A few weeks ago we had dinner at Chefs, a ”fast fine” restaurant in Gardens, Cape Town. It is a cosy, casual venue with a trendy, industrial canteen feel. The food is prepared in a state of the art open plan kitchen with the wood fired oven taking center stage. “Head Chef Jenny, consistently produces beautifully curated seemingly simple meals with intriguing flavour nuances brought about by her subtle and skilled use of her wood fired masonry oven.”

So you get fast food made with care and attention to detail. The dishes are well thought out and seasonal, made with the freshest produce. Plus, the meals change every day!  Whether it’s for a speedy, yet upmarket office lunch, a quick and delicious dinner before an event or a sneaky lunch date with a friend or loved one – Chefs is the place to be.

Chefs offers 3 courses. Usually a fish (or other light meal option), a meat and a vegetarian course. Chefs has a liquor license and offer a choice of red wine, white wine, rose wine or our beer on tap with your meal. Filtered still or sparkling water is included with all meals.
I love the idea of paying for your meal/s and beverages in advance after a quick browse on their iPad menu boasting beautiful photographs of the dishes for the day. You are seated and your meal is served swiftly on bespoke canteen style trays. Once you’re done with your meal, you simply leave – utterly satiated.

I literally inhaled this Crispy Duck Leg with Asian Broth. Perfectly crisp rendered skin and the meat just fell off the bone in a flavourful, well developed, umamilicious broth. Served with delish little corn spring rolls and accompaniments for dipping. This has to be the best duck I’ve had in years. I wish it was on the menu everyday.

J had the house favourite: Bourbon Basted Karoo Lamb Cutlets, Triple Cooked Chips and Wood Roasted Butternut Salad. And a mayonnaise and tomato relish vibe to accompany the meal. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender and so saucy. A very generous main indeed. This dish appears on the menu every so often due to popular demand. So you may be in luck.

We honestly couldn’t fit another morsel into our bellies (because the meals are basically a starter and main in one), but Chef Jenny insisted we try her dessert of the day. I’m so glad we did. We shared this comforting Pecan & Pear Pudding with Cinnamon Crème Anglaise and Buttermilk Frozen Yoghurt. It was absolutely delicious, made with love and kind of reminded me of my childhood.

I’d say, Chefs lives up to it’s progressive dining concept. It is fast but is without a doubt fine ass food.

Click here to see what’s cooking in the Chefs kitchen today.
Open for lunch and dinner – Mon – Fri 12pm – 08.30pm.
For more information, please call + 27 (0) 21 461 0368 or visit www.chefscapetown.co.za.

[Disclaimer: We were invited to attend as media guests]