Cassia
The restaurant is the result of a collaboration between an impressive group of food and wine folk. Many may know restaurant consultant Pete Goffe-Wood for his unfailing determination to up the stakes for food and produce appreciation in SA. His partner David Grier is another talented chef, previously of De Oude Welgemoed, also in Durbanville, and the pair, together with chef Dan Evans, who once owned the Anglesea Arms in London – a restaurant credited with spearheading the sexying- up of pub grub in Britain – are the brains behind this new eatery.
Add another shareholder to the mix in the form of Nitida’s owner and winemaker, Bernhard Veller, and you’ve got a powerful force to reckon with. Clientele are no doubt thrilled to be offered wines practically at ex-cellar door prices…
An elegant and airy interior awaits, complete with double volumes, exposed wooden struts and understated table décor. Studded leather love seats line one wall – ideal for romantic tête-à-têtes – while a private dining room is perfect for special gourmet get-togethers. An outside deck is ideal for lazy Sunday lunches and alfresco dining. Our corner table offered us a view of the impressive glass-walled kitchen and a lofty space filled with those clearly there to be seduced by each other and the food, as well as families and a raucous bunch celebrating and enjoying every morsel.
The menu, which changes daily, reads like a good book. Some meaty offerings, a hint of spice, bits and bobs of easy-eating dishes and one or two items for intrigue. For starters, my partner opted for a slice of pressed venison, veal and foie gras, which was served on a char-grilled slice of brioche with a pot of sweet and lovely onion marmalade.
My starter of sufficiently peanut-sauced pork served on noodles and shredded cabbage with a dusting of sesame seeds was certainly tasty and the balance of sweet and savoury spot on. The country-style pâté was a slice of heaven and seems to epitomise the chef’s ability to take a traditional peasant delicacy and make it a thing of sheer perfection.
My main course of a sautéed calves kidney feuillette was so good I woke up the next morning craving it all over again. A generous slick of sauce redolent with mustard flavours was the perfect foil for the spinach and mash on their bed of pastry, marrying perfectly with the rich slivers of thinly sliced liver that were generously scattered on the plate – comfort food of the highest degree. My partner’s choice of velvety medallions of springbok loin with a subtle bitter chocolate sauce was also tasty.
If it sounds like we loved the food, it’s because we did. It’s the kind of wellpriced, carefully conceived grub that’s difficult not to love. Generous portions, buxom flavours and a hint of sophistication suggest that this restaurant will go from strength to strength.
Despite the lovely, lovely meal (did I mention the soft-centred dark chocolate fondant for dessert?), the service, sadly, was not of the calibre that a restaurant of this quality deserves. From our meet-andgreet to the dish descriptions offered and wine off erings made (there were none), Average cost of a three-course meal we were disappointed from start to fi nish. However, I’m sure this issue will soon be resolved given the credentials of the owners so that Cassia takes its place among the other award-winning establishments in the winelands.
Average cost of a three-course meal without wine: R160.
Address: Nitida Farm, Tygerbergvalley
Road, Durbanville
Tel: (021) 976-0640
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