Restaurant review: Ginger and Lime, Cape Town

This homey restaurant makes eating out becomes a holistic experience, writes Sibusiso Mkwanazi

Living room: check. Table: check. Kitchen: check. Bathroom: check. Family members: optional. Have a quick look at your house. If it is a typical dwelling, it has the usual bedrooms, bathrooms, a living area and a kitchen.

These are the exact specifications, ie. her house, that prompted owner and self-taught cook Denise Levy to open up her abode to the public, calling it "Ginger and Lime".

On the night my wife and I visited, it was being utilised as the venue for private chef Matt Manning's concept: One Ingredient. This is a monthly dining experience where the chef asks his audience - and not mere customers, please - what they think the mystery ingredient for the night is.

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This singular food forms part of all five courses and, in our case, it was apple. This being Cape Town and so close to the winelands of Stellenbosch, each course is naturally paired with wine.

On the night in question, Manning served wild boar, bacon mac 'n cheese and smoked apple that was so good the vegetarian sitting with us could not help but indulge. She knew she was in trouble, as this was just the canapés.

These were followed by a first course of salt baked celeriac, char-grilled golden delicious apples, and ended off with me asking what "endive" was. It turns out it is an incredibly flavourful Mediterranean plant that is used in salads.

As the full name suggests, Interactive One Ingredient is exactly that. You mingle with the chef, can pull a Gordon Ramsay on the waiters in Levy's kitchen and even help garnish the dishes. This also means that instead of having a palate cleanser during courses, you can wander into the rest of the house to explore a bit.

Staring at a nude painting on the wall in the living room seemed to bring out the (Braeburn) apple taste in my main course of pan-roasted kudu fillet, braised pumpkin, baby fennel and baked potato purée.

From the family photos in the bathroom, the personal library, amazing food paired with local wine and a festive mood, this is how food is meant to be enjoyed.

Now if someone can come up with a vegetarian version of this. Ag shame, all of those vegans, vegetarians, pesco-vegetarians, pescatarians, semi-vegetarians and ovo-lacto vegetarians also deserve good food.

THE LOWDOWN

Vibe: Personal, exclusive, easy going, sexy.

Price: R575 per person, including food, wine and a collection of recipes.

What to wear: A balance of smart and comfortable - for getting involved in the kitchen if you choose to.

Who will like it: People who enjoy new experiences and lots of attention.

SCORECARD (OUT OF 5)

Food: 4.5

Ambience: 5

Service: 5

Value for money: 4

Total: 18.5/20

Visit: 2B Ave Disandt, Fresnaye, Cape Town, Western Cape. For bookings, call Denise Levy on 083-251-6282