Picture the scene: A beautifully sunny Sunday, 2 people who have been starving themselves in preparation for this meal, a gorgeous, lush Constantia setting, and a seafood selection so fresh, even the most critical Cape Town hipster would agree there’s nothing fresher. 😉
Yup, that’s what my friend Steven and I got to experience about 2 weeks ago over at Harbour House Constantia Nek (situated at nr 1 Hout Bay Rd). For those who’ve been to their V&A or Kalk Bay restaurants, you’ll know that Harbour House has always set a pretty high standard as far an an elegant dining experience goes. Their Constantia Nek restaurant certainly keeps that high standard going with a striking white interior with touches of wood and exposed brick, views that overlook their vegetable garden and the Constantia hills, and a menu that offers a wide variety of dishes to cater for all tastes (even those who aren’t big seafood fans).
Let me give you a quick tour:
Gorgeous, right? To kick things off we of course had to do a glass of bubbles:
Sunday lunch bubbles are the best!
The official tasting notes: The Rattlesnake displays notes of lime and frangipani blossoms, white peach, fresh ginger, cape gooseberry and melon on the nose. On the palate, this wine is vibrant with a fresh and zesty acidity that gives structure and longevity along with the fruit.
But you can also have a look at their a la carte menu over here.
This dish was absolute perfection. Fresh, light & with the perfect amount of zest. Loved every bite.
Steven’s prawns were equally good. The prawns were crisp & golden on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. The layers of aubergine, tomato & avo perfectly complement them, as well as the drizzle of sweet chilli sauce on the plate.
The seafood selection includes: mussels, calamari, prawns, 2 types of fish (or your choice), and 2 sides (of your choice). Then as mentioned we also added a portion of langoustines.
The mussels were probably my favourite. That sauce was to die for & the mussels were big & plump. Absolutely delicious.
The langoustines we added were also really good… just felt it was a bit of a pricey add on for the portion size…
For the fish, we went for yellowtail & kingklip…
And then in an attempt to be healthy we went for a side of veg…
But then to keep things real, we also went for a side of chips…
My tart was served with marshmallow (I think), brownie crumbs and stawberries & was really pretty both in look & taste.
I had a bite of the crème brûlée & this was everything a crème brûlée should be – crispy top, creamy filling. So no complaints there. Steven also went for their recommended pairing which was a Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or.
Other notable mentions:
- Service: Excellent!
- Setting: Well you saw my photos, what’s not to love?
- Would I go again: Definitely
For all these reasons, I’m going to give Harbour House Constantia Nek a score of 
on my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale.
To book a table at Harbour House Constantia Nek, you can contact them on:
- 021 795 0688
- constantianek@harbourhouse.co.za
They are open 7 days a week from 12 to 4pm and then again from 6 to 10pm.
xxx