Rossouws Restaurants

I don’t like to go to these much anymore - they tend not to be a true reflection of the kitchen on a day-to-day basis - but I am very glad I went to this one last night on the instigation of The Hungry Man (though my observation on not being true of the usual style or standard applies). What was great about this chef’s table was that the kitchen created and artfully executed a truly interesting menu: consomme of guinea fowl; black ravioli stuffed with tomato; salmon trout on a concasse of greens; pig’s trotters “de Pierre Kaufmann”; and a pannacotta.

Of course, the highlight was the trotters - earthy, slightly spicy, and stuffed with mushrooms and with that fantastic gelatinous texture. In a world of venison noisettes with berry sauce this was really something memorable. The black ravioli too was different, sauceless, just drizzled with olive oil, all about textures. And while I am no crusader for salmon trout, this was a good as it gets.

If only Lafayette could bring some of this into their regular menu - which is good but does not represent the individuality of last night’s offerings. Still, this is a place that exudes welcome personality in our increasingly flat world, and THM and I walked into the night with Cheshire cat grins.