We had been invited to Robertson for a wine festival this month, which, sadly, was cancelled
but we decided to go anyway, it has been rather a long time since we had a break away from town
On our way to our accomodation at The Lab we called into Van Loveren for a wine tasting and some lunch
The horrendous floods earlier this year damaged them very badly and it is good to see them up and running so well
but we decided to go anyway, it has been rather a long time since we had a break away from town
On our way to our accomodation at The Lab we called into Van Loveren for a wine tasting and some lunch
The horrendous floods earlier this year damaged them very badly and it is good to see them up and running so well
First, we visited their Christina's Restaurant as lunch was needed
Not many people at this time and service was quick and friendly
The only beer in the house. Brewed in Van Loveren's Four Cousins brewery.
Not great, apparently the draught version, only available at the brewery, is much better
but the pizza was excellent
On the thinnest crunchy base we have ever had, was the usual tomato and mozzarella cheese
The chosen topping was Parma ham, basil pesto, sundried tomato, rocket and a good drizzle of balsamic reduction
It was very good and there was a generous portion for us to share
Lynne had a tasting of two Van Loveren wines with her lunch, given to us in the tasting room to taste with our food
and we were allowed to take them with us - the slightly sweet and aromatic gewürztraminer
and the very crisp and elegant Calcrete Chardonnay
which prompted the purchase of six Chardonnays on our way out of the tasting room
The tasting room
We had a rather speedy tasting of eight more wines
And then it was time to go to our accommodation
The rain had stopped briefly
Our Hotel is called theLAB (after a Labrador dog) and this was our third visit
It is in the Klaas Voogds area of Robertson
We were given an upgrade on the room we had booked
and it was large with good views of the pool area and right next to the restaurant and the terraces
A shower on the left, basins and loo on the right with a large bathtub behind the bed.
As we arrived, a wedding party also arrived to take some photographs of the bride and retinue by the pool
Using a break in the rain for the photographs. They did not stay long
Views looking across at various wine farms
A view of the hotel and its large pond
We were impressed by how much solar they have installed
Our room is behind the double glazed doors on the left
There are lots of chairs and loungers around the pool and
we spent an afternoon there on Sunday during some sunny and warm weather.
We had booked dinner for our first night; the menu on the chalk board gave some good choices
And we were shown to our favourite winter table, right next to the fireplace....
A glass of Bon Courage Like Father Like Son red blend to go with the meat dish
and a glass of Kranskop Shiraz Viognier Rosé to go with the seafood dish
We could not decide what to have, so we ordered both the dishes we fancied and ate half then switched! Sometimes the best thing to do if you don't mind sharing and have similar tastes
The chips were epic, the right potatoes, glass crisp and crunchy on the outside and fluffy inside
Wow, how rare this is that someone gets it just right
This is the crumbed deep fried baby Calamari tubes and tentacles with a tartar sauce
and some thick real mayonnaise, reminiscent of Belgium for dipping the chips
This is the Pepper steak fillet in cream and pepper sauce, also with great chips and some vegetables. Not terribly tender steak but with great flavour.
John watched the 11pm Springbok/All Black Rugby on a huge screen in the Conference area with staff and other guests
while Lynne had an early night
Next morning after a very wet night we headed to breakfast
A Red-knobbed coot (Fulica cristata) nesting in the pond
The breakfast menu
Muesli, yoghurt and fruit , muffins and fresh orange juice is served to everyone
Lynne had the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon on a croissant
Perfectly poached eggs to order, good Hollandaise sauce and some rocket
A good dish, but the croissants tend to go rather flat and a little soggy
John had an omelette done to order, with bacon and cheese encased in it
John had his usual black coffee, Lynne a pot of Earl Grey tea and lemon
The flowering grape vines along the terrace outside our room
Kiekie, the African Grey Parrot. He does talk a bit and shrieks very seldom, we think he might be a bit lonely
We gave him a lot of attention
Breakfast the second morning we both chose the wickedly fattening choice
Breakfast the second morning we both chose the wickedly fattening choice
Irresistible French Toast with maple syrup and some fruit
We ordered crispy bacon to go with it were happy to pay a supplement
It was a very good stay. Thank you to all the very friendly and helpful staff
All the stories we have produced since 2012
can be opened from the archive list near the top of the column on the right of this page
