Friday, June 04, 2021

In MENU This Week - Paul Cluver at The Vineyard, Ocean Basket supper

 A double-headed Strelitzia reginae Aiton 'Mandela's Gold' in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

So the ongoing effects of the damage caused by the government's corruption and neglect of infrastructure continue to hurt all South Africans. This week has seen more disruption from so-called "Load-Shedding", as the impact of Eskom's inability to provide enough power is called, because of the increased demands of Winter. When it strikes in the first part of the evening, we sometimes go out for a meal to occupy the hours of darkness. We did it again this week....

Celebrating Chardonnay Day at the Vineyard Hotel with Paul Cluver

Another invitation we could not refuse: "Would you like to come to a dinner paired with Paul Cluver Chardonnays to celebrate International Chardonnay day?" said Roy Davies, General Manager of the Vineyard Hotel. Yes please. We have always put Paul Cluver Chardonnay high up on our favourite list of good chardonnays



Locked Down, Blacked Out - Supper at Ocean Basket, Sea Point

Out on the town again! Celebrating.... what? A Power cut or, as they call it here, Load Shedding at the power company. And another lockdown with a curfew of 11pm, which has sent the restaurants into another down turn. Our particular period of lock down was the one we hate the most: 8 to 10.30 pm. So we decided to spoil ourselves and go down the road (literally) to our local Ocean Basket for a simple supper. We love it there, as the seafood is fresh, reasonably priced and we can take our own wine. And we also do take our own wine glasses, theirs being a bit thick and clunky. Cheers!
Read on...

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Celebrating Chardonnay Day at the Vineyard Hotel with Paul Cluver

Another invitation we could not refuse: "Would you like to come to a dinner paired with Paul Cluver Chardonnays to celebrate International Chardonnay day?" said Roy Davies, General Manager of the Vineyard Hotel. Yes please. We have always put Paul Cluver Chardonnay high up on our favourite list of good chardonnays



We arrived at 6.30 to a warm welcome

They have some good specials on at the moment that might attract some of you. The restaurant that was called Myoga has now closed and has been reopened as the main restaurant in the hotel. Chef Mike Basset is in charge of the Restaurant and other catering facilities in the hotel

A welcoming glass of 2014 Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay
It shows no age and is the same crisp and lively Chardonnay we expected

Nicely spaced in the small lounge while we wait for dinner

Paul Cluver Cellarmaster Andries Burger and his wife Inge were there to take us through the Chardonnays

The Vineyard's General Manager Roy Davies

Andries said Elgin is apple country, and that Paul Cluver was a pioneer back in 1987 when they planted the first grapes there. Making wine is a passion for him. They first planted 128 Chardonnay vines next to the river and the first harvest was in 2008. This year, the Cape had a long slow vintage, so the wines should be very good. We know that Elgin certainly has the perfect climate for cool country wines, white and red, both with great concentration, minerality and superb flavour. A tip from Lynne: If you smell fig leaves on a white wine, it is probably from Elgin

All the guests were enjoying the 2014 Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay

Time to take our seats in the restaurant

The kitchen is partially open to view

The menu showing the wine pairings

First, an Amuse from the kitchen, which came with very enticing aromas. It is an arancini ball containing risotto rice and melting cheese, in a cheese fondue sauce and a herb oil. Lovely flavours, with good umami notes. It was served with the Paul Cluver Village Chardonnay 2020, which is very lightly wooded. The sort of Chardonnay that lights up your life and a meal; crisp, zingy and full of Granny Smith apple, lime and lemon flavours, with length and excitement

Sticky mosbolletjies and some cheese straws

The same wine was served with the starter of two small, glazed Baby Chicken Supremes, a Berbere Ethiopian spice infused Albafura sauce (an intense classic French reduced chicken stock flavoured with red pepper), a Pomme Anna square, broccoli spears and dehydrated pink grapes. Lovely aromas wafted off the plate and the sauce was unctuous and delicious

The main course was served with Paul Cluver's flagship Chardonnay, the 2018 Seven Flags. It has a classic French Chardonnay nose; deep, with hints of spiced oranges and, on the palate, complex, crisp and clean with lime, butter and wood. So, so good with food

The first thing detected from the main course of Grilled, crisp skin salmon was a wonderful aroma of truffle and peas and when Lynne checked the menu that, indeed, was what was on the plate. It was resting on buttered gnocchi and mussels, in a lake of green pea velouté. A perfect, rich match for the Seven Flags

Dessert was served with the Paul Cluver Estate 2018 Chardonnay, the one we bought most recently. Andries commented that he had never really thought of it as a dessert wine, but that it was a very good match. Lovely aromas of citrus, green melon and brioche and, on the palate, lime, tangerine and vanilla from the wood. Refreshing with the dessert of glazed lightly barbequed pineapple sprinkled with pepper, a rocher of peach ice cream, topped with a crisp dehydrated slice of pineapple, and a slice of toasted poppy seed lemon chiffon cake. There was a distinct hint of smoky bacon on the pineapple, perhaps from the grill. Another good match with the wine

For John, a very good double espresso, for Lynne a pot of Green Tea as a digestif
A lovely meal and a great pairing with Paul Cluver's exceptional Chardonnays

The wines we tasted
Thank you to all concerned and especially Andries and Inge Burger and Roy Davies, great table companions

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Locked Down, Blacked Out - Supper at Ocean Basket, Sea Point

Out on the town again! Celebrating.... what? A Power cut or, as they call it here, Load Shedding at the power company. And another lockdown with a curfew of 11pm, which has sent the restaurants into another down turn. Our particular period of lock down was the one we hate the most: 8 to 10.30 pm. So we decided to spoil ourselves and go down the road (literally) to our local Ocean Basket for a simple supper. We love it there, as the seafood is fresh, reasonably priced and we can take our own wine. And we also do take our own wine glasses, theirs being a bit thick and clunky. Cheers!

As you can see, it was not busy, just us and about four other tables
They close at 9, so we had an hour to order and eat
It is a pity more locals do not do what we do and eat out when we have power cuts

From our cellar, a bottle we thought would go well with sea food - a 2014 Creation Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a farm in the Hemel and Aarde valley that we love going to; the wine and the welcome are terrific, as are the food offerings there. And you might be thinking that the wine was a bit old? Well, not a bit of it. It was fresh and a delight - lively and, classically, a good crisp and elegant Sauvignon Blanc which went perfectly with our food

This is what we planned to order and what we thought we had ordered
Platters for One
BITE OF THE OCEAN
3 prince prawns, fish & calamari
R 140

This is what arrived. 
PLATTER FOR 1
3 mussels, 6 prince prawns, fish, calamari & calamari heads
R 190

There was a bit of a confusion with our order to our kind waitress, Anita, but we forgive her as this was much better. A bargain at R190 each and so, so enjoyable. We asked for just chips, instead of half chips and rice. And we specified crispy chips as usual. As John always says, really double cook the chips and when you think they are cooked, put them back in the oil again. The platter has 6 butterflied King prawns, tender baby calamari hoods and crispy tentacles, three mussels in their shell in a cream sauce, and a slice of very good fish in an amazing lemon garlic sauce. What more could you ask for? We had one each 

We will be back




Saturday, May 22, 2021

SALT Restaurant at Waterford Estate

Great news. Chefs Craig Cormack and Beau du Toit have opened their restaurant, Salt, at Waterford Wine Estate, so you can look forward to a combination of great wines, paired with superb food. We were invited to join a small party and sample both this last week. Waterford is one of the most attractive wine estates in Stellenbosch, up the Blaauwklippen road, and we are always met with a very warm welcome. They have many things to experience and enjoy on the farm; have a look at their website https://www.waterfordestate.co.za/

It was a small group that was invited; people we often used to meet at media functions like this and whom we have missed seeing very much. L to R Journalist Fiona McDonald; Kevin Arnold, Managing Partner and Cellarmaster at Waterford; Damien Joubert-Winn, Head of Sales and Marketing at Waterford; Lynne and Journalist Graham Howe

Salt chefs Craig Cormack and Beau du Toit. We are always very happy to see them cooking;
they produce such great food. They also have a catering company called Goose Roasters

Kevin Arnold shows a wine to Pamela McOnie of Cape Fusion Tours and James Pietersen of The Wine Cellar

The long table on the verandah with Chef Craig joining us for a short while
to tell us about the menu and his philosophy of seasoning with salt
Between Graham Howe and Craig is Maryna Calow who is Communications Manager at Wines of South Africa

A smiling Kevin Arnold, Cellarmaster and Managing Partner of Waterford Wine Estate since 1998
Kevin was one of the founding partners with Jeremy and Leigh Ord
They have had a good harvest in what has been a difficult year for the wine industry

Chef Craig Cormack is well known as the man who knows all about Salt.
He has collected Salts from all over the world. He sells them and he uses them in his cooking

Winemaker Mark le Roux came to suggest some Waterford wines to accompany lunch and to have a chat
He has been very busy with the harvest. We have not seen him for quite a while

The Menu is small but perfectly formed!

What to choose ....? It was not easy

To start, a plate of small delights to share. Potato bitterballen, very crisp sesame encrusted spanakopita triangles,
a delicious Imam Bayildi aubergine and tomato dip, freshly churned butter and soft sourdough bread

A lightly seared, succulent fillet of SASSI Orange listed Red Roman fish on a bed of plump smoked mussels, spicy chorizo in a lake of a classic saffron bourride sauce and topped with crisp melting slices of aubergine was hard to resist. The flavours took one right back to the Mediterranean coast. We were offered different wines to pair with each dish. The wine that came with the fish was the 2018 Waterford Grenache Noir, chosen because of the savoury flavours of the bourride and the chorizo. Lynne asked if she could also taste the unwooded Waterford Estate Chardonnay and was pleased to say that both are, in their own way, beautiful pairings. The crisp Chardonnay, with richness on the nose and palate with lemon and lime flavours, went beautifully with the moist, delicate fish but also put the spicy sauce in its place. And the absolutely delicious fruity and robust Grenache, lighter in colour but not in flavour, has all the charm and flavour to enhance this good dish. It is also the style of Grenache often found near the Mediterranean. Lots of cherry, mulberry and some savouriness

The slow braised and tender Hantam Karoo lamb shank, wrapped in lamb bacon, had the bone removed and was served with a flavourful lentil and vegetable stew, with fermented clementine, a harissa dressing, and minted labneh

John chose the lamb and so enjoyed the pairing of Waterford's Kevin Arnold Shiraz very much
The earthy black pepper and rich, dark berry fruit of the Shiraz made a perfect pairing with the rich, succulent lamb shank

The dishes do not come with carbohydrates; Chef Craig prefers to serve Farinaceous starch,
commonly referred to as pasta, and so they vary the different pastas they use
We were served linguini with seeds and micro herbs in a rich buttery sauce, to share

We had to think hard about dessert, but wilfully succumbed to the Pear Tart aux Fin
Light as air and melt in the mouth crisp, black pepper dacquoise base,
topped with slices of buttery roasted pear and flaked almonds,
an amaretto and pear purée and topped with a red Alaea Hawaiian salt and black pepper ice cream
To dream of - and want more

And another perfect match was the Waterford Heatherleigh dessert wine,
made from 55% Muscat de Alexandre, 30% Chardonnay, 12% Viognier, 3% Chenin Blanc
It is floral with honey, peach and clementine peel on the nose, which follow through on the palate,
and not over sweet, so a very good pairing with desserts
The grape stems are pinched on the vine, to concentrate and 'raisin' the grapes
No botrytis is allowed as it would make the wine too sweet

The Affogato dessert option: Traditional in Italy, it's a good shot of hot espresso black coffee
to be poured over a scoop of home churned vanilla ice cream

Voila! Heat meets icy cold. So enjoyable

Pam McOnie chatting to Beau and Craig. Nicely socially distanced

The courtyard is a lovely place to enjoy Waterford and its new restaurant, Salt
We recommend that you do go and try it

An intelligent graphic in the tasting room

As a final touch, we all enjoyed a glass of the Waterford Cap Classique
100% Chardonnay which spends 7 years on the lees in bottle and has just been disgorged
On the nose there is richness, fruit, brioche from the lees
Crisp and lean, just as we love it, with a lovely prickle from the mousse
then the golden fruit flavours appear, it is so satisfying and enjoyable

and the excellent food and wine made for a beautifully relaxed atmosphere
and appropriately relaxed conversation at the end of the meal

A Liquidambar tree showed us its autumn colours as we left Waterford

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