Saskia at Fusion Boutique Hotel, Limpopo’s culinary treasure trove

Inspired by 17^th century painter Rembrandt van Rijn, Saskia restaurant at Fusion Boutique hotel in Polokwane is the epitome of elegance.

Gerda Erasmus, the mother of the owner of the hotel and restaurant, painted modern day versions of Rembrandt’s paintings which are displayed throughout the restaurant and hotel rooms.

The artist, who was 70-years-old at the time, painted a total of 47 painting over two years.

ALSO SEE: Fusion Boutique hotel – a luxury escape in the heart of Polokwane

The food at Saskia restaurant is just as impressive as its fine art, and doesn’t have to stand back for any fine dining restaurant in either Cape Town or Johannesburg.

The Chef at Saskia believes South Africa is a culinary treasure trove and the Europe of Africa, and we couldn’t agree more.

We certainly were transported to Europe during our recent visit at the restaurant where we were treated to a five course tasting menu.

To kick off our evening of fine dining, we enjoyed Gin cocktails on the terrace outside overlooking the fountain and courtyard.

Our five-course menu was served in the Titus Wine Cellar. While guests can usually book the area for intimate dinners or rent it as a function venue for up to 40 guests, the space was transformed into a romantic private candle-lit dinner for two.

The first course was a creamy buratta beetroot salad with pesto, wild rucola, and parmesan snow. I loved the delicious tanginess of the pesto and beetroot paired with a glass of bubbly. The sweetness of the sparkling wine balanced the flavours together perfectly.

For the second course, we had sous-vide baby chicken, mushroom reduction, sauteed potatoes, and a trio of rainbow carrots. The creamy mushroom sauce worked really well with the sweetish Boschendal wine it was paired with, really bringing the flavours of the dish together.

Quinoa crusted prawns with spicy herbed guacamole and Maracuja elixir followed for our third course, and while the prawns had a bit of bite, I loved the flavours of the guacamole, delicious and fresh.

The Mojito Sorbet was just what we needed to clean our palates before our fourth course was served. I opted for the butter basted kingklip with brocollini, spicy pesto, and crispy basil leaves, which I really couldn’t fault. The fish and spicy pesto really complimented each other.

My partner had the seared aged rump, cilantro roundel potatoes, with salsa verde and crispy ginger. As a wife always does, I had a bite off his plate and loved how the steak melted like butter in your mouth. A truly delicious dish.

We ended the evening with a Lindt chocolate envelope with a Kahlua drizzle, paired with an espresso. I really loved that this dessert wasn’t overly sweet. It was just perfect.

For more information, or to make a booking, visit www.fusionboutiquehotel.co.za, email reservations@fusionhotel.co.za or call +27 (0) 15 291 4042.