Winter Special on The Alba Restaurant Boat
In a Nutshell:
PRICE: A bargain!
The Winter Special on The Alba Restaurant Boat is an absolute bargain. No, a steal! Why? JUST a cruise from one of those vendors around the V&A Waterfront Harbour is around R350pp, and here you get food and drinks too. We went for the R395/pp lunch, which includes the 2 hour cruise, a glass of bubbly, and 3 courses each paired with a glass of wine, beer, juice, or a cooldrink. What, what?! There’s also a Bubbly Brunch (R295), Cocktails (R295) and a Dinner (R695).
FOOD: A good time was had.
Each course had an option to make carnivores, vegetarians and pescatarians happy. For dessert you don’t have to choose – you get two. Everything needed salt, which doesn’t bother me. Why? ‘Cause you can add it yourself, obvs. It was all beautifully plated and perfectly cooked. The naked camembert was a treat, I loved my fresh trout, and The Husband cooed over his Springbok shank. The wine – don’t even get me started. We swayed off the boat at the end of the trip, and not because we didn’t have our sea legs.
AMBIANCE AND SERVICE: Absolute perfection.
You don’t get much better than a gentle cruise around the harbour while being fed and watered. We saw Cape Town from a whole new angle. The service was also top quality. Even though it’s a fancy pants experience, it’s comfy. Overall, it was a beautiful day and we’d definitely recommend this experience as a date, a fun day out with friends or the family, as well as for birthdays, work functions etc etc etc…
K cool, now the long version.
A lot’s happened recently. Firstly, I gave up meat. Being pescatarian has seriously changed not just my life, but the focus of my reviews. So you’ll see that the opinions here have shifted too. Secondly, I got married last week, yay! So, this review coincided nicely with our little mini-moon in the week after our wedding. And wow, did it make us feel special.
As I mentioned up top, The Winter Special on The Alba Restaurant Boat is a serious bargain. We went for the lunch option, because The Husband has never done a boat trip around Cape Town and I wanted him to see the sights. And boy do you see them. This glass encased boat, which protects you from the elements, gives you a view of CT like no other.
Starters:
Baked Camembert.
Who doesn’t love a hunk of melty cheese? Well, other than lactose intolerant people. No one. And this didn’t disappoint. While it could have been a little more golden, the flavour was all there. A nice sized piece of Camembert, wrapped in phyllo pastry, with figs, a berry reduction and toasted, spiced walnuts, which were a great combo. The cinnamon’y nuts were a really nice touch.
Citrus Cured Salmon.
Every element on this plate was perfect, but unfortunately it just didn’t feel complete. I felt like I needed something to eat it with – bread, a cracker of some sort, I don’t know, just something – because the 6, juicy pieces of perfectly citrus cured salmon, on a beetroot puree were very delicious, and even more lonely.
Mains:
Braised Springbok Shank
The Husband was very glad that I’m pescatarian, because he got to eat this all by himself. Although I tasted his sides, because I DO WHAT I WANT. He tells me that the shank was, and I quote, “super moist, hehe I said moist, and really, really tender. I could eat this without a knife. Tomatoey sauce. Don’t know what these thingies (dried cranberries) are doing. But I like them. Mmm, wow, ok I don’t want to talk anymore.. mmm”. So there’s that. The cabbage was the real shocker – in a good way! It was crisp, and buttery, and I tried very hard to steal all of it.
Oven Baked Citrus Seabass
On the day that we went, Seabass wasn’t available, so it was snoek instead. The banana-leaf must have done it’s job, because it wasn’t dry at all, which snoek often is. Served on a bed of ratatouille with a cauliflower puree, this dish was light and fresh, with a squeeze of lemon and the hint of chilli.
Dessert:
Dark Chocolate Mousse and Chocolate Truffles
Incase you were unsure, not everyone gets a plate decorated with HAPPY HONEYMOON. That would just be weird. But we did! Which is super cute – thanks guys. The uber-creamy dark choc mousse was heavy and rich, served in a white chocolate cup that had us eating with our hands. (It may have been the wine that had us eating with our hands, I am unsure.) I loved the charred biscuit crumble, which gave it texture and that smokiness which pairs so well with chocolate.
I can not stress enough, what a great deal this is. You don’t just get a meal, you get an experience, you get a special memory. I have done many, many, MANY reviews over the last 9 years – and this is one that I will never forget.
