Upon a recent visit to the newly launched Olives & Plates Ellipse, located in the Waterfall development’s Ellipse building, we literally got a taste of the high life. Apart from the elevated location, the food was also of a high standard, as was the wine list. Not to mention the cake selection and the kind table attendants.
The new addition to the group’s portfolio was launched in May this year, forming part of Attacq and Tricolt’s The Luna Club. It overlooks Waterfall to the South and includes private dining rooms and lovely conferencing facilities in addition to the general indoor and outdoor restaurant seating.
The space has been cleverly designed with interesting features that effortlessly catch the eye. These include impressive ceiling detail, brightly coloured chairs and bar stools, unique light fixtures and more.
The window-side tables naturally get taken up first, allowing diners some breathtaking views as they indulge in Olives & Plates’ divine cuisine. When it comes to choosing your meal, the menu is rather extensive with options between lighter meals, little plates, Quesadillas and pastas, as well as main meals and delicious, fresh salads.
Olives & Plates has clearly also put in a lot of effort in creating a wine list that suits their menu, as well as their guests’ palates. With wines from Hamilton Russel, Paul Cluver, De Wetshof, Vergelegen and Diemersdal (to name a few), you can’t go wrong. Pair your plates with a divine chardonnay and peer through the ceiling-high windows as the sun sets for the ultimate dining experience.
We opted for a salmon salad, which was simply scrumptious. In fact, if we had to count the amount of ingredients in the one salad, you’d be gobsmacked. A perfectly seared salmon was gently balanced against a pyramid of lettuce and broccoli. In addition, a cucumber spiral, fresh garden peas, red and yellow pepper frites lookalikes, a perfectly cut red onion ring, a poached egg, crunchy green beans, red and green olives and sweet potato chips made for an impressive ensemble on the blue tinted plate. Of course, a regal purple pansy was placed on top of the tower of greens, with a fennel leaf bringing things full circle.
An unwooded Chardonnay from Diemersdal paired well with the salad, completing the experience perfectly.
The grand finale was in the form of a flourless lemon and poppy seed cake, coupled with a cup of coffee. In all honesty, nothing comes close to Olives & Plates’ cake selection – a round table filled with delectable desserts to die for.
The Olives & Plates restaurant group has set its standards many moons ago, but their latest space certainly raises the bar even higher.
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