De Kloof Restaurant

Food:

Sitting pretty on one of Pretoria’s fine golf estates, the restaurant is owned by siblings Leon and Charl Whitlock. Former Granny Mouse chef Leanne Roberts was enticed into their kitchen. Freshness and quality are priorities, with regular changes in a menu that’s kept small but with enough variety to charm diners. Starters included a melt-in-the-mouth tempura of soft-shell crab with a red curry and coconut sauce and pineapple salsa; a slow-braised veal brisket with pan-fried porcini mushroom, rosemary butter sauce and jus; a glorious assiette of Norwegian salmon consisting of salmon and avo nori roll, salmon tartare with olive oil sorbet; and sesame and orange salmon ceviche. All completely divine. Mains ranged from the innovative pan-grilled kingklip with sweet corn, leek and potato chowder and crispy chorizo to a magnificent black olive-crusted rack of lamb with garlic pommel purée, fresh broad beans and sundried tomato; and a superb springbok Wellington with a mélange of delicate vegetables and port and chocolate jus. Innovative desserts included vanilla pod and thyme panna cotta with macerated strawberries, sorbet and black pepper toile; Valrhona milk chocolate délice with raspberry and merlot sorbet, hibiscus syrup and chocolate tuile; Amarula crème brûlée with hazelnut biscotti and spun sugar; and a fig and apple tarte tartin served with cinnamon crème anglaise and praline ice cream taking the final bow.

Wine:

A fine wine list is another of the restaurant’s attributes; this is where the owners’ passion lies. They host spectacular food and wine pairing evenings, and have several sassy ideas like the Wine Station device that preserves and serves wines.

Service:

It’s early days yet, but our first experience was quite spectacular with a chef who has interesting table talk.

Ambience:

The interiors of De Kloof have a quiet masculine slant with strong lines and muted colours, and an inside wall painted with a slight Jackson Pollock madness.

And...:

It’s great to have such a smart addition to the city’s fine fare brigade.

(Diane De Beer, December 2011)

Sannelie Gallichan
17-Apr-2012

I needed to take a special client out for lunch, but in the last months of 2011 tired of the standard offerings in Pretoria. I consulted Eat Out and De Kloof's name came up. I loved the fact that the menu changed so often. My lunch was a resounding success. The food was amazing, the staff friendly and Charl such a treat to talk to about the food and wine. The winelist by the way is wonderful! De Kloof is really very different from what anybody else is offering. I have been back and back and back again. I'm planning my next outing already. And as my fellow diners on Friday said, you do go out to eat at other restaurants but only to confirm how special De Kloof really is, and then you come back.

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Yolandi
20-Feb-2012

Let me start of by saying that we never go out on Valentine's Day but we thought that this would be a special treat because of all the good reviews. And also this is why I can't understand that we had such a bad experience. The venue itself is fine but it does not seem that special. We got to De Kloof at about 18:30 and we ordered some drinks to enjoy while watching the sun set. Whilst still enjoying the view we were ushered inside to start with our first course. From there it felt as if they were rushing us so that when it started to get busy they would not have so many tables. In a matter of maybe an hour and half we had 5 courses and then we had to wait what seemed to be a very long time for dessert. We don't mind having a long dining experience but then all the courses should follow at the same pace. Not rushed the one minute and then having to wait for the next. The food was good except for the duck which was terribly tough and did not impress at all. We really enjoyed the salmon and all the wines were well paired with the food. It would have been nice if someone could have given us a bit more information on the specific wines. The wine was always late and we received it only after the food had arrived and sometimes had to ask for the wines. Service started off well but when the restaurant started to get busy the service got worse. We had a different waiter every time. What spoiled it even more - when trying to pay our bill which was just for the extra drinks and for a tip, the card machine did not work. At first we said we would do an EFT but then realised we had some cash enough for the full outstanding amount and a bit for the tip. We gave the money to the hostess, but last week De Kloof mailed us to pay the outstanding amount which we had already paid. Terrible administration on their behalf. Maybe on any other day the experience would have been great but it should not have made a difference for a restaurant like this. They should be able to handle the pressure in serving a few extra tables. I doubt that we would be back any time soon.

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Lianne Byrne-Hammacott
27-Jan-2012

We drove in at sunset to the estate where de Kloof is situated and I was so impressed by the view and tranquility of the venue.



The staff were incredibly attentive and knowledgeable about the food and wine. The wine pairing was thoughtful and brought flavours to life. I had the beef fillet which was a generous portion and value for money.



Charl's knowledge of all things gourmet and gastronomic is outstanding - his passion for the diners tasting experience is extraordinary - real beautiful attention to detail.



All in all a great place to bring someone you want to impress and although still fairly new, it will make it's mark quickly on the Pretoria restaurant scene.

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Maurice Van Heerden
23-Jan-2012

I took my wife to De Kloof for her birthday. We had just spent December dining around the Western Cape’s best restaurants for 2 weeks so our expectations were high.

It was very quiet for a Friday night with only 3 or 4 tables full. The restaurant is not beautiful but it is a comfortable space to be in and has great views of the western side of Pretoria. The service was attentive and all around very good and balanced.

My wife and I are self appointed foodies and enjoy a fine dining experience, which this was not. Fine dining is about absolute perfection and attention to every little detail. Fine dining is an art which very few do well (maybe only 3 or four places in South Africa). Fine dining means your food is of the finest quality, cooked to perfection and served as artistry on a plate in a beautiful and sophisticated location with service that is outstanding in every way. De Kloof falls short here.

However, De Kloof is still a brilliant restaurant. The food was delicious! I had pork belly with sweet potato and ginger puree which was a genius combo. My wife had soufflé which was a little heavy but very good! My main of stuffed quail was excellent however the duck mousse stuffing was a little under done. My sweetness and light had rack of lamb which served a little French style with a great garlic pomme puree.

The cheese course was rubbish. They need to do some work here.

We had one dessert to share which I remember as being good but couldn’t have been spectacular since I don’t remember what it was. Maybe that was the chardonnay’s fault.

The wine list is a true gem. Rare, complex and well priced wines! It really is one of the best wine lists I have come across and very well priced!

In my opinion, De Kloof is a great restaurant but certainly not a fine dining one. It doesn’t need to be, it is good enough being great restaurant without having to call itself a fine dining one (Fine dining = huge expectations). It’s a little like Cameron Diaz taking a role as Princess Diana. Yes, Cameron is beautiful, funny, sexy and loveable but, she’s no princess Diana is she? Half the population still wants to marry her though.

I will be back and back often for a great meal and a taste of some beautiful wine!

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