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Friday, September 18, 2020

Lunch at George Jardine's Jordan Restaurant

The perfect day out where we could be wonderfully spontaneous

Something we have not had the chance to do for a very long time. Sunny skies with a little cloud when we headed out to Stellenbosch for lunch at George Jardine at Jordan. We had bought a support voucher and they notified us that it was time to use it. The clouds soon disappeared and we knew we were in for a lovely day

We stopped at Spier briefly as they have a special on punnets of vegetable seedlings, a reasonable R16 each

We bought two punnets of mixed plants, exactly what Lynne wants for her two new pots on the deck. They also have a great selection of indigenous plants for sale. You go to the Farm Store where you can also have something to eat or take away. We see that they are doing an interesting Heritage Day Braai Box. https://shop.spier.co.za/

The train stop at Spier wine estate, Stellenbosch,

decorated to show support for the South African wine and tourism industries

We wanted to visit another wine farm on our way to Jordan and stopped at three - Stellenbosch Hills, Overgaauw and De Waal,

only to find they were not open. This is the beautiful farmhouse at De Waal, built in 1791

And the old wine cellar, built in 1798

We ploughed onward and found that Pella was open, it is owned by Daniel de Waal

We had never been there before, but know their Mount Sutherland wines which are grown near Sutherland in the Karoo

They are also a lavender farm, so the air is very pleasantly perfumed

Fields of lavender

Chloe Luckhoff runs the tasting room. A tasting costs R60 per person

We decided to share one, as John was driving and would want wine with his lunch

We tasted three Pella wines and one Mount Sutherland, beginning with the Pella Kannidood 2016 wooded Chenin Blanc

(named after a succulent that is hard to kill). Yeasty and rich on the classic chenin nose with some citrus and age showing

Bright fruit, citrus and wood again on the palate, a rather classy Chenin. R150

Wines currently available for sale

Their price list for the Mount Sutherland wines

The Pella Verlaten Kloof 2016 Merlot has spent 12 months in French oak. It has some vanilla perfume on the nose, soft tannins,

some chalk and robust fruit flavours, cassis and plums; it has length and warmth and the fruit remains. R160

We tasted the 2017 Tempranillo from the highest vineyards in Mount Sutherland. There is wildness as expected, classic umami,

and some perfume. Intense mulberry fruit, salty licorice, smooth soft tannins and good wood and chalk on the end. R350

The 2017 Pella Oukliprand Malbec really impressed us

Violets and umami on the nose, soft tannins, supple on the palate, with a nice kick of acidity, salt and good Malbec meatiness,

then the fruit appears with cherry, mulberry and raspberries on the end. And good aging potential.

It was marked as sold out but, when we said how much we liked it, she did say they had a few left, so we bought six. R160

Onward up the Stellenboschkloof road for lunch

Warmly welcomed at Jordan Wine Estate, we were in good time to go to our table on the terrace at the restaurant

It has always been one of our favourite places anywhere, with exceptional food, wine and spectacular views

We had the most enjoyable relaxed lunch and, once again, John said "We do live in the most beautiful place"

A reflection on a spoon of the Jordan umbrella above us

So good to see Louise Jardine again after so long. We had a booking there for last March

when our Dutch friends should have been here. The Covid lock down got in the way and we had to cancel

and Chef George Jardine looks as healthy and hale as usual

He has his other restaurant in Stellenbosch which is also open

It was good to have a chat about what they have been doing for the last few months

The terrace was filling up

The menu of the day

When the bread served sends you into raptures, you know the food following is going to be superb

Crisp topped, olive oil, garlic and herb ciabatta, Garlic aioli with a herb pesto and pumpkin seed oil, so nutty and smooth

This is served while you wait for your first course

We each had a glass of Jordan Inspector Péringuey

Chenin Blanc

Lynne's starter of Duck Liver Parfait was just perfection. She was in raptures

So smooth and rich, it was dusted with crushed pumpkin seeds,

and surrounded by a prune purée and pickled blueberries, both great foils to the silky light mousse

And accompanied, as it should always be, by toasted buttery brioche slices

John chose the plump Saldanah Bay Mussels served en papillotte (wrapped in a paper parcel which allows the mussels to steam)

They were in a coconut milk sauce which takes up all the lovely flavours from the mussels and the aromatics added:

chilli, herbs, garlic and ginger. They were served with a small vetkoek to sop up any juices left

None were left, and the vetkoek was enjoyed dipped in them

A close up

Lynne's Chenin lasted through to her main course,

John had a glass of the Jordan Prospector Shiraz, another of our favourites

Lovely big glasses

Chalmar Sirloin, perfectly pink, comes with a soft herb crust, a very rich braised beef dumpling, fried crumbed bone marrow,

roasted onion sauce and a jus. John really enjoyed this; it is his sort of food

And we had to order a side of some of George's legendary Crisp hand cut chips to share

Lynne's course of Roasted East Coast Hake, so soft and yielding, with a slightly curried chick pea crust which was delicious with the fish

Topped with deep fried sage leaves, crisp pancetta and roasted cauliflower florets and a very, very creamy cauliflower mousse

Satisfying, and it left no room whatsoever for anything more. We have to learn to eat more again

Jardined! George's sauces are superb and that is our term for cleaning the plate, one wastes nothing

This was John's plate after his Chalmar sirloin! Nothing was going back to the kitchen

Our bill. We have another voucher to use and hope to come back for John's Birthday in November, if not before then

Good to see that Jordan's other restaurant, The Bakery, is still very popular and they looked full, with lots of people enjoying themselves

On our way home we went through Stellenbosch to the Joostenberg shop, where Lynne was hoping to find some duck livers, inspired by that parfait. Sadly none available, but she did get some chicken livers. A really lovely day out

See John's photographs and follow us on YouPic

All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

Friday, September 11, 2020

This Week’s MENU. We’re back! Food Fanatics, Overture, Restaurant protest, Bellevue tasting, Spring flowers, SeaBreeze, Steenberg

We have been locked down, like most of the rest of the world, since early in March when we were in contact with people who had been exposed to the dreaded virus. We are still being very careful. In that time, there has been almost nothing to report. We have published a couple of stories on Facebook, which some of you will have seen, Lynne has kept a Covid diary of our lock down days on Facebook and she is currently on Day 166. However there has not been enough to warrant an edition of MENU…. until now. Spring is here, the restrictions have been relaxed and we have actually been able to go out, observing Covid protocols, to visit 2 restaurants and have an excursion. So here is our first edition of MENU in about six months. Thank you for your patience and, we hope, your understanding. We know that this awful epidemic has badly affected so many people around the world, we sincerely hope you have all come through it well.

Food Fanatics “the French affair” Saturday Pop up lunch from The Homestead

Elaine Rousseau of Food Fanatics caterers works out of her restaurant and functions centre, The Homestead, in Constantia Main Road in Wynberg. It is a very beautiful 200 year old venue with marvellous gardens. Like most restaurants and caterers, they have been hit during the Covid 19 lock down and have been selling food on line for collection or delivery. https://foodfanatics.co.za/ Have a look at their website to see what is on offer. They will be bringing The Homestead Pop-Up experience to your home. Read on at

https://adamastorbacchus.blogspot.com/2020/06/food-fanatics-french-affair-saturday.html

Father's Day lunch from Overture

So what is better than going to a top restaurant in Stellenbosch at the moment and sitting miles away from everyone else? Well, how about getting the chef to deliver Sunday lunch to you himself! Lynne ordered from Overture for Father’s Day and Bertus Basson came with the delivery himself. Read on at

https://adamastorbacchus.blogspot.com/2020/06/fathers-day-lunch-from-overture.html

Sea Point restaurants protest against a death sentence from an uncaring Government

Many South African restaurants took part in a protest today. In some areas, they managed to block the streets with tables and chairs to emphasise their distress and their plight. We live and work in Sea Point, where Main Road has, for very many years, been a restaurant hub. The intention had been to do as other areas had done but it seems that, after pressure from the authorities which would have closed the entire operation, it was decided to protest from the side of the road. Read on at

https://adamastorbacchus.blogspot.com/2020/07/sea-point-restaurants-protest-against.html

Bellevue Reserve Collection Launch

We were invited to take part in this on-line Zoom tasting of Bellevue Wine Reserve Collection Estate wines which took place on Friday 31st July. We have had several invitations to take part in tastings like this, but with no wine. Doing those just makes us feel envious and bereft, so we don't do it. Bellevue got the wines to us in good time and it was extremely enjoyable seeing some of the usual suspects doing the tasting as well. These are the four wines we tasted from Bellevue, which is in the Bottelary area of Stellenbosch, renowned for its Pinotages and Cabernets. Read on at

https://adamastorbacchus.blogspot.com/2020/07/bellevue-reserve-collection-launch.html

The Spring Flowers in the West Coast National Park at Postberg

Spring is around the corner and our magnificent spring flowers have begun to bloom up our West Coast. We haven't been for a couple of years and now that we have all the time in the world, we waited for the first sunny and headed off

It took us one hour and 8 minutes, leaving home at 8.30am to get to the gates of Postberg Nature Reserve up the R27. It is 88 kilometres from Cape Town. The road was remarkably free of traffic but, when we got there, there was a small queue. John had Googled the opening time which said 9, but it is actually 10 am. However, getting there before it opened meant that it was less crowded when we got in. If you go for the first time you need to know that once you have got through the gate and paid your entry fee, it is quite a long drive until you get into the actual park where the flowers are. Don’t give up! it does seem longer as you have to drive at 30 Km/h. There are not many flowers on the first stretch but, once you are in the park, they are everywhere. BUT the sun must be shining. They don’t open if it’s cloudy. There are dirt roads, but they are very well maintained. It will not damage your car. There were many SUVs, but we did see a couple of low-slung sports cars. Read on at

https://adamastorbacchus.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-spring-flowers-in-west-coast.html

Seafood supper at Sea Breeze Fish and Shell

During lock down we were restricted to our homes and very few businesses could continue to work. The hospitality industry was hard hit and so was the wine industry. Jordan Wine Estate was the first to come up with a clever idea - buy a voucher now for a meal at a favourite restaurant for use in the future when we would be allowed to go out and they would contribute the same value in wine. We each bought one! Although many have been hard hit in the wallet, many of us wanted to help assist these industries and we were no exception. They have been our business focus for many years and there are many friends we want to support. The Restaurant Rescue, initiated by Alex Dale of Radford Dale, was another project in the same vein and we decided to buy a voucher for the restaurant we would have gone to for my birthday in August, SeaBreeze Fish & Shell in Bree Street, and celebrate later. This is one of the best fish/seafood restaurants in the Cape. Their focus is on sourcing local, sustainable seafood. We also got six bottles of wine from De Grendel as part of the voucher system. The voucher cost R1200 and we think this was extremely good value. Now that we are on Level 2, we may now eat out at restaurant and so we went there last Friday night. The first time we have ventured out to a restaurant at night in nearly 6 months. Read on at

https://adamastorbacchus.blogspot.com/2020/09/seafood-supper-at-sea-breeze-fish-and.html

Lunch at Steenberg on a lovely spring day

It was the most beautiful spring day on Tuesday, we even saw temperatures as high as 26º while in the car. So what to do next? Well, a visit to Steenberg wine estate. They have a really good wine selection and also a very good Bistro restaurant. So we went and were given a very friendly welcome from Dunbar and a table on the terrace under an umbrella. It is always surprising how the weather can change so quickly from Winter to Spring. Read on at

https://adamastorbacchus.blogspot.com/2020/09/lunch-at-steenberg-on-lovely-spring-day.html

That’s it for now. We hope you’ll like these stories. Tomorrow we’ll be at a favourite wine estate and restaurant and we look forward to a Zoom wine tasting and cooking demo next week and who knows what else

See John's photographs and follow us on YouPic

Lunch at Steenberg on a lovely spring day

The fantastic mobile of glass grapes which hangs over the tasting centre

With weather like this, we wanted to sit on the terrace

They are carefully spaced apart and have lots of umbrellas for shade

The dishes of the day

We had only just sat down and were studying our menus and wine list when the manager arrived with two glasses of Steenberg MCC, a gift from Marketing Manager Heather Poulos who had spotted us arriving, masked and all! She later came to say hello. Now we really felt welcome

Yes Lynne does wear latex gloves when out as she is very allergic to hand sanitisers. She does sanitise the gloves regularly

Lovely bread, oil, balsamic vinegar and olives appeared while we were deciding what to eat and drink

The menu is brief but perfectly formed and changes often, as seasonal food does. You can find it online

https://www.steenbergfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Bistro-1682-Menus_21-August-2020.pdf

John had a huge open steak sandwich (medium rare as ordered) topped with a mound of crisp onion rings, Chimichurri Hollandaise, tender greens and sundried tomato pesto, and it comes with crisp chips. Definitely a place to chill out with great food

They allowed Lynne to have a starter doubled up as a main course, which was heavenly. She has been missing calamari very much during lock down and this was Cape Malay curried baby calamari perfectly cooked in a spiced tempura batter, crunchy crisp outside and meltingly tender inside. It comes with a lovely umami soy glaze, sesame seeds and an avocado mousse. And her two portions were in crisp filo pastry cups. Executive Chef, Kerry Kilpin is all about flavour

Lunch cost R400 with service

A great place to relax and chill at while enjoying lovely food

The wine cellar which is viewable from the entrance

We drove back the pretty way, through Constantia and over the neck, through Hout Bay which was deep in sea mist. The warm weather and the cold sea make lots of mist this time of the year which rolls in. And when we got onto the Atlantic coast it was out there at sea. John got a good photo of it coming in at the end of Camps Bay and Clifton but when we got there it had dispersed

More days out are planned and we are off to Jordan for lunch on Saturday to use up one of our vouchers, at their prompting, but it didn't take much! We love Chef George Jardine's food and are so happy they are now open

See John's photographs and follow us on YouPic

Seafood supper at Sea Breeze Fish and Shell

What felt so strange was getting dressed early evening to go out, and dressing smartly for the occasion. I put on makeup, eye shadow and lipstick (knowing that we would take our masks off while we were eating), and perfume. And had to find smart shoes that I could get my carpet slipper feet into again, they seem to have spread a bit. We left home at a quarter to six and arrived slightly early at Sea Breeze Fish and Shell restaurant, where we had made our reservation. They have seating outside and parking was easy

They obey all the necessary precautions and procedures and the tables are well spaced apart. This means fewer customers, but it was good to see that they were busy. We booked for 6 because of the curfew and asked if they would be able to "turn the table" at 8? No, because we were expecting a power cut at 8 so they had to close. Damn Eskom. They close on Sunday and Monday. Check out the website for opening hours, http://www.seabreezecapetown.co.za/ They also have an on-line shop and do takeaways and deliveries

They take all your details at the door and there is hand sanitiser there and on every table. The staff are friendly and attentive, but not overly, thank heavens and we were served very quickly.. And they were nicely full, given that the numbers that they can now accommodate are reduced

It is a very efficient looking open kitchen. Those oysters looked really big and fresh

The menu is small but perfectly formed, featuring fish and seafood and there are vegetarian options. There is a very good range of prices and covers a wide range of tastes and desires. The menus are one time only photocopies which are destroyed once you have made your order; the wine list is laminated

The restaurant is run by husband-and-wife team Alex and Ruth Grahame, who just happen to be near neighbours of ours. Chef Alex came to welcome us and we had a chat about how hard Lock Down had been for the restaurants and the staff. They are so pleased to be back at work. We saw a few people whom we recognised eating there and had a chat to Dane Raath, an old friend in our wine world who, with his mother Kathy Raath, runs their successful beverage merchandising business, Raath Promotions. Another company that was badly hit by lock down, but is now doing lots of business and trying to catch up on the losses. He was there with his wife and young son, also enjoying being out

John's starter was a very fresh ceviche of Hake with a squid ink mayonnaise. The food may sound simple on the menu; it is not and when it arrives you can see the attention to detail and you know that the cooking is perfection, everything is done with such precision and flavour, the right way, as it should be. It was quite a heady feeling, eating top class food again, cooked by a chef who is expert at his craft. We liked the wine list; it is a very good selection and you can order all the wines by the glass, a 500ml carafe or by the bottle. As John was driving, we ordered one carafe and could not resist one of our favourite wines, Kevin Grant's Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc from the Hemel and Aarde, a wine made to go with sea food

Lynne could not decide on whether she wanted prawns for main or starter - she finds good prawns hard to resist - and opted for the starter portion. Large, tender and tasting as they should, of the sea; they were just what she wanted. Served on an Asian salad of crunchy slivered vegetables, with a Sesame mayonnaise and crisp deep fried parsley 'seaweed'. You can order these as a main

John had the Cape Malay Seafood curry and no, it was not full of leftovers (as it can be and often is in restaurants), but with as good a selection of excellent fish and seafood as possible and loads of flavour. It came with coriander rice and rotis

Lynne was in raptures over my main course of fresh, moist and flaky Grilled Saldanha Bay Sea Trout with minted peas, beans and spring onions, herb oil, a lovely refreshing grapefruit mayonnaise and sliced radish. The flavours and textures really worked together so well. The wine sang with this dish

And we did crack and order some of Chef’s crisp chips as a side to share. We had these at a function we attended here last year and they are excellent

We shared the only dessert which was a generous slice of an apple crumble baked cheesecake. It comes with a wicked salted caramel sauce; scrumptious. Everything was delicious. . Perhaps the dessert was a step too far for us as we are not used to eating 3 courses anymore (we happily used to be able to do 5 or more at past functions. We will have to get back into practice - if there ever are such events again. We left rather full but very happy. Do try this restaurant, we do heartily recommend it. Our voucher covered the price of the meal with some left for the staff

We collected our case of De Grendel wine which was part of the voucher deal we had bought, departed just before 8 and arrived home just in time for the second power cut of the day. We lit a fire, lots of candles and Lynne collapsed on the sofa, John in his armchair, with our head torches and books. Some may even have had a tiny nap, it’s the full tums and the warmth and dark that does it. A lovely evening and so good to get out of the house

See John's photographs and follow us on YouPic

About us

MENU, our weekly email newsletter, started as an advertising medium for Main Ingredient, our specialist retail grocery business. We opened our Sea Point shop in December 2002 because realised that there was a place in South Africa for a grocer catering to people with sophisticated tastes and needs. We moved the shop on line in 2010, but discontinued it in 2015, having decided that it is time to “retire” and concentrate on our writing, photography and tour guiding. MENU has a wide circulation and is read nationally and internationally.

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