Cape Town is renowned for it’s restaurants and eateries – from deliโs to 5-star cuisine, little cafรฉโs, coffee shops, wine estates and more, and often places open up faster than you can keep track of.
A place that has been much spoken about over the last few months, and one that I have been eagerly waiting to try out, is the new Bistro-style restaurant at Steenberg Golf Estate in Constantia, which is already quite popular for their fine dining restaurant Catharinaโs.
Bistro 1682 is an innovative concept with an extremely unique wine tasting bar and cool, comfortable restaurant. Where does the name come from? 1682 is the year Steenberg was first established and so seems quite a fitting name. The restaurant has a completely formal yet relaxed atmosphere, it is difficult to explain but it exudes elegance and casualness at the same time …
I was lucky enough to dine at Bistro 1682 twice this past weekend and both times the company was as wonderful as the food.
With an early-ish start for a Saturday morning after a birthday party the night before we met up at, a little worse for wear, and ordered some coffeeโs โ I had a cafรฉ latte which was huge, but rich, foamy and strong, the perfect coffee in my opinion.
My friend, who has been to Bistro 1682 on 3 other occasions, has absolutely raved about this place, but mostly for what is served at your table while you are deciding on your order.
It is not a standard chunk of bread with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil; oh no this was a taste sensation of note. We were not served ordinary bread we were served brioche. For those of you, who like me might not have had the privilege of eating brioche then you need to try it.
I donโt think there is anything better than freshly baked bread with a thick spread of butter on top, but oh my goodness I have now been spoilt with brioche. This is a soft, flaky, rich and slightly sweet bread whose texture and taste is almost a bit more like pastry than it is bread. Either way I am a convert to the brioche lifestyle and could happily eat loaves of it daily!
The menu is simple, yet varied; you have a choice from berries and yoghurt, to egg dishes or even mini pastries. We had 3 orders of scrambled eggs and salmon and 1 bacon and eggs.
I am always a little bit worried when I order anything with salmon, I absolutely adore the stuff and in my experience the portions are quite small with only 1 or two slivers of the stuff hiding under a piece of toast.
Oh boy was I happy to see my plate when it arrived, there was an extremely large portion of salmon on the plate (I must note that the breakfast was magnificently presented โ I wasnโt even sure breakfast could be beautiful, I can say now it most definitely can) as well as a decent portion of scrambled eggs on top of sour dough bread, all topped with asparagus spears and hollandaise sauce.
The eggs were perfectly cooked, not too hard and not too soft, just the way a scrambled egg should be. We spent a leisurely morning there and it was an enjoyable breakfast.
I was eager to return soon as I had taken a sneak peak at the lunch menu and desserts and my mouth was already watering. Little did I know Iโd have the opportunity to come back the very next day, for a Valentines lunch โ not with my Valentine, but with my two best friends.
With glasses of sparkling wine and stories of the weekend it was a fantastic lunch. And yes, there was more brioche! Delicious! The prawn starter was delicious; they were huge and done in a miso sauce, absolutely tasty.
Mains were a cold smoked trout tartine and JDโs club sandwich. Both were presented beautifully and were most definitely more-ish! I would love to have the chef cooking for me everyday.
If you are looking for fresh ingredients, presented beautifully and tasting as good as they look then you need to make your booking at Bistro 1682.
No matter if youโre looking for an intimate dining experience with your loved one, a relaxed meal with friends or family or a lunch out with a group of friends Bistro 1862 can cater to all of your needs, with friendly staff and a lovely setting what more could you ask from a dining experience.
Useful Constantia Links
Things to know:
Booking is advisable, telephone Bistro 1682 on +27 (0)21 713-2211
Breakfast is served from 09h00 to 11h30
Lunch is served until 17h00
Tapas from 17h00 to 20h00
The restaurant closes at 20h00
