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.

Ryan's Kitchen in Franschhoek

I love surprises. Almost as much as I love food. The ultimate weekend trip for me is a day out in the beautiful winelands with some good food, good company and maybe a glass or two of the grown up grape juice. An unscheduled visit to Ryan's Kitchen in Franschhoek on the picturesque main road turned out to be the most pleasant surprise. Every bite had me wide-eyed with delight.

Ryan's Kitchen recently moved to it's current location. It was given a make-over which included a redesign of the menu which now comprises lots of 'small plates'.

This theme is certainly one we’ve seen popping up all over the foodie scene at the moment as food becomes even more social and sharing dishes is the flavour of the day. The menu even states 'when ordering, think “we” and not “I”'.

When it came to ordering my mind was racing, reading through all the different dishes with their exciting combinations but then a wave of relief came over me when I realised so many of these dishes did not have to go untouched, untasted. This new menu style completely eliminates the need to choose one out of many. Now, you can have it all! Food envy is a thing of the past.

Lana, Ryan’s wife and front-of-house manager suggested between seven and nine plates to share and we greedily agreed. We chose a few from each section of the menu, which is divided into 'salad and vegetables', 'fish and shellfish' and 'meat and poultry' so we could see what Ryan was getting at. The artisanal bread box came first as did the waft of fresh warm breads served with citrus pepper butter and earthy hummus. Beautiful presentation in a box with a different types of bread in each drawer. If this was in lieu of the normal roll in a basket we figured we were in for something unforgettable and we were spot on.

Our first dish was a simple sounding grilled goat cheese, apple and fennel salad and granita. This dish made us both laugh out loud it was so good and simultaneously we felt foolish for never having combined these flavours before. The warm salty cheese with the tangy crunch of the apple and the cold green acidic granita was outstanding. This was closely followed by the magical mushroom tapioca 'pudding'. Ryan sautés the tapioca bullets with exotic mushrooms and transforms this childhood nightmare (my granny used to make tapioca) into a fairytale; think risotto with an awesome twist and with a glass of shiraz, nothing can go wrong.

Our fishy options were the tandoori cured cape salmon, tomato and chili "snow-eggs", again literally bursting with flavour, colour and finesse, a big and bold dish. The angelfish, light and moist with a coconut and lemongrass sauce. Both are local and sustainable SASSI friendly fish, transformed by Ryan's obvious adoration for cooking and experimenting with flavour. At this point we were more than impressed, we were actually humbled into silence as we picked every dish apart with our forks.

The duck parfait peri-peri, lemon jelly and green bean chutney was rich yet light, an edible oxymoron I haven't come across before. You have to try it to believe it. These revolutionary dishes should be at the forefront of everyone's minds and tummies.

Eight dishes was certainly enough for us and actually 6 or 7 would have been less gluttonous. Saying that we did sneak in a dessert to share. The chocolate-cardamom marquis with caramel crunch and a spicy poached plum and tart plum ice cream was everything anyone could want from a dessert. Sweet, rich, bitter, tart, spicy, cool and crunchy. I was amazed and I cannot wait to go back, I only wish I had heard about Ryan and his ambrosial kitchen sooner.

Orphanage Cocktail Emporium: A Review

Orphanage Cocktail Emporium opened just a few months ago on what is fast becoming Cape Town’s hippest spot. Humans are social creatures and much like animals to the watering hole, we like to get together and rehydrate.

I am not really a cocktail kind of gal, or at least I wasn't until last night. From the minute Orphanage opened its doors it has been on the lips of every Tom, Dick and Harry, I just had to go and find out what all the fuss was about. If it’s good enough for Gordon Ramsay, it is good enough for me, the infamous British chef spent hours at the bar when he was recently in the mother city sipping his way through the extensive menu of potions and alchemy.

The lighting is low, just as it should be; customers are spilling out onto the pavement, grasping glasses filled with soulful spirits. This is a sophisticated establishment, oozing class with a shot of panache for good measure. The suspender-clad mixologists, lined up behind the bar are no amateurs; they are award winning bartenders, quite literally.

Upstairs is the main bar, with scattered seating, a door at the back leads you downstairs, passed the smoking quarters to the second bar, by the DJ booth, here lies tables used for sit down meals, in particular their weekly supper club soirees, that get packed away when the evening heats up to make room for any debauchery. The vibe is enchanting and the drinks served are seductive and exciting, a far cry from my usual gin and tonic.

We start with the house cocktail, aptly named ‘More Tea Vicar’ served in a little china tea cup but be warned, this is no morning brew. On the silver teaspoon sits a lemon gel, a palate cleanser – of course, to be consumed before the cocktail. The illusion of afternoon tea is playful and unique, adding an indefinable, elusive quality that makes this work night or weekend drink such a special one. 

You want to know what is in the tea-cup? Vanilla infused Ciroc vodka, rooibos syrup, cranberry and lemon, with a sweet foam on top. Unreal. What’s more, R15 of the drink’s cost is donated to the St Francis Children’s home, hence the dubious name. 

There is even a cocktail on the menu containing 22 carat gold leaf, suitably named ‘Great Expectations’. The Orphanage Mojito is not your ordinary mojito, their twisted classics have them using mandarin infused rum and mandarin liqueur for an all together pleasing citrus effect. With over 26 cocktails to choose from, including non-alcoholic options ‘for the viruous’, you should really pull up a chair and order some nibbles.

This drinkery is not about the food but boy is it good; choose from sharing platters or ‘boards of sustenance’, or little plates of food, sharing is caring here and the small portions are deliberate. The truffle chips will change your life as will the hot breaded goats cheese and little lamb buns.

I already want to go back…

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.