The Foxcroft lunch tasting menu is a masterful journey of flavours and has been one of my favourite meals of the year. If you haven’t yet been to Foxcroft, you’re missing out; this was my first visit in a while and it was a reminder that I should definitely need to go more often.

Located at the High Constantia centre, the restaurant itself is quite unassuming; inside the wood panelling, muted colours and low lighting give it a warmth and cosiness within its slick, contemporary vibe.

Bread and Wine

The current lunch tasting menu is a real triumph and the polished service makes it all the more enjoyable. As soon as we were seated we were welcomed with a glass of bubbles and shortly thereafter, the most divine bread was brought to the table.

A Green Olive and Oregano Focaccia is served in a mini cast iron pan; the bread is puffy, golden and crispy. I am a huge olive fan, so the fact that it was stuffed with a herby green olive tapenade was perfect.

Foxcroft lunch tasting menu

The actual menu consists of six courses, but it wouldn’t be a tasting menu if there weren’t a few extra sneaky snacks along the way. Starting off with 3 bite-sized mouthfuls is a great way to get the palate excited for what’s to come.

First up was a mini blue corn taco with pickled cauliflower and dill labneh, which was divine but it was the mussel, in a smoked tomato veloute, that stole the show. Served in a beautiful ceramic cast shell, it not only looked pretty but tasted amazing (pictures reviewers own).

The Carrot Hummus course got us started and we love the Baharat spice on the freshly made lavash. This Middle Eastern spice mix includes cinnamon and cloves that give it a somewhat festive flavour, perfect for the season.

The crisp lavash is ideal for scooping up all the carroty and smoked feta goodness. This course is served with Oldenburg Viognier, a wine that my dining partner and I both loved.

Meet Salsa Macha

The next course was seared yellowfin tuna with salsa macha. We’ve tried all kinds of salsa-type accompaniments but for us, this was a first. Salsa macha is a Mexican condiment that uses peanuts as a base, and let me tell you, it’s amazing.

As someone I told about this dish post the meal said, “sauces and condiments go in and out of fashion”, which is true but this one has some serious staying power.

What we loved about this dish is that the spicy salsa is painted on the serving dish, which means you can scoop up as much or as little as you want, depending on the hit of heat you’re after.

Show us your Mussels

Our server told us that the next dish on the menu was her favourite, so we had high expectations. The West Coast Mussels with pickled squid, succotash, mayu oil (black garlic) and mussel chowder blew us away.

The seafood could not have been more perfectly cooked and the umaminess of the mayu oil together with the creamy chowder made this dish a literal moment of foodie bliss in a bowl.

It was also our favourite pairing – Arendsig’s lightly wooded Chardonnay was the ideal accompaniment.

Pork Belly & Kimchi

The mussels were a very hard course to follow – but cleverly, chef Glen Williams put pork belly to the task. The belly was just right and if you love pork belly (as I do) then you know that when it’s right, it’s magical. Served with kimchi and charred cabbage to offset the fattiness – it was tender and delicious.

Pre Dessert: it’s a thing

I do love a menu with more than one dessert course, so the ‘pre-dessert’ of Grapefruit Posset was a great segue from savoury to sweet. A posset is essentially a set cream and this one, with a thin layer of grapefruit gel on top, was divine.

Following that was one of my favourite desserts of the year. A light and fresh dish incorporating the flavours of litchi, green apple, elderflower and geranium – think grown-up zoo biscuits gone tropical.

The dish offered a multitude of textures and a balance of freshness and creaminess. The clear glass-like jelly orb added to the fantasy-element of this utterly divine and very pretty dessert (picture reviewers own).

Book your Table

The Foxcroft Lunch Tasting Menu is priced at R795 per person; with bread, snacks and petit fours your six courses are closer to nine, so it is a great price. In fact, the level of food you will enjoy makes it a complete steal.

If you can, we highly recommend the wine paired menu (add R450 pp to the above price) as the wines on offer are boutique and are carefully selected. You will experience wines you have probably never heard of and that makes for a really interesting experience.

Chef Glen Williams and his team at Foxcroft have got a good thing going and you really must add this to your bucket list of Cape Town restaurants to visit.

The Foxcroft Tasting Menu is also available in the evenings as a dinner option also priced at R795 pp with R450 with the wine pairing.

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