Mondiall Kitchen and Bar Launches New Autumn Menu [Review]
The V&A Waterfront is one of my most favourite places in Cape Town. It is by far the liveliest place in Cape Town and the restaurants are some of the best in the city; with most of them boasting incredible views and a relaxed ambiance paired with delicious food. Of course I’m not talking about Spur; there’s nothing relaxing about going to Spur, unless you think a room full of screaming kids with jammy hands is relaxing (each to his own). I’m talking about the restaurants that stretch beyond the mall – the Mondialls, Harbour Houses, Sevrugas and the like. If you haven’t tried any of these eateries yet then best you get started and soon. You can make your first stop at Mondiall Kitchen and Bar – they’ve just released their autumn menu with new Executive Chef Riaan Burger and it is superb!
Mondiall Kitchen & Bar has been around for a little while now but this year the restaurant is embarking on an exciting new journey with the arrival of Executive Chef Riaan Burger and his fresh new menus. Plus, with its cosy decor, crackling fireplace and stunning views the restaurant is the perfect place to experience winter in Cape Town. Their floor-to-ceiling glass window-doors give you the perfect vantage point to watch the rain pouring down over the harbour – while enjoying a deliciously warm meal of course! Besides the amazing view, my favourite thing about Mondiall is that it’s relaxed and doesn’t have that thick air of pretentiousness that so many Cape Town spots tend to have. With its brasserie-style menu Mondiall is the perfect spot for a chilled out breakfast with your special someone, a business lunch or dinner with family and friends.
And then there’s the food! Chef Riaan launched his new lunch and dinner menus at the beginning of May and I was one of the lucky sausages that got to tuck in and sample some of his wares. Featuring dishes such as Steak Tartare with matchstick fries and endive (R88); French Onion Soup (deep roasted onions in a rich beef broth with gruyere croute & chives -R72); and the Mondiall Wagyu Cheeseburger (200g beef patty served medium, umami ketchup and homemade chips – R130) Mondiall’s new menu is a real winner. There is so much choice on the menu and with a range of tapas, appetizers, soups, salads, mains and desserts on the menu there is something for any taste and any occasion.
As Chef Riaan so elegantly put it; this menu is all about “refined comfort food with the ingredients as the star.” And, after trying some bite-sized portions of his creations I couldn’t agree more. My favourites were definitely the Saldanha Mussels Mariniere appetizer (classic garlic white wine & parsley sauce and side bread – R82), Cape Seafood Risotto main (prawns, fresh fish, mussels, calamari, tomato, garlic & basil – R185) and the Roast Beetroot & Cauliflower Salad (goats cheese mousse, vanilla scented red quinoa, parmesan walnut crunch & mesclun leaves – R68). The Saldanha Mussels were absolutely divine and I tried my best to mop up as much sauce as possible with my bread. The Seafood Risotto was packed with delicious fresh seafood and the potion was so generous I couldn’t finish it (much to my dismay). The Roast Beetroot & Cauliflower Salad is just too beautiful for words and would be a fabulous choice for a sunny winter day in Cape Town.
The desserts were also all kinds of delicious and diners can look forward to treats like the Chocolate & Guinness Pudding (with café latte ice cream and bitter chocolate sauce -R65); and Macadamia & Salted Caramel Cheesecake (with black cherry compot – R65). Make sure you also pop in to try their breakfast menu which offers some fabulous treats such as Canadian Style French Toast (with streaky bacon, caramelized banana, maple syrup and cinnamon sugar – R75) and the Breakfast Burrito (served on a tortilla wrap with scrambled eggs, bacon, rocket, guacamole and chipotle mayo -R88).
This winter Mondiall will also be treating diners to fabulous events like their bi-weekly ‘Chef’s Table Wine Pairing Dinnersand weekly music gigs. To keep up with what’s going on at the eatery say Hi to Mondiall on Facebook and visit the happenings page on their website.
