Meraki by Charlie Lakin
Where: 7 Builders Way, Hillcrest
Open: Thursday-Saturday dinner. There is talk of opening Wednesday nights.
Call: 067 346 5995
The amuse was a foretaste of things to come. A crisp potato rosti topped with quail breast and cream cheese, and little squares of pastry lined with the thinnest slices of fresh tomato topped with a deeply flavourful roast tomato topping. The juxtaposition of the two just popped as you popped it into your mouth.
Our little supper club was at Meraki by Charlie Lakin, the fine dining restaurant that is the talk of the upper Highway. It won two stars at last year’s Eat Out awards, and the service excellence award. His five-course tasting menus are always interesting.
I’m with the Glass Guy, food writer Ingrid Shevlin and Jenny Clark of Fat Frog fame. We’d managed to get a booking in the holiday rush, and all of us had to reschedule other events.
It was the duck liver parfait advertised on their Facebook page that I simply had to try. The menu changes weekly, so it was Saturday night or not at all.
The restaurant is comfortable and eclectic with none of the haughtiness of fine dining. Chef likes to view it as you’re eating in his living room. I like that style. And then there’s the fact that it’s also not licensed so you can bring your own. I thought a bottle of Chocolate Block given to me for Christmas would do the lamb justice.
Next was the bread course, a sourdough, a part rye and something else, with a selection of butters. We all raved about the cooked yeast butter, although the lamb fat one was interesting and the very peppery pesto also a treat. We hadn’t got to the first course yet.
That was the duck liver parfait with radish, rhubarb, duck fat brioche and nasturtium. In the picture you don’t see it because those thinly sliced radishes are on top of it. It was delicious, beautifully smooth, with lovely deep flavours, the radish giving it a bit of crisp, the nasturtium adding pepper. A wonderful dish.
Retired dairy cow sirloin tartare was next up. I’m still not sure about the retired label. Is one meant to feel better that the cow had a full life before being retired? But never mind. This was lovely, topped with smoked egg yolk, celery, Jerusalem artichokes and beef crumble. The crumble makes the picture look a little bit like muesli ‒ but a very grown up muesli.
Here Ingrid Shevlin went onto the veg menu with the hubbard squash roulade that came topped with popped millet. She was fulsome in its praise.
Poché grilled chicken breast (that’s cooked in a bag or pouch) was next with crisp home-cured ham, sweetcorn, and potato onions. A chicken wing had been stuffed and battered and was served with a sweet chilli sauce. It was an enjoyable dish, although a hint of hot chilli might have lifted it a little.
Next we were in heaven with the best lamb loin I have eaten. This was off the bone, the fat with just a brulée of crisp, the meat succulently pink, and the flavour awesome. It came with a croquette of lamb shoulder, beetroot, broccoli, and parsley pickle, plus a deeply flavourful meat jus. Fantastic cooking.
I have raved about his cheddar custard before, and it was back on the menu as an extra course, this time with apricots. We ordered it to share. The previous treatment with pear may have added a touch more sweetness, but we relished what has obviously become a signature dish.
Two desserts are always par for the course here, a pre-dessert of Golden Nugget (pumpkin) Pie before the official dessert of fennel and mascarpone parfait, with lemon financier, strawberries and strawberry sorbet. Both lovely.
We left feeling spoiled and well satisfied. This is exceptional value. Now if only Chef Charlie was around the corner.
Food: 4 ½
Service: 4
Ambience: 4
The Bill: R595 a head; R2 930 with generous tip for 4.
Independent on Saturday