The Newmark Queen Victoria Hotel is  a boutique hotel that is somewhat of a hidden Cape Town gem. While many other V&A hotels are right in the thick of it, the Queen Victoria remains at just the right lofty distance to suit its royal name. It is somewhat tucked away off Portswood Road, giving it the near perfect location – walking distance to all the activities of the V&A Waterfront, but also secluded enough to be a luxurious escape from the crowds.

Dash is the hotel’s main restaurant and is an intimate 36-seater, making it ideal to enjoy a quiet or romantic meal, and even better to relax away from the hordes of people that frequent the Waterfront. The restaurant is headed up by Executive Chef Sam Wasserman who brings a unique style to the menu.

We started with the double baked gorgonzola soufflé, with biltong shavings and hazelnuts and the Caesar salad with anchovy toast and quail eggs. Both dishes were beautifully plated and delicious. For mains, we had the baby chicken with butternut confit and corn, which was tender, juicy and delicious and the pan fried loin of venison, served with parsley mash and carrot purée. Venison is very lean and can be a very dry, but this dish was absolutely spot on. The meat was cooked perfectly pink and was incredibly tender and juicy. The carrot purée was silky smooth and made the perfect accompaniment.

For dessert we indulged in the hot chocolate fondant with orange ice cream and bitter sugar brittle and the coconut panacotta with lime sorbet and passion fruit coulis. The panacotta had just the right amount of ‘jiggle’ with a creamy texture and tropical flavour. We often measure a restaurant by its ability to cook a perfect fondant and this version was gooey centred and served hot and fudgy – delish!

As locals we are sometimes hesitant of dining at hotel restaurants, but really they are some of the best in the country and should not only be enjoyed by visiting tourists.

Book at Dash for a romantic dinner, an special celebration or just a quiet meal of quality food and wine.