Escape spending Christmas day in the kitchen this year and leave the cooking to a professional chef. Enjoy a relaxing morning and feast on a Christmas lunch at one of these fantastic restaurants around South Africa.
Gauteng
Café Picobella, Melville
On the menu: A three-course Italian-style Christmas menu including pizza, pasta and Pollo Alla Miro – creamed spinach sandwiched between tender seared chicken breast fillets.
Cost: From R160 to R200 a person
Contact: Tel 011-482-4309
The Marion Restaurant, Hurlingham
On the menu: Three-course set menu. Expect dishes such as stuffed turkey breast galantine filled with a roasted chestnut mousse and traditional beef wellington, with eggnog cheesecake with sweet spice crumble and cinnamon foam for dessert.
Cost: R420 a person
Contact: Tel 011-783-7239
EVK Village Restaurant, Strubens Valley
On the menu: An Argentinean braai including pork chops, rump steak and roast chicken with a mezze and salad bar.
Cost: R195 a person, R95 a child under 12
Contact: Tel 011-475-4669, email [email protected]
Gourmet Gurus at the Farmstall, Kyalami
On the menu: The Christmas à la carte menu is a three-course menu with dishes such as potato rösti topped with smoked salmon and crème fraîche, beef fillet and chocolate fondant. The Christmas set menu will be a three-course menu with platters served in each course. Dishes include beef carpaccio, cider-and-clove-roasted gammon, and Chantilly cream and Belgian chocolate profiteroles.
Cost: R250 a person for the set menu, R375 a person for the a la carte menu
Contact: Tel 074-172-2312
Casa Toscana, Pretoria
On the menu: A Christmas buffet feast, with rolled turkey with a cranberry and red wine jus, chicken and prawn curry with mango pickle and deboned leg of lamb filled with sage and mint.
Cost: R275 a person
Contact: Tel 012-348-8820
Chapters Restaurant, Centurion
On the menu: Cold and hot buffet – expect roasted turkey with sage and chestnut stuffing accompanied by a range of fresh salads.
Cost: R 295 a person
Contact: Tel 012-660-3300
De Kloof Restaurant, Waterkloof
On the menu: Christmas crackers, canapés, three courses and petit fours. You can look forward to honey-glazed ham with fresh lychees, minted pea puree and roasted parsnips; and herb-crusted noisettes of lamb and saffron turned potatoes with a melange of summer vegetables and a red currant and rosemary jus
Cost: R395 a person, R175 a child under 11
Contact: Tel 073-092-8562
Valverde Country Hotel, Muldersdrift
On the menu: Full traditional Christmas buffet including grilled lemon and herb chicken, stuffed Christmas turkey and roast gammon with orange.
Cost: R195 a person, R95 a child under 10
Contact: email [email protected]
Western Cape
The Mount Nelson, Cape Town
Planet Restaurant
On the menu: Beef sirloin with yorkshire pudding, oxtail, sautéed vegetables, horseradish sauce; roast turkey breast, roulade, sausage stuffing, pommes dauphinoise, baby vegetables and a giblet jus; Marron and Dusky kabeljou pickled fennel, broccoli, marron and a corn veloute; and Butternut cannelloni with almond béchamel, courgette and pea salad.
Cost: R950 a person
Contact: Tel 021-483-1948, email [email protected]
The Ballroom
On the menu: Festive buffet selection
Cost: R700 an adult, R350 a child under the age of 12
Contact: Tel 021-483-1948, email [email protected]
Jonkershuis, Constantia
Enjoy a traditional meal at the Groot Constantia Wine Estate, with panoramic views of the peninsula and the rolling green hills of the Constantia Valley.
On the menu: Three course set menu including slow roasted turkey and lamb, Franschhoek salmon trout and baked Christmas pudding. A separate set menu for vegetarians is also available.
Cost: R500 a person, R200 a child under 12 (excludes 12% service fee)
Contact: email [email protected]
The Westin, Cape Town
Thirty7 Restaurant
On the menu: Buffet with a wide range of choices, from the traditional sage and onion stuffed roast turkey to sushi and oysters.
Cost: R280 a person, R120 a child under 10
Contact: Tel 021-412-9050
Westin Executive Club Restaurant on the 19th floor
On the menu: There is a buffet for starters and dessert while the main course is served at the table. Expect fynbos and buchu glazed ribeye of beef and slow roasted turkey breast with a chestnut stuffing.
Cost: R295 a person, R195 a child
Contact: Tel 021-412-9050
Grand Roche Hotel, Cape Town
On the menu: Tuna-avocado-wasabi cannelloni with sweet and sour garden cucumber, sushi rice ball and coriander mayonnaise; aroma olive oil confit Franschhoek Salmon Trout with potato-herb brandade and lemon-caper-tomato fumet; and mushroom crusted poached beef fillet with truffle-spinach tortellini, broth and mushroom salad.
Cost: R725 a person, excluding beverages, and R346.50 a child under 11
Contact: Tel 021-863-5100
La Mouette, Sea Point
On the menu: Five course set lunch menu, including fresh dishes such as roasted linefish, pea and mint risotto and roasted chicken and summer vegetables.
Cost: R350 a person
Contact: Tel 021-433-0856
Two Oceans Restaurant, Cape Point
On the menu: Dishes include chilled cherry tomato soup, ostrich carpaccio, whole roasted fillet of beef and pan fried fillet of line fish.
Cost: R245 a person, R155 a child under 12 (excludes 10% service fee)
Contact: Tel 021-780-9200
Seafood at the Plettenberg, Plettenberg Bay
On the menu: Four-course menu with canapes and petit fours. You can look forward to plum tomato gazpacho, traditional roast turkey and stuffing, house smoked salmon plate and fresh summer fruit.
Cost: R550 a person
Contact: Tel 044-533-2030, [email protected]
KwaZulu-Natal
The Oyster Box Hotel, Umhlanga
The Ocean Terrace
On the menu: A festive Christmas buffet including roast turkey with walnut and sage stuffing, grilled pork chipolatas and cranberry-rooibos jus; pineapple glazed gammon with apple sauce; and wild garlic marinated leg of lamb with a red wine and mint jus.
Cost: R990 a person
Contact: Tel 031-514-5018, email [email protected]
The Grill Room
On the menu: A festive set menu including roast turkey roulade, chipolata sausage, chestnut farce, potato dauphinoiseand glazed baby vegetables with a cranberry and rooibos jus, and soya and honey basted smoked gammon.
Cost: R1 350 a person
Contact: Tel 031-514-5018, email [email protected]
Pearl Room
On the menu: A festive Christmas buffet including roast turkey with walnut and sage stuffing, traditional Tandoori roasted butter chicken with a spicy tomato and cilantro sauce, and grilled fresh fish of the day with lemon and herb cream.
Cost: R990 a person
Contact: Tel 031-514-5018, email [email protected]
Green Food Studio, Ballito
On the menu: Four course buffet menu including cranberry glazed turkey, gammon and pineapple and lamb curry.
Cost: R250 a person, R125 a child under 12
Contact: Tel 032-947-1660, email [email protected]
Intaba View Restaurant, Valley of a Thousand Hills
On the menu: Buffet including roast beef infused with paprika, turkey with a sage stuffing and glazed gammon.
Cost: R395 a person
Contact: Tel 031-783-4011
Allen Gardiner, Durban harbour
Enjoy a Christmas day lunch served on a three-hour boat cruise.
On the menu: Roast breast of turkey rubbed with lemon and thyme, honey-marmalade gammon, chipolata sausage, sage and onion stuffing and cranberry sauce, with individual brandy flamed Christmas pudding for dessert.
Cost: R475 a person
Contact: Tel 084-456-4000
Moyo at uShaka Marine World, Durban
On the menu: An African-inspired buffet including oysters, stuffed turkey and roast lamb.
Cost: R235 an adult, R110 a child under 12
Contact: Tel 031-332-0606
Corner Post Restaurant and Bar, Howick
On the menu: Four-course set menu including Norwegian salmon, roast Dargle duck breast and roast rack of lamb.
Cost: R185 a person
Contact: Tel 033-330-7636
Eastern Cape
Five Elements, St Francis Bay
On the menu: Glazed gammon with parsley and apple cider sauce turkey roulade stuffed with pecans and cranberries and a cranberry jus followed by an iced Christmas pudding parfait with warm brandied apples and a dark chocolate mousse.
Cost: R260 a person
Contact: Tel 042-294-0868
Featured image courtesy of VancityAllie
