Enjoy a delicious feast this Christmas Eve without lifting a finger (unless of course you feel the need to elevate your pinky finger whilst sipping on a glass of red wine at one of these swanky restaurants).
Gauteng
La Belle Terrasse, The Westcliff Hotel, Johannesburg
On the menu: 5-course menu including baked gammon with clove pineapple, sauerkraut and caraway bread; warm crab claw salad and crab bisque with brioche; and a caramelized salmon strawberry salad.
Cost: R540 a person
Contact: Tel 011-481-6000, email [email protected]
Punchinello’s Restaurant, Fourways
On the menu: Beef fillet medallion served with potato bake, Vichy cinnamon carrots and a red wine jus; grilled tiger prawns, pan-fried fillet of sea-bass served with a saffron risotto, wilted spinach accompanied by a seafood butter sauce; and roast turkey roulade with traditional festive stuffing, grilled chipolatas, roast fondant potatoes, crisp asparagus and cranberry sauce.
Cost: R300 a person
Contact: Tel 011-367-4367
De Kloof Restaurant, Waterkloof, Pretoria
On the menu: Carpaccio of smoked duck breast and fresh fig with micro-greens; honey-glazed ham with fresh lychees , minted pea puree and foam, and roasted parsnips; and herb-crusted noisettes of lamb, saffron turned potatoes, melange of summer vegetables and red currant and rosemary jus.
Cost: R395 a person, R175 a child under 11
Contact: Tel 073-092-8562, email [email protected]
Western Cape
Savoy Cabbage, Cape Town
On the menu: Coriander-soaked game loin with a bacon and potato cake, wilted greens, papaya salsa and red wine jus; galantine of free range chicken with pistachios and dried cranberries and truffle vinaigrette; and warm peppered Fior de Latte with tomato, cucumber and beetroot jelly and basil oil.
Cost: From R250 to R395 a person
Contact: Tel 021-424-2626
Oasis Bistro at the Mount Nelson, Cape Town
On the menu: Roast turkey with a sage and onion stuffing, pan fried trout in an orange emulsion and roast sirloin steak with a mustard jus.
Cost: R650 a person
Contact: Tel 021-483-1948, email [email protected]
Image courtesy of Dplanet
Planet Restaurant at the Mount Nelson, Cape Town
On the menu: Lamb rump with fine beans, barley salad, rosemary jus; roast duck breast, ballotine, potato bake, liver parfait, baby vegetables and a cherry jus; and Marron and Dusky kabeljou with pickled fennel, broccoli, marron and corn veloute.
Cost: R910 a person
Contact: Tel 021-483-1948, email [email protected]
Trees Restaurant, Cape Town
On the menu: Turkey galantine stuffed with mince, chestnuts, mushrooms and dried fruits with cranberry gravy; and Cape seafood bouillabaisse with local fish, West Coast mussels, calamari, hake fillet and shrimps served with garlic croutons and sauce aioli.
Cost: R158 a person
Contact: Tel 021-465-7050, email [email protected]
The Conservatory, The Cellars-Hohenort, Constantia
On the menu: Springbok Wellington with mushrooms, cep purée, spinach, Madiera jus; Sous vide turkey suprene, pomme purée, braised thigh, pork and chestnut stuffing, red cabbage and cherry chutney and a thyme jus; and apple wood smoked salmon trout ballotine with broad bean fricassée, radish salad and champagne sauce.
Cost: R520 a person
Contact: Tel 021-794-2137, email [email protected]
Constantia Uitsig Restaurant, Constantia
On the menu: Slow roasted lamb with olive oil, rosemary and garlic served with cannellini beans cooked in tomato; sweet and sour quail served with fine bean bundle and potatoes; and grilled Norwegian salmon served with green asparagus, boiled baby potatoes and an orange burre blanc sauce.
Cost: R750 a person
Contact: Tel 021-794-4480, email [email protected]
The Restaurant at Waterkloof
On the menu: Langbaken Alanna with a variation of baby beets; pickled line fish with a dried fruit and lentil salad; and Karan Beef fillet with smoked potatoes and asparagus.
Cost: R550 a person (R700 with wine pairing included)
Contact: Tel 021-858-1491, email [email protected]
Bosman’s Restaurant at the Grande Roche Hotel, Paarl
On the menu: Tandoori flavoured lamb loin with ras el hanout chick pea purée, tzatziki gel and garlic jus; prawn chilli con carne braised chive-potato espuma with seared scallop and chorizo corn; and jus glazed beef fillet with slow braised cheek, stuffed potato dumpling and shaved foie gras.
Cost: R1 220 a person, R610 a child under 11
Contact: Tel 021-863-5100
The Pavilion at the Marine, Hermanus
On the menu: Duck Ballotine with toasted brioche, cranberry and apple chutney; lamb shoulder with olive tapenade, red pepper fondue and pomme purée; finished off with Mrs M’s Christmas pudding, vanilla custard and cinnamon and ginger ice cream.
Cost: From R520 to R595 a person
Contact: Tel 028-313-1000, email [email protected]
Photo courtesy of haunted_soul
Kurland Hotel, Plettenberg Bay
On the menu: Poached lamb loin with sweet breads, potato galette, pumpkin pie and a mild coffee jus; smoked gammon with pancetta and wild mushroom tortellini’s, potato and garlic salad and a mustard and cranberry jus; and turkey roulade with sundry tomatoes, chestnuts, rocket and a sweet honey and sage dressing.
Cost: R500 a person
Contact: Tel 044-534-8082, email [email protected]
Searle’s Trading post, Greyton
On the menu: Traditional glazed gammon; turkey Ballontine – deboned turkey filled with a chicken and sage mousseline filling; and deboned leg of lamb, stuffed with feta cheese and mint pesto.
Cost: R375 a person
Contact: Tel 028-254-9550, email [email protected]
KwaZulu-Natal
The Grill Room, The Oyster Box Hotel, Umhlanga
On the menu: Roast turkey roulade with chipolata sausage, chestnut stuffing, cranberry and rooibos jus; double herb crusted rack of lamb with wilted baby spinach, minted cherry tomatoes and sauce cassis; fillet cordon blue with parma ham, Emmental cheese, herbed polenta, sage and butter cream; and spinach, artichoke and butternut cottage pie with coriander rice.
Cost: R750 a person, R375 a child under 12
Contact: Tel 031-514-5018, email [email protected]
The Lagoon Grill, Mondazur, San Lameer
On the menu: Slow roasted beef sirloin with a mustard and black pepper crust; cranberry glazed roast turkey and stuffing; and vegetable breyani and dhall.
Cost: R200 a person
Contact: Tel 039-313-0011
Eastern Cape
Five Elements, St Francis Bay
On the menu: Smoked salmon with prawns, horseradish cream and lime vinaigrette; glazed gammon with parsley and apple cider sauce; and turkey roulade stuffed with pecans and cranberries and a cranberry jus.
Cost: R260 a person
Contact: Tel 042-294-0868, email [email protected]
