Dinner for 10 at Bizerca

People beginning to arrive for dinner at 7.30

Last night's blackboard menu: (Our comments are in the smaller typeface). We didn't bring a menu home and the menu sent to us by Bizerca doesn't have all the dishes. If there is no picture with a menu description, it wasn't ordered

Starters

Spring veg salad with artichokes, beetroot, tomatoes , pea shoots, quail eggs and pink peppercorn dressing

Seared swordfish with melon, papaya, avocado and jalapeño dressing
voted unusual, innovative and delicious and very spicy by the people who ordered it, one as a starter and one as a main

Leek and mussel soup with fresh mussels
Two of the guests from the USA said this was the best mussel soup they had ever had, and they would have had another bowl if they had not already ordered their main course

Another starter from the blackboard:  Loraine's vegetarian starter

Large oysters with echalote dressing
were not ordered

Mains

Yellowtail fillet with nouvelle potato, green asparagus, confit tomato and lemon grass beurre blanc sauce

Lamb curry with rice, raita and rhubarb chutney
was also not ordered

A main course that neither of us could resist:
Duo of duck, confit leg + grilled breast with waterblommetjies, pok choi, roast parsnips, guava, chestnuts  and ginger sauce

Some of us had the menu’s most popular dish of raw salmon in soy, lemon and oil with goat's cheese and rocket as a starter, others as a main course

The liver received many envious looks and was very, very good, we were told

Desserts

Cognac Nougatine parfait with fresh strawberries and strawberry sorbet
was really a great expression of this season's marvellous strawberries

Guava cocktail, poached guava and guava sorbet vanilla vodka
We were told by the person who ordered it that we should all have ordered the guava sorbet, it was so special. Next time, if they are still in season.

Some of us needed a light dessert and this green apple sorbet with crisp dehydrated apple rings and calvados was crisp and sharp and sweet and alcoholic. Loved it

You need to order the Tart Tatin at the beginning of the meal.  Topped with vanilla ice cream, It was a great delight according to the two people from the USA who ordered it

John chose the warm chocolate fondant with a crème bruleé and a spoonful of strawberry sorbet. What an amazing tour de force of small desserts

Cafe Gourmand, trio of petit desserts with choice of hot beverage

The kitchen has a blind that shields and conceals, but allows the staff to see out into the restaurant

Huge thanks to Richard, our generous host, for inviting us to join him
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013

Two of the dishes which were not on the menu sent to us, but were ordered by members of the party

Durbanville Season of Sauvignon

Colyn Truter talking to Lynne while she tweets about the new Bloemendal label, Waterlily. A crisp entry level 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, a juicy 2013 shiraz rosé and two quaffable 2011 reds made from Merlot and Shiraz. Everyone was wearing pink on Sunday, must have been the sun shining that inspired us.

Nice, thin and crisp French fries were on offer

Herb encrusted Patagonian squid strips, moist on the inside, crisp on the outside and perfectly cooked. Very enjoyable for a light lunch.

John had a huge hamburger, topped with ham and avocado

There were good sized Boerewors rolls

Chicken topped with pineapple and grilled brie cheese

The very helpful chefs and serving staff

The food was served under the permanent marquee behind the restaurant. A lovely venue for weddings and larger functions in the good weather. There are koi ponds down both sides of the marquee

On this wonderful sunny spring day, people sat outside on the lawn to eat while the children played on the jumping castle, climbing frame and other attractions

Maryna Strachan, editor of Wine Extra, was also out enjoying the festival with her children and friends

Every farm had the Sauvignons Blanc from the other 10 Durbanville farms available for tasting. You can't possibly get to all of them in one day, so it is a very good opportunity to taste the wines from the farms you will not be visiting. As usual, the quality of all these wines is exceptional.

The view as you arrive at Altydgedacht - beautiful cattle with calves in verdant spring flower meadows

Everyone enjoying the party with the Sauvignon and other wines, food for sale and good music.

Welcome sign

Executive chef Nick van Wyk of Diemersdal, talking to his chefs at the end of a busy service.

Marquees for tasting Sauvignon, slush puppies and food

Inside the main marquee there was entertainment, competitions and people still eating and having fun. This is a very family oriented festival

One of the play areas for children

How nice to be sunbathing at last

We had time for a small tasting of the Sauvignon

This was one of the recycling skips; you can see it was a successful festival.

An indigenous iris with a bee on its runway

Very reasonably priced food on offer

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013

Veritas Awards dinner at the CTICC

The entrance to the Cape Town International Convention Centre

A welcoming glass of Simonsig bubbly with Johan Malan, Rianie Strydom of Dombeya Wines, Mrs Malan and Lynne

The line-up of winners being served with dinner

The vast ballroom held over 600 people for dinner and the awards ceremony

Announcing the awards to rapt attention by all concerned

The menu in two languages

10 on each table meant a lot of silver and glassware

Charles Hopkins, Cellarmaster of De Grendel was presenting the awards

You know how they always say unidentified fish always tastes like chicken - and vice versa? These were rather cold fish goujons which did indeed taste of chicken and had a very similar stringy texture. The addition of cumin flavoured hummus was good but made it even more like chicken.

Finally we get to taste some red wine - Delaire Graff’s Merlot which won a silver. Good but needs much more time

A warm main course of perfectly pink lamb cutlets, an unctuous confited potato, fresh asparagus, a good flavourful lamb sausage and some butternut, mushrooms. It was enjoyable. But what slivers of fresh cucumber, baby onions and small tomatoes were also doing on the plate is the question – too busy and not necessary.  Best food we have eaten at the convention centre – so far.

Table companions Emma Moffat, winemaker at Hidden Valley, with her Double Gold medal for their 2013 Sauvignon Blanc with Anita Streicher, who handles their sales and marketing

Good cheese platter with a slice of the SA Cheese of the year Dalewood’s Hugenot. And behind it a glass of jelly and custard. OK the description read “Pomegranate verrine (Wikipedia: A verrine is originally a small thick-glass container with no base (?), which purpose is to contain a solid or liquid dish (starter, course or dessert), rather than a drink.) Panna Cotta with pomegranate jelly and a salad of orange, grapefruit, sweet pea tendrils (!) and Madeira croutons with shards of black pepper meringue.  Hard red jelly on thick custard with far too much else on top.  The shard of ‘meringue’ was the most interesting thing on the dish being a possible molecular gastronomy event. It melted in the mouth and was hot and peppery.  We pinched a couple from uneaten desserts, of which there were a few.

Lots of different styles of dancing when the disco started after the awards presentation.

Carel Nel of Boplaas and his winemaker daughter Margaux, absolutely delighted with their many awards: 5 double golds, six golds and 3 silvers.

Dr Winnie Bowman celebrating the Boplaas medals with Carel Nel

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013
Nikon DSLR ruined the cut of the dinner jacket, so these were taken with a Nokia Lumia 920 phone