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When we
heard that African Swiss now also has sushi on
its menu, we just had to try it! And on top of
that, there’s violin music by Minx on
Wednesday evenings - an added reason for our
visit. In three years of eating at African
Swiss restaurant in Broederstroom, I can
honestly say
that I have
never been disappointed with the food, indeed
it’s always been of an exceptional standard.
And that is what one expects from the Swiss!
Add to that a passion for food, an
uncompromising use of only the best
ingredients and exciting additions to the menu
such as sourdough pizza, and now sushi, to
suit different tastes, and owner Mike Manegold
still has a winning formula. Testimony to that
is the fact that besides his local fans,
regular customers travel from Sandton and
Pretoria to eat at his restaurant. There is
also a local delivery service for their
extremely popular pizzas.
On the
Wednesday night before Christmas we decided to
celebrate the festive season with two friends
and had dinner at African Swiss. Being a
Wednesday, there was Minx on the violin to add
some soothing melodies to the atmosphere, all
in complete harmony with the culinary
offerings. Being a typical calm starlit
African night, we opted to sit outdoors. My
partner is a great sushi fan and knowing Mike
as a perfectionist, the sushi we knew would be
as good as it gets. I, never an aficionado of
raw fish, was willing to give it a go and our
friends also opted for the sushi as starter. I
must admit I could be converted into a sushi
fan if it were all like this. A sushi platter
for four served as a perfect starter for
everybody.
Besides all
the main dishes on the menu that we have known
and still love, there was Scottish Salmon,
directly imported, on ice which one of our
friends decided to have, succulent pork ribs
for the constant carnivore among us, Veal
Cordon Bleu and I had the Gnocchi Moussaka.
Fresh
ingredients
As mentioned before in another write up, Mike
purchases his own animals and has them raised
to his exacting standards so that he knows
their provenance exactly. This is one of the
very few restaurants in South Africa to serve
veal - most are simply substitutes - presented
as the real thing! Fresh ingredients,
organically grown and free range poultry and
eggs make dining out here more than just a
pleasant experience! Mike’s motto is: Eat less,
but eat good fresh food made from the best
ingredients. Breads are baked on the premises
and sauces freshly made. There wasn’t a morsel
of food left on any of our plates after the
mains but as always, two of us had desserts, I
won’t say which two. These were the black
cherry and Waldorf ice creams, made by the ice
cream maker in Magaliesberg which is the
closest you’ll get to home made hand made ice
cream - they were simply scrumptious as well.
The other two who opted out of dessert had
cappuccino and Dom Pedro.
So often
one eats out, only to be bitterly disappointed
as for instance we
were in
Franschoek at the highly acclaimed Le Quartier
Francaise. (Whoever was responsible for what
we experienced there, should book in at
African Swiss for master classes.) Often one
returns to a good restaurant only to be
disappointed by one of the offerings which is
not up to standard. But never here, and its
success can be ascribed to talent, enthusiasm,
a thorough grounding in the culinary arts,
always under the control of a hands-on
presence. African Swiss is one of the few
restaurants where we’ve always had superb food.
Thank you Mike!
The
Bill:
Drinks: 3 Bells whisky, 2 Still Water, 1
Juice, 2 Rietvallei Chardonnay: R323
Food: 2 Complete Sushi Menus to share between
four: R276
1 Scottish Salmon R120
1 Pork Ribs: R96
1 Veal Cordon Bleu: R89
1 Gnocchi Moussaka: R68
1 Waldorf, 1 Black Cherry Ice Cream: R50
2 Dom Pedro: R 56
1 Cappuccino: R18
African
Swiss is in Broederstroom on the R512 above
Pecanwood. Open 7 Days A Week for Breakfast,
Lunch, Dinner. Tel: 083 476 0507 |