Vegan Dining at Qunu Restaurant
Finding high-end vegan food can be a challenge in any city. However, Saxon Boutique Hotel is the best option for fancy vegan dining in Joburg. Stepping into the award-winning hotel, the vibe of the hotel is perfect for a celebration night for everyone and the Qunu Restaurant will be a night to remember.
The Basics
- Make a reservation online in advance
- Budget R1700 for wine, mains, and dessert
- Check out the menu here in the menu section
- Vegan and normal menu available
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Qunu Restaurant
Named for former President Nelson Mandela’s hometown, Qunu is an intimate restaurant for a classy evening. In 2021 alone, the restaurant received three World Culinary Awards.
As with most Joburg restaurants, I recommend making a reservation in advance. I booked 2 weeks out just because I knew we had wanted to go—that probably wasn’t necessary. Although most tables were filled when we arrived at 7:30pm for dinner, there were a few empty tables.
I dressed up for the occasion and was glad I did so! Qunu, and the Saxon in general, has a sleek and polished vibe. Service throughout the evening was attentive.
When we dined on a Thursday evening, there was a pianist playing classical renditions of popular songs by Adele, John Legend, and more. It made for such a special evening.
The prices at Qunu are high for a regular night out, which is why I would suggest saving up for a stylish evening when you want more than just good food—you also want an elegant vibe and the price tag that comes along with it. With appetizers and desserts in the range of R220-400 and more for mains, you can easily drop a pretty penny at Qunu.
The evening started out with a spinach pastry amuse-bouche and a bread course. I loved the seeded loaf.
The Vegan Menu at Qunu
Qunu’s vegan menu is one of a kind. It’s rare to find such a high-end establishment dedicated to providing vegan options. Yes. OPTIONS. There is a separate vegan list with a couple of options for appetizers, mains, and desserts.
With appetizers going for R220 or more, we decided to skip this. However, the Pumpkin Soup with curried ‘blue queen’ pumpkin, lentils, and onion bhaji sounded amazing. I was also eyeing the Baby Gem with whipped Asian tofu purée, black sesame paste, kimchi, sweet pickled cucumber and radicchio, nori dust, and savory granola.
For my main, I ordered the Sautéed Marinated Aubergine, which came with sautéed marinated aubergine, semi-dried tomato sauce, olive gel, aged balsamic, white bean puree, smoked aubergine tartare, saffron pickled courgette, grilled spring onion. I loved the sprinkle of crunch quinoa and the smoked aubergine tartare.
For dessert, I got the Cashew and Passion Fruit, which had cashew cream, passion fruit confit, vanilla biscuit, dried raspberries, and candied cashew nuts. The dish was prepared with care and I liked the tangy flavors of passion fruit.
The Regular Menu at Qunu
For a non-vegan main, we got the Linefish, which was pan-fried and served with burnt bok choy, Cape-Malay clam and tomato broth, mussels, garden peas, kataifi, and samphire.
A popular dish served throughout the evening was the Steak Diane. How could I tell? The beef medallions are flambéed tableside! Heads will definitely turn to get a look if you order this dish. If that sounds amazing to you, you can also order the Crêpes Suzette for dessert as this is flambéed tableside as well.
If you want to impress, get the Lobster Thermidor for R1100 served with traditional mushroom and brandy Thermidor, pomme purée, and buttered baby vegetables.
The star of the evening was the Peanut, Vanilla, and Dark Chocolate dish (for R300). Think of a fancy, homemade snickers bar and you’ll come somewhat close to the deliciousness of this dessert filled with chocolate sponge cake, vanilla custard, peanut sable, guanaja 70% chocolate mousse, and roasted peanut ice cream. I would come back here only for this dessert.
Final Thoughts
Although the food was good, I didn’t think all of it was worth the price unless you want to impress someone (who gets impressed with a large bill). The star of the night was the snickers bar dessert (which wasn’t vegan)… That said, it’s hard to find a fancy restaurant that caters directly to vegans with a full menu and so it’s worth the evening to treat a vegan friend who enjoys a quiet and sophisticated evening. To enhance the experience, spend the night at the Saxon Boutique Hotel.
Have you been to Qunu Restaurant before? Let me know what you think!