De Oude Welgemoed features a very smart restaurant, wine cellar and function venue, but the most intriguing part of the Northern Suburb gem is their Bistro. It’s more casual than the smart restaurant and is set in an old tap room that hosts a rustic, warm atmosphere that’s mostly due to the pizza oven and brick interior. They serve weekend breakfast, lunch and dinner and also offer set menus for special occasions. I decided to try it out on a lovely evening and was happy to get a table without booking. I would recommend you book as it seems to be a very popular restaurant for locals. Whether you’re in the mood for duck done two ways, slow roasted lamb shoulder, pastas, grills or pizza, they offer a great selection of dishes as well as a great kiddies menu. The bistro is quite expensive but the quality of food and service makes up for it. Their alcohol is very pricey so I would recommend bringing your own bottle of wine and paying for corkage instead. The candle lit tables make for a perfect date night location but I did get a bit fed up with the long waiting time.

For starters, I enjoyed the deep fried Camembert salad with deep fried Camembert croquettes served on baby leaves with purple figs and pomegranate glaze. I was highly impressed by the presentation and the Camembert was absolutely delicious! I would definitely recommend this dish as the perfect starter.

For mains, I ordered the Crumbed Chicken stuffed with bacon, ricotta and sage served on exotic mushrooms with baby potatoes and truffle volute. Again, the presentation was incredible and the flavours were wonderful. This is definitely a high-quality, five star dish and the seasonal mushrooms were the star of the show!

I was a little disappointed with my dessert, as I ordered the trio of sorbet. It took ages to arrive at my table and I was very underwhelmed by the three small balls of sorbet. It was also incredibly overpriced for what it is. I wouldn’t recommend ordering this dessert ever!