kitima news - ghost story of kronendal !
Kitima review by Poppy Gilsenan
Enter a grand building on the Kronendal Estate; what feels like a large English country manor house, on closer look has a heavy Thai influence. Kitima, the owner of this building and the restaurant that lies within greets me and shows me around. In the entrance of the building lies a table, fully laid, with wine, plates full of freshly made food and burning candles. Strangely placed in the entrance, I enquire as to who may be sitting there. She tells me a story of the building’s past, of Elsa, the ghost of Kronendal from the 1800’s, her British soldier lover, unapproved by the family hung himself from an oak tree and Elsa was seen many times at the window of Kitima, no restaurant ever succeeded in this building until now, 7 years on. The chef’s freshly prepare a full dinner for her every evening, lay it out for her and say a prayer. She has not been seen since and as for succeeding as a restaurant – Kitima has excelled.
The service is above-par, friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about all the food and wine on the menu.
Starting out with some cocktails at the bar, we went on recommendations and they were delicious. There are 11 chefs in total, 10 of them from Thailand and one from Malaysia – Kuan.
Kuan talked us through the menu and advised us on how to steer our way through the abundance of fresh, exotic and authentic Asian fare on the menu.
We tasted our way from fresh carpaccio of tuna and salmon with spicy salmon rolls from Japan, to gorgeous little dim sum, steamed prawn as well as fried pork dumplings, duck spring rolls and little prawn cakes from China.
We sipped some sweet, spicy and sour Tom Yum Soup followed by the crispy duck pancakes, famous here and now I know why. Sweet hoi sin sauce oozed over crunchy julienned spring onions and carrots, topped with juicy but crispy duck lovingly encased in a warm pancake.
We spooned some fresh lemon sorbet to cleanse our fully charged palates as we were about to embark on our main course. An array of the chef’s favourite and most popular dishes, chicken pad thai, beef with red curry, melting kingklip fillets smothered in sweet chilli sauce and the ultimate show-stopper, duck in a lychee and red curry sauce. Sweet, rich and flavoursome, with fresh herbs from their own herb garden. and the lychees compliment the duck astoundingly. Crispy duck beware you have a serious rival here.
To finish off with a sweet note we sampled some creamy passion fruit crème brulee and spicy chilli chocolate mousse.
The wine list is extensive, on advice from our waitress to drink what we like, we chose the Boschendal 2010 Shiraz and it was divine. For cocktails and snacks or a long dinner with wine and friends, there are lots of different rooms to dine in, depending on the size and intimacy of your party. This restaurant is really something special, an elegant evening out.
A R235 per head Sunday buffet at Kitma is my next port of call. 021- 790 8004
I have been here since early fabruary of 2013 since i have not meet the ghost yet but i could tell you that
she is around and watching the food out of the kitchen every night,
Guess what , usually the food that we cooked for her sell well that night ? Believe it or not !
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