Oh Lordy! What an awesome experience. Service was absolutely IMPECCABLE! Grant rocked! Food really good. Best main meal I have ever had... Melt in the mouth beef... Just perfect. Tuna could do with some sauce or salt flakes or something but I can't even deduct a point for that cos some dishes should be a 6! The light above our table was a bit bright, which showed up less than perfect table tops and a stain on the carpet, but that's the only bad thing I could scratch out! Absolutely the best experience I've had so far... Wow!

We had the Tasting Menu at The Green House in the Hohenort Hotel. The service was excellent, attentive and not over-bearing. But I do have a gripe with the venue. The chairs we sat on were old and shabby needing re-upholstering. I sank into the seat and felt the wooden frame of the chair.

The Amuse Bouche was the same as we had in the Conservatory Restaurant of the Hohenort - Goat's cheese, creme-puffs, a crunchy biscuit with a sweet filling and miniature dark sandwiches which were crunchy and tasty. The breads were fresh and tasty and a glass of humus and a green and black olive accompanied the breads - it was a nice touch.

I was looking forward to the Wild Arniston Oyster which was the start of the marathon tasting - but was politely informed that this was not available and that we could choose from the other menu either the frozen foie gras or a tomato splendour. We chose one of each. The tomato splendour was an artistic display of modern art twiggy-styling. I could have lived without it!

The next dish redeemed the former disappointment and was delicious and delightful - it was the Game Fish Sashimi, which consisted of prawn & sticky rice salad, pickled ginger, tobiko, white soy & grape gazpacho. Here the Chef really showed his talent and this dish was served in an oblong deep white dish. The green grape gazpacho was poured in after the dish arrived by another waiter and this was as dramatic (the dish suddenly came alive with a blaze of green coloured soup as it was being poured) it was spectacular to see and then to taste. It definitely was the show stopper.

Then came the Hibiscus Glazed Pork Belly which consisted of poached plums, young coconut jellies, tender stem broccoli & toasted sesame seeds. The dish was alright, but again it didn't beat the previous show-stopper, I think.

I then chose the Oven Roasted Imapala Loin & Foie Gras, which was accompanied by cepe mushroom ragout, celeriac mash & port poached figs. The dish was served in a wooden bowl with cut out edges - a nice African Bush touch. The Impala Loin was rare, great tasting tender and succulent. The mushroom ragout was a great accompaniment to this dish and I licked the wooden bowl clean - (could have eaten more - like Oliver "please Sir, I want some more) - but I succumbed to the temptation to ask for another helping and waited for the next nibbling tasting. I ordered a single glass of Eagle's Nest (Little Eagle) red wine blend of Sauvignon Cabernet & Merlot - It was a very good choice with this dish which I sipped away at peacefully.

The Crispy Fried Dusky Kob was a poor choice - I tasted it and it was ok, but dry - looked better than it tasted - I preferred my Impala Loin.

Next came and went in quick succession - the Gin & Tonic apple, cucumber, lime sorbet. It was a nice cool interlude - very thoughtful of the Chef, who seemed to be playing a game with his diners and challenging them to an eating marathon of tastes.

Finally, came the Baobab, Beetroot, Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut - panna cotta, cremeaux, ice-cream, espuma & jelly. This was served in a long glass dish and tasted as good as it looked. The Dark Chocolate was the dab on the plate which had to be scraped off - it tasted good and was a pity to disturb the artist's palette, but it was to be eaten and eaten it was.

Then came little cakes and jellies with the black decaffeinated coffee and Earle Grey tea, which was neatly supplied on a self-contained tray with the cup cover which doubled up as a saucer. The Tea was also a surprise as it came in a triangular shaped bag which was unique.

The bill came to R1585,00 including gratuities which I thought was a tad expensive, but this is a 5 star Hotel – and hopefully they’ll take my feedback into consideration and improve the furniture and attend to making the ambiance better and more comfortable for diners with better ventilation.