.: Pop up lunch at Mellasat with chef Janet Richardson

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Pop up lunch at Mellasat with chef Janet Richardson

Mellasat Pop-up restaurant It is the season for lunches and, while you can partake of the excellent lunch at Laborie all year round, the Pop-up lunches at Mellasat only happen every month or so and, should you care to drive Paarl, the next one will be on the 15th and 16th of August. You will need to book (for either lunch or dinner) as these are very popular with the locals. Their address is Mellasat Vineyards, Keerweder Road, Klein Drakenstein, Paarl Contact them on Tel: +27 (0) 21 862 4525 Email: mellasat@mweb.co.za The cost is R220 for two courses, R295 for 3. A cheese platter costs R70 per person.

Mellasat bills itself as the home of the original white Pinotage, but Steven Richardson’s wife, Janet, used to be the chef at Fraai Uitzicht in Robertson when Axel Spanholz & Mario Motti owned it and some of you might be familiar with her good food. We were invited for lunch this Sunday and, despite the N1 being closed due to a nasty accident which necessitated a detour, we arrived just after 1 o’clock for a good repast with some well matched wines

Welcomed by owner Steve Richardson in their tasting room

The dining room is beyond

There is some interesting artwork in the two rooms

And some homilies

The restaurant is spacious and beginning to fill up

Our menu for lunch

Another Mellasat must

Lynne discusses with Steve what we should drink with our lunch choices

Although we were not tempted to eat any bread, we did taste this nice green olive and almond tapenade

Our Amuse was a tiny bobotie tartlet with guava pickle

The wine list. Dekker’s Valley is the original name of the farm and is the second label of Mellasat

A list of old wines which they have drunk and put to bed

Some more lurk in the cellar

We shared the starter and main courses. This is the Bouillabaisse with a crouton with good rouille. Well matched with Mellasat 2013 Viognier

The other starter was small salmon cakes with fried capers and lemon crème fraiche. This went well with a glass of their 2012 White Pinotage which, if you close your eyes, still tastes like a red wine.

Steve joined the family firm on their farm in Norfolk before coming here to farm grapes in South Africa. He says there is not much difference in farming sugar beet or grapes, it is just that the product's sale is delayed with wine and that costs money.

A guava sorbet was a refreshing interlude before the main course

A main course of Pork done two ways: soft Belly with apple and fennel and a seared fillet with a rather odd balsamic fig chutney. Very good crackling. This was served with a glass of 2012 M, a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet and Pinotage

Perfectly cooked Osso Bucco with a good tomato rich sauce. Beautiful with the Mellasat 2012 Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon, which added something to the dish.