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Perched on the 19th floor of the Westin Cape Town, ON19 has enviable views over Table Bay and across to Table Mountain so it was a while before we settled down at our table.
My guest from Pretoria was particularly entranced and could not stop taking photographs, but even my Cape Town-based colleague and I were blown away. We’d planned it well, and the views were the perfect softening up strategy for this rather valuable client.
Although it is constantly improving, I do still find the meat-free options are limited at most establishments, but here I was spoilt for choice. I was sorely tempted by the Gado Gado Bowl – peanut cream, heirloom vegetables and grains – but I eventually settled on three side orders. A simple tossed salad, heirloom vegetables dressed with ‘rooftop’ herbs and olive oil, and truffle Parmesan fries. I’m not sure what they grow on their rooftop but those veggies were so perfect – crunchy and delicately herby with a touch of lemon (or maybe it was sorrel), and the fries with just a hint of the truffle oil with freshly shaved Parmesan really hit the carb-comfort-food zone.
My colleague, who unashamedly admits to being a rampant carnivore, opted for the beef burger with turkey bacon, tomato chutney and obatzda – a spicy blend of soft cheeses. Kind of like a bacon cheese burger all grown up, and served with crispy potato wedges. He was particularly impressed with the fact that it was cooked ‘as a burger ought to be’, in other words just slightly rare. It was also pretty darn big, which makes sense as people who order burgers are usually not orthorexic snowflake dieters. He’s a big, active mountain biker, and he declared it decidedly filling. Our client opted for a fresh and healthy Westin Caesar salad, of which Tim Noakes would approve.
If you really want to get into a foodie argument, discuss the ‘real’ ingredients of this dish, as the original created by Caesar Cardini in 1924 has been through a few incarnations. The Westin version differs from what we know of the classic mostly by the wonderfully local addition of rooibos-smoked chicken along with the expected greens, poached egg and Parmesan. Our client loved it so much, he even stopped looking at the view for a while.
Chef Stephen Mandes has only been at the Westin since January this year, and he has been careful to not change too many things at once, but he’s already stamped the menu with some signature twists – the unexpected innovations that saw him garner the title of Ultimate Braai Master in 2014. Born on the Cape Flats, which is not quite visible from ON19 because the spa is on that side of the building, Mandes grew up helping out – and experimenting – in the kitchen, so it was almost natural for him to study culinary arts when he finished school. He has worked in some of Cape Town’s most well established five-star properties, including the Mount Nelson and the Cape Grace, and he is looking forward to taking the Westin’s flagship restaurant to new heights. ON19 is the perfect spot for a light business lunch as it is quiet and elegant, but the view makes for great non-work-related conversation so this very serious schmooze session felt more like an outing with friends. I will have to return here in a few months to see how it continues to evolve under the management of this young and innovative local lad made good.
