GREAT EATS HAWAII: HELENA'S RESTAURANT AT COOPMANHUIJS BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Saturday, January 20, 2024

HELENA'S RESTAURANT AT COOPMANHUIJS BOUTIQUE HOTEL - SOUTH AFRICA

HELENA'S RESTAURANT

COOPMANHUIJS BOUTIQUE HOTEL

33 CHURCH STREET

STELLENBOSCH CENTRAL

SOUTH AFRICA

+27 21 883 8207

https://helenasrestaurant.co.za/

When you have a day with no schedule and an incredible local guide who knows the country, you have the ingredients for what would be one of the best days and meals of our lives. Discovering Stellenbosch in South Africa was incredible. The beauty of the landscape, wine country and small village feel grabbed us and took us in. Lunch at Helena's was special. Real special. From the outdoor terrace, to the service, food and atmosphere of this Boutique Hotel everything was perfect. A rare time where I felt like we were really on vacation without any thoughts of anything else in the world. Just taking it all in and enjoying. So perfect! Started lunch with a light, fresh and crisp South African Sauvignon Blanc which was delicious. Our waitress, Primrose who was from Zimbabwe lit up the terrace with her smile and charm. With help from our local guide, we started to order a variety of dishes to share family style. Each and every dish was plated beautifully and bursting with flavors. The Mushroom Risotto was one of the best ever. Rich, creamy and perfect consistency. Pumpkin Gnocchi was light, pillowy and delicious. The Smoked Trout is just like Salmon in the U.S. This Trout was not fishy and super moist. The Springbuck Carpaccio was not gamey and melted in your mouth.

The stars of this lunch were the Ostrich and Lamb Neck. Two dishes we had never tasted. My goodness. Ostrich was lights out amazing and the Lamb Neck was insanely good making this one of the best lunches of our lives. The perfect combination of food, location, service, atmosphere and people!