In August last year, my husband surprised me and took me to Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient for our first wedding anniversary. What an amazing experience! The restaurant is situated in the Orient Boutique Hotel in Pretoria.

We were treated to an eight course tasting menu with wine pairing. We had a choice of either local or international wines. Being a fan of Cape wines, I opted for the local while my benedict chose the international wine. We were absolutely blown away with every single course; from presentation to taste, it was out of this world! One of my favourites was award-winning chef Chantel Dartnall’s twist on ‘fish and chips’. This was a sardine wrapped in crisped potato; simple, elegant and delicious! For my main meal I selected the Angus beef and sweetbreads served with mushrooms, celeriac leaves, cognac cream and panniyoor pepper – typical French cuisine. It was a great choice! One of the courses included a little cheese platter which was wheeled across to us on a trolley along with a description of each of the cheeses. I thoroughly enjoyed this. The petite fours – a generous serving of sweet selections – were absolutely delicious.

The service was outstanding and nothing short of what one would expect from one of South Africa’s best restaurants. The restaurant has a really unique and intimate layout, something suitable for a very special occasion. Fine dining at its best and something truly exceptional, I look forward to visiting Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient again someday.