Maximillien - Balthazar Menu

Maximillien has a new menu to go test... 

What Chef Sylvester Nair has christened, the Balthazar, Ala Carte Menu has a great variety of meals on there to keep you warm this & satisfied this winter. It's no lie that I love going to the Maximillien for a night out. I mean, can you blame me, just look at what it looks like when you are sitting there in the evening.

Let's kick it off with some of my favourite starters. 

Wagyu Beef Tartare

Served with a pan-fried cos lettuce & whipped egg. Simple & elegant plating is always a winner. 

Halibut Ceviche

This white fish is served with lime & dill candy for some added texture. 

Crispy Calamari

Plated with red onion, zucchini & wild mushroom rösti & topped off with cultured cream.

Naturally there is always good wine flowing at the table. Tonight I opted for the Cederberg Sustainable Rose & the Anthonij Rupert Optima.

By now you know me well enough that I am always one to test out a few of the mains to make sure I can let you know of the best options & my personal favourites on the menu. 

Pan-fried Buttermilk Squid Tentacles

Chilli & Garlic pasta, preserved lemon & truffle oil. (Honestly probably my favourite dish.)

Line Fish of the Day - Sea Bass, Pan-Fried or Grilled

A plate with caramelised onion, grilled artichoke, green peas, fennel mousse & a red wine jus.

Cajun Confit Quail

Black Jasmine rice, wild tomato, lightly pickled berries & nasturtium leaves.

Braised Lamb Neck

A plate filled with root vegetable textures & herbed polenta.

Sole En Pappilote

A parcel with mussels, clams, white wine veloutè, tomato & spring onion. 

Naturally dessert is my favourite part of any dinner. Here Pastry Chef David brings out the guns blazing & surprises you every time. 

Brie White Chocolate Volcano

Flambèed Orange topped on a Parmesan shortbread with a thyme parfait & a black pepper foam.

Passion Fruit Tart

Finished off with Raspberry gel, Almond dust, Kiwi Fruit Leather & Seasonal Berries.

I must say, just writing this, has made me hungry & I think I need to pop in at the Maximillien Restaurant at the Da Vinci Hotel in Sandton this weekend for a bite to eat.  

Chef Sylvester definitely has outdone himself with the prep on this menu & I must give him 2 thumbs up for a great culinary experience that you will have if you go give them a try. This new menu has a few more surprises that I won't go spoiling, you should go check it out for yourself.

#DineJoziStyleMaximillien

When you get a #DineJoziStyle invite, you can be assured that it is going to be a treat. We headed out to the Maxim Lounge in the Legacy Corner section of Sandton, thinking that we would be treated for drinks at the only Whisky Lounge in Sandton. Well, I was half right. We socialised in the lounge for a while & then we were told to get ready to head on out. (This made me slightly nervous. I was unsure of what to expect.)

So anyway, there we went strolling down the passage back to Sandton City. Suddenly we stopped at this dinner table that had been beautifully set in the middle of one of the passages. Cornered off with black rope & all. This was where we were going to be sitting. This is the real VIP treatment.

Each individual place setting was set & ready waiting for us. So lets head straight into our dinner & let #DineJoziStyleMaximillien begin...

Amuse Bouche: Course 1

- Smokey Oyster Rockefeller. Served with Hollandaise sauce, Bokchoy & Bacon powder. Paired with an Afropolitan of Johnny Walker Black  & Vanilla Sugar Syrup.

Appetizer: Course 2

- Flame Grilled Prawns. Complimented by Green Pea Puree, Beetroot Foam & Sesame Powder. Paired with Rupert & Rothschild Baroness - Nadine.

I love a chardonnay. I really do. Now this chardonnay just moved up into my top 5 chardonnay's. And that is a difficult place to get into. Beautiful flavour. Smooth & Buttery. Incredible notes on the nose. It was paired so well with the flame grilled prawn. The strong seafood flavour is balanced out with the chardonnay. The puree, foam & powder on the plate provide a very different texture to your palate & each on it's own is a beautiful component on the plate.

Palate Cleanser

- Kiwi & Ginger Sorbet

Yum... I have never thought about combining these 2 elements. But they really do seem to work well together. A bit sweeter than anticipated though. But it did the job. 

Entree: Course 3

- Pan Fried Line Fish, crusted with Pankopaprika. Served with pickled Courgette & Steamed Lobster Tail. Paired with Tere del Capp Pinot Grigio

Fish cooked so well is incredibly rare in my opinion. Simply delicious. Again, the crusted part creates a new texture to the mouthful of fish. This is a Pinot Grigio that I have had before. And one I will have again. Propbably one of the very few, that are actually on my to buy list. 

Entree: Course 4

- Slow cooked Lamb Fillet. Served with smoked Cauliflower Puree, Confit Brussel Sprouts, roasted golden Beetroot & Baked Potato topped with a Red Wine Jus. Paired with Warwick - Touch - by TBo Touch.

Soft. Tender. Beautifully cooked. Full of flavour. I generally don't eat lamb, but when this was put down in front of me, who was I to say no? (I even ate the Brussel Sprouts. Yes. That is something that I really don't like.)

Dessert: Course 5

- Strawberry Sable Tart. Served with Bourbon infused Cream & Rooibos Ice Cream. Paired with a Donkeysbaai Hooiwyn.

(I even ate @Jozifoodwhore's plate...) Is that where I should leave it?  You should just take my word for it & have this one. The ice-cream tastes like a cup of rooibos tea. Really. And who would have thought that the cream would actually taste like a tot of bourbon. A great compliment to the fresh strawberries in my opinion.  

What a way to end of the year with such amazing friends. Thank you to +JoziStyle & The Maximillien Restaurant at The Da Vinci Hotel for hosting us for a wonderful evening of amazing food & perfectly paired wines.

Congratulations to @JoziStyle for hosting his 10th very successful #DineJoziStyle event for the year. Here is to the many more still to come in the years to come.

#DineJoziStyleMaximillien