Out & About September 2017

OA restaurant review

Chocolate tart

Skate wing

Gert Pienaar

Also as a lesson in geometric presentation it got top marks. Passion fruit, meanwhile, is often an after- thought in a dessert, but not this time. The tart was proudly passion fruit-flavoured in a buttery and crisp pastry case and covered in Italian meringue. A passion fruit sorbet and crunchy biscotti mixed among some syrup finished it off. A word here on the pastry. As a food reviewer, I’ve tasted many a pastry base – good, bad and downright soggy bottom hell. Blandy’s kitchen produces some of the best I’ve had. Chef Pienaar is 36 and has worked at Blandy’s for around five years. He came when the site was being converted and he is keen to draw more locals in to his bistro. “We do have a good lunchtime trade,” he says, “and Sunday lunch is healthy too. We do afternoon teas which are popular and we’d like to entice more people in for dinner in the evenings, especially at weekends. “We’re a young company and we want to market ourselves as just that – fresh and exciting.” Well, that I can testify is the truth. The night we were there the place was filled with locals and had a good atmosphere. The fare was fresh and exciting too. Blandy’s deserves its place among the area’s better places to eat. And I’m glad to disturb the bushel and let the light out. Blandy’s is set in Audley Inglewood House

Lamb rump

Bread

Mackerel fillet

Guinea fowl

Passion fruit tart

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