I once walked home from the gym, along Seapoint Main Road. To pass the time I counted the restaurants I passed and came to about 80, although that was including takeaways. I have to say that out of those 80 restaurants, there weren’t that many that I would rush to eat at. There are some which are not bad, like Posticino’s or, um, the Ocean Basket. I am pleased to announce that there is now a restaurant on Seapoint Main Road that I am actually quite excited about.
After Posticino’s (on the left as you head towards Camps Bay) and next to La Bruixa, is a new place called La Boheme. It’s a very small restaurant, but La Boheme and La Bruixa are actually linked and will become one restaurant offering the tapas menu of La Bruixa as well as the more sophisticated menu of La Boheme. Currently there is seating for about 25 people in La Boheme as well as another 5 or so tables outside. We started at the outside tables and enjoyed the European sidewalk vibe. Anna from La Bruixa assisted us with drinks (Brewers & Union Beer for R32, much cheaper than at &Union), while Faizel explained the menu options available. They are currently running an opening special which is excellent value, 2 courses for R85 or 3 for R105. I started with the duo of pork roulade which was great, as one would expect from any dish containing bacon. My dining partner had the carpaccio which he liked but I found it a bit fragile.
After that we moved inside because it was getting a bit chilly. The decor is simple but creates an ambiance very effectively. La Boheme is a classic example of how you don’t have to spend a fortune to create a pleasant environment. For mains we tried the Osso Bucco which was fantastic. Normally osso bucco is a really heavy dish but this was actually quite light but still tasty. It was served with herb mash and veggies. We also tried the beef fillet with mushroom risotto, which was also top drawer.
I drank a couple of glasses of Tokara red (R28) but did notice that the wine list was very reasonable with a wide selection of wines at little over R100. As with most owner run establishments, the service was attentive and personal. It’s the kind of place where you can get to know the proprieters and receive a warm welcome each time you visit. A lovely addition to Seapoint and a place I will be visiting often.
La Boheme
341 Main Road, Seapoint
021 434 8797
Comments
7 responses to “La Boheme review”
I absolutely agree! This is an excellent addition to bistro eating. Great food (I much enjoyed the pork belly), good attention to detail, fully involved owner, friendly service, interesting and price-friendly winelist with many by the decent glass. Everything a good neighbourhood restaurant should be and one to which everyone will I am sure want to return to.
Just come back from La Boheme. Hubby had the butternut and potatoe gratinee starter and fillet medallions with mushroom risotto and orange carrot malva pud. For me again unfortunately there were a lot of pork dishes or dishes with bacon – no fish except kingklip which i dont like (and it wasnt part of the 2 course menu) so i went for the chicken (which i never eat out cause i always have it at home). Blackened chicken with either baby potatoes or Faizel said i could have the noodles so i had the noodles and then creme brulee. Starter was fab, hubby’s dish i tasted excellent but mine unfortunately chicken was VERY dry – it was like when you order those cajun chicken salads – thats how the chicken tasted – noodles o.k. – veggies nice and then creme brulee was good. It wasnt great but i suppose thats because unfortunately for me there wasnt much of a choice. I find lately that because fish has become so expensive most restaurants are serving lots of meat and because i dont eat red meat or pork its becoming a probleeem but anyway will try it again but will check out the menu first. Vibe good, and wines good choice.
I recommended La Boheme to a friend looking for a venue for her birthday dinner. They hosted 45 of us without difficulty. The food was great, the wine list is interesting and super reasonably priced.
Everyone loved the dinner and the place and Faisal and team did an excellent job with the service. Most people commented that they planned to return to try the rest of the menu. I will too.
I ate at La Boheme again last night. Things have changed since I was there last. The connection with La Bruixa is more formal with an awning spanning the outside seating of both restaurants. This means they have far more space in winter, thankfully otherwise we would not have found a table.
Outside is for walk ins and inside for bookings. The tapas menu from La Bruixa and the menu from La Boheme are available from either restaurant. So it doesn’t matter where you sit or who you order from.
We were a table of 5 and we all had the 2 courses for R90 special.
I started with the cob ceviche which was amazing and the whole table agreed. The haloumi starter was ordered by 2 people. One liked the combination with fruit and the other didn’t but they both agreed that the actual haloumi was excellent. The artichoke stuffed with Italian sausage was unusual. The person who ordered it said they enjoyed it but I wouldn’t order it.
For mains I had the pork belly again, still excellent. The oxtail ravioli was well received and the spring rolls evoked neither negative nor positive comment. The ostrich meatball pasta was tasty.
We tried three desserts between us. The creme brulee received a unanimous vote as excellent but the chocolates did not impress. The strawberries & cream with red wine and black pepper reduction was incredibly interesting. Some loved it some hated it. I thought it was worth ordering just for the unusual taste experience.
I’m still very happy to be recommending that people dine at La Boheme.
Glad you liked it. I went about 3 weeks ago and my partner got sick a couple of hours after eating the Coq au Vin; however, I loved the Balsamic Beef with Risotto. Other than the getting sick part, our biggest disappointment was with the service. The staff seemed inexperienced and socially awkward, which brought an uncomfortable vibe to the evening. I like the place and loved my meal, but the people working there that night did not contribute, and in fact, detracted, from the evening. I would like to try again in hopes of finding different staff on a different night, but my partner won’t go back.
I have to agree on staff detracting from the evening. But in my case, it was an exceptionally rude waiter with a confrontational manner, bad enough to spoil my experience and make me less inclined to go again.
DR I’m sorry to hear your partner got sick after eating there. I hope you let them know because it’s more often a problem with the supplier’s cold chain than the kitchen. If you let them know they can try and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
As for service, one thing I intended to mention but forgot was the service. It was excellent! I’ve had a run of waiters that I seem to have a communication breakdown with which I find quite stressful. On this night at La Boheme, as the waitress started to speak I knew everything would be perfect. She was articulate, efficient, helpful and unintrusive. I almost asked her to marry me.
So maybe they are aware of the problem, or maybe I just struck it lucky. I’ll let you know what happens next time.