Superb patisserie, sumptuous savouries… and tea with a sparkling view.
Glamorous yachts, sunshine sparkling off the water of the marina, with Table Mountain framing it all… The views from Cape Grace at the V&A Waterfront are pretty special. But once you settle into a comfortable booth at Heirloom (the signature restaurant) and embark on their splendidly elegant afternoon tea, all eyes are on the table. With sumptuous savouries, superb patisserie, and a selection of beautiful loose-leaf tea blends, it’s an all-out spoil. One you’ll want to linger over, unhurried conversation interrupted only as you exclaim over one exquisite bite after another.
Tea to brew
The ceremony of choosing our tea (go for coffee or iced tea if you prefer but the aromatically steaming glass teapot is an inextricable part of the appeal) starts with a wheeled trolley laden with glass jars of loose-leaf teas, rooibos blends and herbal infusions brought to our table. The teas are from Nigiro, where expert tea blender Mingwei Tsai has created a special Cape Grace blend of spices, fruits and rooibos that really is heavenly. There’s a delicate rose-scented Oolong blue tea, an earthy pu-erh red tea, a refreshing chamomile and lemongrass, and several more. In the end we pick two teas each, one to accompany the savouries and a second pot to go with the sweets.
Savouries and scones
As the tea infuses (with a mini hourglass timer to tell us when it’s done) plates of savouries from head chef Asher Abramowitz arrive: three different finger sandwiches (clearly just that minute prepared) on the freshest homemade breads – the salmon on beetroot bread was particularly memorable. A glass of clear tomato consommé with cucumber refreshes the palate between bites of a crisp Coronation chicken samosa, delicate spring vegetable tart, a ratatouille frittata with tomato dust, and a prawn brioche with celeriac.
Scones hot from the oven are next. The real deal, made in the English tradition, to be slathered with whipped mascarpone, lemon curd and strawberry jam. And a herby cheese scone for savoury contrast.
Sweet surrender
All this is just a preliminary to the pièce de resistance, a show-stopping birdcage tower of exquisite sweet bites that arrives at the table as our second pots of tea are infusing. Executive pastry chef Lorraine Meaney is a master of her art, each delicate creation a symphony of flavour. The selection of petit fours is a lexicon of French pâtisserie: a buttery palet Breton, hazelnut Paris Brest, cocoa nib financier, the crackling snap of a tuile dentelle.
And there’s more: a stunning lime-and-meringue tartlet peppered with basil; gorgeously creamy guava caramel slice; decadent hibiscus chocolate cake; delicate macarons; and a beautiful boat-shaped blood-orange-and-crème-fraîche tart.
Eventually our appetites can no longer keep up with our eyes, so we pack the rest in a box to take home. An afternoon well spent.
When Thursday – Sunday, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm (seatings)
Cost R550 per person
R650 per person (includes glass of cap classique)
Contact 021 410 7000
Where to find it Cape Grace, West Quay Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan
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