.: 01/07/13

Monday, January 07, 2013

Lunch at Jardine on Jordan

Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine

The menu changes very often as they cook seasonally and use as much local produce as they can obtain. This was what we ate on Sunday 30th December 2012

Flash fried Blesbok liver, thinly sliced with crisp fried sage leaves, pancetta, apricots and mash on radish slices

Beautiful buttery pastry leek tart with truffle and watercress

Classic duck and cherries with a marvellous jus and cape gooseberries (physallis) and baby beets. The leg had been crusted with polenta.

Moist and succulent gurnard in a smoked tomato sauce topped with home-made linguine and sprinkled with basil and parmesan. Who says cheese doesn't go with pasta? This was an excellent dish with loads of smoky tomato flavour

Herb crusted tender Chalmar beef on a classic creamy risotto with the best beef jus we have both tasted in years. George Jardine is renowned for his spectacular sauces and jus.

One of the beautiful views from Jordan of their vineyards and others in the valley

Jordan wines are available by the glass

Looking down Stellenbosch Kloof from the restaurant's terrace

George plates a dish under the watchful eye of Louise, his wife

The elegant, quiet and cool tasting room at De Morgenzon, next door to Jordan

Midsummer vines, green after the wet winter and covered in bunches of grapes, still ripening

Wonderul contrasts of Canna lilies, olive trees and vines on De Morgenzon

The outside of the De Morgenzon tasting room

Lunch at Paulina's, Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek

Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek, nestled under its hill with the vineyards before it

The sunny restaurant terrace with good cover for a hot day – do specify when you book if you want to eat inside or out. The koi pond is a cooling feature.

Lynne studies the menu

Lounge area on the terrace where they were preparing for a wedding

Our favourite choice of the day was the Cape Malay curry with rice and sambals, one of which tasted like Mrs Balls chutney. It contained Prawns and chicken which is more normal for a Durban curry but the sauce was pure Cape curry, spicy without being too hot and with loads of turmeric

The extensive menu

The good wine and beverage list

Seafood risotto, with slightly al dente rice

Spanish style very spicy calamari with chorizo was flash cooked and with the calamari slightly underdone. This was served with a coriander dressing. The deep fried capers were a very good addition.

Crisp belly of pork with a good chilli ginger jam, wasabi mash and excellent crisp shredded vegetables.

The chocolate plate contained a sliver of chocolate tart, white chocolate mousse, a chocolate brownie, and a scoop of very, very good chocolate ice-cream

The pudding plate had a malva pudding, a bread and butter pudding and a sticky toffee pudding. The banana custard ice-cream was finished so they substituted a commercial vanilla ice-cream.