Beluga is across the road from my office. It’s so convenient, it’s actually inconvenient, because I just can’t stop myself from heading over for their half-price sushi lunch, sit down or takeaway. But ever since we were invited to review this RIDICULOUSLY affordable set menu, I’ve found Beluga’ing for dinner too. On their normal menu, some of these mains are R140+, so they aren’t playing games here.
Beluga Cape Town Winter Set Menu Special
STARTERS
Duck Liver Creme Brulee
This was dreamy. Like, McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy kinda dreamy. Like I may have put my finger in the bowl to get to the bottom, kinda dreamy. Creamy, rich, salty, herbed duck liver with a wafer-thin caramalised sugar crust. The sugar and the acidic, fresh apple preserve it was served with, balanced the salty richness of the liver. No more rambling, this was stunning.
Hot and Sour Soup
Ok, I don’t know what happened here. Because the “hot and sour soup” turned out to be a very delicious and heart ostrich and vegetable soup. I don’t know if they just changed the menu, because apparently that’s how it is always served, but it wasn’t hot and sour soup. That said, the waiter did warn me that it was a “different” kind of hot and sour, and I went with it anyway. Tender pieces of ostrich and root veg, slow cooked and served with a cheesy parmesan crouton. Really delish, if you want ostrich.
MAINS
Springbok
These Springbok medallions were slightly tough, but seasoned beautifully. The veg still had some crunch and the potato rosti added substance. The earthy beetroot puree was complemented the overall rustic main well. But it just couldn’t match up to…
Beef Ribs
Go get into your car, drive to Beluga, and order the beef short ribs. No for real, these bad boys are freaking, FREAKING delicious. Deboned (YES MAN!) ribs, cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection, in a sticky sweet sauce, served with refreshing mint creme fraiche, chips and onion rings. I am not the biggest rib fan, but they weren’t fatty at all, and there was no drama trying to eat them. If you go and have this special purely for the ribs, I would understand.
DESSERT
It’s pretty cool that you can swap out dessert for a cocktail, if you so please. I didn’t so please, so, here we go…
White Chocolate Beignets
I’ve had these bad boys before, so I knew how to eat them. There is nothing more special than watching someone try bite a beignet in half, and the melted chocolate pouring all over their face. If you have a sweet tooth, these are Godly. Deep-fried, battered, oozy balls of chocolate, with a caramel dipping sauce and vanilla ice cream. Need I say more?
Chocolate Sundae
Simple and strangely sophisticated. Layers of vanilla ice cream, crunchy nuts, biscuit, chocolate mousse and chocolate sauce. Nothing was overly sweet, and the nuttiness and biscuits added great texture and flavour. This was right up my alley.
Beluga is so much more than a half-price sushi joint. I’m glad that I was warned about the soup, or this review may have gone very differently. Their menu is extensive, with influences from around the world. While normally quite pricy, the Winter Set Menu is an incredible deal, definitely one of the best specials that Cape Town has to offer. The ambiance is mellow, but upmarket and the staff are friendly and attentive. The perfect spot to enjoy winter, while you pine for summer.
