Food
Salsify is the kind of restaurant where it’s not out of the ordinary to be told your amuse bouche of limpets poached in dashi were harvested by chef Ryan Cole himself, a man clearly at home in his milieu, amongst the waves and the rocks. The rest of the dishes are further proof of a talent able to expertly extract flavour from ingredients, and play with nostalgic flavours and new techniques in a way that feels oh-so-fresh.
While you can order à la carte, the tasting menu is recommended to get a taste of the chef’s philosophy. After a series of snacks – such as ceviche with avo cream and tequila-pickled spring onion and choux bonbons piped with baked gruberg and served on a fragrant blanket of wild African rosemary – the first billed item of fried octopus with mebos, green mango salad, peanut, coconut, chickpea crisps and chive flowers is plated with swirls to mirror the whirlwind of tastes, leaving no real estate on the tongue untouched. It’s crunchy, sweet and salty. In a word, sublime.
There are clever juxtapositions: Plant-based milk in the form of sunflower cream makes an appearance in the earthy but light amasi curd with whey-cooked leek and peppery rocket snow. After a seared scallop – tender and just done, prettily topped with fried broad beans – comes the showstopper of grilled langoustine with an intense, unforgettable shellfish cappuccino and black rice. Next, the uniquely South African fortified wine Caperitif adorns skilfully prepared springbok loin, vibrant carrot purée and sumac dukkha.
A pre-dessert highlight is the rhubarb Paris-Brest with blossoms, macadamia milk jellies and creamy-tangy guava butter, before the crowd-pleasing ending of a chocolate-peanut bar with sticky caramel and nostalgia-inducing banana milk ice cream. Still, you’re not done – sweet petit fours will take you back to your childhood with mini rose-and-vanilla zoo biscuits and butternut jaffa cakes with kumquat marmalade.
Drinks
If you’re here for sunset on a warm evening, a couple of cocktails on the velvet couches overlooking the lawns is the right way to blow the budget. The succinct wine list has plenty of options per varietal and some extra ‘interesting’ and ‘vintage gem’ options to please the aficionados. If you want just a glass, ask for one of the wines paired with the meal.
Service
Fresh-faced, attentive and alternative, with the odd tattoo peeking out of a crisp white shirt. When the time comes for your sprig of pine needles or confetti bush to be set alight, don’t be surprised to see a lighter in the shape of a tiny grenade.
Ambience
Salsify has revamped the interior of this historic building, giving the central room an edge with leather-clad walls. The front sea-facing room feels retro but cool, with very comfortable upholstered chairs in muted tones. The hand-engraved window graffiti from the last 80 years is a fun talking point.
(August 2019)
Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.
User reviews
★★★★★
2 Reviews
Carmel Hellig
★★★★★
We were warmly welcomed into the restaurant and given a brief history of the building and a tour of restaurant. We decided to skip the selfie booth as this is not really our thing but for many I'm sure it would be.
We had the 6 course tasting menu with wine paring.
The starter of Octopus and Oysters was outstanding. The Octopus had been done with the sous vide method and was the most tender Octopus I have eaten. It literally melted in your mouth. The oyster was nestled in a beautiful sea of herbs and was fresh tasting.
The spiced tuna was seared to perfection and came with a beautiful chickpea lace biscuit and subtlety smoked tomatoes. The addition of pearls and fresh vegetables gave a burst of flavour when you bit into them.
The third course was Ethically caught linefish with peas and beans and yeast brown butter. The fish was laid on a bed of perfectly cooked vegetables with a mussel veloute sauce and one soft moist mussel on top. The fish had a crispy skin and the rich butter sang through the dish. It is probably one of the best fish dishes I have had at any restaurant. For me it was the highlight of the meal.
The fourth course was a Peking Duck breast with salted sour plum and walnut salsa. The duck was cooked two ways, one as a perfectly crisp spring roll and other was a perfectly cooked breast on a bed of walnut salsa. The plate was decorated with plums which gave a good tang to the dish.
The pre-dessert course was Strawberry scone with blueberry jam and champagne jelly. This was a deconstructed scones with strawberry and jam which had delicate flavours and a light crisp meringue on top. The dish was well balanced with sweet and sour and an unusual take on scones and jam.
The final dish was roasted pineapple and coconut cake with goats ice-cream. It was tangy and sweet with a good balance of flavours. As I don't eat coconut they substituted my dish with their cheese platter. The platter came with dense home made seed bread and rich and creamy blue cheese with figs and a orange gel.
The setting of the restaurant is beautiful looking out to the sea and camps bay and the Twelve Apostles mountains. This gave the restaurant a great ambience. The service was very attentive and as we are very serious about our food we wanted to know how each dish was prepared. The staff would go and ask the chef if they need be to ensure we got the correct information.
I would highly recommend the restaurant and I'm sure as they will be around for longer they will get improve on a perfectly good meal.
