Thursday, December 09, 2021

Birthday Lunch at Cheyne's, Hout Bay

John's birthday on the 27th of November started on the hill behind and above Hout Bay, where we visited a family friend
She was holding a memorial for one of her sons who, tragically, succumbed to Covid this year
The view from her house is spectacular

Lynne had booked a table at Cheyne's in Hout Bay for 1 pm
Chef Cheyne Morrisby is renowned for his Asian inspired food and we are great fans of good Asian food,
so we wanted to sample it; this was a good time to do so

The same building also houses Lucky Bao, serving Bao, Ramen and Burgers
and the Superette where you can buy ingredients for home cooking. Chef Cheyne Morrisby runs both

Inside, it is rather atmospheric with lots of cherry blossom,
but we chose to eat on the back verandah, as it was a lovely day

Under the awning with our polite and attentive waiter, Tatenda, opening our wine
He was very interested in what we were drinking, so we gave him some to taste. They charge R50 corkage
It was a wine from our cellar that was given to us on John's birthday a few years ago
We wanted to taste it with Asian food; it went so well with all the food

This is Cheyne's Yum Cha menu. We made four choices each, so eight dishes to share
The current special is a 4 dish tasting experience for R340 per head

The drinks menu. Well-chosen wines, many available by the glass

and the Lucky Bao menu

The wine we brought - Die Kluisenaar 2016 was made and given to us by Johan Malan, cellarmaster at Simonsig,
who is the Kluisenaar, (translation: The Grapesmith). It is a blend of  Rhône varietals Roussanne and Marsanne
A limited release. Aromas of lime blossoms, citrus, peach, baked apple, and a caramel wood note
It is rich and ripe with a good mouth feel; full of layers of golden fruit, some minerality and length. Perfect with food

Food began to arrive, two or three dishes at a time. This is the Sea Bass Sashimi which came with a supplement of R60
The menu said that the accompaniments were house ponzu, jalapeno, picked ginger and toasted sesame
Not a very generous portion, sadly, but we did enjoy it
 There were also dots of salty caviar and some crisps and red onion slices

This was by far the best dish of them all. Wonderful aubergine tempura
The aubergine inside the fabulous crisp pastry was so soft and gooey, with great flavour
The umami sauce was Unagi (fresh water eel) and a salted caramel lime Aioli with a dusting of chilli flakes

Good deep fried Chilli salt baby squid; tender and cooked to perfection and there were crisp tentacles as well,
with a sesame mayo and a green chilli caramel. There was also wakame seaweed beneath the squid

Baby shrimp tempura was correctly described, as the portion and the shrimps were small. A bit over cooked, so rather dry
The garlic truffle mayo was gentle and seemed to have a chilli sprinkle
We think the purple blob was beetroot kimchi or could it have been seaweed?

The Mumbai Chilli beef came swathed in herbs, onion rings, carrot and coconut flakes
Beneath was glistening strands of hard beef, coated in a good teriyaki sticky sauce, and sesame seeds
 Reminiscent of biltong, done in an Asian style

Roasted and pulled lamb-filled, very rich and briefly steamed Gyoza dumplings,
on pickled cucumber slices and topped with fresh mint
 On the side, what tasted like a good oyster sauce and wasabi yoghurt

Another good dish was the Duck lime leaf and miso croquettes, very rich and moreish on a sriracha mayo,
and another sticky sweet sauce with flaked coconut
 We did question why such a meaty, rich dish had salty caviar on top; it didn’t work with the duck, for us

Our eighth and final dish was the Grilled beef fillet Kushiyaki - skewered and grilled on a Hibachi,
with a cardamom, ginger and chilli dipping sauce. Sadly, the picture did not appear
It has a supplement of R40
Our bill with service, supplements and corkage was R915
The 8 courses were filling and we did take a small doggie bag home with a duck croquette and Mumbai Chilli beef
In front of us were four young people, who looked like students and they were tucking in to the Lucky Bao menu
Burgers, Bowls - Poke and Ramen, The loaded chips did look very good

There are some interesting plaques embedded in the wall

and bamboo in the back garden enhances the atmosphere

Lots of softly rustling old Poplar trees that must have been planted when we were young, they are so big

watched by a red-winged starling, just waiting for a chance to pinch something off our plates. No chance!

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New Summer menu at Creation wine estate

There are some invitations you cannot refuse so, when Carolyn Martin of Creation Wines in the beautiful Hemel and Aarde valley asked us to come and sample and write about their new summer wine pairing menu, which they were about to launch, we accepted rapidly. Creation has won some very prestigious awards for their excellent wines, but also for the best experience. 2021: Most Innovative Wine Estate in South Africa and Global from Great Wine Capitals of the World and, in 2019, voted Tim Atkin's Best Cellar Door Experience

We organised accommodation for that night, knowing that we would not be fit to drive back to town. Our dear friends who have a cottage in the area, which is on Airbnb, did not have a booking for the night and kindly let us stay there. It turned out to be a very, very special two midweek days filled with great wines and superb food, despite the iffy weather



The view from the hill above the estate of the tasting room, restaurant and cellar

On the lawn, photographs were being taken of the plates and wine for the website and for publication

and the weather was playing ball, while the kitchen was being kept very busy, producing photo-ready course after course

The models and a table setting

Carolyn showing Lynne some changes to the front area, where she had hung beautiful plants in her hanging herbarium

You go through Covid protocols before entering. And there are sanitiser bottles on all the tables

All the ingredients in the menu are sourced locally and the menu is gluten free. A Plant based menu can be arranged

The Welcome is warm Popcorn, flavoured with Oregano salt

served with Creation 2020 Sauvignon Blanc - "Minerality Rules", which has classic fig leaf, granadilla on the nose
 It is clean, green and zingy with minerality on the palate, a good introduction to the menu

The Experience Creation menu is presented with a perfumed viola, reminiscent of the perfume in Pinot Noir



A huge and beautiful king protea graced our table

Carolyn joined us to explain the new menu and the pairings

We began at 11.30 and the restaurant was full by midday. So do book if you want to come for lunch

This is a wonderful addition, especially during Covid. Hot water is poured into the two front holes, then the wadding rolls are added to those holes and voila! they swell and become warm cloths to clean and refresh your hands

The Creation Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Chapter 1: Passion. A delicious, gluten free warm seed roll with tomato, onion, basil and kelp,
on a vine leaf with a tiny fiddle fern top, and a small dish of herbal chimichurri

Paired with Creation 2020 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend, "Oceans Gift"
The Semillon shines first, then in comes the Sauvignon Blanc
The wine is initially soft and elegant, then layers of lime and lemon flavours appear;
a lovely mouthfeel, crisp and full of fruit and minerality

You can pull the warm roll apart and dip or spread on the green herby chimichurri
The salted caramel kelp is local & comes from Betty’s Bay

Should you not want to do this particular pairing menu, there is an A' la Carte menu with larger portions,
each having a suggested paired wine

Chapter 2: Innovation, is paired with Creation 2019 Chardonnay - "Chic Chardonnay" which is a classic
 Golden, bready and rich on the nose, full and rounded with lime & golden fruit on the palate

The Art of Chardonnay 2020 and Reserve Chardonnay 2020,
each of which received Five stars in the 2022 Platter, are sold out

The perfect match for the beautiful, soft Langkloof trout ribbons which have been lightly cured and smoked, served with
a spicy sriracha mayonnaise, on a chive, lime and coconut sauce, sprinkled with togarashi spice and sesame seeds

Chapter 3: Déjà Vu, “Sunshine on the Atlantic"
Creation 2020 Cool Climate Chenin. Honey notes with golden stone fruit on the nose, more layers of fruit on the palate,
a good balance of sunshine, fruit, crispness and ripeness, even though it has an R.S. of only 2.2 gm/l

The dish is a slice of seared king oyster mushroom with a good meaty texture, on a smoked duck,
onion and mushroom duxelle, shimeji and shiitake mushrooms and truffle in a green sauce
A truly wonderful dish, where the king mushroom brings out some sweetness in the Chenin; the perfect pairing for it
It is one of those dishes for which people will ask for larger portions; it is that good

The alternate dish for John was off the A' la Carte menu:
Green beans and Miso with a dairy free cheese, topped with lightly pickled red onion
John does not normally like pickles, but he says they made this dish
The beans were crisply al dente, just the way we like them,
and covered in a good umami sauce; the soft, flavourful cheese reminded us of soft white cannellini beans 

Chapter 4: Resonance: "Madame Meilland rose" paired with the pretty 2021 Creation Grenache Rosé,
which has an aroma of rose, peach and lime and is summery, slightly savoury (that's the Grenache),
crisp, fruity with minerality, bold and present and oh, so good with food

This dish is inspiring and a real palate cleanser. A blend of clean and summery fresh tomato gazpacho with watermelon,
with small squares of pickled cucumber and topped with a scoop of iced gazpacho to keep you cool
 Beautifully presented in a tiny cup on a Creation Pinot Noir leaf dish, made locally


Chapter 5: Charisma "Forever Romantic" with Creation 2020 Reserve Pinot Noir
This wine received Five stars in the 2022 Platter
Perfume, umami, dark berries with a hint of wood on the nose
On the palate, soft and unctuous with complex layers of cherry and berries,
a good acid balance and wood on the end

Tender springbok fillet wrapped in perfect pancetta
 Served with blackberries and creamed goat’s cheese with a berry and cream sauce
The fresh blackberries 'pinged' so well with the Pinot Noir, wow!

Carolyn also asked us to try their 2019 Art of Pinot Noir with the dish. A privilege indeed
This wine has recently won Five stars at the Platter Awards and was awarded 97 points by Tim Atkin,
British Master of Wine and international judge. And it is so worthy of these accolades
Perfumed with rose and violets, a raspberry parade with some cherries on the nose; so pretty
Layers and layers of complexity on the deep palate, with lovely raspberry, cherry and mulberry fruit melding into one
Wood is present, but supporting rather than overpowering, and there is perfume right to the end. Special

The dish with its sauces added

Now nicely busy in the restaurant


Chapter 6: Alchemy. Time for dessert paired with Creation Viognier "Vivaldi in a glass"
Titled Apricot, Coconut, Meringue, it is a small pastry tart filled with vanilla crème patissière
and topped with sliced apricot in a case of superbly skilfully made, fine crisp pastry
A dollop of coconut milk ice cream (must try to make this it was so good), a shard of meringue and a crumb,
made with xylitol rather than sugar. A good match with the Viognier,
which echoes the apricot and has enough good fruit acidity to glide softly with the sweetness of the dessert

We were also asked to taste the dessert on the A' la Carte menu,
which is titled Trifle gluten free sponge, coconut and berries
The fresh raspberry sorbet with rosewater is superb and sings with the Rosé
The trifle sponge is topped with strawberries and blueberries, a disk of coconut marshmallow and a disk of berry jelly. Paired with the dessert, the Rosé showed its fine character to the full

We met the two pastry chefs and were asked to comment on the dishes
as they are still doing small tweaks with the menu


The final course is Chapter 7: Tribute, served with Creation Fine Cape Vintage Port "Sweet Temptation",
which is a rich, dark, plummy port, made from Syrah,
with good balance of dark berry fruit, spice and alcohol, and long delicious flavours
One could spend an afternoon enjoying this after the good lunch
It comes with a really decadent chocolate truffle. They should box and sell those

John's double espresso coffee

Without her mask, the new Head Chef, "Prof" Eleanor Niehaus has a charming smile
She has returned to Creation, where she worked previously as a sous chef
Having tasted the menu, we think she is succeeding very well

Another of those superb King Proteas

Pincushion proteas in the garden

The garden is full of wonderful indigenous plantings and special sculptures by Janko de Beer, which are for sale


Creation was awarded the accolade of 10th place in the World’s Best Vineyards 2021 competition
and first place among African wine producers
Aside from being a place of great beauty, Creation offers a very special experience to the visitor,
with excellent wines, paired with a carefully chosen menu and great service. How beautiful is that view?


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Posted by MENU at 3:47 pm 0 comments
Location: Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa
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