Idiom Restaurant, Somerset West

Idiom Restaurant

If you are looking for an exceptional meal with a great view, Idiom Restaurant is the place to go. Situated at the top of the Hottentots-Holland Mountain, with a view overlooking False Bay, this is dining at its finest. We arrived shortly before 13h00 on a beautiful spring day and sat indoors gazing at the sea. To choose which wine to have with our meal, Gill and I went to the wine tasting room. We sampled both the Sangiovese and the Barbera. Gill chose the Barbera to have with our meal. This seems most fitting as the grapes originate from Piedmont, in the North-West of Italy, the home of the owner. It is a smooth wine, dark in colour with blackcurrant on the palate.

The start of a great meal

I did not indulge in the bread which was served with a choice of plain butter and wild rosemary butter. After taking our orders we were brought an amuse bouche. This was arancini stuffed with sweet corn and topped with a strawberry chilli sauce. Arancini make me think of Sicily and I noted that the amuse was vegetarian. It was really tasty and the perfect beginning to our meal. For starters I went with the squid ink ravioli. Gill had the sofrito pasta and Mike had the chicken liver risotto. Dave had the taste of the country which was a tomato based pasta dish. The pasta on all three dishes was soft and we all mentioned how tasty we thought our starters were. These are all priced at R105 and come with a wine pairing suggestion.

The main course

Before we were served our main courses we were given a second amuse bouche. This was a cardamom panna cotta topped with raspberry jelly. It makes a nice change to get a palate cleanser between the savoury courses. Main courses are R210 and Gill and I chose the duck breast. Dave had the seared salmon which was done perfectly and Mike had the pork belly. This had perfect crackling and at Mikes request the chef left off the roast pear. I thought the duck was sublime and Gill concurred. The Barbera was not recommended for any of the dishes we chose but I thought it worked perfectly well with our meal.

Desserts

For dessert Gill went with the chocolate fondant which had the perfect ooze. I had the signature salted caramel pot and I am going to try to recreate the vanilla custard budino at home. All desserts are priced at R85. Dave and Mike had coffees which came with the desserts as requested.

Service

Service was mostly good. Our waitress let us know about the specials before we looked at the menu. There was some error in the kitchen with our desserts and we were brought a glass of prosecco each while we waited, as an apology. I was pleased to see that it was noted that Mike does not drink alcohol and so he was not offered a glass.

Making a booking

It is imperative that you make a booking well in advance! This is a popular dining destination and for good reason. Contact them on: +27 21 858 1088

Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime November 8

• • 2013 – Tarragon
  • 2102 – Biryani Chicken
  • 2011 – Farfalle With Broccoli And Anchovies
  • 2010 – Cook With 7de Laan

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