This September Stellenbosch if organising a month-long celebration of its culinary excellence, cellar-door mastery and innovative spirit in its claim to the title of South Africa’s food and wine capital. The valley’s occupants invited a group of media folk from across the country to put it to a 48-hour test and experience what this historic town and its surrounds have to offer.
My two-day feast started off sedately with me lapping up the sunshine on a wrap-about patio as a guest at the historic Bonne Esperance Boutique Guest House, sipping tea and tucking into a delicious carrot cake muffin, on the waiters’ insistence of course, topped with rich cream cheese icing. I then headed off to walk about the bustling town, jam-packed with locals, students and tourists alike, but unlike many cities and towns in this country I discovered there’s still a sense of community here.
THE PLAN
The gathered media personnel kicked off our Taste Stellenbosch experience with a Long Table Dinner at Eike Restaurant on the first night, and to enable the group to enjoy the many venues and spread the good news for those participating in the month-long celebration, we were asked to draw out of a hat for where each of us would dine for lunch and dinner the next day and brunch, if we could squeeze in any more food, on the last day.
My pickings were delectable — lunch at Glenelly’s Vine Bistro with French chef Christophe Dehosse at the helm — followed by a travelling dinner the next evening which started off with what Stellenbosch made famous, their wine tastings, this one at the Wine Glass just off Church Street.
Our group then headed out to a selection of mouth-watering Asian starters at Genki restaurant nearby and from there joined a gaggle of noisy students raising the roof at their fave spot, the most affordable restaurant the waitress told me, Casa Cerveza to taste the chefs’ famed orange infused pork belly with a glass of well chilled Stellenzicht Thunderstone chardonnay. Sweet endings, a creation of chocolate banoffie pretty as a picture on a plate was enjoyed in Post & Pepper Restaurant.
On the last day my farewell brunch was at Lievland Cafe at Lievland Vineyards, kicked off with a sharing platter of different meats and other delicacies. Hot breakfast was a choice of either brioche French toast with seasonal berries, my pick, a good one, the cheesy baked spinach and gammon pancake or a great fry-up of Klein Liev brekkie, which most of the small group selected and raved about the free range eggs, bacon, pork and fennel sausage, tomato smoor and toast accompanied by Lievland Cap Classique and freshly squeezed orange juice.
LONG TABLE DINNER, EIKE RESTAURANT
Situated in the heart of Stellenbosch, Eike restaurant owned by celebrated chef Bertus Basson specialises in food that reflect South Africa’s rich food heritage — and where we all gathered for dinner with a difference on our first night and learnt why Stellenbosch, a little smugly, believes they have earned their stripes and the title of the country’s Food & Wine capital.
It was here where we got to witness a rarity in culinary circles. Eight of the region’s top chefs (and top South African chefs too) — all of their restaurants are a feature of the Taste Stellenbosch collaborative — came together in the open-plan kitchen, where much of the cooking happened on an open hearth. The chefs pitched in their skills to create a truly memorable meal, each adding their speciality to the menu, which culminated in a family-style feast on a long table running down the centre of the restaurant.
Of course there was a great selection of wines and bubblies to choose from, the best of the region. We snacked on samoosas, sushi, oysters and pork belly lollipops on arrival before sitting down to enjoy artisanal breads and homemade butters from Vadas Smokehouse with smoorsnoek, courtesy of Aunty Siena. Jordan Restaurant’s chef Marthinus Ferreira made melt-in-the-mouth polenta balls, which came decadently doused in brown butter surrounded by a selection of interesting greens to compliment the dish.
Relative newcomer to the town, chef Jess van Dyk of Post & Pepper Restaurant delivered a burrata salad bursting with creaminess and crammed full of other fresh salad-y bits which had our part of the table scrambling to clean the bowl.
We soon realised we’d all been too greedy on the starters but didn’t stop us tucking into a main courses that started to flow. Think Basson’s open-fire grilled, the freshest yellowtail fillets we seldom see up country, then Shaun Scrooby of VUUR restaurant — recently listed in the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants — offering finger-licking, fire-grilled free range beef chops, yum, served topped with a fresh herby chermoula and accompanied with an unusual yet delicious charred lemon and olive oil green beans, fired edamame beans and warm sultana side.
Though every morsel was delicious, for many the standout dishes of the evening were the two vegetable ones, Chef PJ Vadas of Smoked House restaurant whole roasted onions prepared over the coals, I still dream about them, came with a juniper purée enriched with pancetta and topped off with onion rings. Then Joburg’s loss is Stellenbosch’s gain, Ferreira’s delicious carrot medley — beef fat burnt carrots, pickled carrots and spice carrot purée.
Stuffed to the gills, it was not too difficult for the gathered crowd to find space for the affable Dehosse’s overflowing cake stand of treats filled with delectable mouthfuls. Think choc truffles, caramelised choux buns with orange custard, wild flower madeleines, lemon drizzle cakes, macaron and my fave, canele, small French pastries with a crispy dark caramelised crust and custardy interior. Yum yum.
Stellenbosch has certainly earned its culinary stripes.
LUNCH, THE VINE BISTRO
Luck was on my side as I’d drawn The Vine Bistro on Glenelly Estate, situated on the outskirts of Stellenbosch with gorgeous vistas of the town and mountains for lunch the next day.
A fellow journo and myself knew that The Vine Bistro’s Chef Dehosse and his pastry team made superb desserts from our dinner the previous evening, and here he inspired us with a tailor-made lunch menu comprising four courses — finely sliced raw steenbrass carpaccio-style and topped with spekboom flakes, the spekboom providing a gorgeous emerald green colour and the pleasant lemony flavour of the succulent.
After this was a mound of delicate strands of handmade pasta with thin slivers of Cedarberg truffles, less pungent than the European truffles but with bags of that unique umami flavour.
Our main was a choice in consultation with chef Dehosse — springbok loin, cooked medium rare, served with a rich jus, a selection of seasonal veg and the ultimate potato bake, gratin dauphinois. Our feast ended with one of the very best melt-in-the-mouth creme caramels I’ve ever eaten.
The joy of the meal was the whole package — the beautiful setting and the excellent selection of Glenelly wines to match each course. My faves were the Le Rose De May rose, unoaked chardonnay and the Lady May 2 vintages, the 2010 and 2020 named after the owner May de Lencquesaing. The service was superb and having Dehosse sit with us and discuss each course and share his culinary journey was a real treat.
It was on his insistence that we included a visit to the Glass Museum just below the restaurant before we left. Lady May, as she is known, has had a lifelong passion for antique and contemporary glass, and this one is the largest privately-owned glass museums in the world — it’s a feast for the eyes and definitely worth a visit.
FRENCH CRÈME CARAMEL
Serves 5-6
Chef Christophe Dehosse makes one of the finest crème caramels I’ve ever tasted. Melt-in-the-mouth, creamy without being rich, the texture of the softest velvet. His secret? Top quality Jersey full cream milk from Dalewood farm close to the Glenelly estate, organic eggs and a fresh vanilla pod — not that artificial version found in a bottle. He shares his classic French recipe.
For the caramel:
200g (250ml) sugar
About 60ml water
Custard:
1 litre full cream milk
1 vanilla pod, split down the middle
5 whole eggs
3 yolks
200g (250ml) sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 120°C. Make the caramel by placing the sugar and water in a small saucepan and shake the pan to half-dissolve the sugar in the water. Then, over a medium-high heat, leave the caramel to turn amber in colour; it should take about 10 minutes, keeping your eye on it.
2. Pour the caramel into 5-6 ramekin dishes and allow to coat the base completely. Set aside to cool so that the caramel sets.
3. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan. Using the back of a knife scrape out the vanilla seeds and add them and the pod to the milk. Heat the milk to simmering point then remove from the heat and cool slightly.
4. Whisk the whole eggs, yolks and sugar vigorously in a medium bowl until pale in colour. Pour in the warm, not hot, vanilla milk, into the egg mixture, and whisk gently until combined. Stand for a minute to let foam subside then pour through a strainer to remove vanilla pod. Place ramekins in roasting pan lined with baking paper and pour custard into ramekins, filling near to the top. Place the roasting pan in the middle of the oven and pour in warm water around ramekins so it comes to half or two-thirds up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Bake for about 60-70 minutes or until set — they are not properly cooked if the custard has dipped in the middle. A knife inserted should come out clean. Carefully remove from oven and place ramekins onto cooling rack. When cool, transfer to the fridge, cover with cling-wrap and chill for at least two hours, or ideally overnight.
6. To remove from the ramekins, press the edge of each caramel around the edges to loosen then turn out, sliding onto individual serving plates. Serve cold.
SIDEBAR
— Taste Stellenbosch from September 1-30 is a month-long valley-wide celebration of 30 of the region’s restaurants, trailblazing chefs and historic and pioneering wine estates. For more information visit taste.visitstellenbosch.org
— Visit Stellenbosch has an office in Church Street that’s open daily for visitor advice. Grab their excellent free guide of the town listing all the restaurants, wine estates, accommodation, art galleries, museums and handy information. visitstellenbosch.org
— Bonne Esperance Guest House offers excellent accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis. Perfectly situated across the road from the Botanical Gardens and just on the outskirts of the town centre, which is in easy and safe walking distance.
— Eike Restaurant, 50 Dorp St, Stellenbosch. Tel: 021-007-4231
— Lievland Cafe, Lievland Vineyards, R44, Stellenbosch, Tel: 021-879-7892
— The Vine Bistro, Glenelly Estate, bistro@glenelly.co.za
— The Glass Museum at Glenelly Estate is open daily
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