As we discussed during the lunch held last week,
there are not many successful restaurants who can claim to have survived this
long under the same owners. 96 Winery Road certainly fits the bill. Partners
Ken and Allan Forester, Martin Meinert and chef Natasha Wray are still involved
and the restaurant continues to provide superb food. At the celebration we
tasted the all time favourites from their menu over the last 21 years, paired
with some of the great Forrester Meinert wines
Arriving for the celebration,
we were welcomed by PRO Nicolette Waterford and Restaurant Manager Allan
Forrester and served glasses of the Sparklehorse MCC made from Chenin Blanc
Some respected members (and
some would say survivors!) of the wine industry: Wine Selector for Woolworths Allan
Mullins, Dave Hughes, author, judge and wine personality; and in the background
Angela Lloyd, wine judge and writer
Inside the restaurant
Canapés were excellent: Small
crisp puff pastry rounds topped with caramelised onion and balsamic reduction
Wagyu beef tartare with melba
toast
Enormous Kataifi pastry wrapped
prawns with a light creamy sate dipping sauce
Allan Forrester in charge!
The two Forrester brothers. Ken
arrived just as we were sitting down; he had been busy on the farm
The celebration menu. These are
the dishes that have been huge successes over the years that customers demand
that they are still on the menu
Ken begins the lunch with a
little history
Mosbolletjies is a rich bread
traditionally made using the juice of fermenting grapes (or mos) . The dough is
rolled into rounds and they are packed together into the loaf tin before rising
and baking so that it can be easily pulled apart when serving
We began with a Meinert
Riesling, the German Job. Crisp and dry with nice acidity to ping off the food
and no terpenes
Titled New Style Sashimi this
was raw sea bass sashimi in sesame oil & soy sauce, topped with a mild
wasabi mayonnaise, sprinkled with sesame seeds and spring onions . Sea Bass
sashimi was new to us, it was very good
The four partners, Alan
Forrester, Ken Forrester, Natasha Wray and Martin Meinert
The next course was a morsel of
tender and gooey pork belly with very crisp crackling. It was served on rather
sweet caramelised sweet potato puree with a homemade (by Ken's mum) tomato
blatjang (chutney). This was served with the 2016 Ken Forrester Old Vine Chenin
Blanc Reserve. Dusty, grassy with faint cooked apple on the nose. Crisp and
cooked apple on the palate, a nice tingle of fruit acid on the end. The wood is
there but in the background, adding fullness and richness
A wonderful palate cleanser at
this point, the Wild mushroom Cappuccino, so rich and creamy, wild mushroom
(and some truffle?) aromas, with lots of mushroom texture, topped with a foam
and a cheese straw. John was served an alternative, a delicious spinach and potato soup
The Reserve Chenin being poured
No one was weakening at this
point and the next course was a delight. Crisp Panko crumb encrusted tender
calamari in a taco shell, with Pica de Gallo salsa, salty black beans and an
Ancho chilli mayonnaise to add a great hit of warmth
The FMC was then served. Forrester
Meinert Chenin or F...ing Marvellous Chenin to quote Ken. This is his offering
to Chenin, the wine that challenges all others in the Cape. So concentrated, so
layered, so chic, clean lemon, apricots and peach, some spice and many other
Chenin references
A memory on the wall of what
went before, Gatrile’s restaurant in Johannesburg that Ken used to own. John
remembers it well. He says it was where all the advertising people used to go
The final main course (which
turned out to be two) was about to be served
so out came the 2006 vintage Devon
Crest made by Martin Meinert. It is an elegant and intense Bordeaux blend with
incense, maraschino cherries on the nose, Cherries and cassis on the palate
with some chalky tannins, built to last and it still has some time left. it is
drinking so well and was so good with both of the dishes that were served
Totally wicked hand cut chips
with a hint of truffle to go with the mains
John cannot visit this
restaurant without ordering this dish, the famous Duck and Cherry Pie, which
Ken brought with him when he 'immigrated' from Johannesburg and Gatrile's. Full
of tender duck in a rich red cherry sauce topped with light puff pastry
the other main was the famous
"Hollandse" Pepper Fillet, so tender with the warm black pepper and
thick cream and brandy sauce, a total indulgence
This is how it was served
By this point, some of us were
begging for mercy and then the dessert arrived. Three restaurant classics. A
classic crème Brulée, a 96 Winery Road Ice cream, rich with red fruit notes and
chocolate sauce, and a light as air chocolate torte. We had the honeyed T Noble
Late Harvest with dessert. Coffees too .... What a wonderful way to celebrate
21 years
Alan telling us about how they
got to the menu. Customer insist that these dishes stay on the menu so, if you
remember them, you can be assured of finding them there on your next visit
All the dishes were cooked by
the current chef, Adrian Buchanan, who can ably recreate all of these but cooks
his own dishes in his own style as well
A cheerful (and probably full)
Alan Mullins with Linda Potgieter at the end of a marvellous day
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
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