If you know your royal history, then you’ll make the connection between the Queen Victoria Hotel and Dash Restaurant. If you’re not a royalist, let me get you up to speed – Dash was the name of the Queen’s first dog, a King Charles Spaniel. It seems most reigning monarchs have a special place in their hearts for their pooches and it seems fitting then that the connection is recognised in this space within the hotel.

A New Chef in the Kitchen at Dash Restaurant

Chef Albert Bronkhorst joined the Dash team at the end of 2017 and has stamped his mark on the menu with a fresh new take.

Being that the restaurant is within a hotel at the popular V&A Waterfront, it makes sense that the menu highlights South African ingredients and influences, which will appeal to visiting tourists.

The upmarket à la carte menu includes dishes like Rooibos Smoked Risotto, Herb-crusted Venison and Amarula Crème Caramel.

The Tasting Menu at Dash Restaurant

A tasting menu is always a great way to experience a restaurant’s food, as it narrows the choices and showcases the best. The new summer tasting menu, put together by chef Albert Bronkhorst, does just that. It is paired with Creation Wines and is interesting with some standout choices.

Starters at Dash Restaurant

For starters, guests are able to choose from Mushroom Port Soup, Candied Beetroot Tarte Tatin or Seared Prawns. We were fortunate enough to taste all three and enjoyed all of them.

The Candied Beetroot Tarte Tatin was the standout of the three; it is served with a super light and creamy goats cheese mousse and a tiny sprinkling of honeycomb on top that adds lovely sweetness and a bit of crunch. This course was one of our favourite pairings of the evening, served with Creation’s Pinot Noir.

The mushroom soup may not sound like a summery option but that is probably because immediately the mind goes to a thick, creamy style soup but this was not that at all. The soup is, in fact, an extremely tasty broth that is packed with heaps of flavour. This is poured over a beautifully plated dish of different textures of exotic mushrooms including pan-fried, a creamy mushroom mousse, mushroom dust and a crispy mushroom tuile.

Mains at Dash Restaurant

For mains, there is a choice of Seared Salmon, Chermoula Lamb Wellington and Rooibos Smoked Risotto. The salmon was perfectly seared and simply melted in the mouth. We loved the smokiness of the risotto and the chermoula added a warm, earthy spiciness to the lamb Wellington.

Dessert at Dash Restaurant

Dessert is a choice of a chocolate gelee mousse, which is served with a super punchy berry sorbet or a cheese board, which will round off the meal in style. The chocolate dessert is paired with Creation Merlot and the mellow berry flavours and velvety mouthfeel of this wine makes for a great match.

A Stylish Dining Experience

Dash Restaurant, at the Queen Victoria Hotel, is a stylish place to dine; start your evening with a cocktail or a glass of MCC at the bar and take in the view of Table Mountain. Then move to your table for dinner and enjoy the surrounding environment with ever-changing artworks and live music from an accomplished pianist on certain evenings. To really make an evening of it, opt to stay over at the hotel itself or the lovely Manor House, which is adjacent and comes complete with a butler service.

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