I mentioned on Twitter this morning that I have eaten a whopping 55 courses since Friday evening and despite my ever-expanding girth, I somehow still have room and excitement for more. I might be a behemoth by the time I get back to Cape Town, but I am not letting that stop me from enjoying every beautiful mouthful of the delectable food put down in front of me daily. Thanks to #Stellenblog we’ve been eating at some of the top restaurants in country, sampling tasting menus from celebrity chefs and sniffing and sipping on some of the region’s top top wines.
Autumn at Tokara
There have been many food highlights, from the 6 course tasting menu and wine pairing at The Pavillion at the Marine Hermanus (truly spectacular and something that locals should be cashing in on at just R495 for 6 courses and R220 for the Sommeliers choice wine pairing), to the special and intimate cellar dinner at Grootbos, where everything on the menu is ethically sourced, and as far as possible either locally grown or sourced, and paired with wines from the Hemel-and-Aarde valley. Another highlight was the tapas-style lunch served at Bodega at Dornier and the amazing braai by local Braaimaster Bertus Basson (his piri-piri chicken!)
What I love so much about the food out here in Stellenbosch is that chefs are really passionate about returning to natural, sustainable and healthy food, often creating meals from ingredients that are locally grown by equally passionate people. Food is delicious, beautiful, gourmet and created with wine in mind, so that flavours don’t just pair well with, but enhance the flavours. Obviously the views only add to the experience.
I’ll write more detailed reviews on each spot we visited, with recommendations on what to try and some more pictures, but for now here are some pictures for you to drool over…
A big highlight: Lunch at
Tokara, where chef
Richard Carstens creates light, healthy, amazing and beautiful food that comes in portions just big enough to fill you, but not destroy you for the rest of the day. The views out at the farm are really just breathtaking and the wine is worth writing home about. This was one of my best meals of the whole trip.
Absolutely amazing experience – A real winelands highlight: The 9 course tasting menu at
Waterkloof. It’s hard to believe that anything could be more beautiful that the view at Waterkloof, but then chef Gregory Czarnecki’s food reaches the table and it’s an absolute feast for the eyes and tastebuds. This tasting menu is more than just a meal, it’s an experience. If you’re into food, you absolutely must experience this. Complex and very exciting food that tastes as amazing as it looks. Every plate is met with gasps. Of course the Waterkloof wines are award-winning and it’s hard not to gulp every glass down.
A lot more from #Stellenblog to come.
