Somerset West welcomes new eatery Nom Nom

13 Mar 2018

Offering coffee, brunches, light lunches and Benguela Cove wine tastings the new Somerset West eatery Nom Nom, which replaces fine-dining restaurant Benguela on Main offers residents of the area a more relaxed, less formal, yet no less delicious spot to get their daily calories.

Dramatic dining at Benguela on Main

Ruth Cooper 17 Aug 2016

The ground level of the restaurant has been transformed into a cosy space dotted with bright splashes of pink and quirky artworks while the first level (usually reserved for the wine tastings) retains the sophisticated bling seen in the previous Benguela on Main décor.

Menu shift

The menu takes quite a leap in direction from the delicately plated unique concoctions seen on the Benguela on Main menu to more traditional bistro fare such as gnocchi and Caesar salads with options such as ham waffles and avo toast offered for breakfast, yet there are still quite a few out of the ordinary dishes such as game terrine, crispy lamb tails or confit duck leg.

The same level of attention to detail and carefully constructed flavours and emphasis on locally sourced and seasonable produce remain from executive chef Sebastian Smith.

I was invited to test the new eatery and menu recently and pretty much loved every morsel I tried. I started proceedings with the anti-inflammatory raw juice which consisted of celery, cucumber, pineapple, green apple, spinach, ginger, and turmeric. Pretty much the healthiest thing to cross my lips that day.

The menu is split into six different categories; brunch, nibbles, bread, light, hungry, and sweets so we decided to share two nibbles as a starter. Settling on the Frito Misto, which is lightly battered and fried Oyster mushrooms, marrows, carrots, seed crackers and tzatziki and the fish cakes with creamy broth and caviar. Hands-down the winner was the golden fish cakes with delicious chunks of fish and the creamy yet delicately aromatic broth.

Risotto love

For mains, I chose the smoked tomato risotto while my partner chose the Cote de Beouf with truffle and parmesan wedges, hollandaise, and a small salad.

The tomato risotto was full of depth, brightened up by sweet pops of roasted cherry tomatoes, plump mussels and expertly sliced calamari. The Cote de Beouf was equally satisfying, perfectly cooked juicy slices of beef paired with crispy parmesan covered wedges, how can you go wrong?

We felt we couldn’t leave without sampling one of the sweets so after a much-needed breather we ordered the Dulce cheesecake with caramel popcorn on the recommendation of our charming waiter. Served in a pretty sphere with a caramel coating and caramel popcorn this is one indulgent dessert, incredibly creamy and rich my only criticism is that it could have used a touch more acidity or salt to help balance the sweetness.