Situated in an historic 1713 building, the recently renovated Coopmanhuijs is a five star boutique hotel and spa in Stellenbosch and it is here that you will find executive chef Nadia Roux at the helm of Helena’s Restaurant. The restaurant is a large dining area, divided into two sections off the main entrance to the hotel. To the left is a bar area, and this is where we started the evening.
The wine list showcases local wines but is over the top expensive in my opinion. Even the per glass option is more expensive that the single malt whiskies. The choice of single malts is small and Dave and Eric both had Laphroaig (R40) and I had a Peat Monster while Bev sipped on a sherry. There is a good choice of Méthode Cap Classiques on the menu and tasting notes are provided for all the wines. While we were having our drinks we were given a small bowl of warm toasted nuts. We chose the Graham Beck Game Reserve Pinotage 2012 (R195) to have with dinner and Eric had a glass of white wine. The wine we chose was light, with berry tones.
The food is locally sourced and showcases the regional Boland cuisine. The tagline to the menu is where the familiar is made spectacular and I must say that this held true for my main course. The average price of a main meal is R155. When we sat down we were brought bread and butter and some hummus that was rich in chickpea flavour. I chose the pulled duck ravioli with toasted sage butter (R60) to start. The duck was very flavoursome but stringy and the starter lacked a sauce which would have added to the flavour of the pasta. For the main course I had the roasted quail stuffed with spinach and toasted pine nuts (R150). My meal was extremely tasty with sweet butternut and iron rich spinach. I was not a huge fan of the fresh peas but the potato dauphinoise was a winner. I did not come across many pine nuts in the stuffing. A cucumber bake was brought to the table as the house speciality. The cucumber was fresh and retained its crunchiness despite being cooked. For dessert I selected the chocolate and beetroot cake with beetroot ice cream (R45) only because I wanted to taste the ice cream. The cake was served with a chocolate sauce that was so smoky I had to scrape it off the cake which was average and slightly dry. The ice cream had a great beetroot tone and something I will try at home.
The service is average and the staff are friendly and polite. The concierge was most helpful in arranging parking for us. I can recommend you arrange parking when you make your booking as the parking situation is dire in the area.
The tables are covered with stunning, thick linen and set with decent cutlery and wine glasses and really good quality salt and pepper grinders. The tea light is not a candle but an actual light which means it does not flicker which suits me perfectly. The chairs are not that comfortable and after a long meal, I was squirming in my chair to try and find a better position to sit in. The plates arrived from the kitchen hot which is an important factor to me when dining out.
Contact Helena’s Restaurant on +27 21 883 3132
What I blogged:
- one year ago – Raspberry Sorbet
- four years ago – make a tart challenge
It sounds like it definitely has some pluses and also some things that could be improved too. And Stellenbosch seems like such a distant memory for me now!
It is amazing how time flies and just how long ago you were here!
Maybe living in the poorest province has something to do with it but I found Cape Town to be extremely expensive. Pete bought 2 pork belly rolls at a market and it cost R120.00 – I thought this was exorbitant and insulting.
Have a wonderful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
That was stupidly expensive Mandy and there is no need for those type of prices!
Helena’s looks like a lovely experience. I think I’d would have like to sample that purplish/pink ice cream first though! Stunning color, wondering how it tasted.
Like you, I just adore locally sourced food! Love knowing where my food came from and supporting local farmers and growers who are doing their best =) And it tastes fresher too.
I’m really picky about hot food, and this is especially true in a restaurant. Lukewarm food, bleh,
The ice cream tasted like beetroot and was not overly sweet. We always warm our plates at home as it makes such a difference to the meal 🙂
Seems like the meal was a little hit or miss. Bummer because all the dishes sound like they have such great potential!
They all had great potential Joanne 🙂
What a great review. The chocolate beetroot cake sounded interesting, until you described it. Hopefully they see this post and jack that up, as well as their service. Sounds like an interesting place to try.
The cake could have been super moist as I have made one myself and it is so good 🙂
Hi Tandy, sounds like a very nice place. The food and surroundings look and sound elegant. Though it’s hard to believe you have to find your own parking. I guess we are pretty spoiled in the areas where we live.
Stellenbosch is a student town with loads of restaurants and night spots – parking is always a nightmare 🙂
Beetroot ice cream, hmmm, sounds interesting! Will you be featuring it in a recipe? I’ll look forward to that 🙂
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
I am definitely going to make it Julie 🙂
This sounds like a fine restaurant to dine & wine! ☺️ The food dishes that you presented look all stunning & very appetizing too,….Yum Yum Yummm!
Lucky you!
We get to eat at some wonderful places Sophie 🙂