The location of Mondiall at the V&A Waterfront and the superb views, in addition to the sophisticated and uncomplicated interior, should alone be enough to see patrons flocking to get in, but there is a new Executive Chef at the helm of the Kitchen, Riaan Burger, and I’m sure that he will soon be receiving a lot of well deserved attention. He has recently returned to South Africa after working in Beijing for some time. The success I’m sure he is going to encounter at Mondiall will in part be due to his travels and experience, but also due to the fact that he is so clearly passionate about his craft that it translates directly onto his plates of food.
The newly launched autumn menu boasts quite a few classic dishes which have been injected with Riaan’s personal style. All are well thought out and are exceptionally presented.
I already have too many favourites to name all of them but off the tapa’s menu the Smoked Ham Hock Rillettes with capers, pickles and mustard deserves a mention, balanced flavours and textures all come together in what I feel is the perfect bite. As far as appetizers go the signature Steak Tartare with matchstick fries and endive is a must-try as well as the Saldanha Mussels Mariniere.
Then, although not usually my favourite thing to order in a restaurant, the salads certainly do deserve a special mention. They are so exquisitely presented in beautiful handmade bowls that there is definitely a moment prior to eating them where you feel as if the picture presented before you should not be touched, but then the enticing aromas simply become too much and you have to simply ‘dig in’. The Roast Beetroot and Cauliflower salad comes with goats cheese mousse, vanilla scented red quinoa, parmesan walnut crunch and mesclun leaves, and the Greek Salad with Calamari is a classic to which Port Elizabeth calamari is added.
Both are simply sublime.
Moving onto mains I’d recommend the Free Range Roasted Lamb Loin, served on the bone with a gremolata coating and fine vegetable ratatouille, but the dish of the menu, for me, has to be the Cape Seafood Risotto. It is cooked to perfection and is prepared with prawn, fresh fish, mussels, tomato, garlic and basil.
Like most of the dishes on the menu, there is a refined elegance to what would usually just be considered comfort food, and the respect for quality ingredients is evident on every plate.
Mondiall is certainly ready for its new chapter and under the hand of Chef Riaan Burger I foresee it growing from strength to strength.
