How often do you go out to Tokai? Or, better yet, to the Steenberg estate? They produce some of the Cape’s most delicious MCC and their flagship restaurant Bistro Sixteen 82 never fails to deliver on flavour and finesse.
Located up the winding hills of the Tokai estate, banked on the Muizenberg mountains, Bixtro Sixteen 82 not only offers beautiful views across the Cape flats and the Constantia mountains, but a collection of winter specials at Bistro Sixteen 82 for lunch and dinner.
On voting day, after we made our marks and escaped the rain for a hearty lunch in the modern restaurant.
Lunch Special at Bistro Sixteen 82
We accessed the restaurant through the modern tasting room (which offers an oval bar and comfortable lounge for those looking to enjoy a tasting) and selected a table for two with great lighting.
Currently Bistro Sixteen 82 has a tapas special for dinner, but it was their Hearty & Homely lunch of 2, 3 or 4 courses that coaxed us in on this occasion. Warning! Deliciousness incoming!
Amuse Bouche
Not wanting to limit my choices, I started the meal with a glass of Steenberg sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. I’m guessing this is playing in the Prosecco territory and is enjoyable.
The first bite came from a breadboard of freshly baked bread with olive oil, red wine vinegar and black olives. With herb and onion toppings, I had to go easy and not head too quickly out of gluten-free town!
The second bite came from an amuse bouche of, essentially, Asian carpaccio with grilled corn and mushrooms. A simple and delicious kick to get the taste buds going.
Starters
We tucked into two starters – the first, a corn and chili oil soup. Not usually big on soups; I do love a smooth corn soup so it was an easy choice when I saw it on the menu. With an added pork crumb, I loved seeing the orange chili oil laced over the soft, golden liquid. The oil wasn’t hot (flavour) at all (I could had it hotter), the soup was absolutely delicious.
Starter two went to the Goats Cheese Panna Cotta. I LOVE a panna cotta, but have only ever had it in a desert setting. Accompanied with a crisp glass of the Steenberg Chardonnay MCC, chef Kerry and her team absolutely nailed this dish!
While I try to avoid strong cheeses as they can make me a bit bilious, the level of bitter/sour that the goats milk cheese panna cotta delivered was perfection.
Super smooth, cool in temperature and a wobble that would make a Kardashian jealous, the panna cotta played perfectly with its team mates of beetroot, shoots, greens, horseradish shavings, vinegarette and a soft, sweet tuile.
The sweetness of panna cotta echoes through the tuile, with the crunch of the tuile echoing through the shoots, sunflower seeds and beetroot chips. I loved it!
Main Course
For mains Mr John had a plain steak and chips (as usual) and I tucked into the pulled beef and ricotta gnocchi. Could anything be more perfect for a raining afternoon?
Roasted tomatoes offering a sweet, acidity relief from the deep, rich beefy goodness. Gnocchi pillows soft, perfectly mellowing out the rich flavours and fresh pops of the peas to add a fresh element. And, of course, another glass of the Chardonnay MCC. Delicious!
Desserts at Bistro Sixteen 82
While we were super full, my blog post just wouldn’t have been complete without dessert pictures. 😜 I ordered the Chocolate Choux, which came which was beautifully presented with ice cream, chocolate syrup and deep chocolate tuiles stuck into an interchange of cream and chocolate cream.
This was my least favourite course – just because I’m a savoury tooth. All the technique was there, but I would have liked a little more flavour. To be fair, I could have had taste bud fatigue at this stage! I loved the crumb bed which stopped everything sliding about; well thought out.
We absolutely loved our lunch at Bistro Sixteen 82 and still stand by my recommendations over the years. In fact, I love it so much we’re hoping to visit again on Friday! They do tweak the menu so you if you do end up eating there often, don’t worry about getting sick of it (as if that’s possible!).
Thank you to Bistro Sixteen 82, chef Kerry and her team for hosting us.
Winter Specials at Bistro Sixteen 82
The Steenberg Bistro 1682 winter specials have a number of options, however, we enjoyed the Hearty & Homely lunch special which is available from Monday to Friday and offers:
- 2 courses – R230
- 3 courses – R265 (that’s a R35 difference so may as well)
- 4 courses – R295 (that’s another R30 difference and may serve the super hungry)
Special runs from 1st June – 30th September 2019, excluding public holidays.
Book by calling 021-713 2211 or email reservations@bistro1682.co.za. Let them know that you saw this review on Boring Cape Town Chick so that they give you extra special service. 😉 Bon Appetite!
