Anno Domini
To celebrate its third birthday, Aristotle closed up shop and updated his restaurant's look. But it wasn't only the décor he revamped; he changed the menu and winelist too.
His starters and salads, as always, will easily make the change from daylight to dusk so lunch on his sublime watermelon and warm goat's cheese salad or order it, tossed with greens, pumpkin seeds and a parmesan dressing, as your dinner starter. Aristotle's deconstructed shrimp cocktail is already legendary. A tower of avocado salsa and greens topped with a plump pink prawn and a dollop of soy mayonnaise, it illustrates the ingenious simplicity that has made him one of the city's finest chefs.
Expect a sorbet before contemplating main courses. The phalanx of waiters - all absurdly well-briefed, young and good-looking - run you through the chef's specials and menu favourites and you'll need a clear head to digest the awe-inspiring combinations they present. After much deliberation, we opted for the ostrich fillet, which was served perfectly pink with caramelised onions, a ravishing cherry sauce and delicate garlicky dauphinoise potatoes. His much-loved steaks - the salsa verde fillet and the rump teriyaki - remain on the menu but a superb new addition is the duo of lamb - a grilled rump and cutlet, presented with a butternut salsa and a tantalising truffle oil emulsion.
The meal is brilliantly capped with a dessert plate. Aristotle obviously realised that it was simply impossible to choose just one dessert, so you can now order a plate, which includes mini portions of all the Anno Domini favourites - crème brûlée, espresso chocolate terrine, banana Frangelico and strawberry mess, which sounds like nursery food but is, in fact, a decadent mix of fresh strawberries, meringues and creams, like a pavlova, only much, much better.
In WINE magazine's Top 100 Restaurant guide the winelist was criticised for not grouping cultivars nor supplying vintages. Aristotle has rectified this. A good selection of Champagne and Burgundy appeals but it's the local offerings that are well-thought-out - and reasonably priced. Constantia Uitsig's 2003 Sauvignon Blanc is R140 and Ken Forrester's 2003 Chenin Blanc is R115, for instance. There's also a healthy range of wines by the glass.
Average three-course meal: R120.
By Sam Alexander
Address: Cnr 4th Avenue and 13th Street, Parkhurst. Tel 011 447 7634. Lunch and dinner Tues-Sun. BYO R25. Outside smoking. Guarded street parking.
Food: 5
Wine list3.5
Ambience: 5
Service: 4.5
Value: 4.5
