A Birthday Dinner fit for a Queen at Providence West Hollywood

On a work colleague's recommendation, I made a reservation for the family to celebrate my mum's birthday at Providence in West Hollywood. We set off to our destination with no expectations and hoping it would not disappoint. Disappoint it did not!
The walls are dotted with strategically placed shells, which is fitting for a fine dining destination that offers the best the ocean can offer.

I started my evening with  a pear martini, which was made up of vodka, sake and fresh organic pear juice. It was sweet and strong, just the right drink for a party. Then came the bread basket, just in time for patrons who were having pre-dinner cocktails on an empty stomach.
I opted for the salty and smoky nori bread.

Next came the amuse bouche trio of:

1. marshmallow rolled in wasabi dust- sweet with delicate heat
2. puff pastry filled with warm, pungent gruyere
3. shot of lime jelly topped with salmon tartare, caviar and edible gold dust- Sublime!

For starter I ordered the foie gras ravioli with truffles. The ravioli was light, in a buttery sauce and the earthy truffles went beautifully with the rich, fatty taste of foie gras. My picture does not do this dish justice. If you have the taste for foie gras, this is by far the best I've eaten.

My brother and father both had the scallops, which I had to taste, and boy am I glad I did. Firstly they're larger than the kind served in South Africa but as always they're soft and sweet. Served with a tomato and basil vinaigrette.

For main I had the Wild striped bass, Belgian endive seasoned with soy salt, crispy pork belly, yuzu kosho butter. This was set on a spinach bed and had a light red pepper sauce. The fish was cooked to perfection, although a slightly meaty fish it was moist and buttery. I expected pork crackling but the crisp pork belly added a great salty, mildly smoky flavour that worked so well. If I was pushed I would say that the red pepped sauce was slightly overpowering, but only if pushed. This is by far the best meal I have had! And it'll stay with me for years to come.

If you know me at all, you know I'm a sucker for desserts. Dessert was poached peaches with a star anise flavour on pistachio served with nectarine sorbet (i think) and a sweet bread. the peaches where sweet and tart at the same time with a lingering star anise flavour which I almost couldn't place.

The thing I loved most about this dinner was the integrity of flavours. The ability to keep the focus on the star of the dish be it foie gras, scallops, fish or peaches. the flavour combination was impeccable.
http://www.providencela.com/

Best restaurant recommendation ever, thank you!

Jozi Foodie Fix on Location in Southern California

I was in California last week, and i thought it would be good to share the highlights of my week.

The first was a proud moment for me, finding the South African Nomu products in Monsieur Marcels French deli in the LA Farmer's Market.
Nomu had an entire shelf stand dedicated to their range of products. Proudly South African!

Lunch at La Piazza Italiano Ristorante provided a much needed break with air conditioning after walking around the Farmer's market on a sweltering LA day. The food is serious, contemporary Italian fair. I ordered the Tagliolini al Nero di Seppia which is Black Squid Ink Tagliolini Pasta with Clams, Mussels, Shrimp and Calamari on a Tomato Sauce and Parsley. Although it was a tad salty, it had a rich combination of sea and tomato flavour plus it was packed with fresh seafood. The family all enjoyed their dishes, which included raviolis and fish. It is an upmarket restaurant by US standards and mains are upward of $18.

We made it out to The Grove (situated next to the Farmer's Market) for a second time and had lunch at Morels French Steakhouse. They served a wonderful Fish (sole) and chips  that rivals Cape Town's. A skirt steak arugala salad that almost reaches but just stops short of trumping Tasha's steak salad (Tasha's I miss you and you'd definitely make it out in LA). A seafood penne pasta special that is also rich in seafood and tomato flavour. Lastly a cheese plate that warmed my heart served with raw honey, fig preserve.


So if you're in SoCal and LA do take the time out to visit the LA Farmer's Market and The Grove
http://farmersmarketla.com/
http://www.thegrovela.com/

The Last Supper at DW Eleven-13

On the night before I left for my trip to LA and NY, I had a work related dinner at DW Eleven-13. It is situated in the Dunkeld centre round the back (behind Fournos). The restaurant has pale green walls, clean, modern and minimalistic which gets me right into the fine dining mood.

For starter I ordered the seared irish scallops, which come with a cauliflower puree and a hazelnut vinaigrette. The scallops were an absolute triumph-yes I can still taste them now two weeks later. The scallops were soft and sweet, complimented by the smooth cauliflower puree, the vinaigrette with bits of crunchy hazelnut and the spicy coriander. I must say I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the flavourful cauliflower puree, I can't believe i just used flavourful and cauliflower in the same sentence. The Scallops are definitely a Must Try!

For main i ordered the roasted quail. On the menu it is described as marinated quail, braised cabbage with a raspberry and quail jus. What they fail to tell you is that the quail is stuffed with a delicious herb stuffing, Fantastic! The braised cabbage is super sweet but the raspberry and quail jus (which seemed and tasted a lot like a chutney to me) is well balanced and the brussel sprouts offset the cabbage sweetness somewhat.

Out of pure greed i squeezed in a dessert as well, the duo of chocolate.  
Be warned it's not for the fainthearted!  
Dark chocolate tart, white and dark chocolate terrine, milk ice cream and pistachio nut butter. What you can't see, because of my wonderful photographic skills is the dark chocolate tart. If you know a photographer who's willing to do pro bono work to send him/her over to me.
 The ice cream was wonderful, the tart intense chocolate flavour and i mean chocolate flavour not the sugary stuff that dairymilk calls chocolate. Although I have to admit that the white choc terrine did taste a little like milkybar.

DW Eleven-13 served up some great eating and I will be going back for more! Can you say Supperclub?! It is definitely fine dining priced, but you will leave with the feeling it was money well spent. I say this while my evening was bought and paid for by the company.
They also offer lunch specials which are R115 per person for  2 courses and R150 for 3. If you opt for this option I would definitely order the aged sirloin steak to get more bang for my buck.

http://dw11-13.co.za/cms_site/index.html
DW Lunch special

Happy Fine Dining!