I think everyone who knows me or has ever asked me for restaurant advice will be aware of the fact that I’m utterly in love with NV-80. It’s been my top choice restaurant ever since they opened almost two years ago, and part of my love for it is a deeply-rooted emotional connection that I won’t go into now but have shared quite vividly with many. I’ve dined there a gazillion times, experimenting with their menu a little, and finally settling on my favourite that never disappoints – the sautéed prawns starter, which is to die for, the beef fillet with creamed spinach and mash, which is still the best I’ve ever had, and, if there’s space for dessert, a special request for lemon posset or their crème brulee. Though my dinners there have pretty much become set, I’ve never actually lunched there. Ok, that’s a lie, I had their lamb cutlets for lunch about a year and half ago and I still dream about them. So, re-phrase, I’ve never made use of their special Business Lunch set menu – until last week!
I was invited to go try out their Business Lunch special with the InstaEatsCapeTown team last Friday and of course I was super excited for that! Running around visiting different restaurants all over the city, I haven’t actually had a chance to go back to NV-80 for a few months, so for me it felt a little bit like being allowed to go back home. Plus, as said, I’ve never had their Business Lunch menu before, so I was keen to try something new. Now, the Business Lunch special is basically a daily weekday special that runs over lunch where diners can enjoy two courses for R149 or three for R189. The menu is a little smaller than the regular lunch or dinner menu, but still affords a healthy choice and a number of seafood, meat, and vegetarian dishes.
I’ve been on a bit of a seafood craze the last two weeks, so I decided to step away from my usual meaty adventures and go for a seafood-inspired dining experience. After the welcoming garlic roll (always a winner), I started off my NV-80 Business Lunch experience with some creamy garlic mussels. What a treat. I think 90% of the time I eat mussels to enjoy the sauce that comes with it, and, bonus for me, this one was delicious and I scooped it all up, very old-school using the shell and all (yes, there was a spoon, I just didn’t see it). Dean and Francis from InstaEatsCT enjoyed the miso salmon and trinchado respectively. Both looked delicious, and I was a little jealous I didn’t try the salmon at first – until I tucked into my mussels.
For mains I opted for the Queen Prawns with a side salad. Normally I’d go for rice with prawns but I had a little Health Angel speaking over my shoulder when I ordered, so that’s how the side salad came into that mix. But I didn’t regret it as the salad was huge and had avo, so yay for that. The prawns were absolutely divine. I was a little frightened at first when I didn’t get one of those creamy dunking sauces to dip my prawns into for flavour, but I guess when prawns are well-made and pre-seasoned, those sauces just aren’t needed. The prawns were beautifully soft and topped with a lovely sauce. They even butterflied them so all I had to do was gently remove the meat from the shell with my knife and there was no awkward messiness involved. Bonus. Dean had the beef kebab , which looked absolutely divine. As with the prawns, the kitchen had pre-planned for elegant dining and had already removed the skewer (though still kept everything in a ‘skewer shape’, so we were quite astounded when there wasn’t actually one to pull out). Francis enjoyed a Portuguese steak with egg and fries, which was probably the largest portion of them all, so if you’re a hungry diner I’d recommend that one.
Dean skipped dessert but Francis and I both decided to go for something sweet after. He had the ice cream with chocolate sauce, which sounds boring but really wasn’t (see picture). I opted for the crème brulee. In the past I’d thought the crème brulee at NV-80 was a little too thick and not velvety enough, but I am so happy that this wasn’t the case – this brulee was beautiful and now officially makes it on to my list of the top crème brulees in Cape Town. Perhaps I’ll write a post about that soon to share my other favourite spots.
After those three courses I was pretty full. I had taken the rest of the day off to enjoy an epic start to the weekend, but if you’re little like me and still actually have to go back to work after lunch, maybe go for the two course meal option. Or just choose a lighter dessert. The Business Lunch menu is a great deal to sample some of their goodies at a pretty good price, so I can only recommend it. But, of course, their regular lunch and dinner menu is absolutely divine as well, so you’ll never go wrong if you choose NV-80.
Visit NV-80 at The Point, 76 Regent Road, in Sea Point, and be sure to check them out online for all their different menu options. Booking is highly recommended, especially in the evening, so give them a call on +27 21 439 7112 or +27 21 439 7114 to make your reservation. Open seven days a week, NV-80 is always there to provide some yummy deliciousness.
Written by Benike Palfi
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Review Date: December 2015