Foxcroft: Delicious & high quality food
One of my favorite accessible fine dining experiences in the Southern Suburbs.
Summer reduced menu
The Foxcroft bread never disappoints…
Foxcroft bread
…it's warm with a crispy olive oil saturated crust that's topped with salt flakes and smatterings of crispy thyme or sage. The soft fluffy crumb surrounds a salty and savory green olive tapenade.
Market Fish Crudo (malay dressing, naartjie kosho, avocado, poppadom)
This was a brilliant ode to the traditional Cape Malay dish that is pickled fish - but infinitely tastier and possibly one of my favorite dishes of the meal (second only to the pork belly). The crispy, curly strips of poppadom have that delicious Indian curry shop/restaurant oil taste that lingers in your mouth coupled with the seasoning that's lightly dusted over them allows for a lick of the lips and a swallow to enjoy the taste. The spicy, tangy, and sweet Malay dressing is in abundance and is soothed by the avocado puree. The pickled onion is crisp and gives a savory and vinegary note while the raisin emphasizes that it is Cape Malay inspired with its sweetness. On to the fish: the yellow-fin tuna was delightfully fresh and soft to chew but firm at the same time. So good. And when all the elements were combined in a pile on top of a piece of the fish and scooped into one's mouth, it tasted like every element was best friends with each other. The naartjie kosho sure provided a spicy kick which left the taste buds alive and tingling. While this helped make the dish what it was, the second dish came rather soon after and so maybe a palate cleanser would have been beneficial in order to prepare for the gentler flavors of the next dish.
Oak Valley Pork Belly (tamarind, coconut, warm radishes, Thai herbs)
The iced herb, coconut and crispy onion sauce is poured over the dish at the table which allows one to view the elements of the dish prior to being melded together with the sweet creamy and fragrant coconut sauce. The sticky tamarind glaze provided a tartness that contrasted with the sweet pork belly. The pork melted in your mouth and was not overly fatty. I try not to eat pork unnecessarily due to the inhumane farming practices of conventional pig farms. So when I eat at a place that I know has sourced their pork from a more humane farm such as Oak Valley, I jump at the chance to get my pork fix and it never disappoints at Foxcroft. The combination of the caramel-y roasted garlic puree provided a savoury garlic kick and the crispy turnips and herbs packed a punch of freshness. The herbs such as mint as well as the spring onion reminded me of flavours reminiscent of Vietnam where pork is often coupled with tons of fresh herbs. Sweet, melt in the mouth and fragrant while maintaining strong savoury notes. This was probably my favourite dish.
Dorper Lamb (mebos, Malay green bean curry, bay laurel cream, potato curry roti)
The gold streaked - thanks to the tandoori oil - bay laurel cream whimsys its way across the plate as the waitress pours it onto the plate, however, every element of the dish remains beautifully intact. The soft pieces of Dorper lamb, a type of lamb bred specifically for the arid regions of South Africa, are extremely tender and flavourful and the round of lamb is topped with a sweet tangy glaze. The mebos is a mixture of dried apricot and other fruits which have been purred to an intensely fruity and sour paste. This tartness was needed as the richness of the lamb was amplified by the crunchy toasted almond flakes (which topped the crunchy fresh masala green bean curry) and cream sauce. The delicious but noticeable richness of the dish was complemented by a spicy hot and tender potato curry roti which oozes flavor and spice and was cooled by a coriander sauce and topped with a few strands of saffron. While at first glance I thought the potato roti was a bit unnecessary to go with the dish as it is served as a side, after eating the course I would miss the spicy heat of the potatoes which evened out the richness.
Whipped Isobello 64% (Rose petals, cashews, cocoa nibs)
According to my research, Isobello is a 64% Valrhona chocolate made as a collaboration between Valrhona and the Isobello charity and sold to the South African market. But don’t quote me on that ;) This chocolate is whipped into a silky smooth mousse-like consistency and each dollop on the plate acts as a well for a sticky salted caramel. The ice cream was delicious and its fine water crystals brought a welcome coolth and freshness to our final indulgence of the meal. The creamy and crunchy cashews brought an extra richness and contrasting texture. It was very good - even though I felt rather full at this stage.[I’m going to have to be honest here and say that at the point that dessert was served, I didn’t get a chance to hear what the ice cream flavor was. I had consumed a generous amount of an aged MCC and was just enjoying time around my dining companions and this delicious dessert.
I love Foxcroft and always return for a delicious experience. When they first opened up a couple of years ago I never left thinking “oo I’d love to have dish x again soon”. However, at some point it improved (probably 2 years or so ago) and we have been enjoying our dining experiences at Foxcroft ever since. The nature of the menu and restaurant means that it's not necessarily a place you’d go to have a meal every week, and it does feel like somewhat of an occasion to come to Foxcroft. That being said, it's more accessible to go to a couple of times a year than say La Colombe which is more of a bi-yearly restaurant adventure. Foxcroft is associated with La Colombe, La Petite Colombe, Protégé and Epice. Foxcroft’s Chef proprietor is Glen Foxcroft Williams who opened its doors in October 2016. I would highly recommend anyone to go to Foxcroft for an extremely well-priced, delicious meal with high-quality ingredients and deliberate flavors.
Reduced menu: Foxcroft bread, 2 tapas, 1 main course, 1 dessert - 495p.p.
Shop 8, High Constantia Centre, Groot Constantia Road, Constantia, Cape Town, 7806
https://www.foxcroft.co.za/
