Cheval: heavy on the wallet

Our meal at Cheval lasted all of one hour, and sadly, it failed to leave any impression on us. The setting is minimal-chic — an aesthetic a lot of fine-dine restaurants have adopted — and it’s been executed neatly.

Our meal at Cheval lasted all of one hour, and sadly, it failed to leave any impression on us. The setting is minimal-chic — an aesthetic a lot of fine-dine restaurants have adopted — and it’s been executed neatly. The menu, on the other hand, has too limited a selection — especially when it comes to starters and desserts.

Our biggest grouse, though, was that we were paying too much for too little food. Case in point was our first starter, the Mackerel Teriyaki (Rs 475). As divine as the flavour of the fish was, there were only two measly pieces of it, much to our horror. As for the Tiger Prawns (R475), they were abundant, but less than half the size of tiger prawns we’ve been served anywhere else. They did taste good, but not very different from the basic marinade that a beginner is taught to prepare.

The mains fared better. The Pomfret ‘En Papillote’ (Rs 495) was cooked well, but too much lemon butter took away from the flavour of the baked fish, which was supposed to be the hero of the dish. The Chargrilled Chicken Thigh (R445) was grilled to perfection and was elevated by the accompanying spring onion potato mash. The latter, again, is very buttery, and we’d advise you to stick to small bites of it.

If we’re to go back to Cheval, we’d probably try their pizzas and salads that usually turn out to be safe bets.