butternut and cashew soup (R48), and even spicy crocodile tails (R65)!

The Aztec Mushrooms (R55) was by far the best meal of the day. It contains button mushrooms that has been pan-fried with cinnamon, cloves and chilli, flambéed with Tequila Gold, and bound with cream and dark chocolate. This is inter-layered with phyllo pastry discs, which have been glazed with honey and sesame seeds. A strange combination indeed, but one I can definitely recommend! I was also told on good authority that the salmon and caviar cheesecake (R60) deliver on all possible levels of expectations. Placed on a savoury biscuit base, the salmon is combined with cream cheese and caviar and topped off with a generous slice of salmon.

Although it seemed impossible to tear our eyes away from the spectacular scenery, the arrival of the main dishes demanded all our attention. The Chicken Almondine (R85), Forest Rump (R125), and grilled Fillet (R115) quickly silenced all conversation. Every mouthful led to an appreciation of the delicate flavours it contained.

Other mains include the French classic, Fillet Bordelaise (R135), the Overberg Ostrich steak (R150) and Rose’s delicious Lamb Rump (R125). If you can possibly manage to consume anything more, La Vierge’s dessert menu offers tempting sweets. Their award-winning Chocolate Terrine (R40) contains three layers of dark; milk and white chocolate that are frozen over a three day period in a terrine pan. The impressive-looking Strawberry Tower consists of almond wafers inter-layered with Amaretto flavoured cream and strawberries (R48)…a perfect end to a perfect lunch.

Beautiful views, a spectacular interior, and most importantly, attentive and competent waiting staff, makes La Vierge a contender as one of my favourite restaurants to date.

For further information, contact:

La Vierge

Farm 12, R320

Hemel en Aarde Valley

Hermanus

7200

This will be my last entry for a while, as I am taking a journey to the food capital of the world….France! I promise to bring along many delicious recipes and ideas from this famous culinary utopia. Until then my dear readers…..Viva Le France!