Bistro Sixteen82

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

Reviewed by Nici Bruchhausen

I was first introduced to Bistro 1682 about 2 years ago. This was when they still had the churro's on the menu with the most amazing chocolate sauce (PLEASE bring those back!).I have been watching closely as the new Chef Kerry has taken over (from Brad Ball) as of 3rd November, and thus hauled my bridesmaids there with me on Monday 24th November. Drinks:Nothing much to say here, the Steenberg Chardonnay MCC goes down far too quickly! A must have every time we visit. The price is just a bit steep though considering you can buy a bottle for a third of the price a mere 3m's away... Maybe something to look into? Food:My one friend was very disappointed about the Beef tataki being taken off the 'Plate's' menu, but it is still on the lunch menu. For four woman we certainly did consume enough for a small army.. So here goes! Sticky Asian pork - sauce was scrumptious, pork belly was not as tender as usual. My Mom makes a killer roasted pork Belly so I always compare other restaurants to her!. This time Mom won! Cheese Fritter - absolutely to die for. A cheese lovers dream! Very rich but the stripe of beetroot helps simmer down the intensity of the cheesy flavours. Arancini - We devoured them so fast I did not manage to get a picture of them. Rice was rather al dente, but I like it that way. You will get a nice hit of tomato with this dish. Gambas Pil Pil - For the chili lovers. The white wine flavour was quite strong, but that is the way it is meant to be. The prawns were cooked beautifully. The beef sliders - what a let down... I have a thing about sinew and gristle in my beef burger patties, and for such a tiny patty it sure was full of it. The bread rolls used were also slightly stale, or they were possibly left under the pass too long which dried them out. Either way we didn't enjoy them. The patata's brava's - these were 'inhaled'. The dipping sauce was delicious and the potato's were nice and crispy. Yum! For dessert we braved the chocolate profiteroles, which unfortunately seemed at least a day old.. They were slightly crisp on the outside (which is good) but completely dried out and stale on the inside. The chocolate sauce used on top of them was not enjoyed by us, but the meringue icing on the bottom of the plate was the saving grace for this dish. The chocolate truffles were rock hard. We understand keeping them in the fridge because of the heat, but surely they should not be served rock hard? Not in my experience at least. Maybe it is down to personal preference, but we didn't enjoy them. Again, the chocolate used did not seem up to Bistro's standard. The cheese platter was enjoyed by all, especially seeing as though the other desserts were not really edible... Service:Service was impeccable. I know of a few restaurants that could take a leaf out of their book! Overall we will be back in a few months time when Kerry and her new team have found their feet. Some of the food elements really let them down. We really do wish her and the team the best, but things like the poor quality of the meat in the beef sliders should never happen at a restaurant of their standard. Hopefully my next review will be of a higher rating!