Dining at the venerable Palm House Boutique Hotel and Spa is an elegant affair, under the steady hand of executive chef Gregory Henderson, the foraging king known for his passion for sustainability.
He is responsible for all the food, from fine dining at de Tafel to the casual Palm Terrace, which is open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.
De Tafel delivers on its promise. Start with a drink in the lounge, either a cocktail or a CC advised by sommelier Richard Goza – we did and it sets the tone. At your table, the multi-course chef’s menu is inspired by – and takes its tastes from – the indigenous flora and flavours of the Cape. There are four and six-course set menus (including a plant-based menu) that follow the seasons.
Henderson looks to the Cape’s floral abundance for his pantry, and to its green-listed fish for his menu (he is a Sassi ambassador and you can be sure every morsel of seafood served here is sustainably caught). There is also an impressive wine collection centred on boutique Cape estates. Goza is on hand to guide you through your dinner wine pairings.
Fynbos tastes and aromas
‘Cape Town is a multicultural city, and we really want to embrace that across our menus,’ says Henderson. ‘We want to bring in indigenous flavours and aromas like buchu, rosemary and wild sage, and we’ll also be offering foraging excursions for people to learn about the wild almonds and bladdernuts, the edible ferns, and of course the edible mushrooms that grow wild in the forests just a short way from the hotel.’
For our dinner, Henderson’s menu was a Cape-inspired journey, with each dish a story of its land, it’s people, and it’s heritage.
De Tafel menu
A sample: ‘From the hills, I venture into the forest’s shadowy depths, where the earthy scent of mushrooms fills the air. Forest Floor is born from this environment featuring abalone mushrooms with porcini dust and truffle oil snow. Popped sorghum adds a playful crunch and edible soil brings the forest’s richness to the plate.’ Readers, I am here to tell you that this is exactly what you get on your fork and what you taste in your mouth.
But first, the bread course; there are three butters: bokkoms, honey and truffle. Then dive into the Sewejaartjie, a sweet and flavoursome concoction of beetroot petals, orange sweet potato terrine and dehydrated leeks, flavoured with kapokbos. The sewejaartjie is a fynbos plant with tiny purple flowers that has a typical lifespan of seven years. They’re also called everlastings and are often used in dried flower arrangements.
Kapokbos is wild rosemary and is one of the herbs eaten by livestock that gives Karoo lamb its distinct – and sought-after – flavour.
For the meat-eaters
The meat-eaters’ menu is no less inspired: ‘From the hills, I venture to the shores of Saldanha Bay, where the ocean’s bounty awaits. Fresh oysters become Oesters, paired with smokey mayo, buchu gremolata and bokkoms, capturing the essence of the Cape’s coastline.’
Peruvian Scallop blends coastal flavours of sea lettuce and wild fennel with a hint of spice from nutmeg pelargonium, another flavour endemic to South Africa.
It is a joyous meal, ending with Bioclimate, a confection of fynbos honey panna cotta, honey dew, pollen, heuningboegoe crème glacée and Fallen Nut Brittle.
Go; you won’t be disappointed.
Details:
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 6 pm – 10 pm
Address: 10 Oxford Street, Wynberg
Contact: 021 745 5008
Instagram: palmhousehotel
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Written by Lorraine Kearney.
