Taste with your Eyes!

Surprise: an emotion that occurs when something breaks our habitual pattern.

On Friday we were indeed surprised and out of our regular routine of downing tools after a busy week ready for pizza in front of the television. We had booked in at Le Quartier Francais for dinner in their Tasting Room and were spending the night. We were joined by Swedish family friends.

The Tasting Room is regarded as one of the best restaurants in SA and we were looking forward to seeing just what it was that made them so great. We were in for an eating experience. The décor is quite funky, punctuated with flashes of bright pink and orange, but with a classic feel. The quote above was set on the table in front of us.

We chose the seven-course, African-inspired tasting menu. Each course was explained as it was set in front of us. Our waiter entertained us with little anecdotes about ingredients like buchu, baobab and biltong. The first serving of corn bread in a pilchards tin, accompanied by butter with caramelised milk solids, caused one of our friends to exclaim, “Taste with your eyes!” and that pretty much set the scene for what was to follow.

We enjoyed course after course of colourful dishes imaginatively presented on boards, different plates, and even a strip of slate. The surprise was definitely in the tasting – beetroot-red crispy looking balls dissolved in our mouths to reveal an unexpectedly soft and creamy centre; a cigar of avocado and shrimp which looked like it was encased in seaweed, splintered when we bit into it.

This was an exercise in mindfulness – we paused between courses to prepare for what was coming, delighted in the presentation, taste and smell of it and discussed the sensations which were being stimulated. We could hardly believe that 5 hours had passed. We had eaten well, but not over-eaten and dinner had been an experience to savour. Well done, chef Margot Janse van Rensburg!