The Orient

There are quite a few perks to being a food blogger. You get to eat food that most people only dream of, go to launches and events and meet wonderful people. But my absolute favourite perk is being invited to experience the wonderful food and hospitality of South African hotels and restaurants. I have been blessed to stay at a few wonderful establishments this year but this one is one so special, it’s difficult to write about it. You see, words can’t do justice to this gem set only a few km’s from Pretoria and Johannesburg. When Mari and Chantel from The Orient and Restaurant Mosaic invited Chris and I to spend a night there I didn’t hesitate to take them up on their offer. Having dined there before, I knew we would be treated like absolute royalty and we weren’t disappointed.

Upon arrival, you feel like you’ve fallen through a door to a magical land because the architecture of The Orient is unlike anything I had ever seen in SA before. The warmth of the staff as they welcomed us made us feel like we were visiting friends and once we had been taken to our suite, I knew we were in for a treat. As you can see from the plethora of photos, we were spoiled rotten.

That night, we were treated to Chantel’s grande degustation menu. The highlight of our stay. Chantel is an artist and her food is phenomenal. It’s almost impossible to imagine tiny, delicate, intricate portions to pack so much flavour, but boy, they do! I was absolutely entranced by her imagination and creativity. From the most delicious macaron with pumpkin to a beetroot terrine I would eat again and again and again. The highlight for both Chris and I were the sweetbreads with a morel foam and the pork belly and pork cheek main course. The pork cheek was melt-in-the-mouth delicious and something I still salivate just thinking about. We drank wines I’ve only ever heard about and had the most incredible time. (Please excuse the quality of the food photos, the lighting in our dining suite was wonderful and romantic, but not quite camera friendly.) And just when you thought things couldn’t get better, we were served a 5-course breakfast which was absolutely exquisite.

To allow readers of Simply Delicious a chance to experience pure luxury and something truly special, Mari and Chantel have come up with a wonderful special offer:

1. Receive a bottle of SA bubbly with every restaurant reservation OR (and this is the one I would go for)
2. A R1500 discounted rate on any of the Executive or Royal suites.

Use the keyword: Simply Delicious when booking. Offer is valid from August until end-October 2013.

Staying at The Orient was an experience I won’t soon forget and I urge you to make good use of this special offer while you can. This is a once in a lifetime kind of thing, I promise!

Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient
http://www.the-orient.net/Home
Tel: (012) 371 2902/3/4/5

The Orient
Francolin Conservancy
Elandsfontein
Crocodile River Valley
Pretoria
South Africa

Disclaimer: We stayed and dined at The Orient and Restaurant Mosaic as the guests of Mari and Chantel Dartnall. I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.