Fast Facts

Restaurant name: PIER Restaurant

Address: 9 Breakwater Boulevard, V&A

Phone number: 021 879 6329

Opening times:  Monday to Sunday 12noon to 3pm then  6pm to 9pm

Average price of a main course: N/A (tasting menu)

Corkage fee: N/A

Parking situation: Parking lot at the V&A

Food type: Fine dining

Food

As part of the La Colombe group, PIER has some big shoes to fill but based on this meal, this baby sister restaurant is already wise well beyond its years. Headed up by John Norris-Rogers, one of the group’s longest-standing members, PIER stays true to its restaurant family but stands out well on its own. The food is as expected for a fine dining restaurant of this level and offers only a tasting menu (with seasonal special menus throughout the year). The tasting menu is made up of a number of different courses, which change as the seasons and ingredients do, but you can always expect a knockout meal. Things kick off with bite-sized snacks of salmon mousse with horseradish, rolled in a crisp brik pastry topped with roe and salmon ‘floss’, as well as MCC veloute-poached oysters, brunoise apple and fennel and an MCC foam.

 

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The bread course is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, with a pain d’epi-style caraway bread served with an almost-too-beautiful-to-eat smoked bone marrow butter and a chimichurri-esque butter. In keeping with the oceanic setting, there’s a strong seafood presence here with an imaginative tuna (two ways!) dish and a beautiful mussel, Black forest ham and chorizo dish. The main lamb dish was finished off tableside and comprised a rump, a sticky rib and a jus good enough to drink. Dessert featured a delicate chamomile sponge, served with stone fruit, brown-butter ice cream and a honeycomb tuile. Vegetarians and vegans are well-looked after, with specific menus available on request.

 

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Drinks

A ‘wine bible’ would be an apt description of the wine list here. Featuring an incredible array of local and international wines, you’ll need the guidance of the well-versed waitstaff to talk you through everything. A paired wine offering is also available and a select number of wines are available by the glass.

Service

The staff here are warm and charming and extremely knowledgeable about the menu they’re serving.

Ambience

With a view that looks out over the V&A harbour, PIER really does have it all. The restaurant’s interiors almost steal the food’s thunder, with an incredibly beautiful and considered aesthetic. Overall, there’s a wonderful buzz in the restaurant that makes you want to linger that bit longer.

 

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Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.