dash - queen victoria hotel

booked lunch as part of restaurant week. the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous with the most comfortable chairs (which serve you well after stuffing your face with their delicious menu options). stunning views of table mountain from the balcony.

the restaurant week menu allows you to pick a starter, main anddessertfrom the options presented.

for starters, i had the duck confit noodles. very lovely, but missing either soy sauce or fish sauce. had to add some salt for the missing sodium element.

white truffle you say! well of course i had to opt for the mushroom risotto for mains. very dense, very rich, all kinds of goodness! but the veggie crisps i felt were a bit misplaced.

fordesserti chose the green tea parfait. definitely an interesting mix of flavours. would've loved that apple sorbet in between the courses, it was so refreshing! the green tea parfait component was very creamy.

portion sizes of the courses are really big! i could not finish my dessert.

the food is good. not wow, but definitely above average.

the service is impeccable. monica, the waitress assigned to my table; was super attentive, gave good recommendations and so warm.

special mention to the hostess, sasha, who was an absolute darl!

what a wonderful way to spend a saturday evening! my boyfriend and i were treated to a foodie night to remember in the heart of cape town's waterfront. their new executive chef germaine esau,  is said to be one of the most innovative chefs in the country, so we had to try out his tasting menu!

we were welcomed by a live pianist and elderflower and pomegranate cocktails - their signatures, and then settled in for the evening by the elegant coal fire. 

we enjoyed their tasting menu with wine pairing (r375 + r50 per wine), which began with a turnip soup accompanied by bacon jam and olive toast. the next dish was, "as fresh as ever," according to my boyfriend and i agree - it was fresh and from the sea; kingklip carpaccio, avo mousse and salmon tartar. moving on to mains, which was seared duck breast, confit baby chicken, with cranberry jus and carrot purée. and fordessert*inserts hands on head emoji* - it was wow, a chocolate surprise! all the food was carefully crafted and perfectly paired.

we left feeling well fed and jolly from all the wine and deliciousness. i'd also like to give the staff a special mention, who did a stellar job all around.

we cannot wait to go back.

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.dessertwas 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 😊

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..thedessertwas 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. asdessertthe chocolate fondant was the winner as usual. i do find the restaurant a bit pricey compared to other top restaurants in cape town.

a beautiful, classy restaurant. arrive early and have cocktails to start outside on the balcony with a view of table mountain.

there isn't a huge variety of menu options, however you can tell that the kitchen focuses all its attention to the choices that are there.

snacks of nuts and olives were served with our cocktails and we received a complementary started of beef and pistachio crumble.you can select the bread from some freshly baked options and its served with salt and pepper butter, and creamy pesto which was a very nice touch. we had venison loin and beef fillet. both were so tender and cooked to perfection. i was impressed at the veg that came with the meal - unusual, plentiful and cooked with flavours to complement the meat. there's a good selection of wines to accompany your meal. we were full after that so didn't select adessertbut we received a complementarydessertfrom the chef anyway.

whilst you eat, there is soft live piano music in the background. our waitress was friendly and all staff worked together as a team. i would only mark down the service at the beginning where he hostess seemed to forget about coming around for our drinks order. and the balcony can be a bit noisy as its above a v&a main road. but other than that a superb restaurant and experience

so last night i fell in love with a restaurant. we decided to celebrate our 4-year wedding anniversary here, and we could not have made a better choice! as we entered the restaurant we were serenaded with the most beautiful music coming from the grand piano. there was a roaring fire, completely eliminating the chill of the last winter evenings... the decor was warm and inviting, and the staff incredible friendly and helpful.
the food... oh my.
it all started with something as simple as the butter that came with the bread for tge table. have you ever had capers butter?? i need it in my life, every day...
we were served a beetroot amuche bouche which i loved, but my husband found too oily.
for starters i we had the beetroot cured salmon ( the salmon is cured for three days! ) , horseradish and apple slaw and salted bread crisps - it was delicious, beautifully presented and so fresh. i loved the combination of the salmon and apple gel garnish. we also had the seared foie grass with apples and shallot marmalade - dash restaurant gets their foie grass from a local farmer that does not force feed his ducks, but rather lets them eat as much as they want (overfeeds). the flavours were exquisite and the portion just right.

for mains we opted for the grilled fillet of beef, served on mash potato and spinach puree with a melange of vegetables and jus. the beef was out of this world - three huge pieces of beef fillet, cooked to perfection and just melting away in your mouth. we also had the grilled crayfish tail with saffron orzo and rehydrated pineapple. the crayfish was a little overcooked, but still delicious. i did not care much for the saffron orzo, but loved the vegetables the chef served the meal with. both main dishes were huge - they were so filling that we could hardly finish the meal and there was no space fordessertso i cannot give you feedback on that!
what i love: great value for money, huge portions, delicious (mindblowingly so) food, incredible presentation, the chef present the dish to you in a way that you almost have a trail to follow as to what she wants you to pair, clean and fresh tastes, amazing combination of flavours... i am addicted. my best restaurant experience ever.

not so much: .... that i did not have space for desert 😭

this past weekend i had the pleasure of indulging my senses , my taste buds and dining in the opulent dash restaurant at the queen victoria hotel in the v & a waterfront.

i indulged in starters , mains anddessertand each course was more beautiful and decadent than the previous. we were served by the maitre 'd irene and our waitress was the lovely philiwe both of whom were exceptional.

our meal was peaceful , leisurely and left us with huge smiles and full bellies.

i absolutley adored my meal here and will definitely be back again.

this is one of the best meals i've ever had. dash takes the concept of fine dining to the next level, and yet i still left so full (no teeny tiny gourmet portions here). everything from the cheesy souffle starter to the venison main was impeccable, and i loved the little "surprise" courses in between - a fantastic amuse bouche and a turkish delight sorbet later on. the restaurant's atmosphere is incredibly elegant, yet still warm and comfortable (amaaaaazing chairs). the piano player is also a lovely addition and something you don't really find in restaurants anymore. i had the chocolate fondant fordessertand it was unbelievable - it literally exploded into a river of gooey chocolatey-ness and the bitter orange touches brought out all the flavour. i cannot wait to go back to dash!

we started off with drinks in the bar area with a fabulous roaring fire! after the first round of cocktails everyone was warming up whether it was to do with the fire or the alcohol i cannot confirm. my cocktail was bright pink and delicious! the name eludes me but the main flavour was pomegranate – yum!

we started with beautiful fresh bread with cajun butter, and truffle butter. the truffle butter was amazing and i spread it liberally across the soft white bread. the truffle butter tasted like blitz exotic mushrooms with truffle oil and was wonderfully creamy and smooth! really delicious!

my starter was a double baked gorgonzola souffle, biltong shavings and hazelnuts. the souffle was unbelievably light and was like pulling a cloud apart! i loved the addition of the tart raspberry flavours to cut the richness of the gorgonzola.

between starters and main course we had these delightful palate cleansers! my favourite was the turkish delight sorbet topped with a giant chunk of turkish delight!

our main course was a seriously fabulous affair! this is the pan fried loin of venison, parsley mash and carrot puree. the description per the menu really doesn’t do the dish justice!

dessert was a brand new creation by their chef sam wasserman – the sweet explosion! this was a dulce sorbet, gummies mousse, amarula gel, old fashioned macaroons and caramel tort. thisdessertwas delicious and was a whole lot of little taste experiences to finish off a wonderful meal.

all the details up on the blog:

dinner at dash restaurant is an absolute feast for the senses. not only is the food beautiful to look at, but it is packed with flavour, texture and creativity. every single plate of food was incredible. the service was excellent and the wine pairings were fantastic. i honestly cannot fault a thing. location, service, food, vibe, comfort and drinks were bang-on.

we started with pomegranate martinis (yum) in the bar area before sitting down for dinner – which was a feast of note! we ate so much food… no complaints over here because everything was yummo! the chefs lamb bon bon was a perfect start to the evening and a great indication of what was to come. this was followed by a soft and creamy gorgonzola soufflé that was light and moreish. a sweet little apple sorbet cleanser came next and tasted just like apple pie. mains was one of the best fillet steaks i have ever had the pleasure of eating, soft as butter and accompanied by a beautiful selection of veggies and creamy-dreamy mash.dessertwas a chocolate fondant with orange ice cream and it was phe-no-me-nal! gooey-chocolatey-orange heaven. 

all washed down with good wine, great company and amazing new friends.

i will definitely be back for more.