The sun was setting across the Houghton Golf Course when we arrived at Cyra Restaurant, situated at The Houghton Hotel. Golden light slanted across the fairways, imbuing the light in the restaurant with a soft warmth. The gentle candlelight flickering on the table added to a peaceful atmosphere.
We were at the unveiling of chef Candice Philip’s winter tasting menu, an event graced by celebs such as Shashi Naidoo, Bohang and Shantal Moeko, Mule Sidati, Mpumi Ledwaba and culinary content creator Neo Nontso.
The real star of the show was, of course, Philip’s new seven-course menu at Cyra, which was recently named Eat Out’s New Restaurant of the Year.
As the light faded across the greens, our waiter seated us, unravelled our serviettes with a flourish and asked what we’d be drinking. The tasting menu is paired with a range of wines, but neither myself nor my friend are wine drinkers. We ordered waters and sparkling drinks instead, and our waiter said, “Certainly, madame,” with the French pronunciation. I just about purred at the honorific, I felt as though I were dining in Paris. It’s small touches like this that make a diner feel special and keeps them coming back. Any meal out is not just about the food — though that is the heart of it — but about the way the waiters serve and address a diner’s desires.
The music was muted, serving as a gentle background to our conversation as we caught up with life, love and everything else, while excitedly looking forward to what awaited us. The restaurant is furnished with soft range of beige hues and comfortable chairs. Tables are spaced far enough to enable deep, private conversation. That is another tremendous plus for me, and one I look for when eating out, being able to talk in dulcet tones, and being heard in turn. It is one of the features of fine dining, of course, where the diner and their needs are placed first.
The menus were set on the table so we could follow along with what was coming out of the kitchen. We both opted for the meat-centric menu, though pescatarians and vegetarians are also catered for, with separate menus.
Before each course our knowledgeable and soft-toned waiter explained what was set before us. The meal started with a brown onion madeleine with a charcoal wafer. The flavours of the brown onion permeated the loaf of madeleine, and was a pleasant surprise on the tongue. This was served with a smoked chickpea creme, which came with whipped amasi and dots of caviar. We scooped it all up, the amasi a smooth contrast to the bread. The wafer was deliciously crunchy, and when we left crumbs scattered all over the table, our waiter simply tidied it away neatly and quietly with a table brush. A round of beef tartare with tongue and olive aioli was a good complement to it all. This course is paired with Anemos chenin blanc.
The next course of very fresh-tasting mussels was served with cucumber XO sauce and lemon drizzled with chicken jus and decorated with very edible and moreish crispy chicken skins. This was paired with Meinert The German Job riesling.
As the following course was served, dry-aged duck, my friend exclaimed, “Arja, you must write about the presentation.” And so, a word on the presentation. While the mussels looked like a painting, the duck was served with pale hibiscus leaves, a flourish of parsnip purée, and a stuffed onion with coffee confit, this was another course grounded in beauty. It was also delicious: the duck was soft and easy to the knife. Paired with this was the Haute Cabriere pinot noir reserve.
A honey and lemon palate cleanser prepared us for the next course: short rib paired with a sweetmeat delicacy, ris de veau, the thymus gland. While I loved the short rib, my friend was less taken with this course. I was too squeamish to try the ris de veau, which my friend did, and described as being very rich. This course was rich, and I would have liked a few carbohydrates, perhaps baby potatoes, to balance against it. This was paired with The Bernard Series pinotage.
The whipped vintage gruyere dish was presented with pecan filling and celery marmalade. The sweet course was coming, but this was delightfully sweet, serving as an entrée to the next two courses. This one was accompanied by the Saldanha medium cream. The waiter now thoughtfully offered me a grapefruit mocktail, which paired satisfyingly with the cheese in this course.
My friend and I both share a love of dessert, and though fairly satiated by the range of unusual tastes, we still looked forward to what was next and tucked in with the same level of excitement. Presentation was again on my mind as the ginger malva arrived next to a pile of bourbon-infused caramel, topped with a pretty wafer, and presented a pretty portrait. The pairing suggestion for this was the L'Ormarins blanc de blancs.
And then we oohed and aahed as the petit fours course arrived: grapefruit meringue and a chocolate noir. This was served on a bed of roasted coffee beans and offered the perfect morsel of sweetness to wrap up the meal.
As mentioned earlier, pescatarians are well catered for: a brinjal tartare replaces the meat-based one, and salmon and sea bass are served instead of duck and meat. Vegetarians enjoy carrot, zucchini and wild mushroom dishes, instead. While diners can opt to enjoy a meal without wine, pairings are also offered for both the pescatarian and vegetarian courses.
I understood why Eat Out names Cyra New Restaurant of the Year. As highlighted on the Eat Out website, the awards celebrate the culinary stars of the dining scene, rewarding both creativity and excellence. Philip’s menu offers both interesting and unusual dishes, combined with a painterly approach that makes the food delightful to look at.
Philip came around to see how we had enjoyed our meal, described on the invitation as “a narrative woven through subtle heat, grounded textures, and nostalgic memory”. My friend asked about this description, and Philip replied that the inspiration was rooted in the past and fond memories, and she hoped that this would also be evoked in those partaking of the dinner. It was a lovely note on which to end what had been both a meal and an experience.
We’d started the meal on a high note of excitement, and were well mellowed by the food, by the depth of our conversation set across the courses, replete and suffused with not a little nostalgia ourselves. It had been a lovely evening, sharing reminisces and stories of our pasts, with conversation flowing among the quiet strains of music drifting across the restaurant.
• Salafranca was a guest of Cyra restaurant.
Details:
The Houghton Hotel: Lloys Ellis Ave, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, 2198. Email: info@cyra.co.za Phone: 011 032 5535
Open: Tuesday-Saturday between 6,30pm and 8pm
Cost: Food only pp R1,250; food and wine pairing pp R1,995
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