Apprentice offers a warm , contemporary interior, with a semi open plan kitchen  .
This is fun, and invites interaction between
customers and students. 

An evening at
  Apprentice Restaurant

Apprentice Restaurant    in Andringa St, Stellenbosch, is an unique concept ,and  I'm not referring to the decor. Apprentice is a sort of living classroom in which the students of the ICA get to live out their passion while they learn the Culinary Arts .

Does that mean the customers are guinea pigs on which the students experiment? Well, one might think that,  but as we found out, this couldn't be further from the truth, as  we felt more like valued   customers   than hapless victims!! Both the Service and the Food were of  an excellent standard...

For Starters
The menu offered 5 starters, 5 mains, and 4 desserts. After some deliberation, (the Waldorf Salad looked delish) we opted for Beetroot Tart with Dukkah, Goats cheese and honeycomb crumble, and West Coast Taster, a medley of a snoek croquette, Malay Curry Fish Samoosa and Pickled Fish.

Service  was attentive and efficient, but not intrusive, I'm glad to say. Very professional actually.

The Beetroot tart was a blend of delicate complementary flavours, and the West Coast Taster was a generous portion and tasty, according to my husband... A plate of toasted herb crostini appeared on our table along with a little amuse bouche which I could have happily eaten a bowlful of ( Apple & Sesame Asian Salad & Chicken).

Wine
Guessing they wouldn't put an inferior wine to their name, I chose the Apprentice Sauvignon which at R20 a glass was amazing value as it was a great crisp young wine, complementing my meal perfectly.

Gary chose the Spiced Chicken Supreme which I just had to taste and
well, if my fish hadn't been so good ,
I would definitely have been jealous!  

Mains

The Sesame Linefish with Seaweed, Miso Butterscotch Sauce, Sesame Cabbage and Rice Noodles was my choice and it was an excellent one. The Fish was Fresh Hake, and as Johan explained, paramount to Apprentice is the Freshness of their produce, and if Hake is fresh, thats the one for the day. It was great, flaking nicely, moist but not undercooked. Once again I have to say the flavours were excellent in their complement of each other. I enjoyed every morsel of this dish.

Dessert
Once again, a hard choice but the Poached Pear with Gluhwein & Honey appealed the most and it was really good, and just enough to satisfy that sweet craving I often get after a meal!

Apprentice Restaurant has been open for over 5 years, though the School (The Institute of Culinary Arts) for much longer. The ICA is accredited by several major national and International Culinary Organisations. It has 2 Campuses just outside of Stellenbosch. The ICA    is also able to offer Sponsorship programs for less fortunates.

Prices
All in all, I would say Apprentice offers value for money, with the starters from R38 and the mains between R72 and R135 (this was for Venison).

Contact Details
+27-21-887-8985, Oude Hoek Centre, Andringa St, Stellenbosch

View Apprentice's Web Page

Review written by Jo Scott of www.stellenbosch-unlimited.co.za . June 2012