Casparus

I’ve been getting blogging withdrawal symptoms February month.  The interesting subject of infectious diseases consumed most of my time (probably not the most appetising thing to mention on a blog about food : ). To keep me motivated through some of the “I don’t want to study-times” I visited some delicious places.

My awesome tasting companion treated me to a belated Valentines dinner at Casparus in Stellenbosch. I was not aware of the restaurant so the boyfriend felt very chuffed to introduce me to it as I am always one up on him.

 

I visit Stellenbosch regularly and always thought the location of the restaurant was an art gallery. Well it is, but if you just walk through the gallery you are treated to a beautiful open air restaurant.

 

 

Half of the restaurant is underneath the roof and the other half is not. For the colder evenings blankets are given to you.

You receive a welcome drink on arrival. We were treated to a refreshing watermelon flavoured cocktail. The perfect start to a great evening.

The waiters are very attentive and clued up about what is on the menu and offer you advice if needed.

The menu is excellent. The starters and mains are diverse in ingredients and flavours. Some fall into the category of being light and refreshing and others will satisfy you on those days where you just want some deep rich comfortable flavours.
 
Some starters option that really appealed to me were

• Salmon souffle and shimeji mushrooms with a roasted red pepper and macadamia sauce(R75)

• Avocado soup with cucumber strips and a prawn (R40)

• Pear and artichoke salad with olive tapenade and a walnut dressing(R55)

We in the end opted to share the mushroom on puff pastry with bacon, sundried tomatoes and a butternut cream(R60) . It was delicious. The saltiness of the and sourness of the sundried tomatoes really worked great together and the creamy butternut sauce  was a great finish to the meal. They were even so kind to already split the starter for us and portion that was halved was actually perfect for me.

As the starter was excellent, my expectation was set high for the main meals. It was difficult to make a decision from dishes such as

• Pork loin with a mandarin sauce, poached apple and citrus segments  (R105)

• Linguini served with prawns, salmon, flaked almonds and a crayfish cream (R105)

• Kingklip with balsamic sauce, oyster mushrooms and hazelnuts (R115)

I opted for the grilled lamb rump with green beans, mint oil and lobster sauce (R130). I was really curious about the lobster sauce. The meat was cooked perfectly and still remained juicy. The lobster sauce did not taste as ‘seafoody’ as I expected but there was a nice ‘zing’ to it that complimented the lamb.

My tasting companion had the sirloin, potato wedges and salad with a mushroom sauce(R120). The steak was of great quality and the mushroom sauce was rich and creamy.

 

Portion wise they impressed me again because they serve you just what you need. I hate walking away from a restaurant and feeling like I indulged too much. (Yes half of that is my fault but don’t give me too much food :)

 

After the hearty meal we had to skip dessert but they have great options to end you meal on a light and refreshing note.

• Sorbet selection (R30)

• Merogue Negresco (R30)

• Fresh berries with mint ice-cream (R35)

I would have liked to see more pastry and cake options on the menu bit that is just due to personal taste preference.

The wine list is extensive and caters for all. The price range for most of the wines are between R70 – R195 which shows you that you can get acceptable as well as top quality vino.  Wine by the glass range from R29-R52. 

 

For the men out there who really want to treat the lovely ladies in their life to a classy but relaxing delicious eat out experience keep Casparus on the option list. For friends who want to wine and dine while being assured of quality food visit Casparus.

The crowd the night we were there was 95% tourist but with all that they have to offer I hope the local crowd will soon go and experience the greatness Casparus has to offer.

Visit them at 59 Dorp street, Stellenbosch
Open times: Tue-Sat  12:30 - 14:00 & Tue - Sat 19:00 - 22:00
Contact them at 021 882 8124