dash - queen victoria hotel

after finishing our martinis in the bar area, we were taken into the restaurant for dinner. whilst reading the menu, the chef welcomed us with a pork belly and bacon appetiser. we were also served parmesan flavoured bread and ciabatta, with three types of butter, plain, pesto and honey and sundried tomatoes. my favourite butter was the pesto and honey flavour, the texture was light and the combination of flavours was a marriage made in heaven! for starters, i ordered the beetroot cured salmon, horseradish apple slaw and bread crisps. my partner ordered the double baked gorgonzola soufflé, with biltong shavings and hazelnuts. the combination of flavours was amazing and presented beautifully!

read more about my dash experience on, the authentic girl.

if you’ve ever wondered what heaven would taste like (you know, if you have weird thoughts like me), then you ought to be heading down to the dash restaurant and bar at the queen victoria hotel at the v&a waterfront. i had the absolute honour of dining there this week, and i almost want to say that i’ll never have to eat again after that delectable culinary adventure, but we all know i’d be lying. but still, with delights such as pre-pre-starters, pre-desserts, and even post-desserts, this is certainly one hidden gem that everyone should go experience.

this elegant restaurant in the queen victoria hotel is a pearl within the ocean of average restaurants.

we visited the restaurant at noon where only a limited selection of starters, main courses and deserts are served.

but the quality and creativity is amazing. we had

- the line fish with sticky soy glazed fish cake, apple chutney and apple-beetroot salad

- a lamb burger, halloumi, hummus and tomato jam

- chicken supreme with broccoli and walnut crush and blue cheese glaze

all good and all extraordinary.

to highlight is also the amazing staff - very friendly and efficient. you can't be served better!

dash is a gem of a restaurant! does not have the 'hotel restaurant' feel at all. it is small, and the menu isn't very big either, but very well put together and the food is delicious! cheese platter was a real win for me - one of the best i have had.

i wish i could give this restaurant a higher rating as it was by far the most exceptional fine dining experience i have had this far.

on arrival, we were warmly greeted by the manager, irene, who had been in contact with me just the previous day regarding special dietary requirements (a vegetarian) and any particular occasion we were celebrating (anniversary). we opted to start the evening in the lounge by the fireplace and we were presented with two complementary glasses of sparkling wine.

we arrived at our table to find an arrangement of rose petals which immediately put a romantic touch on the evening. the amuse-bouche was a tantalizing clue for the delicious meal that was to follow.
for starters, we shared the twice baked gorgonzola soufflé which was light and creamy with a variety of other elements on the plate adding to the complexity of the dish.
for mains, i had the norwegian salmon which was cooked perfectly and uniquely flavored using pomegranate and garlic butter. my boyfriend had the vegetable terrine which he described as the best vegetarian dish he has ever tasted at a restaurant as there was so much depth to the flavors of the dish.
the desert was the cherry on the cake as the hot chocolate fondant was a decadent piece of heaven with a salty caramel crumble and orange ice cream accompaniment.
we were yet again taken by surprise by the arrival of a complementary selection of chocolates and fudge to celebrate our anniversary.

the endless surprises and hospitality experienced at this fine establishment left me, not only with a happy tummy, but a happy heart!

we had a lovely evening at dash. took us a while to find the place as we thought it was in the same hotel as the oyo restaurant but turns out its actually on the opposite side, on top of the hill overlooking the waterfront. we were celebrating our anniversary and they treated us a to a small bottle of champagne on arrival. service was very slick and professional. food was very good. dessert was by far my favourite dish - a banana parfait, salted caramel popcorn and ice cream. would definitely like to visit here again in summer so we can enjoy the view 😊

excellent, great atmosphere! great food, wine and superb service. highly recommend. menu is fairly small but still diverse. excellent location at waterfront without being in the touristic locations.

i had the privilege of dining at dash in celebration of my mom's birthday. i guess it's always difficult to give a restaurant five stars if your expectations are so high - with such a fantastic rating on zomato, they really did have to pull out all the stops to impress us. and they fell nothing short of their outstanding reputation!

before dinner, we decided to sample some cocktails in their bar area. we tasted their signature cocktail in both the pomegranate and eldeflower favors. both were amazing, but personally i preferred the eldeflower one - the pomegranate was a bit too bitter for me. bar snacks consisted of biltong, mixed nuts and some sort of dehydrated bowl of cherries. our drinks arrived promptly and we were able to relax and enjoy the setting sun and soft piano playing in the background before our dining experience begun.

moving from the lounge to the actual restaurant, we were seated at an elegant table in the middle and immediately offered water and given our menus. before our starters, we were given freshly baked bread and an amuse bouche of salmon tartare. the bread was melt-in-your-mouth soft, with a choice between rye or white (or both). the butters for the night were a type of sweet mustard mix and some sort of herbed butter. they really did add that extra bit of flavor to the bread without being overpowering. the salmon tartare was honestly one of the best flavor combinations i've ever tasted - that silky salmon with a slightly spicy sauce... amazing!

starters consisted of prawn tempura, gorgonzola cheese soufflé, asparagus salad and chicken liver. the only criticism i have is that the prawns could've been a bit more crispy, but this may just be a personal preference. my granddad on the other hand thought they were perfect. the stand outs were definitely the soufflé and the asparagus - interesting elements combined to form a taste sensation of note! the soufflé was like nothing i've ever tasted before. not too rich and cheesy, but rather light and airy. slightly crispy and complimented perfectly by biltong shavings, crushed hazelnuts and a raspberry sauce. i felt the biltong pieces on the side were a bit unnecessary as you can't really cut them with a knife, making them a bit awkward to eat at a fancy restaurant. the chicken liver was also delicious and for me the most beautifully presented of all the starters.

next up, the main event, consisting of linefish (salmon on this particular night), beef fillet and venison (springbok). the salmon was made just the way i like it - soft, well cooked meat with a tasty, crispy skin. what i found very interesting was the granadilla sauce it was paired with, which worked surprisingly well with the dish! the addition of green beans added a nice crunch and balanced out the salty flavors of the fish, but i feel the two prawns place on top of the fish was a bit unnecessary. they didn't add too much to the dish. the fillet was devine, but the winner for the night had to be the springbok. let's just say if my mom was raving about it, then you can take her word that it was something spectacular. my only criticism is that the carrots were perhaps a bit undercooked. other than that, portion sizes were generous, each dish tasted lovely and you definitely got your money's worth of food!

how can you end a special birthday dinner without dessert? we had the pleasure of sampling both the chocolate fondant and the banana parfait. the fondant was honestly the best i've ever tasted, truly perfection on a plate. toasty on the outside and as soon as my spoon broke through the spongy layer, rich, warm chocolate started oozing out of the center. you simply can't ask for anything better! the banana parfait was delicious as well and i loved the addition of the crunchy almond brittle and caramel sauce, which really went well with the banana flavors and added the perfect mixture of textures to the dessert. i felt the caramel popcorn was a bit of a pointless element, perhaps a bit too much on an already quite full plate.

along with dessert, our waitress made the evening extra special by bringing the birthday girl her very own birthday cupcake, which i thought was a wonderful surprise and very thoughtful of her. speaking of service, i must give special mention to the way dash's staff treat their customers. personally i feel what really makes a good restaurant is staff that are willing to go the extra mile. and dash did indeed tick all the boxes. i really felt like we were being treated like royalty!

overall, an amazing experience and i highly recommend a visit to this gem of a restaurant! you simply can't go wrong with anything you order. furthermore, the ambiance is stunning with the piano playing softly in the background, the spacious yet cozy feel of the room and the beautiful interior of the hotel surrounding you. the staff really go out of their way to make your experience memorable and even though it's pricy, it's money well spent! undoubtedly deserving of a five star rating!

dash is the perfect spot to celebrate a special occasion with a loved one. the food is excellent and the service beyond good. while the restaurant is small you can't go wrong with breakfast or dinner at this spot. for breakfast try the eggs benedict!

what a gorgeous setting..the service was impeccable..i had the prawn tempura starter this was art on a plate and delicious..had the linefish main which was also good..the dessert was disappointing though had the coconut pannacota which was a real let down..

we had a business dinner here. the restaurant is real 5 star. i had the double baked gorgonzola souffle as a starter. it was delicious. as main i had the line fish which was salmon. it was one of the best fish dishes i have had. the different flavours complimented each other. as dessert the chocolate fondant was the winner as usual. i do find the restaurant a bit pricey compared to other top restaurants in cape town.

dash has a wonderful ambience. the dark wooden floors and dim lighting set a soft, relaxed mood quite nicely.
the amouse bouche of lamb and pecan nuts with a honey soya glaze was fantastic and really set the tone for the rest of the meal. i had the starter anchovy caesar salad was tasty but could have done with a little more of the fish. i did like how it worked with the cheese and the dressing though.
my salmon main was sublime. i have not had any meal that good in south africa yet. the fish was perfectly cooked and the presentation of the dish with the vibrant vegetables was masterful. the combination of the granadilla, fish and vegetables went together perfectly. though i did disagree somewhat with the addition of the prawns to the dish. i don't think it needed them.
the service throughout the meal was of great class. never invasive. rather disappointing was that the original choice of fish for the main had run out but the staff were most accommodating about this and a plan was made to substitute with norwegian salmon instead.
overall a heavily enjoyed meal in a beaitiful setting with classy service. only a little more live piano would be nice next time. this was a great addition to the atmosphere. well done, dash!

dash is good, but not deserving of its current rating in our opinion. i'm always a bit skeptical when there has been a foodies invitation night, it often throws the rating off.

the price and location listed are both incorrect. dash is right at the top of the price range, and not actually in the v&a more overlooking it. using the listed location we got very lost trying to find it and almost gave up.

the decor is interesting, plush chairs with rustic steel tables makes for a good contrast, but it also means your plate is not very stable on the surface. there is a large imposing painting of a black baby in the main dining area, not too my taste at all, but maybe that's just personal opinion. the live grand piano certainly adds some wonderful ambiance.

the beetroot cured salmon was great, the slightly mustardy apple slaw contrasts beautifully with the creamy cured salmon.

there were great textures in both starters.

i always like getting a sorbet to cleanse the pallet, but found the lemon slightly over powering, and the beautiful presentation was let down by the spoons not reaching the bottom of the glasses.

over all the portions were nice and big for a fine dining restaurant.

the springbok loin was delicious, served with a sweet jus and carrot pure. sunday roast flavors with a fine dining angle.

the crayfish was disappointing. tiny tails, over cooked and just not special, not what you expect at that price point.

the coconut panne cotta was completely over powered by the lime sorbet. the coconut lacked any kind of punch alone, so with the very strong sorbet you're left with only lime.

the desert tasting plate compliments of the chef was a lot better.

over all it was a good meal, but when you are spending almost r2000 for 2 people, i expect perfection.

dash was the best overall dining experience that i have had in cape town thus far (although thanks to zomato the journey is far from over!). their balance between luxury dining and a relaxed environment is precisely to my liking. service is present but not invasive. the highlight, however, is the food! the menu is small, but there is good choice and everything we had was excellent! i try not to mention specific dishes in reviews, but their gorgonzola soufflé, lamb and (especially!) chocolate fondant must be highlighted. capping the meal off with coffee overlooking table mountain is a must.

dash is truly a special experience. the small amount of items on the menu are made up for by the attention to detail in each component of every dish. we had the springbok loin and fillet which were both cooked and presented brilliantly.

the outside area could do with some improving, but overall dash is a fantastic choice for a special occasion.