Sunday lunch at Quince

 25 August 2024

 

QUINCE RESTAURANT

Little Orchard Nursery, 7 Massinger Road, Diep River, Cape Town

 

First proper outing with the Yorkies in a couple of months and though Quince is dog friendly, that bonhomie stops at the front door. We had to sit outside under cover instead of inside where it was no doubt warmer. Other than a fleeting impression of cosy nooks and an eclectic array of tables, I can’t say more about that part of the restaurant. It was our first ever visit to Quince but it will definitely not be our last. 

 

Outside, under the canvass, our heads were covered but the sides were open but it wasn’t bad at all once the sun popped through the clouds within 30 minutes of our arrival. I guess it would be a whole lot less pleasant on a cold, windy day.

 

The tables are placed on artificial lawn and we continuously had to remind the dogs that it wasn’t ideal for peeing on.

 

Breakfast is served only until 12h00 and we were way past that deadline, so lunch it was. There is a standard menu and a “special of the day” menu too but the general impression of the food is standard bistro fare, of the type you find in mid-range restaurants and pubs all over Cape Town.  As the wife remarked, everything on the two menus read as enticing but, as always, it’s a bit of a risk to order at this kind of establishment because you don’t know whether the kitchen will do justice to the menu.

 

The chef at Quince is to be commended for ensuring that justice was done in spades.

 

The wife’s substantial cappuccino was, in her words, little more than milky soup with a subtle coffee flavour but when she switched to a cortado, she was very happy.  My espresso was good. 

 

Both of us ordered from the standard menu. The wife chose the “ugly” burger, with a chicken fillet instead of a beef patty, with mushrooms and melted cheese, and fries (R165)

and my choice was the kerala chicken and prawn curry (R230). 

My beloved wife enjoyed the burger very much even though it’s a challenge
to eat with a Yorkie on your one arm! The other one doesn’t demand that kind of attention; she just howls for food.

 

The curry was served not only with a good portion of rice but also a king-size poppadum poppadum type thing, a small wedge of roti and a terrific home-made chutney. I was taken aback by the camouflaging roof of greenery over the curry, because it completely hid the contents of the serving vessel, but the veggy stuff was a good complement to the chicken.

 

The curry was excellent with a good hit of chilli that pleased the pallet rather than ruining it and the chicken was supremely melt-in-the-mouth tender, succulent and flavourful, by far the best cooked chicken I’ve had in a curry in Cape Town (other than the curry I cook, of course). It was next level sublime.

 

Have I mentioned that the chef obviously takes care to cook well? 

 

The desserts were a bit of a let-down. 

 

Not all eateries who offer milkshakes and those who do, often don’t have lime milkshakes, so it was a no brainer to order one here when I saw it on the menu (R50), as dessert. It was a very good, generous milkshake and was green but the lime flavour and taste didn’t seem to be active ingredients of the mix.

The wife’s dessert was a slice of lemon meringue tart (R75), so humongous it could’ve sunk the Titanic but didn’t quite deliver on the lemon part of the deal. The meringue was good but the underlying tart lacked the requisite sharp tartness and barely met the description with a mildly lemon flavoured, sweet, condensed milk taste and texture.  There was also far too much of it to finish.

The bill came to R628.00 before tip.

 

Dessert apart, the food was excellent, the coffee (if you avoid the cappuccino) was good and the service was efficient and friendly. We felt Quince offered excellent value for money and was easy and quick to reach and it might well become a favoured destination in the warmer months. 

 

Quince also operates a deli where the wife bought two side plate-sized samosas with beef mince curry, a colossal scone and a large apple crumble muffin, the combo that was our supper later that evening.  Good stuff.