Review: Coy

Coy offers a set menu served both for lunch and dinner, with optional wine pairings available. For lunch, there’s also a smaller set menu called The Two’s – a popular option, unless you have the opportunity to lunch for a few hours in casual abandon. There’s no a la carte menu offered.

Delicious snacks

Lunch at Coy begins with a selection of small bites that set expectations high for what’s to come. We set off with golden maize chips, a small bowl of whipped tahini, complemented by roasted shiitake mushroom, smoked Stanford cheese, red lentil and cashew blatjang (a South African chutney).

A memorable bread service

A warm, fermented amadumbe (a root vegetable, known as Taro in other parts of the world) sourdough roll arrives first, its crust crackling slightly as it’s pulled apart. The accompanying spread – kefir butter dusted with black onion salt and a spoonful of guava konfyt – is delicious! The added little nest of bokkom, the West Coast’s dried fish, is both welcome and unexpected.

Delicious starters

’The Two’s’ menu is the one we tried which consists of a selection of two starters. The venison tartare, one of the two cold starters, is delicate yet deeply flavoured, brightened by sour fig and pickled pear. The line fish sashimi does not disappoint either. It is accompanied by caramelised coconut and sugar cane, which gives off a tropical note. For the second starter, we both had the beef tartare, which is a personal favourite.

Generous mains

For the main, lamb rump arrives with a rich, slow-cooked reduction. There’s the humble mielie pap, transformed into something very smooth, alongside a deep green swirl of spinach purée and crisp butternut. A small pot of lamb neck potjie sits beside it. The other half of us had the braiied (that’s grilled in South African!) linefish with mussels, peri-peri and askoek (a bread roll baked over embers). While it is all very tasty, the mains did not reach the memorable levels of taste and flavours as the snacks and starters.

Finishing with a classic

Our lunch is drawing to a close and we are presented with ‘Tea With Ma’ – a nostalgic, malted creation that’s comforting and refined served with lemon cream, strawberry jam and a warm spiced madeleine.