Tarragon
Not because I think my end might precede that of the meal, but
because that, to me, is the best part and I like to know what I'm going to get.
At Tarragon, the six desserts come in "taste" and "indulge"
sizes. This is a useful thing because ordering two desserts cannot possibly
be considered greedy when together they equal one normal size dessert. Having
the smaller option available is also pretty handy if one's brought one's very
gorgeous personal trainer (PT) to dinner, because it means less punishment at
the next session to burn off exactly what he can see you've been eating.
So, imagine my delight when I chose to be virtuous and ordered just one "taste"
- the chocolate and banana spring roll - and discovered that it is the size
of a normal dessert at any other place. PT ordered the caramelised camembert,
which has raspberries and walnuts on top plus a caramel sauce hardened into
a crust, creating a toffee-apple effect.
After hammering away at it with the underside of his spoon as pieces were flung
all over the show (can't take him anywhere), the woman at the table next to
us remarked that she would have kept her mouth open had she been warned.
This "smaller portion" theme extends to almost every dish on the menu:
most mains are available as starters. And because Tarragon is about the simplification
of food - the removal of fancy sauces and bits one's never heard of - what you're
left with are dishes you can identify and which taste flavourful and fresh.
I am a tuna devotee, but not of the raw variety. However, with encouragement
I ordered the tuna tartare to start, a special that night, and - if that's how
it always tastes - now I only ever want tuna raw! That was followed by a main
portion of spaghetti rosa tomato topped with fresh basil cheese - another winner.
PT ordered the fresh and wild West Coast oysters with shallot vinegar to start,
which came with a shot of vodka (the fresh Saldanha mussels are steamed in Belgian
beer basil aioli, the oysters "Rockefeller" are served with fino sherry,
and the raw chopped fillet of beef tartare with Cognac).
Even though tables are covered with crisp, white cloths, this is not packaged
as fine dining. This is "relaxed elegance". Branding is absent except
for the Veuve Clicquot buckets for which there was no storage: they were stuck
on top of the bar and, once the down lighters were switched on, created a warm
orange glow complemented by the interior's mustard walls - so they stayed.
Inside the restaurant, Tarragon could fit into any upmarket urban environment.
Outside, it's clear you're in the sticks. The Westlake Lifestyle Centre is two
years old and the next-door business park and nearby housing developments are
yet to be complete. So the sound of crickets chirping, so characteristic of
Constantia, is at its highest pitch.
It's a restaurant that could easily become one's regular. Which is fortunate
for locals if what one half of the proprietary team, Emma Stern, says is right
- that people in the suburbs eat out a lot.
Average cost of a three-course meal without wine and with an "indulge"
dessert: R143 (with a "taste" dessert: R130)
By Dominique Herman
Address: Westlake Lifestyle Centre, Westlake Drive, Tokai. Open Mon-Sat 12pm-10.30pm. BYO R19 but no charge if the wine or Champagne is special. Parking aplenty. Wheelchair friendly. Tel: 021 702 2424
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Wine list
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