I am leaving the review up, even though the restaurant has closed.
JennaVIVA is situated at 206 Main Road in Somerset West. They can be contacted on 021 851 8237 and are open 7 days a week from 8am till late, except Sundays when they close at 4pm. The kitchen is closed between 3pm and 6pm and last orders are taken at 10pm. There is also a cocktail lounge which opens daily at 4pm except for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays when it opens at 12pm. They are open most public holidays.
Daily specials are on offer and the average main course cost is R99. Corkage of R30 per bottle applies. The food showcases the best of fresh, local and imported ingredients and is rustic with a modern twist. They offer gluten free pasta which is a plus in my opinion. Freshly baked focaccia is served to each table once the orders have been taken.
On the 4th of October 2011 Dave and I went for a celebratory dinner. Dave chose the salmon and coriander fishcakes (R52) as his starter. They were very moist and served with vegetables. I had the calamari, chorizo and rice salad to start (R52) which was very spicy and the calamari was succulent. For mains Dave had the herb roasted free range chicken breast (R105). Dave said the chicken was very good, and rated his meal as excellent. I chose the chicken and prawn curry (R95) and I was a bit disappointed in the fact that my prawns were not cooked with the curry and were served more as an aside – head on (which I don’t mind) and not peeled. The samosas were oily and on the whole, this is not a dish I would recommend. The chicken curry portion was very spicy and tasty. Even though our service was good, I was not brought a finger bowl. I had the Amarula crème brûlée for dessert (R45) and it came to the table with an extra spoon, a nice touch! It was very creamy with grilled sugar and was served with vanilla ice cream on a chocolate dust with berries and a biscuit.
Wines are offered per the glass or bottle and this includes the champagne. I find this a fantastic idea. The wine list is very extensive and well priced across the range. The wine we chose was not in stock and our waiter recommended the Waterford Pecan Stream Pebble Hill 2008 (R95). Wine recommendations for the meals are included on the menu.
Our waiter was very knowledgeable and he asked us if we would like to wait between our starters and main course which is great attention to detail. Overall, the service was good and our waiter mostly attentive and very friendly.
The ambiance of the dining room lends itself to a fine dining experience. The music is background sound and the tables well spaced to allow for an intimate feeling when dining.
And … you can enjoy Sunday afternoon Sushi specials
Tandy
I find it very odd that they tout a dish as a chicken & prawn curry and then serve the prawns separately. That aside, it sounds like a great place to visit. Maybe next time?
it also baffled me!