Nathan

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

Reviewed by Nathan Slabbert

We decided to end our holiday in Cape Town by treating ourselves to dinner at 95 Keerom, as it had been highly recommended by various people. We have very mixed emotions about our experience. The food cannot be faulted on any level. The Carpaccio was exquisite, as were the rolled pork and white wine chicken. The overall ambience, however, just did not sit right with us. Perhaps it was our early arrival that threw the staff off, but we were treated to kitchen staff catching up on their beauty sleep in the outside smoking area, and could quite clearly see other kitchen staff eating in the kitchen, something which should never occur in a restaurant of this calibre. It may also be attributed to the fact that the owner had not yet arrived when this was taking place. When the owner did arrived, things seemed to suddenly snap into place, with staff becoming a lot friendlier and more professional. We also found that when the specials were explained by the owner, they seemed to be very rehearsed and detached. But I supposed we are all entitled to a bad day. Our ambience problems aside, our waiter, Andre, was an absolute breath of fresh air. He was very informative and honest about drink selections. Being new to the world of fine dining, he was quick to suggest the Limoncello digestive, as it was the easiest to drink. Meal prices cannot be faulted either. You would expect to pay a lot more for the kind of food you receive. Additionally, Im not sure if cocktails are on offer (we were not presented with the option), but being a fan of Margaritas, I would love to see these appearing on the drink list in the future.Thank you for a lovely evening! (and the body-guard/ security outside made us feel very safe as we waited for our cab.)