Gourmet garden dining at Kloof Street House

Delighting the senses

Reception upon arrival was warm and friendly. The Cape spring weather being as unpredictable as it is, we opted for a table inside, on the veranda. Personally, I think it’s the best spot in the house, overlooking the leafy garden area while providing a glimpse into the bohemian interior. We were also in for another treat, as it was lunch time on a Sunday we privy to the soothing melodical tunes of Kloof Street House’s Jazz Sunday session. (The house jazz band gets started at 1pm every Sunday).

Our waiter, Seth, brought us our menus and took our drinks order which brought us to the second good decision of the day – a delicious cappuccino and an Equinox, which is a fresh fruit blend consisting of mango, pineapple, lime juice and coconut cream shaken over ice (suggested to us by Seth).

Relishing every bite – starters and mains

I was so excited to dig into our starters - Truffle and garlic baked camembert with pickled mushroom relish for me, and crispy chicken strips with bourbon ketchup (part of the bourbon promotion the restaurant is currently running) for my guest. We enjoyed every bite – from the oozing cheese on top of crispy slices of toasted yummy bread, topped with delicious mushroom relish, to the crispy and tasty battered chicken dipped in an equally delicious tangy bourbon sauce (ketchup).

On to our mains – Only having heard great things about the steak, we both opted for a red meat dish. My guest selected the Chalmar 250g beef fillet with smoked marrow bone butter and hand cut fries, pepper sauce and the addition of grilled prawns (a great idea to add to a steak dish!), while I had the 250g rib eye version of the same dish with mushroom sauce, minus the prawns. The steak was a little bit more on the well done side than we usually like, but it was still tender and flavoursome. The prawns were a hit (the looked so good and my guests was kind enough to share), and the mushroom sauce was both of our favourite – this sauce should always be ordered with your steak dish when dining here, trust me, it’s so good.

Dessert to top all desserts

Last, but definitely not least, dessert. It wasn’t too difficult to choose, with both of us being cheesecake lovers we had to try the salted caramel cheesecake served with popcorn sorbet. It did not disappoint! The cheesecake is baked (because baked is best), and the texture is just right – that perfect combination of creamy and tart. Take an already great cheesecake and smother it in sweet salted caramel (how do they do that?), top it with caramel-coated popcorn and serve it with sorbet that tastes like popcorn (yes, you read correctly), and you get the tastiest dessert I’ve had by far.

To make a reservation, go to www.kloofstreethouse.co.za/reservations/ or call +27 21 423 4413.