Don’t read this review. Instead you should just call Dear Me Food World and book a table for their White Room on Thursday night. Ok? Great. Bye.
The White Room, open every Thursday night, can hold up to 24 people. Each dish on the menu is an experience. On the centre of each table is an info card that first tells you how to eat each course, then once you’ve tasted it you can turn over and it teaches you about the dish.
For ONLY R380p/p without and R610p/p with pairings, this is one of Cape Town’s more affordable tasting menus, but is definitely one of the best.
I honestly don’t want to write this review, because I want each an every one of you to experience the delight that I had as I discovered each of the 10 incredible courses. To keep a bit of the mystery, I’m not going to go write about all of them, or go into great detail. Just trust me here and go try this for yourself.
Before the dinner began, we were given a hot towel to clean our hands and delicious fresh bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was one of the only carbs of the evening, so we wouldn’t get too full.
An oyster on a bed of cucumber noodles with lime, red wine vinegar , soya and onion dressing and topped with spouts, ginger and trout roe. The “noodles” were lightly pickled but were still crunchy. None of the flavours overpowered that of the oyster. My only complaint: I could have done with another one. Or two. Or three. Or twelve.
This gorgeous plate is known as the “Greenhouse”. A salad of mixed baby leaves, edible flowers, toasted almonds and freeze dried raspberries and a sharp, acidic dressing. Lifting off the bell jar gave off the most beautiful, fresh smell – like my hometown, Durban, after a summer afternoon rain. The taste, although floral, was not like eating a bowl of potpourri, which I originally thought may be an issue.
Marron, a small crayfish, served 3 ways. The shell you see on the far right was salted and smoked. The flesh to its left was gently cooked and cooled. The salad made up of iceberg lettuce, avo, aioli and chives with a lemon dressing. Finally, the hot bisque was made from hot cooked marron, tomato and spices. The process of eating was: lick the shell to get the smoky, salty flavour, then have a bite of the unseasoned, perfectly cooked cold marron along with the creamy and acidic avo salad. Finally, have a sip of the hot, rich marron soup. This course was the perfect balance of hot and cold; heavily seasoned and simple; creamy and acidic; rich and stark.
The last course I will write about is the Steak, Egg and Chips. Sounds fancy, huh? Well, when it is a steak medallion topped with a soft poached egg yolk, truffle hollandaise and the skinniest “fries” that I have ever had the joy of eating, it is rather fancy. And absolutely mouth-watering.
I wish I could tell you more, but I really don’t want to ruin the many surprises. This was one of the most delicious and entertaining meals that I have eaten in Cape Town, and for only R380 it is something I can enjoy again.
PS: There is a vegetarian/pork-free option available, just let them know ahead of time.
PPS: My favourite course was the soup course, which I haven’t written about. If you have been, or you go anytime soon, let us know your favourite course in the comments section below.
PPPS: Dear Me Food World, I love you.