The old adage advising you to “make the most of every moment” starts to take on new and immediate significance. Armed with this philosophical perspective, we decided that we had better spend as much quality time as possible with our children.
Sunday lunch seemed like a wonderful option — time with the children; no cooking for me and no washing-up either. We have wanted to try Tree Top for quite some time, but being on the opposite side of town from us, there has never seemed to be an ideal time to go there.
Sunday dawned, beautiful and bright, and destined to draw us to Tree Top. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 21:00 and on Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00.
The drive was congenial and quicker than expected. We certainly won’t let the distance factor inhibit us again. Tree Top is exquisitely situated on a kopje, overlooking a small dam and the picturesque countryside with horses frolicking in the freshly-mown fields.
The restaurant really is at “tree top” level, allowing a truly panoramic view. Luckily our waiter appeared quickly with the menus, because our children were desperate to explore the putt-putt course. The menu is comprehensive, offering a pleasing choice of dishes to cater for a range of requirements. Having made a decisive choice, the children buzzed off, leaving Rupert and I to contemplate life and enjoy each other’s company.
So much for spending time with the kids! However, we had a good view of them as they checked out the putt-putt course and ventured down to the trampoline and obstacle course. I always wonder if children are equipped with a special sense to determine when a meal is just about to be served.
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As the waiter brought the plates to our table, two rosy cheeked children arrived, informing me, before I could ask them, that, yes, they had washed their hands. They were good and ready for their meal, having worked up an appetite in the child-friendly surrounds.
We were a little disappointed that two of the four starters on the menu were not available. As we had arrived early for lunch, we felt that the restaurant shouldn’t have run-out of certain dishes so early into the service.
Anyway, the surroundings were too pleasant to allow us to dwell on our reduced choice, and the fried houloumi cheese and crumbed mushrooms were both delicious and took the edge off our appetites.
The other options on the menu were spicy chicken wings and pate. All starters are priced at US$5.
The choices on the menu range from light and leafy salads (priced at US$8), to home made pasta and main courses of steaks, hake, tilapia, and chicken dishes. Rupert opted for the 350g Zimbabwean fillet with pepper sauce. He found the meat tender but was disappointed with the sauce which lacked a zinging pepper flavour and had a glue-like consistency. His side salad was fresh and beautifully presented.
I had homemade tagliatelle pasta with spinach and feta; the pasta was great, but a little lacking in flavour, relying mostly on the salty chunks of feta. I would have liked an infusion of garlic into this dish to ensure a more robust flavour, and a swirl of thick cream to enrich the meal.
The children found the grilled half chicken, served with salad and chips and the chicken schnitzel with roast vegetables and salad to be satisfying and tasty. Their plates were squeaky clean by the time they were finished and only the lure of dessert kept them seated at the table — there were more areas for them to explore, including the paintball range.
The desserts really rounded off our meal to perfection. The apple crumble, served with ice-cream was an authentic pudding; the apples were delicately spiced and succulent raisins enhanced the flavour. The waffles were demolished in double-quick time, smothered with ice-cream and syrup. On special was tiramisu, one of Rupert’s favourite desserts. It was not a truly genuine tiramisu, but was excellent nonetheless.
The coffee flavour intermingled with cream was delicious and the texture of the sponge was perfect — not too soggy and definitely not dry. Desserts are priced at US$5.
Family Restaurant4 PlatesExpect to spend US$15 – US$20 per headRumbavu Park, Enterprise Road, just past Gletwyn Road turnoff on the right.
