Look at how much The Mount Nelson cares about whether you think their food is old fashioned:
That’s not a lot of care. Why? Because they know what they’re doing and they’re good at it. Plus, they do serve all the modern bits and bobs that diners could be looking for, both at Oasis Bistro and Planet Restaurant, but hotdaym, do they know how to do “old-fashioned” in the best way.
The Classic Winter Menu is a #Throwback by Chef Rudi Liebenberg to a bygone era, of dishes served in the first class dining rooms of Union-Castle Shipping lines and The Mount Nelson from 1964 – 1990. Chef Liebenberg seeked inspiration from Hans Kuhnel, a Nellie Chef who came before him.
Before we get to the food, an aside: The Mount Nelson make a MEAN dirty martini. This is one of my very favourite drinks, and hardly any restaurants get it right. I had one before the meal and it was perfect. *swoon*
Classic Winter Menu at The Mount Nelson
For R395,00 per person, you have chef’s choice of canapes before the meal and chocolates after the meal, as well as your own choice between 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts. So this review is the full monty of what you can expect.
EDIT: THIS MENU IS NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE; BUT IT”S STILL A GREAT EVENING WE WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW ABOUT!
STARTERS
Seafood Cocktail
I was expecting some bits of prawn and avo, slapped together with a typical “pink” sauce of a seafood cocktail. I was wrong. Gently cooked, tender pieces of seafood – prawns, mussels, fish, calamari – were layered with radishes, avo, cucumber and fennel. The flavour of each type of meat was able to shine, as they were kept whole, rather than chopped up into pieces. Super fresh, super pretty, super delicious.
Consomme croute au pot
The menu said “clarified soup with a croute, root veg and oxtail”. Simple enough. I expected oxtail and veg soup with some sort of bread on top. BUT LOOK AT IT! LOOK AT HOW DELICIOUS IT WAS! IT LOOKS LIKE A PIE AND I LOVE PIE AND AHHH! Composure, Kayli, composure. This rich, yet clear soup, was an absolute joy. I loved the little orbs of veg – carrot, potato and parsnip – and they didn’t skimp on the oxtail at all. Chef Leibenberg told us that they also serve the soup with an oxtail, garlic and rosemary toast because there were two ways (toast on top or pastry on top) it was served back in the day, and they couldn’t choose a favourite. So you either eat the toast separately, or throw it in to the soup itself. I have to agree with Marvin (Foodblog Man) as he put it, “I could sit at home every day, with a bowl ox this oxtail, and I would be very happy”.
MAINS
Sole a la Colbert
Sole is a good time. Deboned sole, crumbed, deep-fried, and with a herb butter – is an exceptionally good time. I was worried that this would be oily, but it’s cooked so quickly and the batter was so thin, that it wasn’t an issue at all. Uber fresh herbs meant that the butter sauce packed a whole lot of punch. I wouldn’t generally go to a restaurant and order fish, but if I had, I wouldn’t have been disappointed.
Filet de boeuf a la Richelieu
A big hunk of beef is far more my kinda meal, and this hunk was delicious. Great quality meat, cooked rare and simply seasoned. With shortrib stuffed tomatoes, mushroom stuffed mushrooms, a syrupy jus, on a bed of wilted lettuce. “Lettuce?” you exclaim, “that is not a salad!” But back in the day, lettuce was served as a veg in this way.
DESSERT
Poire belle Helene
The pear was gently poached in wine and aromatics and it thankfully still had some bite to it, because I hate me a mushy pear. It wasn’t too sweet, which balanced out the sweetness of the chocolate it was almost swimming in. While I’m not a citrus-flavour fan, the vanilla-orange ice cream went with it very well. A well-rounded dessert.
Crepe Suzette
Served the traditional way, two chefs came to the table and flambéed the thin, delicate crepes before our eyes. Served with orange pieces, orange sauce, and (way too much) orange zest, it was a very… uh… orange. Once again, not really my style, but Marvin enjoyed them.
All in all, I really enjoyed this dinner. The soup was my favourite – it was fun and truly delicious, followed closely by my hunk-of-love, I mean, steak. I love this throwback to what the Nellie was serving in days gone by, it’s a true testament to its history.
PS: For an extra R55 buckaroodles (R450p/p), every Tuesday there is a 3 course dinner + a show at The Mount Nelson. The menu is different, so don’t go in expecting this one, but it’s equally delicious.
