dash - queen victoria hotel

dash restaurant & bar, although it caters for queen victoria hotel guests, is a stand-alone establishment that welcomes patrons from near and far. extraordinary artworks embellish the walls in a bold fashion. further, a live pianist sets the tone during dinnerservicefrom tuesday to saturday, a delightful accompaniment to the exquisite fine dining offered at this restaurant. the menu is concise and changes every few weeks. the chef and his team place much focus on each ingredient’s unique flavour and combine them creatively to delight the palate. the bar offers an extensive selection of single-malt whiskies and wines, and is a tasteful meeting spot.

food,service& beverage excellent as is the ambience. the piano and bassist rounds off a great restaurant. thanks for wonderful evening. highly recommended, will certainly be back!

went for my birthday and that is truly the best time to go. we got complimentary bubbles and an amazing birthday message. theserviceat this restaurant is adequate when considering the amount of time you are left unattended.

i have recently decided go sober for a while😢 and their virgin cocktail menu is so short it’s sad. the food options are limited, but it tastes so yummy that i don’t mind.

the views aren’t that great, given its proximity to the waterfront. it’s still amazing though.

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 and dessert from 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.

for dessert i 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.

theserviceis 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!

the food was surprisingly good. i had the vegetable terrine and had been quite worried initially because my choice of a main was one of exclusion. i enjoyed every mouthful and i thought the different textures and flavors worked really well together.

theservicewas very average. i attribute that to a lack of training. i was also very disappointed when i was brought dirty cutlery, which i pointed out to my server. he was very apologetic and replaced it and was definitely more attentive after that.

the ambiance was probably the highlight of this experience. the decor and lighting added a touch of glamour. it was also evident that they had paid attention to detail. we all appreciate beautiful spaces ☺️

overall, as this was at a hotel, there was ample parking at a reasonable rate. i'm not convinced that it was good value for money but i definitely think there is that potential!

dash restaurant is a delightful surprise. i went on a quiet sunday night and the food, atmosphere andservicewere all great.
for starters i had the double baked gorgonzola soufflé. the soufflé was soft and paired surprisingly well with the biltong and strawberry accompaniments. for the mains - i tried the lamb loin with pearl barley and beetroot. the loin was cooked perfectly and the pearl barley was an intriguing choice but worked well with the lamb.
dessert was a baked chocolate fondant with orange ice cream and tiny cubes of jelly and fruit. this was a perfect end to the meal and really enjoyed the pairing of hot gooey chocolate with cold fruity ice cream.
the staff was great. friendly and providing me with a few amuse-bouches between meals such as a duck croquet and coconut ice biscuit/cake with cream cheese frosting. while the meals were a bit expensive - the quality of food,serviceand atmosphere is well worth it.

had a great breakfast here-food was good,servicegreat but views were the best part. lovely hotel - stunning decor and i like that the hotel is small and most of the time quiet and tranquil.

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.servicewas 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 😊

dash is the perfect spot to celebrate a special occasion with a loved one. the food is excellent and theservicebeyond 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..theservicewas 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..

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.
theservicethroughout 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 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.serviceis 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.

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 a dessert but we received a complementary dessert from 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 theserviceat 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

aside from having the luxury of trying many restaurants in the city of cape town, sometimes i get the opportunity for all my senses to get thoroughly pampered. last night was one of those nights, when i had an indulgent food experience at dash restaurant at the newmark hotel at the v&a waterfront.

dash is one of the finer dining restaurants in the city, and offers 'delectable cuisine in an opulent setting', as they so themselves. and opulent it is indeed. the chique slick interior with modern flair, fine art, and a centered open fireplace all communicate exuberant luxury.

dash is a little bit tricky to locate (it's behind the portswood hotel and above dock road), but has a nice terrace and view over the harbour. upon arrival, i was greeted by an array of friendly staff. it all felt a bit presidential (which, might i add, is a good thing).

as i sat down with my dining partner, we were treated to some fresh bread with delightful butter. i normally skip the bread description (because, right?) but if you serve it with the option of fresh basil or berry butter that is so good you immediately order more, i feel it deserves a mention.

after an amuse bouche of a spicy meatball, i got a starter of tempura prawns, pickled soft vegetables and sesame emulsion. my friend had the asparagus, olive toast, nut crush and parmesan snow (snow!). she was generous enough to let me try both. aside from the stunning presentation (dash has a food artist in their kitchen), these dishes were delicious.

for our mains, we got served a pan fried loin of venison, parsley mash and carrot puree and a fish special of norwegian salmon, truffle mash and vegetables. the venison was a succulent delight, and i could not stop eating my friend's mash. i mean, if you put truffle in anything i already voluntarily plant my face in your plate, but this was a true treat.

for dessert, we were both presented with a coconut panacotta with lime sorbet and passion fruit coulis (see top image). finding some extra space in our stomachs, this plate was also emptied without too many words spoken. some chocolate truffle bonbons were presented as a final extra, because dash seems to love to spoil their diners.

what deserves a special mention, is their service. we had a waitress who was so attentive and kind (also providing great suggestions!), it really adds another dimension to a night out. it was one of those experiences where they attend to you exactly before you even think of asking for assistance.

perhaps the only notes i could add is that the dash does not hold back on portion size (at all!). their dishes are beautifully presented and consist of great flavour combinations, but we both rolled our way out of the restaurant. our mains were meals by themselves and we had to really find some extra space for our desserts. the ambiance can feel a little stiff due to its chiqueness, but, in all fairness, probably livens up when visited on a busier night.

all in all, i was absolutely spoiled by dash restaurant, and with exquisite food, gorgeous plates, top-notchserviceit definitely deserves a recommendation.

if fine dining is what you're after, then this has to be on your list of places to go. absolutely exquisite meal from start to finish.

the salmon starter was mind blowing, as was the venison fillet i had for mains. if i'm really honest, i caught myself saying "how is this real" far too many times during the course of the evening. i must also point out that the jus that came with the venison fillet was so delicious i strongly considered eating it out of the bowl with a spoon (ok ok i might have actually done it).

this is the type of place where the butter that comes with your bread today is actually truffle butter and you realize how fancy butter can be. the decor is beautiful and elegant, yet comfortable enough to be inviting. theservicewas amazing, too.

honestly, can't fault the evening at all and i would definitely go back in a heartbeat for some serious foodie spoilage.