Asian food must be my favourite cuisine; the flavours are as diverse and sometimes as mysterious as the continent it takes its name from. We’re not talking watery Thai Green Curry or oily Chow Mein here, but rather fresh, contemporary and stylish Asian cuisine.  Indochine, situated at the Delaire Graff Lodge & Spa offers just that: modern Asian Fusion inspired cuisine presented with a contemporary flair.

We visited Indochine for lunch on a beautiful late winter’s day and the view driving up to the restaurant (and whilst visiting) was simply spectacular.  I suspect they can serve jelly with custard and still have people flocking there just for the view!

Using produce mainly sourced from organic farms and the on-site greenhouse, Chef Jonathan Heath and his team manage to conjure up flavours that are lively, aromatic and robust whilst still maintaining a style of cuisine that is synonymous with vitality and good living.  It’s exotic without being scary; the chilli is tempered when necessary and fiery when expected.

I chose tuna laksa (R90) as a starter.   Laksa is a spicy type of curry noodle soup from Malaysia and Singapore; the Indochine version is a visual feast of seared tuna, nori egg roll and butternut prepared in ways my mother could never imagine.  The flavour, when the soup was poured, was almost overwhelming in its aroma yet it never overpowered the “solid” ingredients.

The Navigator decided on the Pad Thai style beef salad (R80) after recently falling in love with Pad Thai and Indochine’s take on this traditional Thai dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs was anything but traditional: the noodles were crispy and some of them were green! The whole dish was served on a thin layer of jelly that packed the usual chilli punch of Pad Thai; in one word: incredible.

We chose the ever reliable Colmant Brut Reserve MCC (R245) to accompany the extraordinary food and exceptional view.  The friendly sommelier Christo Deysel, a former colleague of The Navigator, was a fountain of knowledge throughout our meal; explaining the new kitchen expansion and giving us the low-down on the menu (and some of the Chef’s secrets).  Service from our waiter Benny Nkabi was unobtrusive, slick and without any hiccups.

After the incredible starters we were ready for dessert but had already ordered our Mains: Pork belly (R145) and Tamarind sirloin (R135) with a few side dishes of Makhani eggplant (R40) and Grilled Mushrooms (R45) recommended by Christo .  We simply had to make space for some of the best food we’ve had in quite a while…  My sirloin steak was perfectly prepared, served with sago (yes, sago, but not as you’ve seen it before!) and topped with a tamarind sauce with that just-right level of tartness.

The Pork belly was so beautiful on the plate; I elbowed The Navigator out of the way to get several photographs of it before he tucked in!  The dish is prepared with 7-spice and served with a vivid red pepper paste – the sweetness of the red pepper was a perfect foil for the rich and spicy pork belly.  The pork belly was neither fatty nor dry – testament to a brilliant chef.

After such an incredible meal we simply could not order dessert but were presented with a “taster” plate of all the desserts on the menu by Chef Jonathan.  All desserts are priced at R65 each.  We tasted coconut and banana sponge with kumquat sorbet and banana gravel, tonka bean rice pudding, Chai ice cream with praline and hazelnut liqueur jelly, rose and orange cheese cake with citrus mousse and plum wine sorbet, 5-spice malva pudding with banana-toffee ice cream and our unanimous favourite: White chocolate and banana spring rolls served with banana liqueur, chocolate-praline ice cream and nut fudge.  My advice to all diners: Remember to leave space for dessert!

Delaire Graff Estate is synonymous with luxury and our meal was a perfect testament to the Estate: our food was decidedly different and delicious, the service was excellent and the view leaves you staring into the distance not wanting to take your leave.

Goldilocks could have been speaking about Indochine when she said: The food is not too cold, not too hot; it’s just right.

Indochine at Delaire Graff Estate

www.delaire.co.za

021 – 885 8160