Salt
Ambassador Hotel, Victoria Rd., Bantry Bay
About
The Ambassador Hotel used to be the place to meet for cocktails, perched as it is over boulders into which the Atlantic Ocean crashes with rhythmic regularity, but it fell into seedy disarray during the 1990s. Thank heavens, then, that the owners finally woke up in 2006 and revamped the bar and restaurant, breaking out floor-to-ceiling windows, dressing it with slick modern furniture, and working on a really excellent menu with well-known local chef Peter Goffe-Wood, who has focused on classic bistro favorites with a twist. The two starters you simply must order are the curried snoek (a local fish) and potato samosas, served with a lemon-and-date atchar (a spicy pickle); and mussels steamed with saffron and fennel. Popular mains are the Moroccan lamb -- slow-cooked and served with chickpeas and an orange and green olive sauce; a great pan-fried sirloin with a red-wine-and-thyme reduction; and the Cape Malay crayfish (lobster) curry. All of the wines (including a good range of bubblies) are available by the glass. Salt may not have a celebrity name at the helm, but it has played to a full house since it opened at the end of 2006 -- make sure you book well in advance (before you leave if necessary), and ask for a table next to the window. And get there before the sun goes down.
