The Place A skateboarder sailed downhill past a vast window opening to side views of Table Mountain as a folksy singer crooned through the speakers. This was Kloof Road on a Friday, with a smattering of tables post-lunch. I thought Black Sheep sounded like a country pub, when it opened a few months ago. But it’s actually a slick urban eatery with varnished cement floors and seating on two levels, Tom Dixon copper lamps, seventies olive banquettes opposite mismatched old chairs, with vintage trinkets on shelves. Young men in slimfit cardigans lunch near middle-aged ladies, businessmen and couples. In the early evening a bar counter of patchworked wood becomes crowded with cocktail sippers.
The Drinks A good craft beer selection in bottle and on tap. Thought went into a creative, comprehensive wine list stretching to a few pages. A glass of Vondeling Petit Blanc 2013 is R32; Crystallum Peter Max Pinot Noir 2012 costs R360.
The Food Chef Jonathan Japha, most recently cooking at Fork, is in partnership with his Chilean brother in-law, Jorge Silva. The Black Sheep’s name refers to its blackboard menus. This isn’t unusual, but to the owners, chalking up available dishes on a given day without a prescribed menu is a big deal. ‘You could have a good dish tonight that might not be there tomorrow. We feel this is an honest way to go about running restaurants, because you’re only cooking what you have fresh,’ says Japha.
Nevertheless fixing on a lunch starter and main was tricky. Soup seemed too humdrum; salads too chilly. Two of us settled on grilled lamb kidneys wrapped in bacon and sage (R40), served as rich, quite satisfying skewers. Crisped Parma ham partnered warm crispy polenta fingers (R55) with wild rocket, Parmesan shavings and balsamic glaze. Acceptable but not special.
Main courses on offer between R120 and R130 included a roast kingklip dish, pork belly (a neighbouring table’s looked good), vegetarian curry and hangar steak. Braised feather blade beef in onions (R130) sounded fancy for what was a tender stew from a shoulder cut, with carrots on garlic mash, livened by herby salsa verde. Comforting wintry fare. Beer-battered hake (R60) was a little over-fried, but deserving of praise for presentation and pricing in a great-value R60-to-R65 lunch slot alongside a pulled pork sandwich, burger or prego steak sandwich, all with bowls of skinny fries.
A shared sweet almond tart (R50) offered a familiar taste of home in pastry studded with coarse nuts, accompanied by thick cream and stewed quinces. Pavlova and sticky toffee puddings were sweet alternatives.
The Verdict? A beautiful space is inviting to diners spanning a range of ages. The design made it feel more like a bar serving great food and drinks than serious restaurant, yet it’s pitching above a café in concept. Go for solid bistro food offering appealing plates and the odd bit of flair, but mostly delivering solid value in a hip neighbourhood-local sort of way.
BLACK SHEEP, 104 Kloof Street, Cape Town. Closed Sunday and Monday lunch. 021-426-2661.
This review appeared in The Times on 2 July 2014.