On Wednesday, I organised a dinner with friends to celebrate the return of one of my girlfriends returning to Cape Town from New York. I made one crucial error though! I forgot to make a reservation at the restaurant we wanted to go to! ROOKIE ERROR, YOU GUYS!!
My friend then recommended Homage 1862. I was so curious, as I had never heard of it, and I keep very updated with the restaurant scene here in CT.
I did a quick Google search and found most reviews were positive and glowing. I saw that it boasted vegetarian and vegan centric meals, as well as farm fresh ingredients, and an open kitchen with an open braai (barbeque).
This made me a) roll my eyes, and b) excited. I like trying out unusual restaurants, but I am skeptical of restaurants that are too trendy or into themselves. This sounded like one of those restaurants.
I rolled up to the restaurant in my Uber, and noticed that it is situated in a stunning old Victorian building, opposite one of the most expensive hotels in Cape Town. Clever positioning on their side!
I waited for my friends at the open kitchen where I was watched the chef preparing a few dishes. The food looked original and exciting and the chef had a vibey attitude, and looked comfortable in the busy kitchen
The restaurant has a gorgeous atrium, with a glass roof. I loved the decor. Very earthy colours, lots of gorgeous wood and open brickwork and plants every where. If you've been following me for a while, you will know that I love plants.
And most importantly, the food. The menu was quite interesting, with some raw options, lots of veggie based meals, and a few meat and fish options. There was a section of sides, also, mainly vegetables, that I LOVED. We shared the smoked aubergine with pomegranate, woodfired broccoli with chilli and almonds, and a sweet potato with fynbos honey butter (the special type of wild bush that grows here in the Western Cape).
For mains, one of my friends had the Vegetable Curry, which was just the right level of spicy. My other friend had the same as I did, the Miso Salmon with snap peas and a green salad. The salmon was cooked perfectly, with an Asian element, accompanied by pickled ginger and a wasabi aioli. I loved the food, but did find it to be on the expensive side.
Overall, I loved the food and decor, and the service was good. As I said earlier, it was quite pricey, and this was the lowlight of the experience to me. I would definitely go again, but would want to pay less. I absolutely don't mind paying for amazing food, but, as someone who can cook pretty well, I could make absolutely every single thing on the menu myself. There was no very unique dish that I had never seen, but it was tasty, with interesting combinations.
What I loved the most, was having delicious food, that felt light and healthy, and not full of heavy sauces and flavours.
Hope you loved my review of Homage 1862. Let me know in the comments!
