This past Sat I had the very tough job of tasting Societi Bistro‘s new winter menu which in fact launches today.  Do you hate me a little?  Yeah, I probably would too. 

Societi Bistro, situated in Orange St in Gardens, has a cosy & relaxed feel.  In winter you can warm up next to the fireplace while in summer you can soak up some rays in the courtyard out front.  It’s unpretentious but classy and that’s just the way I like it.

It also seems to be a definite favourite with both locals & tourists alike.  It made the Fleur du Cap Top 10 places to eat in Cape Town 2011 list and I see on TripAdvisor it’s sitting with a 4 1/2 out of 5 rating out of a solid 78 reviews.  That’s pretty impressive stuff.

Executive chef Stéfan Marais (if you’re a big foodie, do yourself a favour and follow him on Twitter – @stefanmarais) was there to take us through the new winter treats.  The menu has a strong “comfort food” feel with Italian & French influences.  Think rich, creamy, guilty pleasures.  Exactly what one needs when the weather outside is freakin’ freeeeeezing.

I was joined in this tasting quest by 5 other passionate food & wine lovers:

From left to right we have:  Clouds from And Lollipops, then me!, Melissa Chetty (Twitter – @merlot_girl, Hennie Coetzee & Maggie Mostert from Batonage.com (Twitter – @batonage or @blackdelilah) and Catherine Murray (Twitter – @cat_murray).

Now we were wined & dined in style people.  Half way in I was totally kicking myself for not opting for stretchy pants.  I can guarantee you that I will be better prepared if I’m lucky enough for there to be a next time.

I’m going to take you through my personal favourites, the things I thought were “must haves” and totally worth every single calorie and minute spent in the gym after.

From the starters, my two favourites were the:

• Double baked souffle – gorgonzola, poached pear, cashews, rocket

Creamy. Rich. Evil.  That’s all I can say.

• Beetroot and orange salad – sesame, deep fried goats cheese, rocket, honey

Normally I’m not big on salads, especially in winter. But the flavours in this one truly popped. Make sure you get all the different elements together in one bite to experience the magic of this baby.

From the pasta section, I fell in love with 3 dishes:

• Carbonara Spaghetti – pancetta, egg, cream, Grana padano (that’s a type of Italian hard cheese just fyi)

You can never go wrong with pancetta & a good cheese.

• 3 Cheese Spaghetti – gorgonzola, feta, Grana padano, cream

This one is like cheese heaven! But beware – not for the faint-hearted, this baby is very rich.

• Pumpkin Risotto – sage butter, Grana padano

I love risotto. Period. But I’ve never had a pumpkin risotto before, so I was a bit nervous at first… but this turned out to be perfection on a plate.  Not as heavy as a mushroom risotto and packed with flavour. I wrote “Truly beautiful” on my review card.

Then for mains:

• Chickpea curry – parsnip, carrot, Cape Malay spices, sambals, spicy “Vetkoek”

Now I’m certainly not a vegetarian. My Afrikaans roots ensure that I’m a HUGE red meat lover. So normally I wouldn’t even consider a main without any meat. But I can assure you that I would quite happily polish off a plate of this. The “vetkoek” & sambals add extra oomph to the dish and the curry has amazing flavour.

• Free range pork neck – apple & sage, mustard cream, pearl onions, green beans, buttered mash

When I first read “pork neck” – I thought, blegh – that’s not really my thing. But this dish really surprised me. The meat is super soft and that sauce is so good, I could actually bathe in it!

• Venison Bordelaise – wet polenta, bone marrow, red wine

What can I say. Good venison is always a winner. And Kudu (which is what this one is), is one of my favourites. The sauce is also brilliant.

So… who’s hungry now?  I hope I have done a good job of tempting you guys. Come on and cross over to the dark side with me.  The best part about winter is overindulging in great food and then covering up the damage with with layers and layers of clothing, right?

Call them on 021 424 2100 to make your reservation.  And if you do manage to try out this new winter menu, please add a comment below and let me know what your thoughts were.

xxx