Bosman’s Restaurant

Wednesday, January 21st, 2015

Reviewed by Eat Out

Food
This is classic international cuisine, but with a nice South African touch, in the sense that local ingredients are often the hero on the plate. During daytime, indulge in dishes like beef carpaccio with marinated oyster and baby beetroot, followed by seared yellowtail with wasabi risotto and pickled ginger, finished by a dreamy crème brûlèe with lavender ice cream and poached apples. At dinner time, the tasting menu treats with items like smoked snoek and poached oyster with wild rice, roasted quail breast with spiced sweetcorn parfait, springbok loin with cranberry gel and sage jus, and a very tempting salted caramel toffee log consisting of, among other things, dark chocolate jelly mousse…  If you’d like fewer courses and more choice, opt for the à la carte menu, which also has some intriguing options.

Drinks 
Whereas the lunch menu features a short and concise wine offering, dinner comes with a very comprehensive wine list. The latter boasts an informative introductory section about SA’s wines and the different regions, and then the wines are arranged under varietals, and sub-divided into regions. Decent by-the-glass offering.

Service 
Smart and professional, with good attention to detail.

Ambience
Located in one of Paarl’s grander (possibly grandest?) hotels, the interior and feeling is one of old school glamour and class.

And...
Why not make a night of it and stay at the hotel? There are worse things in life than waking up to the sight of the Paarl vineyards.

(July 2014)