The Farmhouse Hotel Restaurant

The Farmhouse Hotel thinks of everything; from the advantageous setting with an uninterrupted panoramic view of the Langebaan Lagoon, the homely yet stylish building, to the practicality of the sign in the parking area deeming one parking spot beneath a towering old gum tree a ‘bird dropping zone’, which is obviously why the hospitality board awarded it all four prestigious stars.  I can’t help agree, only I would award them four starfishes. The restaurant area is bright and airy, and the first thing that came to mind was “Beach Theme Extreme”.  The elaborate beach shell, beading, and driftwood chandeliers took bay side experience to new levels and the driftwood whale and fish wall adornments were fun and creative, but the jam jars of sea water and submerged shells made me think they may have taken it a bit too far.  

When the waitress offered me my menu I was disappointed that it wasn’t fashioned out of seaweed, however nothing on the menu could ever disappoint. Warm, homely meal options hinted toward an excellent distraction from the cold windy day on the other side of the many-paned windows which rattled furiously in the gale force. I had a delicious chicken snitzel and cheese sauce, accompanied by gigantic potato wedges and an epic proportioned salad. The chicken pie looked a fresh and healthy option too. Your usual options of wine, beer, tea, etc. but no draughts on tap, sorry to say lads.

The hotel was a real marvel, scrupulously clean and inviting – not unlike the staff – with large rooms and plenty of dining space. I imagine on fair weather days sitting outside in the sun must be divine with that still lagoon ahead of you, a neat green garden below, and a historical-looking bell I would suggest should hither to be used to summon all to a delicious dinner at the Farmhouse Hotel Restaurant.
Find the Farmhouse Hotel at 5 Egret Street in Langebaan. For more information peruse their website: http://www.thefarmhousehotel.com/index.html

Cellars, canons and cocktails at Ke-monate

Ke-monate, which means “that’s nice!” in Sotho, is the Home of Signal Wines, aptly named as several restored canons surround the perimeter looking regal and somewhat out of place. That’s if, of course, you don’t know their history. The signal gun which stands guard at the entrance of Ke-monate on Hooggelegen Farm has sounded out for 300 years as part of the signal chain of the Dutch East India Company.  Although there is no need to call to arms the Burgher Militia to defend the cape quite so often anymore, so it signals that all is well at Ke-monate on the first Saturday of every month and like Pavlov’s cat, your palate becomes inexplicably dry and you are craving the taste of Signal Wines.

The restaurant, wherein you will find the wine bar and bistro, is an old renovated farm house and was recently opened last year October (2010). It is here that I came when I was signalled. The cocktail menu has an armoury of options, all the regulars are there (martini, cosmo, pina colada, margarita, mojito, fruit daiquiri, long island) at a reasonable price of between R26 and R44. Also on the menu is Ke-monate’s secret weapon, their house cocktail, the Signal Gun Martini (R34) which features their Signal Gun Sauvignon Blanc. Something unusual that I found was the White Chocolate cosmo, sounds delectable and I bet it looks explosive. There is also a small battalion of shooters, and you should recognise the ever classy Sowetan Toilet and the patriotic Springbokkie. Interesting enough this is not the only ‘springbokkie’ you will spot at Ke-monate and I don’t mean on the menu – game such as eland, springbok, and zebra roam freely on the Hooggelegen farm.

Wine tasting takes place down a skinny, winding, nightmare-originating staircase that leads into the dark cellars below. At R15 to taste any 6 Durbanville boutique wines, I think this place is a steal. The restaurant has an excellent selection on their Tapas menu, I can recommend the chicken springrolls – like little crispy fingers of deliciousness! Also a nice touch from the kitchen is you can pre-order a picnic to enjoy on their lawns and take in the view while a stray springbok nibbles on the basket handle… As if Ke-monate didn’t have enough unique quirks, every full moon you can enjoy sundowners and a special menu.

See more on Ke-monate at www.ke-monate.co.za or call 021 976 7343. Ke-monate is located just outside of Durbanville off Vissershok Road.

Annual Bastille Day festival in Franschhoek

This was my first experience of Bastille Day celebrations, a festival that happens every year, a blur of colour and activity. The French Huguenots were drawn to Franschhoek in pursuit of freedom, and today scores of people are drawn to the beautiful town to celebrate just that in all its glory. Red, white and blue ribbons lead the whole way there, draped on the entrances of every farm and the town itself was a network of ribbons and banners. Berets were sold on every street and most revellers were sporting high French fashion in keeping with the theme, including moi! If you got there early enough you witnessed the memorable ‘Waiters’ Race’ where a representative barrister of each restaurant speedwalked or waddled his way from one side of the main road and back again with three bottles of wine precariously balanced on his unsteady tray, to much laughter and appreciation of the gathered crowd. The barrel-rolling race, and the Franschhoek minstrel parade, as well as the traditional boules contest all draw large inquisitive crowds– all in support of the SPCA.

The Station Pub, a monument of Franschhoek’s own history, hosted one of the Bastille Day after-parties, one of the many events in the festival program. The main attraction is the Food & Wine Marquee which offers tastings of many of the surrounding wine estates wares and top-notch chefs’ dishes – the catch is they vastly underestimated the popularity of the festival and only 200 tickets were issued and sold out days before the weekend of the festival. Judging by the seemingly infinite queue of cars waiting to enter the bursting streets of Franschhoek, there must have been thousands of disappointed people at the entrance of the Marquee. The French Corner Market would have to do for all those who couldn’t get a Marquee ticket, a concession – even so it offers some fine French and home cuisine as well as cheeses, chocolates, nougats, and other confectionary to taste and purchase. 

The great thing about Franschhoek is there is always a beautiful view three-hundred-and-sixty degrees around you, a monument and historical buildings to visit, and every sort of restaurant and boutique to wander in and out of – so no matter what the occasion a trip there is always rewarding. A tip for next year’s Bastille Day is book early for the Food & Wine Marquee and arrive early! Watch this spot the next time the festival comes round: http://www.franschhoek.org.za/events/franschhoek_bastille_festival_2011

You haven’t had nougat until you’ve had Rose’s

On my recent adventure into sparkling wine and nougat tasting I was introduced to the most delicious variety of handmade confectionary! Since that afternoon at Jc le Roux I could barely put the thought of that divine nougat out of my mind, and with absence it grew ever fonder in my memory. I remembered the name on the label, I had committed it to memory for just this sort of emergency, and instantly ‘googled’ it! I had to find the maker of these white and nutty treats, as nothing I bought at the supermarket quite quelled my hunger or curbed my craving. And bless Rose, she had a website, an OFFICIAL one! It was perhaps the final straw – it is such a tease of a website as slideshows of dark (Belgian) chocolate coated nougat, floured Turkish delight, and blocks of fudge fade tantalisingly in and out of view. As if she had read my mind, Rose offered a map and an address to her factory shop in Paarl.

So one weekend I made the journey and amongst rough and ready factory buildings there was Rose’s Handmade Confectionary, like a rose amongst the thorns.  Your first introduction to the shop is the neatly painted wall assuring you that you have arrived at the correct place, the precise curly letters emulate those on each carefully crafted and hand-wrapped nougat – Roses Handmade Confectionary. The factory shop is small and corridor shaped and the sweet treats start off tame at the door and the deeper into the shop, the more sinful the treats become.

Large plainly wrapped nougats stacked from the ground to your shoulder on shelves, each for only R10. Well I blew my budget, everyone who had recently had a birthday, was about to have a birthday, and who I just knew would appreciate the delicacy, got a bar of nougat – including myself. Other things to choose from were fudge, marshmallows (light and fluffy), and Turkish delight.  Up for the inquisitive were taste testers of new flavour combinations of nougat, I had two just to make sure that I really did like it. Unfortunately there were no Belgian chocolate covered nougats at that stage so I was rather disappointed about that, apparently it is quite sought after. Something which may interest you is that they supply Woolworths Food. The elusive Rose, however, was nowhere to be seen!

Check out the sinful site: http://www.roseshandmade.co.za/

Socialising the Buena Vista way

Back in my element at the Tygervalley Waterfront Buena Vista Social Club, fingers lightly gripping the subtly shaped stem of my martini glass, gazing into its cosmopolitan depths.  Ten minutes earlier, upon my arrival, the barrister urgently pushed the menu into my fingers – with desperation in his eyes (flicking back and forth to the digitised wall clock) he informed me that there were ten minutes left of Happy Hour and ALL cocktails were R25.  Panic set in immediately – such good fortune could not go unfulfilled! I pried open the sticky menu and amongst the Cuban themed meals I found the battery of cocktails! Having only expected to find a few similarly themed options I was happy to find that I had the choice of 27 different cocktails, priced between R29 and R80 but mostly around R39 when not Happy Hour.  This also included their House cocktail, the Buena Vista Especial (R48) made with Bacardi rum, Southern Comfort, Disaronno Amaretto, Pimms, orange juice and a smattering of grenadine.  But if this means nothing to you then perhaps, like me, you go for Ye Olde Faithful – the Cosmo.  It was also made with the classic cranberry juice and squeeze of lemon, Skyy Vodka and triple sec. As tasty as it was – the cranberry juice dominated and my Cosmo could have been mistaken for something that comes in a colourful juice box.  Shortly after I received my cocktail, like a jealous child, I spotted someone else’s – something tropical and tangy in a tall glass with half a fruit basket displayed along its edges… and I wanted it.

As for the Social Café, I love the look. It’s grunge, it’s quirky, and it’s got antique furniture to ground it. One thing I didn’t like, however this seems to happen in restaurants all over South Africa, the smoker’s lounge was enviably more social and ‘café’ than the non-smoker’s area.  With decadent looking antique armchairs arranged in social circles and the brick fireplace as the centrepiece – I almost considered picking up the dirty habit just for the perks! As for the general vibe of the café it is definitely socially centred and with Happy Hour price cuts like that it will definitely appeal to your purse. But if you like the grunge theme but prefer it not to refer to the state of the menus and the smudged glasses then perhaps try the Waterfront one.

They also have a website, I mean who doesn’t these days?! http://www.buenavista.co.za/  

The Nitida Degustazione

This is something I never like to miss; the Nitida farmer’s market is on the last Saturday of every month on the beautiful grounds of the Nitida (handmade) wine estate.  Just a few minutes away from Durbanville along a windy road, passing several rustic dwellings and some well-known as well as lesser-known wine estates, you will find yourself embarking on a gravel road beside an endless row of blue gum trees.  The market is rather small but what it lacks in size it definitely makes up in variety.  Each stall owner boasting something either 100% organic, homemade goodness, or fresh and preservative free! Options are extensive, just to give you a rough idea: local olives and olive oils, meat, chilli products, farm butter, free range eggs and chickens, exotic mushrooms, preserves and jams, biscuits and rusks, home baked pies, organic dried fruit and nuts, morning-baked bread, and home roasted coffee beans, and who knows what else!

Other things, more inedible, include stocking up your veggie and herb garden at the organic garden stall – which incidentally also offers a worm farm for sale (handmade of course)! However, what draws me most to the Nitida market are the most delicious samoosas and springrolls from a short Chinese lady who peers over her mobile deep fryer at you barking out her offer of “Clabstick Splinglolls”.  It will only take you five minutes, while smiling politely and somewhat blankly into her expectant face, to realise that what she has in fact offered you are crabstick springrolls. Now that I have prepared you, feel free to visit her stall – they are divine!

The Nitida farm is a small family farm which is easy to locate and hard to leave. Also available on the farm is the wine cellar, the main restaurant and the breakfast restaurant. It is best to go in the morning (last Saturday of every month) so that you get the freshest produce and the first “Clabstick Splinglolls”. If you are interested in finding out more on Nitida visit this site http://nitida.co.za/ or more about the farmer’s market at http://www.urbansprout.co.za/?q=node/2855. Tell your GPS to take you here: Nitida Cellars, M13/Old Tygervalley Road, Durbanville, Cape Town.

The House of Fun

The House of JC le Roux, the place my taste-buds now call home, offers a sensory experience that will linger on your tongue for months to come.  The divine match-making of homemade nougat and bubbly that happened in my mouth changed my perception of how champagne should be enjoyed forever more.  Strawberries and champagne – MOVE OVER! It’s time to expose yourself to the 8^th wonder of the world, and JC le Roux have it in bottles. The champagne and nougat tasting covers 5 of their champagnes, each expertly matched with nougat, fudge, Turkish delight or dark chocolate by a superhumanly distinguished taste master or mistress. 

In fact the entire experience will be a sensory bonanza! Your eyes will scarcely be able to leave the sweeping rows of grape vines and the blue mountains of the surrounding Stellenbosch area, your nose will define each beautifully crafted champagne awaiting your lips, and your taste-buds will simply have a field day!  Not to mention the colourful and trendy design of the interior of the House of le Roux – you will count yourself ‘hip’ just crossing the threshold; just don’t let it all go to your head. Let me break it down for you: you will be presented with 5 sparkling wines (one must be sensitive to copyright laws) and 5 different types of nougat or other delight paired for your enjoyment.  A dashing young lad will guide you through the process and make sure you don’t ‘bugger up the order’ – don’t worry, he doesn’t stand there the whole time making you feel awkward as the Turkish delight’s icing sugar coats your chin in white! The helpings are generous, in both bubbly and sweet things – and when you stagger unbalanced from your seat to the large glass exit, before you’ve even stepped foot out the door you know you’ll be back.

Depending on where you live this adventure is more than likely going to be quite a drive so make it a day-affair and visit Stellenbosch while you’re at it. Also make sure to book, as you can imagine it is hot stuff and everybody is doing it! During the week, for you lucky ones who don’t work, you may not need to book.  Visit the JC le Roux site if you don’t believe me at www.jcleroux.co.za and book by calling 021 865 8200.