The Spice Route's new offering from Bertus Basson

Any restaurant that has their tannie's apple pie and custard permanently on the menu is ok with me. Introducing Bertus Basson's new spot, aptly named after himself at the well known and loved Spice Route in Paarl.

We know Bertus for his respected judging on the tv series Ultimate Braai Master and indeed for his beautiful and award winning first dining establishment Overture, in the scenic Hidden Valley in Stellenbosch.

At Overture Bertus is a Chef, fine cuisine à la mode with a garnish on top. Food so picturesque it will have you weeping into your napkin at the notion of having to ruin the beauty on the plate before you. Actually eating them brings the smile right back though. You can read my article about that fine experience here. 

At the Spice Route – Bertus Basson is very much a cook, in his natural habitat - this Afrikaans kitchen wizard is all about flavour, quality traditional ingredients with family and friends around the table. The restaurant is clean and light, the décor is thanks to his wife Mareli.

Kids run for their lives and befriend others on the grassy area alongside the restaurant and parents cheers to having them close enough to keep a beady eye on but far enough that they can enjoy a glass of vino.

Through his menu he pays homage to his roots, a glorious synthesis of South African heritage kos and modern tweaks bringing old favourites to life, out of the school canteen and onto the lush lawns of the truly beautiful al fresco dining area at the Spice Route.

On the menu you'll find the much loved boere salad; now bear in mind this is all good rib-sticking food and even the salad is seriously substantial so don't bother if you are watching your waist line – this is proper food and in any case you certainly won't be needing dinner after a lunch here.

Back to the boere salad, this starter includes everything but the kitchen sink, think cos lettuce, parmesan, home cured biltong, toasted nutty seeds, anchovies and a creamy rich dressing topped with crunchy crostini. “I'll have the salad please” - sounding ever so angelic and virtuous but knowing full well the concoction I was in for – my other half had the utterly luscious chicken liver parfait with three slices of soft sweet toasted Mosbolletjie with an onion caraway jam. Totally delicious and frankly with another glass of Spice Route wine we could have gone straight to dessert. But I am not a quitter.

Mains included rump with a lentil hot pot, a vegetarian sauteed gnocchi with cauliflower and lamb bobotie with cumin yoghurt but we went for the beautiful Weskus herb crusted sole with squid and chorizo and the gorgous CBC beer braised pork belly, crackling and sweet carrots. Chips and braai sout on the side - carpe diem and all that. Hearty grub with small touches that scream flavour at an otherwise relatively normal dish.

At this point two puddings normally always ensue but today it was just the one, as much as this pained me – the dessert menu was triumphant and next time we must take three friends with so I can get my spoon in their desserts too.

Somehow we resisted the famous Tannie Hetta`s apple pie, custard and vanilla ice cream and went for the warm pampoen tert with salted caramel nuts, cinnamon chantilly cream and a rich dark chocolate ice cream, the plate was clean before the coffees came; let's just put it like that. The ginger sago pudding caught my eye with orange and caramel ice cream and the burnt Italian meringue lemon tart also looked pretty damn good.

There is nothing on the menu that we would not have been happy to eat and I really mean that. What a brilliant addition to an already buzzing venue, full of life and people who love good food, beer, wine and even chocolate. Pack the family up and get en route to this utter flavour destination.

One night in Jordan

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.

Societi Brasserie: A Review

Winter is fast approaching and the novelty of being cosy, wearing layers and drinking wine by the fire is all too alluring.

Societi Brasserie is the epitome of a bistro restaurant. Big wooden tables, copper pots hanging as decoration, clinking glasses, laughter and heady aromas wafting amongst the tables of diners.

Nestled between Tokai and Constantia, this local neighbourhood eatery is the younger sister of Societi Bistro in the CBD. The emphasis is placed on small local artisanal producers and this is obvious by their selective menu. A sizeable menu always makes me worry about how many of their dishes are coming from the freezer and store cupboard. Do not fret though, Societi’s menu is adapted seasonally by executive chef Stéfan Marais.

Separate to the usual courses one has to choose from is the ‘small plates from the counter’ menu.

We settled on one, somehow managing to pass up their mini cheesy calzones with apple chutney. We went for the free range Scotch Egg with smoked paprika aioli. So good. A meltingly orange yolk encased in a salty sausage meat case with crispy breadcrumbs alongside the smokiest homemade paprika mayo. Outstanding. I have never seen a Scotch Egg in South Africa.

For starters we decided upon squid with chilli and mint and mussels with cream and sauvignon with garlic; both fantastic choices but my eyes did wander off to other plates in the room, I won’t lie. The French Onion Soup, in particular - which I will be ordering next time with its golden, cheesy floating island is one of the more popular starters. I could see and smell just why.

The selection of pizzas is ridiculous, good ridiculous though, with options from farmed salmon trout with capers, crème fraiche, avo, rocket to spicy pulled barbeque pork with a smoky coleslaw. Hungry yet? Thought so…

Mains consisted of Yellowtail with polenta and salad but the winning order, which was not mine, unfortunately was the salty smoky duck breast served with spinach and creamy mash partnered with the perfect, not too sweet, not too tart cherry sauce, my partner went so far as to give it a 10/10.

If you are in the business for some honest, hearty grub, and by hearty grub I mean pasta, pizza, risotto’s and a roast lunch on the weekend then this brasserie is just what the doctor ordered.

Don Pedro's & All His Wives: A Review

A beloved Cape Town institution since 1991, Don Pedro’s Pizza parlour has long been the favoured hang-out for Woodstock locals, the theatre and art crowds as well as the city’s nocturnal restaurant staff.
'Til Madame Zingara came along, that is, one waggle of her magic wand and Don Pedro's was transformed into yet another prodigy child of the Zingara empire.  Don Pedro’s has the typical Madame Z flare with props adorning the walls both in and out of the restaurant, the outer walls are strewn with old photographs of how Woodstock used to look next to the rather lovely ‘community watchman’ keeping a beady eye on the neighbourhood.

 Inside there is heavy velvet curtains, signature larger than life bouquets, and candle-lit tables. The Piano is used on both Mondays and Tuesdays for some background music and the stage is habituated from Wednesday – Saturday at 8:30pm by the glorious Miss Dotty, diamonds and all belting out some old hits that you will find yourself singing along to, voluntarily – or otherwise. The food is spectacular, the Chef Mark - recently moved over here from sunny Scotland and has put his Scots signature on the menu. Quite frankly, I was not ready to hear the specials as I was already battling to choose from the menu but they were really something special.

 

 In addition to the weekly specials, the menu has entrees, mains and deserts as well as a smaller light meals menu, consisting of guilty pleasures like Fish and Chips, Nachos Grande, Chilli Poppers, Salt and Pepper Squid, The Royale Caesar Salad and a Classic Chicken Burger. Hungry, yet? The main menu is more sophisticated fare, not that anything is wrong with a well done fish and chips, but I am talking jus’s and garnishes here, all the good stuff!

Amongst the starters, we chose the sesame and soya glazed duck livers, served with a plum sauce and berries with crispy potato skins, wow, it was truly amazing, texture and flavour dimensions – it had it all, really something special, if you like duck, you will love this. We also went for the weekly special for the other starter, The breaded hen’s egg, a poached egg rolled in breadcrumbs on a parmesan shortbread disk, with roasted butternut cubes and rocket on the side with a glorious sauce. Shortbread? You say, with egg? I dunno about that, you say. Well neither did I and that is why I chose it, and boy am I glad I did, it worked so well, light but tasty and the egg was perfectly cooked, the yolk with the parmesan crunchy base was a real treat together.

 Moving on to our main course, after chatting with Mark and asking what his favourite things are on the menu, he does not hesitate to tell us the specials, of course as well as the fillet which has been dancing around in my mind since I first spotted it on the menu. I decided oh so virtuously on the line fish special, beautiful kinglip on a bed of spinach with balsamic glazed tomatoes, marquis potatoes and wait for it, a heady, scented truffle hollandaise sauce. By golly, light but flavourful with a rich earthy sauce, not to mention exquisitely presented.

Desert for us was not even necessary after our two, flawless first courses, but the chef insisted we try his version of a baked alaska, cold ice cream on a shortbread base encased in a hot Italian meringue on a berry coulis. One word, speechless.

 

 Don Pedro’s is not a quick feed for mere sustenance. It is a full on dining experience of note, the service is top notch which is aided by the fact it is not a large restaurant – cosy and full of character, great vibe and exquisite food, we will be going back, undoubtedly, maybe even for the duck special on Mondays. Over and out.


Monday- Tuesday : Pianist, creating a laid-back evening.
Wed-Sat: The gorgeous "Miss Dotty", former member of The Original Tons who wowed audiences for years at the Theater of Dreams is now performing at Don Pedro’s. Her rich velvet voice captivates the audience with the best of 70's Motown hits and the best of the great disco diva's.
 Mondays is double-duck special.
 Address: 113 Roodebloem rd, Woodstock, Cape Town
Bookings email: donpedro@madamezingara.com
Trading hours: Mon-sat : 4pm-10pm Sundays closed
021.447-6152