Saint: Snob in Jozzie approved… with (very few) pointers on how it could have been better duh ;)
It is a really great experience for any snob. Metropolitan, high quality and intentional food. Not overloaded with the same repeated flavours as I have been experiencing and getting tired of at most of the “finer” Cape Town restaurants. A large amount of the food is cooked in the Woodfired ovens, imported from Naples, which take centre stage here.
Barrel Aged Smoked Negroni - Monkey 47, Smoked Cinnamon, Cherry Amaro, Rosso
Started off the drinking with a very sophisticated Negroni. It was really good, look at the ice (!). The smoky and bitter-sweetness of this Italian drink instantly put me in the mood to enjoy all that was to come.
Oven roast camembert, peanuts, apple chutney
Does it get any better than melty, gooey and slightly charred (in a good way) camembert? I always think of my cousin Lindy when I order a baked camembert as it's one of her faves and I understand why. This was served with an apple chutney which was sweet and tart and also had an onion- chutney- vibe which brought a savoury moreishness. We dunked the fire baked bread into the cheese. At first I thought that the bread had too much flavour and overpowered the cheese but then I got super into the combination of the slightly chewy and blistered and seasoned bread, cheese, apple and crunchy peanuts. Rich and delicious - definitely share this with one or two people.
Super salad, cauliflower, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate tahini dressing
So much goodness and yummy things in this salad! In addition to what is listed on the menu description, there was mint, liquorice shaved fennel bulb, fresh and sweet peas, with crispy iceberg lettuce. I thought I tasted some lemongrass and the cauliflower was fire-roasted. I wanted maybe a little bit more dressing but besides that, faultless. Also, it was not a quinoa salad, merely complimented by quinoa which was refreshing to see.
Grilled prawns, shellfish sauce, tomato, sugar snaps, spring onion, tagliatelle
Definitely a decadent pasta dish. All pasta is made fresh on the premises. This was super creamy and lemony. I know that lemon makes things less rich, but sometimes I experience very lemony and creamy dishes to compound on each other and make it even richer. Does that make sense? Idk. I think I’m hinting that there might have been a bit too much lemon. BUT. The shellfish sauce was still delicious and very delicately shell-fishy. The prawns were perfect and fresh - I opted to remove the shell myself. I was a bit confused why they put sugar snap peas on top. It felt a bit like an afterthought or a strange attempt at making this fusion and moving away from a strictly Italian pasta, although it did add freshness and crunch which was needed. I enjoyed it overall, the pasta was really good quality and well cooked. I’m not sure I would order it again, but I’m glad I tried it.
Charred sirloin, bbq sauce, caramelized onion pizza
The head chef, David Higgs, trained in Milan, so we had high expectations for this pizza. In addition, one of the themes of Saint is Pizza & Champagne. It did not disappoint. My dinner date ordered this and claimed that it is now one of his favourite pizzas in Joburg. I tried a slice and really enjoyed the sweet bbq sauce and American flair of the toppings on the traditional Neapolitan style base. All made in those very cool ovens. The steak was tender and sliced to be perfectly bite-sized. This style of pizza does need to be eaten immediately and does not travel well.
Bread to start
I’ll mention this last considering we didn't have dessert (even though we at it first so this feels strange). A delicious confit tomato on one half in fragrant olive oil and tomato juices. On the other side, a mound of creamy butter topped with ample flakey salt. And bread baked in those cool ovens
The decadent interior is intentional in its overt luxury. Yet it's relaxed and trendy. I really liked it, can you tell? It has Italian inspired projected ceilings and curved walls. Clean and yet warm.
Saint is part of the Marble Group which was founded by Gary Kyriacou, Dino Constantinou and head chef David Higgs. They also own Marble Restaurant, Zioux and the Pantry which is underneath Marble and is an upmarket petrol station store - It's dreamy inside there tbh.
Negroni R140 ; Oven roast camembert R165 ; Super salad R125 ; Prawn pasta R265 ; Pizza R185
The Marc Corner Rivonia &, Maude St, Sandton, 2014
