Galjoen, Cape Town - Review

RestaurantsTravel

22 Feb

Our Rating: ★★★ | ££££ - It should be as busy as BOTB, if you love seafood, you can’t miss this! (How we rate restaurants)

Last year, we had dinner at Belly of the Beast and were completely blown away by the quality of the food. It was a meal we’ve kept thinking about. Unfortunately, Alice wasn’t feeling her best that evening, so she never quite got to enjoy it as fully as it deserved.

This year’s Cape Town trip was booked fairly last-minute, and as expected, getting a reservation at Belly of the Beast was out of the question. So we pivoted. If we couldn’t return to one of our favourite meals, why not try its seafood-focused sibling, Galjoen?

What surprised us was how easy it was to get a table. There were plenty available. Slightly concerning, if we’re honest. Restaurants of this calibre are usually booked out weeks in advance.

Still, we went ahead.

And we are very glad we did.

Galjoen = South Africa’s national fish

Like Belly of the Beast, Galjoen operates with a single seating each day and a constantly changing menu. The length of the tasting menu depends entirely on what produce is available, so no two visits are ever quite the same.

“Our approach is to serve only what is responsibly caught locally. If it’s not from South Africa, it’s not going on the menu.”

There is no menu choice. Everyone is served the tasting menu, and we opted for the wine pairing alongside it.

It was outstanding.

Course after course showcased a variety of South African seafood, each dish thoughtfully constructed and paired with excellent wines. There was real flair in the combinations, with bold flavours balanced by precision and restraint. The wine pairings were high-quality and generous, carefully selected to elevate each course rather than merely accompany it.

If we had one minor criticism, it would be the pacing. The dishes come quickly, and the pours are generous, so unless you are drinking at a pace, the wine can begin to build up. By the end, your stomach capacity is genuinely tested. That said, it never detracted from the quality of the food itself, which remained consistently excellent throughout.

One of the things we loved most about Belly of the Beast was the intimate, open kitchen environment, and Galjoen follows a similar format. You can see the chefs at work, plating, calling orders, moving with calm precision.

The only thing that slightly affected the atmosphere was the number of empty tables. The space deserves to be full. A packed room would elevate the energy even further and give it that hum you expect from a restaurant operating at this level.

We genuinely hope it becomes busier, because the cooking absolutely warrants it.

What We Ate

Our menu was six courses (with some additional bites in between). Every course came with a menu card, explaining the dish as well as information about each key ingredient which we loved reading.

Starting Snacks

Smoked peanuts with biltong and seaweed.

We didn’t really think this course was necessary, especially considering the amount of food that was on its way!

Amuse-bouche

Dressed oysters with pickled apples (we think) served alongside their version of chip and dip (smoked snoek dip with homemade potato chips)

Lovely meaty oysters with a tangy dressing, and the smoked snoek dip was incredible!

Bread

Saldanha Bay mussels with heirloom tomatoes and basil on a 3-day fermented Kapokbos focaccia.

Confit tuna belly with smoked onion mayo, braaied pineapple & green pepper salsa, and spicy vierge, served with laminated sourdough toast.

The mussels were brilliant, and the tuna belly mayo was outstanding. Like a simple tuna mayo you make at home, but elevated to the next level.

Local Fish

Cold-smoked Swordfish sashimi with a Bloody Mary consommé, Worcestershire sauce, celery, and lacto-fermented tomatoes.

The sashimi was properly melt-in-your-mouth and the hot sauces provided a really tasty kick.

Local Hake

Beer-battered hake taco with a smoked jalapeño tartare, dill oil, pickled red onion, lettuce, and a cucumber & jalapeño salsa.

Now, we’ve travelled the Pacific coast of Mexico, and we’ve had some incredible fish tacos… and this one was certainly up there! The Hake was meaty and had a nice, deep flavour.

Palate cleanser

Mango and Basil Sherbet

Viskerrie

Braaied local fish (Yellowtail) with a curry sauce and aspatat, served with a tomato and onion sambal.

Basmati pilaf with pickled chokka and a green bean salad.

A lovely, deep-flavoured main course. Exactly what you would expect from a fish curry.

Belnori

Belnori Chevin rolled in tuna biltong and served with klipkombers jam, Belnori Kilimanjaro and a wholewheat croute.

An incredible cheese course! Tangy cheese with a sharp jam and chewy tuna biltong. A unique combo you’re not going to find anywhere else.

Lamington

Chocolate lamington with cherry jam, brandycherries, dulce de leche ice cream and a malt mousse.

We both love lamingtons, and this one was exceptional. soft and gooey in the middle with a strong chocolate flavour with really boozy cherries on top!

Final bite

A small tart with ricotta (we think) and fig. By this point we stopped making notes!