orange restaurant

we had dinner at the orange last night, 7 th. may. the view wasgreatand our steaks done to perfection. however, on arrival we were met at the door by two teens who could hardly muster a greeting between them. we were initially served by a different but equally awkward young woman. my wife finished her food slightly before i did. when this young woman collected her plate, she stood there staring at my plate, waiting for me to finnish! when coffee arrived, she dropped my wife's spoon on the floor. no problem; she picked it up and handed it to my wife!! not a "fine dining" experience at all.

came here for dinner on my birthday weekend. absolutely enjoyed the meal and the service wasgreattoo. definitely one of the best restaurants in mpumalanga.

this is probably going to be a harsh review: mostly because orange sets the bar pretty high for itself​, but it doesn't quite reach it.

if you're looking for a decent restaurant with agreatview, (and you're not too fussed about the finer details) then please ignore my review, you'll freaking love the place. but if you have higher standards for fine dining, you might want to give this one a skip.

let me put it this way: when i go to a restaurant that markets itself as "fine dining" or "serving some of the best cuisine in mpumalanga", i expect to be told what to eat and how to eat it. i expect the chef to know which veggies and starch would compliment the dish best, and how the meat is best prepared (medium-rare, etc). here, you have the option to choose your own starch with your mains, which would be fine in a different situation, but it doesn't exactly tell me that orange strives for "excellence" (as they put it). in my opinion "excellence" would mean that you craft each and every element of a dish to compliment eachother. they wouldn't leave it in the hands of a clueless consumer (me).

the food didn't blow my hair back either. we had mains and starters. the rosemary potato mash was pretty damn tasty, but the rest of the experience was mediocre at best. (duck was tough, rump overcooked.) it was way overpriced for what we ended up receiving.

pretty place with amazing service but it just falls short of being great. calamari starters weregreatbut our mains were all dry and over cooked. pork, fish and duck dishes all dry and slightly tasteless. dry chocolate fondant. chef needs to rethink how and when he prepares. that said, probably the best choice in town.

this is one of the better restaurants in nelspruit. the service is great, during sunset the scenery overlooking the city is gorgeous and the beers ice cold. all the food on the menu is good but it's pricey. so this would begreatfor a beer and a starter :)