My best friend is homeless. I walked past her as she sat on the side of the road and we had that instant connection. Soon we were besties.
No I’m lying, but not about the homeless bit. She was in denial that her lease was ending until the day it ended. She moved in with me for a while and to say thank you, her pops said that she must take me out for a nice dinner. Off we went to one of her favourite spots, La Boheme.
La Boheme is a modern bistro on Sea point Main road. The outside section is first come first serve, but the inside can be reserved in advance. The menu changes daily, so only the freshest meats, fish, fruit and veg are used. They also make all of their own pasta and breads so every visit is a unique experience. Blackboards are brought to your table with a handwritten menu for the day.
Starters begin at R40, the mains from R90 and desserts from R30. HOWEVER, La Boheme has a special menu which runs throughout the year, which is a 2/course meal for R95 or full 3/courses for R115. Yes man.
To start I had kingclip ceviche; thin slivers of fresh, raw fish, marinated in a soya, lemon, chilli, ginger and coriander, topped with Asian cabbage salad and sesame seeds. The acidity of the lemon “cooks” the fish slightly and the combination of the elements in the dressing, is the perfect balance of salty, spicy and bitter to go with the mild sweetness of this firm fish.
I had thought that I had chosen the most delicious starter off the menu, until I tasted my friends chicken liver parfait (a silky smooth pate) served with red onion marmalade and homemade toast. I have mentioned my hopeless love for chicken liver and this starter certainly didn’t let me down. It was like someone had taken my soul and given it a bubble bath in diamonds and candyfloss and unicorns and happiness and love and ahhhhhhhhhhhh. Wow.
We decided to share 2 main courses (probably because I was whinging that I always choose the wrong thing) and settled on ostrich meatballs on tagliatelle with a spicy neopolitana sauce, pecorino cheese and pesto; and chicken curry in a peanut and coconut-milk based sauce on Basmati rice with a fresh tomato and onion sambal. Our mains came with a side of carrots, mange tout, corn and beetroot as well as spiced lentils.
Each element of the meatballs and pasta was okay, but when combined, the dish was delicious. I felt like the reason the meatballs were ostrich was just for the sake of it, they may as well have been beef or lamb. The curry was heavy and rich so the sambals cut nicely through the creaminess.
After much deliberation we chose to share a chocolate pudding with vanilla ice-cream. It arrived at our table in a mug and looked surprisingly like a chocolate pudding which I once made in the microwave with my nieces. The top of the pudding was quite dry so I was pretty disappointed, until my spoon disappeared to the bottom of the cup and resurfaced with oozy, gooey, runny, chocolate all over it. We gave up on all self-respect and poured the ice cream into the cup and devoured the entire thing in under 3minutes.
La Boheme is a gem of Sea point with a relaxed, comfortable and romantic atmosphere. The food is delicious and if you have the special its affordable. Since the menu changes daily you’re given the opportunity to try something new and delicious on each return visit. And believe me, there will be many.
Note To Self: I haven’t really got anything to say here. Awkward.
Further Information
341 Main Road
Sea Point
Phone: 021 434 8797 or 021 434 6539
Email: info@labohemebistro.co.za
http://www.labohemebistro.co.za
