A new menu for two at Kyoto Garden

We do enjoy being guinea pigs when restaurants want to try out a new menu or idea. This week, we were invited to Kyoto Garden to sample the new Menu for two people, which they are launching soon.

There are not many authentic Japanese restaurants in Cape Town. Kyoto Garden is very good. It is at 11 Kloof Nek Road, opposite Miller's Thumb

The bar, the sushi station with the sushi chef and the kitchen in the background. They have a good selection of Japanese beer, sake and whiskies as well as a good local wine list. Lynne enjoyed a glass of Steenberg Chardonnay and John a glass of Vrede and Lust Chenin with our meal. Both are wooded

First course was a nicely seasoned tuna tartare topped with spring onion; it is an amuse size and a palate delighter. The soy sauce dressing has a very light touch of wasabi, which adds a delicate accent to the umami of the soy, but avoids the typical wasabi heat. You get one each

Next was a shared dish of briefly seared salmon slices on a seaweed and baby spinach leave salad, with enoki and other blanched mushrooms, spring onion and wasabi. It comes with a rich sauce tasting of miso and soy with wasabi. You can use the sauce to dip or you can pour it over the salad.

Then you share a selection of sushi, nigiri and sashimi. All are delicious; the tuna was exceptionally fresh and pink, almost translucent. The platter comes with shaved daikon radish, wasabi and pickled ginger. The white fish is very fresh Cape salmon

The restaurant sometimes imports fresh wasabi root from Japan or Canada and we were lucky enough to be given some to taste and to grate on the authentic shark skin grater. Yes, that is real raspy shark skin. The wasabi was not as hot as we expected and quite creamy in taste. We liked it

Eating sushi at the bar

The restaurant is very light and airy, the decor simply, elegantly Japanese

Next a plate of mixed vegetable tempura to share. It is light, crisp and fresh, just the way is should be. It is accompanied by more daikon, a slice of lemon to squeeze and a dipping sauce. We found cauliflower, a bean, broccoli, yellow pepper, lotus root, sweet potato, aubergine and a basil leaf in the stack. The aubergine was soft and sweet inside its crisp coating, the sweet potato and the lotus root were both very special

Then a bowl each of Ramin noodles with prawns, leeks and green beans. Nice miso stock with the soup

The meal will finish with a dessert. We were given two to sample, a delicious fresh and creamy ginger ice cream accompanied by crisp Japanese wafer biscuits. And a sesame seed ice-cream, unusual but very good

We have not seen the menu yet and believe the price is going to be R780 for two, plus wine

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017

MENU's Wine of the Week. 2006 Nabygelegen Seventeen Twelve Merlot-led Bordeaux blend

This is the robust wine we used in the Lamb Shank recipe and there was enough left over to have two glasses with it. We are so pleased we have more because it was superb. It is a Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot

We would not have expected an 11 year old wine still to be so fresh and full of ripe berry fruit. It has held everything, the fruit, the acid, the wood and the chalky tannin all melding together to make a very enjoyable wine. You can still buy it from the farm , the current release is 2014. Well done James. http://www.nabygelegen.co.za/our-wines/

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017

Franschhoek Summer Wines

What a lovely festival this is. It showcases the Franschhoek wines you might want to drink in the summer: their bubblies, white wines and some rosés. It was held at under marquees on the lawn at Leopard’s Leap, where the farms set up their stalls to showcase the one wine that each was allowed, appropriate to the day. 26 Franschhoek farms were represented; the wines were chilled, so were the visitors and much happiness ensued. We tasted, chatted to the farms’ representatives, had a light lunch and bought some wine to take home

White was the cooling theme and a white tented world welcomed us. If you bought water from the water stand on the left, you will be happy to know that all the money is used to support children who would not be able to study ballet without this funding

Taking time off from harvesting, a happy, smiling winemaker, Dawie Botha of Antonij Rupert wines with his Cape of Good Hope Riebeeksriver Caroline 2013 which John really liked. It is made from Chenin from 30-year-old vines, plus Roussanne and Viognier. Oaked, tangerine citrus and classy

Always fun to chat to Nick Davis of Morena and taste his lovely Cap Classique Brut Rosé, made from 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay; zesty and lively

Peter Kampmeinert, our friend who visits every year at this time from Holland, with Lynne enjoying the chat and the Morena MCC

Taking a day off from her own harvest is KWV winemaker Anneke du Plessis 

Looking rosy with health, Irene Waller, General Manager and winemaker at La Bri. The Cellar Door Rosé at R65 was a steal, so summery and so refreshing

Guess what we drank with our lunch? A gift from winemaker DP Burger who refused to let us pay for it, a bottle of Glenwood's just released white Bordeaux bland of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. It is a lovely, satisfying blend with nice depth and richness from the Semillon. It is a food wine and went really well with the Pork Belly tortillas produced in the Leopard’s Leap kitchen

John was allowed into the kitchen to photograph the preparation of the simple but good food on offer. A cheese platter with fresh figs and chutney

The kitchen was very organised and there was no waiting for lunch. The girls behind the counter

The tortilla was packed full of good pork, vegetables and a spicy sauce

Sitting inside for lunch on the terrace with the cooling misters going

Girls having fun and enjoying a bottle of La Couronne Chenin blanc

Good music played all through the event

Magic 828 AM Broadcaster Guy MacDonald and Bronwen, enjoying the magic!

Oh no, up on the mountain behind us, a horrible fire broke out and raced up the mountain. They did eventually get it under control, but it was frightening to watch

Some enthusiastic tasters at the Bellingham stand, tasting the very good Old Vines Chenin Blanc with Marguerite Nel. Once you had your generous tasting portion, they crossed it off the list. There was plenty of wine to enjoy and lots to buy.

Boschendal winemaker Tammy Jaftha blowing a kiss!

Franschhoek Cellar showed their 2015 Chardonnay to a happy imbiber

Relaxing under the umbrellas. So much shade was provided this year and very much appreciated it was  too

Who has had a super day! And a large chocolate ice cream. This is the daughter of Pippa Pringle, who looks after public relations for the Franschhoek Valley and invited us. Lynne was also happy as she bought a case of La Chataigne's Kastanje 2014 Chenin Blanc. It is caramel toffee on the nose, crisp and full on the palate, a lovely Chenin with some age, just how she likes them

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017

This week’s recipe in MENU is Preserving Plums

To remind you how short our summer fruit season is and to remember to cook some of the fruits so you can have lovely puddings in the winter. It is plum season at present and a plum crumble on a cold winter day is superb. You may not realise how easy it is to make and freeze for use in a few months time.

Stewed Plums for freezing

1 kilo of red or purple plums (NOT prune plums, you want the juicy sharp and tangy plums) - ¼ t cinnamon - 1 teaspoon of butter - 2 Tablespoons water - 2 Tablespoons sugar or more according to your own taste and the ripeness of the plums - a pinch of salt

Halve the plums and remove the pips. Put all the ingredients in a deep pot and cook gently until the plums begin to melt and form a nice juice. Don't cook until it is all mush, leave some shape. Taste, adjust the sugar and add a pinch of salt to intensify the flavours. Pack into freezer boxes and freeze till you need them. 

To make the tart or crumble, put the defrosted plums into a pie plate and cover with shortcrust pastry - glaze the top with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, or just add a crumble top with some added chopped almonds. You can do this with other fruit too, like cling peaches, apricots and cherries

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017

This Week's MENU. Yzerfontein, Darling, Brandy Alexander, Getaway Good Value wines, Wine & recipe of the week

A flight of Black oystercatchers at Yzerfontein on the West Coast

We have had a busy start to the year, fixing things at home, taking clients on tours to the Winelands and even being part of a British TV commercial, but our world is waking up and we have stories to tell you.

•       A Summer Holiday in Yzerfontein
        A West Coast Day
        Brandy Alexander Day at Shaker with Distell
        The Getaway Best Value Wine Awards
        This week’s recipe
        MENU's Wine of the Week

This year certainly has had a dry start. The drought is severe in the Western Cape and if the rains don't come this winter, and early, we are going to be in serious trouble. Apparently we only have enough water for about 80 days. And getting the last 10% out of the dams is apparently not an option. It has rained this week, the first time in our area for months and it was lovely; it won’t be enough, so we hope for more. We are getting a lot of exercise watering a few of our precious plants by hand, the rest of the garden is dying. No hoses or watering systems are allowed

Now, it is harvest time in the Winelands and it is all GO again. We will be writing about several harvest festivals and experiences that we have been invited to. We would encourage you to go to these if you can, they are so much fun and a very good way to see how hard farms have to work in this season. Most winemakers are very short of sleep, having to work incredibly long hours, not only to get the grapes in to the cellar, but then deal with them and start the wine making process. The smell of fresh ripe grapes going into a crusher is a superb, never to be forgotten aroma. And tasting the freshly pressed grape juice, not yet fermented, is something you will never forget, it’s sensational.

A Summer Holiday in Yzerfontein     

After the hectic activity of our year, we decided to take a week off and booked a small flat at the side of a house in Yzerfontein, about 1½ hours north of Cape Town. It was at the edge of a dune. We do live by the sea but a holiday right on the front with no buildings in front of us, no traffic, fresh sea air and lazy days are what we crave. We read books, ate and drank well, walked on the beach, watched the birds and enjoyed the beautiful sunsets. A restorative for our souls, which was all too short but very beautiful....

A West Coast Day 

You might think the West Coast is quite sleepy but it is not! There are so many things to do up there. While we were on holiday there, we accepted two invitations from Darling people which included wine and food: Lukas Wentzel at Groote Post and Charles Withington of the Darling Wine shop, who was doing a wine tasting at Chicory Cheese restaurant. We decided to see them both on the same day so we could spend the other days relaxing by the sea! Tasting wine from the tanks, lunch at Hilda's and a game drive at Groote Post with Lukas

Brandy Alexander Day at Shaker with Distell     

Cocktails or straight up? We love having our predilections challenged. We like good brandy, gin and whisk(e)y. We didn't think that we liked cocktails. Distell threw us in at the deep end and taught us how to make some cocktails with their brandies. We had a ball and loved the experience, although it did have an effect on the rest of the afternoon. And yes, we took the bus there and back. First, we sampled some great brandies and imported cognacs.....

The Getaway Best Value Wine Awards     

Almost 250 wines were entered for this annual competition and we attended the awards ceremony this week. Should you want a copy, this year's Getaway Best Value Wines Guide is bagged with the February issue of Getaway, which is on sale from 23 January 2017. Results are also are also available at www.bestvaluewineguide.com  Wines to enjoy without breaking your budget.....

This week’s recipe in MENU is Preserving Plums

To remind you how short our summer fruit season is and to remember to cook some of the fruits so you can have lovely puddings in the winter. It is plum season at present and a plum crumble on a cold winter day is superb. You may not realise how easy it is to make and freeze for use in a few months time.

Stewed Plums for freezing

1 kilo of red or purple plums (NOT prune plums, you want the juicy sharp and tangy plums) - ¼ t cinnamon - 1 teaspoon of butter - 2 Tablespoons water - 2 Tablespoons sugar or more according to your own taste and the ripeness of the plums - a pinch of salt

Halve the plums and remove the pips. Put all the ingredients in a deep pot and cook gently until the plums begin to melt and form a nice juice. Don't cook until it is all mush, leave some shape. Taste, adjust the sugar and add a pinch of salt to intensify the flavours. Pack into freezer boxes and freeze till you need them.

To make the tart or crumble, put the defrosted plums into a pie plate and cover with shortcrust pastry - glaze the top with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, or just add a crumble top with some added chopped almonds. You can do this with other fruit too, like cling peaches, apricots and cherries.

MENU's Wine of the Week: Altydgedacht Gewürztraminer 2014     

We showed this wine in a tasting of Teutonic varietals with our wine club recently. It is one of very few bone dry examples of this varietal in produced in South Africa. Like Riesling, Gewürztraminer does not have a large following, largely because it is not well understood. It is a delicate and aromatic wine, typically with roses and a little spice on the nose (gewürz is the German word for spice) and Turkish delight and litchis on the palate with lightly spicy notes   Many people assume....

7th February 2017
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Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please click here to send us a message.

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