Dining at Jardine Restaurant at 185 on Bree

185 Bree Street

Friends were vis­it­ing from Mpumalanga last week and invited me to join them for din­ner at Jardine.  Included on the S. Pellegrino Worlds Best 100 Restaurants list for 2009, din­ing at Jardine is not some­thing to be missed.  Owner and Executive Chef George has worked all over the world and since open­ing Jardine in 2006 has estab­lished the res­taur­ant into one of the lead­ing fine din­ing res­taur­ants this coun­try has to offer ...

Situated at 185 Bree Street (on the corner of Bree and Bloem) in Cape Town Central, Jardine is loc­ated in a build­ing that over the past cen­tury has also been home to a butchery, chocol­atier, jew­ellery shop, radio sta­tion and most recently Cape Towns branch of the Church of Scientology!  After renov­a­tions, the res­taur­ant now seats 70 cov­ers upstairs (some on a wrap around bal­cony) and the ground level of the res­taur­ant serves as a bar area – per­fect for enjoy­ing a pre din­ner cock­tail or an ABF before head­ing home!

The menu at Jardine offers either the á la carte option or altern­at­ively one can choose the chef’s sig­na­ture five course menu.  The five course menu is pre­pared by George and his team using products sourced from the mar­ket that day.  Although the por­tions are smal­ler than nor­mal, they are big enough to allow the cus­tomer to enjoy and savour the fla­vours and present­a­tion of the five courses.

Jardine Restaurant

We opted for the á la carte option and every course was deli­cious.  I star­ted with an avo­cado and organic fen­nel bulb salad topped with crispy pork belly, fol­lowed by the best ribeye steak I’ve ever eaten.  The steak was accom­pan­ied with cauli­flower and por­cini mush­rooms and fin­ished off the meal with a to die for vanilla soufflé flam­béed with Grand Marnier.

My com­pan­ions enjoyed mus­sels served steamed with coconut milk, ginger and lem­on­grass and Saldanha Blue Bay oysters.  For main they tried the Fraserburg lamb and the Fort Beaufort spring­bok leg.  Both also con­cluded the meal with the vanilla soufflé!

The ser­vice at Jardine is impec­cable – attent­ive but not overly so.  The atmo­sphere at the res­taur­ant is great – small enough that the ser­vice is good and the wait­ing time for courses is not too long but big enough to feel the buzz of the place.

I really enjoyed Jardine and will make a point of returning.

Contact Details:
Jardine Restaurant
185 Bree Street, Cape Town Central, Cape Town
Telephone: +27 (0)21 424‑5640
Website: http://www.jardineonbree.co.za/

Useful Links:
Cape Town Restaurants
Cape Town Cafes & eat­er­ies
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