Camil’s, Green Point

The single-word description for Camil’s, the new restaurant brought to you by the Bouillabaisse team, is eclectic. To this you could add “fun”. It’s in the space that briefly was Geisha, after it moved from Mouille Point, and one hopes this spot will now stay, because we certainly need some playfulness and experimentation in the South African restaurant universe. Not that the food here is experimental in a “too cheffy” way – rather it is unusual through fresh combinations and a choice of dishes that is refreshingly different to the everyday “pasta-steak-salad” menu.

It’s also quite a place to ingest on one visit, there’s so much going on. Firstly, it’s two restaurants in one – the more formal one on the left and a more casual “creperie” on the right. Both are attractive and vibrantly colourful, plus there are lovely courtyard seats. The sections merge into one another and ordering across menus is no problem – and there’s a bewildering selection of menus. Two wine lists, a cocktail list with tapas (replicated on the wall whiteboards), a lunch menu, a bar menu and a dinner menu. You can eat the food in small, medium or large portions. You need to be alert.

Camil and Ingrid Haas are of course well known for their seafood-oriented dishes with an Asian twist, and Camil’s still showcases this category, with a page dedicated, for example, to ways with oyster. You can also try an oysters’ compendium, like “three ways” (incongruously called “Three Musketeers”) which is with three dressings. Alongside there’s a good (though small) selection of champagne, adding yet another arrow to the quiver: the champagne and oyster bar.

The food here is a flurry of creative flavours and ideas. Here are some excerpts:Seared scallops on a sushi rice salad, topped with a Japanese dressing of sake and sirin, and served with steamed asparagus spears and miso pesto | Crispy shredded duck with chilli and ginger tossed through an Asian salad served with an oriental dressing | Fresh grilled tuna medallions glazed with Szechuan pepper and lemon grass, served with a tangy citrus salad and carrot – orange mash | Oven‐baked halibut with foie gras, served with fresh greens and bay leaf jus | Gemsbok loin with a pistachio crust, served with celeriac‐potato puree and a dried fig sauce | Petit poussin, an organic small chicken, oven roasted and served with giant fries and lemon, herb butter and nuts.

So as I say: exciting new directions and a real tonic from the same-old. In the eating, the results were encouraging but not altogether consistent, however the value is fantastic when you see how many flavours you can sample at “taster” prices. Fine bread to start, with pomegranate reduction in place of the usual balsamic – it’s good, though very sweet to the bread. Quail’s legs cooked in a Chinese master stock were the night’s highlight for me, full of deep flavour, but with pea pancakes that were oily and stodgy.  A tempura prawn was firm, but the tempura thick and falling off the prawn; seared tuna fine with a highly flavoured butternut mash that was a intriguing departure. The crispy shredded duck was decent if tame in flavour; while a main of halibut with foie gras came with a bay leaf infused jus that was really tasty, though the fish itself showed freezer character and the texture was poor.

Just one dessert sampled: a mini trio of French pancakes; nougat and caramelized salted butter, apple and calvados; and a puff pancake with lemon curd… all heavily sauced (the small and thin pancakes barely visible) and super-sweet. Another option was crepes Suzette, perhaps this would have been a better option. Coffee was ok to finish.

Overall, factoring the very warm and attentive service, it’s the kind of place that encourages repeat visits and should reward anyone who enjoys inventive food at good prices.

47 Main Rd, Green Point. 021 4331 227.  Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00 and 18:00-23:00

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