You may be (quite rightly) warned against judging a book by its cover, but you can certainly judge a restaurant by its bread board. Flair and creativity can be streamlined directly into this un-plated course; the first edible chefs creations we see after sitting down at a table. This is the foremost opportunity to incite excitement and anticipation in your diners. If the bread is plain and simple, then it better be freshly baked with some local butter. If it's a stale old government loaf in a basket then you must know whatever's coming next is likely to be equally lacklustre.
The opposite of lacklustre is the mighty fine bread board at Jordan. Consisting of (banters eat your heart out) non bread item crisp crunchy crackling, alongside (all baked on site) seeded loaf, vetkoeks and mini ciabattas, served with spicy floral nasturtium pesto, garlicky aioli and honeyed parsnip puree with crunchy nutty pumpkin seeds. Silence followed.
Jordan Restaurant at the awe-inspiring Jordan Wine Estatehardly needs bread to define it – but Head Chef George Jardine is a baker and runs the Jordan bakery when he is away from the pumping restaurant with its finely tuned dishes. It was the bread board at a dinner at Jordan which took us to second gear and enlightened us to just how serious George is about food and how exciting tastes, flavours and textures can be – this ain’t just food for living, this is undoubtedly living for food.
Local, seasonal produce? Check. Paired with wines, grown on the estate? Check. Slick service? Check. Outstanding views? Check.
The only thing this estate was lacking, was the pompous heirs and graces you may often find at such fine estates and restaurants. Inside voices be gone, my laughter need not be reigned in here. Relaxed vibes all round, from the restaurant to the bakery, wine tasting deck and al fresco lawns.
The late autmn visit meant cosy knitwear and full bodied Shiraz for us and we weren't complaining.
In addition to Jordan's offerings, they have just added 13 luxury suites to the property – showcased in March this year – these suites are the figs to our jam and make this venue complete. A day here is just not enough and waking up here is a thing of beauty. Being slightly off the beaten track outside the town of Stellenbosch means quiet misty mornings with only birds tweeting in the air.
The absolute pinnacle of relaxation, the stoeps outside the luxury suite we had the pleasure of staying in was metres away from the deep green and burgundy autumnal vineyards, a sight which will have you staring in silence as it lights up under the sun, golden – almost glowing like a fire and hypnotising us. Inside the suites is everything you could possibly need, an extra length King sized bed, a free standing bath alongside the shower, wi-fi, a large TV, fireplace and coffee machine.
Visiting Jordan – there are too many beautiful sights and tasty eats to go home after an afternoon. With the bakery doing its thing all day long, the wine tasting is an absolute must, showcasing some of SA's finest wines and the awards to prove it. Jordan restaurant is a four course affair, an affordable fine dining experience that you should sit back, relax and just enjoy the culinary journey.
At R380 for your four courses and R190 for an additional wine pairing.
To give you an idea of dishes that feature on the menu, I started with a rich orange butternut veloute, baby beets, roast buffalo mozarella balls with a basil puff bread and parmesan shavings. Rich, warm, sweet, salty, velvety and crunchy. Paired with the Jordan 'Real McCoy Riesling' things were getting better with every bite. Changing from white to red wine for my main, I enjoyed the smoky Syrah, Jordan's 2012 'The Prospector' and boy did it go down well with the double herbed springbok loin, rare and sliced thinly with butter poached turnip sauce, roasted pear and walnuts.
For afters, many chose a trip to the cheese room which showcases many artisanal Cape farm cheeses paired with Jordan preserves and breads – all of which I could see were demolished leaving barely any crumbs. My sweet tooth led me to the famous honey and poppy seed souffle – and stealing spoons of the guava mille feuille alongside me with the most ludicrously good caramelised chocoalte ice cream.
A spectacular, laid back and wondrous estate, if you have not visited Jordan you really should. After another spectacular meal from My Jardin in the form of smoked trout and scrambled eggs in the Bakery we trekked up through the vineyards and meandered our way down through the vines, often visited by one of the farm border collies and took in the sunny autumn rays before checking out but not quite leaving. A wine tasting on the patio in front of the lush green lawns had to happen, buying some Jordan Estate bottles for the wine rack to crack open in a few years time as well as to remind us of a brilliant visit and yet another reason we are thankful to live in such a bountiful region.
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