Shoga review

Most people have heard of Ginja, which has been voted in the SA top ten for the last 5 years or so. What you may not know, is that Shoga upstairs, has the same owners and executive chef (Mike Basset). Mike is also the executive chef for the restaurant which has replaced Au Jardin at the Vineyard hotel, Myoga (which has also been receiving rave reviews from all who can affort to eat there).

The last time I was at Shoga was for a friend’s birthday party and I remember being blown away by the snacks which were provided. In fact, I seem to recall eating myself into a state of extreme discomfort because the snacks were so good. So when I heard that Shoga was the venue for a business dinner recently, I was excited to find out if all the food, and the place in general, was up to the same standard. As it was a business dinner, I could not keep the bill so my prices will not be 100% accurate, but they will give you a ballpark idea.

Shoga has a tapas menu as their starter menu. I saw on there some of the things on which I gorged myself during my last visit and promptly convinced the table to order several of each. The 3 we ordered were the Wood-oven baked Norwegian Salmon, the prawns and the scallops (all R35 each). They were as fantastic as I remember them, everyone at the table raved about them.

For mains, many people ordered the linefish (R95) which they were very happy with. One person ordered the lamb shank (R95) which he also enjoyed and I had the beef fillet (R105) which was superb.

We didn’t have dessert, and I didn’t see the wine list, so I can’t tell you much about those but I can tell you that the service was of a satisfactory level, not mind blowing but good enough.

Everyone at the table was impressed with the dining experience, as was I. There is no doubt I will return.

Shoga
121 Castle Street, Bo Kaap
Tel: 021 426 2369