So it’s Restaurant Week at the moment and naturally an exciting few weeks for all the foodies of South Africa. Restaurant Week allows us to try some of South Africa’s best restaurants at really great prices. This is Restaurant Week’s 5th anniversary and the spring season is running until the 5th November. Last weekend I visited LBV Bistro and Wine Bar. They’re an Italian restaurant based in Bryanston, in the Cramerview Village Centre. I’ve heard great things about this restaurant so decided I’d make a reservation with them for Restaurant Week.

We opted for the three course meal with wine pairing as part of our Restaurant Week special. I’m not usually big on vegetarian options, however I caught a glimpse of someone else’s first course on our arrival. It looked amazing, so I decided to go for the vegetarian starter. This starter was marinated artichokes served with roasted garlic, burnt thyme, onions, bocconcini cheese and crumble. Wow, wow, wow! This starter was so beautifully plated and it tasted every bit as amazing as it looked! I loved the flavours, all so well complimented and balanced and I loved the crunchy element of the crumble. My benedict chose the springbok starter. It was served with truffle, mustard, beetroot, radish, crunchy onions and croutons. Another lovely starter. For my main meal I opted for the braised lamb served with pumpkin, gremolata and garlic foam. The lamb was tender and very tasty. Loved this dish. My benedict went for the vegetarian option. This was Arborio rice, exotic mushrooms, ricotta, pumpkin, lemon and pesto also served with a garlic foam. This was another beautifully plated dish with the mushroom sprouting out from the plate. It was absolutely delicious. Considering I believe myself to have reservations when it comes to vegetarian dishes, these superb options from LBV Bistro have certainly changed my mind. For my last course, I selected the strawberry dessert. This was fresh strawberries served with mascarpone, meringues, sherbet and marshmallows. It was beautifully presented and tasted absolutely heavenly. My benedict opted for chocolate, hazelnut and biscuit dessert. Also a very tasty option.

I’m very glad that I decided to give LBV Bistro and Wine Bar a try. The service was really great. The restaurant is beautifully laid out and very elegant and stylish (don’t be fooled by the appearance of the centre it is situated in). And the food… well that was phenomenal! Take advantage of the last few days of Restaurant Week and see if you can get yourself a booking at LBV Bistro and Wine Bar. I will definitely be back soon and I look forward to making LBV Bistro one of regular restaurants.