Cavalli

In June, my mom and I went to a fine dining restaurant for lunch one noon. My sister works at the place where we went, being a chef and all, which is why we decided to visit. Equus is its name, latin for horse. It's based near Stellenbosch, on a beautiful wine and stud farm, Cavalli Estate. The scenery is gorgeous, with mountains in the distance, greenery everywhere, indigenous plants in bright colours, beautiful horses grazing in their paddocks near a large, modern stable, a paved road leading up to the buildings and and a wide lake that was in full view from where we sat, on the deck.

I have my lovely mom to thank for the wonderful treat of going to Equus.

The experience was amazing, it was my first time having a 'fine dining' three course meal. At first, when I picked up the menu, I decided on pork belly, one of the mains. Satisfied with my choice, I closed my menu and told my mom, who laughed. She told me I was supposed to choose my starter first. And also that I was going to choose a dessert. I was surprised that we were having three courses, but of course, happy about it.

So, for my starter, I had 'House Smoked Pastrami, Healey's Cheddar, Piccalilli, Caper Sultana'.

If first impressions are what matter most, I was already hooked. This dish was so tasty, thinking about it now is making me hunger for it. And look how prettily it was presented.

My mom had 'Citrus-Cured Salmon, Red Wine Poached Pear, Num-Num Gastrique, Spiced Almonds' as her starter.

I don't usually enjoy almonds. But I tasted a few pieces of toasted almond from my mom's starter and loved it.

It was a little harder to choose a main, all of the exotic, appealing titles vying for my attention. In the end, I went with my original choice. 'Cider Braised Pork Belly, Roasted Beetroot, Carrot Puree, Caramelized Apples'. My mouth is watering from just typing the title...and I'm not joking.

The main was delicious and filling. The pieces of what looks like folds of polystyrene on top are crackling, which was brilliant. It was absolutely yum.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the main my mom ate. But here comes the best part: dessert.

I ordered 'Gingerbread Spiced Cheesecake, Candied Ginger, Honeycomb Ice-Cream'.

This. Was. So. Good. Wow.

My mom went for 'Chocolate Eton Mess'.

Which, as you can see, was art on a plate. As well as being delectable.

The garden was perfect, and the sky so blue...I'm grateful for what a good day it was. Spending time with my mom alone can be tricky with so many other people in the house all the time, but when we do manage, it's great.