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2012

REVIEW: Winter weather-friendly eating at Dornier’s Bodega

May 3rd, 2012 — kim maxwell | 0 comments

There aren’t a lot of city or Wineland restaurants that offer a solid menu, pleasant outdoor spaces and overhead cover from wet Cape winter weather if it sets in. So with rain being a feature of late April and May 2012, Dornier’s Bodega is an all-weather venue worth remembering.

The restaurant offers an uncomplicated, creative chalkboard menu (any two courses at R190 or any three at R240 per person) and a colourful indoor eating area. Tables fill fast on the covered terrace whenever winter days loose their chill - mountain-flanked views of the Dornier winery and orange-tinged autumn trees are easy on the eye. And for younger family members, the proximity to lawns,
a sandpit and an impressive boat-shaped jungle gym means parents can relax to some degree.

Our group of four adults struggled to find four different starters and main courses to order, but overall the flavours were delicious and the all-round experience made the venue enjoyable. The restaurant advertises “farm cuisine inspired by fresh ingredients” and that is pretty much what is served. There was evidence of a professional chef in colourful plates that sometimes tried too hard, yet clumsiness in some of the execution. The oxtail main special looked divine and was fall-off-the-bone tender, for instance. But it had sweetness overkill from both the tomato sauce surrounding the oxtail and a sweet carrot mash. The chocolate tart (one of only two desserts) was brittle and tasted of flour, served with quite mediocre maraschino cherry ice cream. We were relieved we only ordered one.

However we loved a starter of creamed snoek-filled fresh tortellini, vibrant and comforting with a pea, mint risotto, creamy sauce and crispy bacon bits. The slowcooked-to-perfection pork belly was flavour-rich and perky with its butternut risotto, ideal starter morsels on a plate. In main courses the free-range ribeye had a salty tang from anchovy butter and dissolved like velvet under the knife. It was a delight to have the steak partnered by great chips sprinkled with rosemary and salt flakes. All redeeming factors.

The Bodega wine list offers a good selection of Stellenbosch labels – I spotted Waterford’s Kevin Arnold Shiraz at R240 - and a plus is that Dornier wine mark ups on cellar door prices are slight. We sipped flutes of Villiera Brut Rose (R170 per bottle) when the Cocoa Hill Chenin Blanc was sold out. Later we were talked into trying an unfamiliar Dornier Do-X Cabernet Franc 2008. It’s a wine with delicious plummy elegance I’ll order again. It sells at cellar door at R93, and at a very reasonable R123 on the wine list. Service was good with attentive waiters throughout the meal. We lingered for a while afterwards and never had the feeling that we were in the way of staff going home.

BODEGA AT DORNIER, Dornier Wines, Blaauwklippen Road, Stellenbosch, Tel 021 880 1200 Bodega. Check opening times and specials during winter. Children’s menu available.

FOODSTUFF: Dim sum with good and clean and fresh appeal

April 19th, 2012 — kim maxwell | 1 comment

I love my laundry. I love my wine. You wouldn’t think the two would overlap, but former hotel GM Clayton Howard and his business partner found a link. And in their opening month a roaring wine trade is being supplemented by a growing band of laundry customers. The concept is simple. By day they operate a small laundry for individual and businesses (washers and dryers below, a person ironing in the compact orange space above). On offer is quality coffee, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. By night the old brick building hosts intimate private functions where wine and a variety of talented chefs are part of the deal. Fourteen seats keep it intimate. Wine sales happen in between.

The legendary New York French Laundry restaurant started in a similar way, so the natural question is whether a full-blown Cape restaurant is on the cards. It’s not. Howard and partner are focusing on wine orders. They’ve already moved 15000 bottles so something is working. They’ll never sell more than one white and one red wine from their 15 wine partners (these may change over time).

The appeal? I love my wine takes a small commission, and wines are sold at cellar door prices, enabling lesser known “hand-sell” labels to become known, and occasionally unsold export orders find their way to local audiences. This explains why we arrived for an unplanned late lunch (45 minutes in and out) and left with a few bottles of Cape Weaver Chenin Blanc 2010. I’ve never seen this export label made by Eric Saayman, and really enjoyed the oily mouthfeel and rich baked quince character of old Swartland bushvines. It was served alongside our dim sum basket, and seemed like a steal at R28 per bottle.

On to the food. I love my laundry is not licenced, so glasses of wine are served on the house, and options change often. The small daytime menu consists of breakfast scrambled egg and bacon, and all-day baskets of dim sum made by Beluga’s dim sum chef. Coffees, non-alcoholic beverages and a few other snacks are the only other options. Our dim sum choices were eight pieces of steamed pork, chicken or pepper wontons. For R40 the price included a “free” glass of wine. Sharing one portion of pork and one chicken between two made a light meal, but the pork in particular was spicily delicious enough to make us want to return. The wontons are steamed on spinach leaves instead of the usual paper, with bottled Asian sauces as condiments.

Tip: Look out for laundry parties. On Wed 25 April I love my laundry is hosting a tasting of cupcakes from I like my pie, alongside Nitida sparkling Shiraz MCC. Women are welcome at no charge. 5.30pm – 6.30pm.

I LOVE MY LAUNDRY, 59 Buitengracht Heritage Square , Cape Town. I love my laundry, Tel 084 660 0777. Open daily from 7am – 7pm. Check about evening functions and themed wine tastings.

FOODSTUFF: Wholesome, fun family eating at Eight

March 24th, 2012 — kim maxwell | 1 comment

I’ve often assumed that weekend crowds make Spier in Stellenbosch a bit of a tourist trap, but I’ve had to rethink that after having a superb wining and dining experience at Eight. Invited to try out the offerings recently, three adults and a trio of energetic under fives had a very enjoyable day out. Cheetahs, owls and birds of prey aside, the food experience at Eight lives up to its sustainably sourced, creative reputation. And the spacious grounds provide plenty of spots to slip away and relax so it never feels crowded.

The most recent edible development is Eight to Go, a deli area selling picnic-style items, drinks and coffees. But I’m a big fan of consultant chef Judy Badenhorst so eating in the restaurant appealed instead. Starters on the Eight chalkboard menu focus on creative salads in the R70 price range (most are substantial as a meal) with crunchy veggies grown at Spier’s adjacent farm – sprouted quinoa and veg, a tasty local trout and poached free-range egg version… Most main courses are under R100, and include the signature chicken and mushroom pie – like the eggs, beef and lamb at Spier, the chicken is pasture-reared and free-range. Sirloin is served with a thick strip of fat, delicious with handcut chips. Ethical and sustainable sourcing seems to be a theme at Eight. Stylish recycled wine and water glasses are handmade in Botswana (our waiter said none were available in SA where they’d prefer to source everything).

Interestingly, the vegetarian option won hands down as our favourite main course, showing a typical Badenhorst touch. The fluffily light courgette soufflé topped with goat’s cheese, was surrounded by a rich and deliciously cream-based tomato sauce. Yum. The wine list features Spier labels and scores points for having no mark ups on cellar door prices (I never understand why winery restaurants feel entitled to do that), and we sipped happily on Spier 21 Gables Chenin and Pinotage. Two portions of dessert split three ways - poached nectarines with salted caramel and homemade toffee ice-cream - hit the sweet spot.

Young children are taken care of on the menu and in the play area – the latter includes miniature tables and chairs, and a designer playground that allows kids to get muddy while their parents tuck in nearby. Savoury kids items are priced around R40 to R45, from a sticky cheeseburger to delicious battered fish and chips with homemade tartar sauce. A dish of sesame chicken strips with carrot sticks served in a watering can was an instant hit with a picky two-year-old. The “tooty fruity” fresh fruit dessert skewers afterwards appealed too with meringue-spiked homemade ice-cream.

In summary: Eight offers delicious seasonal food that is locally grown on the farm, or sourced. A casual vibe under the trees provides an unstructured setting to suit families or groups of adult friends. Every reason to go back really.

The stylish new Spier wine tasting centre is worth a look, with a non-refundable tasting fee even for customers who buy wine. Local art on the walls provides visual entertainment while you sip.

EIGHT, Spier wine estate, Stellenbosch, Tel 021 809 1188 Eight. Open from Tues to Sun. Children’s menu.

REVIEW: Burger-free Clarke’s in Bree Street

February 8th, 2012 — kim maxwell | 2 comments

Here is my dilemma. It feels like you’re shortchanging a new restaurant if you’re trying to review them on their reputation for producing a great burger, and you weren’t successful. But then we felt more than a little shortchanged on arrival at Clarke’s in Bree Street at 1.45pm for a quick midweek lunch. Only to be told when menus were handed out that the cheeseburgers were all sold out (as was the Caesar salad).

Clarke’s serves other food but offers only one burger (a vegetarian version doesn’t count), the free-range cheeseburger they’ve developed a reputation for. It’s a lot like going to a pizzeria and discovering they’ve run out of dough.

This is a CBD eatery that doesn’t take bookings, is open on Wednesday (the day of our visit) through Friday from 7am “til late”. You would assume that even with a busy lunch crowd, staff would be expecting some customers in the afternoon? They have an interesting menu and good intentions, yet reports I’ve read suggest that Clarke’s has a history of running out of ingredients since opening in December 2011.

In their favour, having no burgers forced us to try two other good items on the menu. The Reuben was a standout sandwich. Soft free-range beef brisket from Bill Riley Meats, unusually but extremely tastily partnered with braised red cabbage, blue cheese dressing and emmental between toasted slices of 66% gourmet rye.

The Pulled Pork Sub delivered subtle slow-cooked pork shoulder flavours, delicious with sauteed Swiss chard and provolone cheese. Pickled cucumber and red onion was on the side. Both sandwiches were R50.

Two friends both had the Cobb salad, a mix of choped iceberg, chicken, boiled eggs, fried bacon, blue cheese and tomato. At R40 apiece, presentable and tasty but on the small side, and not special.

The deal at Clarke’s is about supporting all the artisan suppliers. The food is supposed to taste better, and I’d say, largely does. Bill Riley provides the free-range beef for the burger patties, there are buns from Worcester, ice cream scoops from The Creamery, and so on.

The space is light and airy in that clever-on-a-shoestring-budget way, and it seats more people than you’d think. It’s comfortable without being pretentious, and bar chairs suit single diners at the central counter where tapping into wifi happens at the price of a R16 flat white (Deluxe coffee). A bugbear is the inconsistent service. It would be nice to see better communication between staff in the kitchen and on the floor - for our group of four, only two glasses of water were brought on arrival. Two salads arrived a good twenty minutes before the two sandwiches ordered at the same time. Ahem.

Nevertheless, we will return for the burgers, only to see if they live up to the hype.

CLARKE’S 133 Bree Street, Cape Town CBD. Tel 021 424 7648 Clarke’s

RECIPES: Fabio’s blackberry crostata

January 30th, 2012 — kim maxwell | 2 comments

My friend Fabio of Roma is visiting and made us his crostata the other night – that’s a jam tart to you and me. It was so delicious we persuaded him to make another one a few days later. It’s the ideal light dessert after lunch, and even works with an espresso for breakfast the next day (if you have any left over!)

The recipe is a little short on details because Fabio makes it from memory - he doesn’t bother with sifting flour or combining ingredients in a specific order - and the baking time is by feel and the look of the pastry in the oven. But it’s simple, not overly sweet and quick to make. The only fiddly bit is getting the pastry to crisscross neatly.

FABIO’S BLACKBERRY CROSTATA

400g cake flour
250g chilled butter, softened
250g sugar
2 eggs
Most of 1 jar of quality blackberry jam (we used Hillcrest)

1. Mix the flour, butter, sugar and eggs in a food processor or cake mixer to make a soft dough.
2. Line a 25-cm to 27cm-diameter tart tin with kitchen paper, or use a silicone tart base.
3. Use about two-thirds of the pastry and press on to the base of the tart with your fingers so that it’s flat. It should be about 1cm thick. Reserve the rest for the pastry strips on top.
4. Spoon the jam over evenly, leaving about 1.5cm from the edges free of jam, as you would if spreading tomato sauce on a pizza. Fabio: “It’s a personal thing, but I spread enough jam over until I just can’t see the dough underneath.”
5. Take the remaining dough, roll worsies ie strips (Fabio’s South African slang is pretty good) with your fingers. Lay them over the jam filling, flattening them slightly as you lay them and press on to the tart edges (that way the strips won’t stick if they come into contact with the jam). Crisscross with strips running the other way to produce a lattice effect.
6. Bake at 190 degrees celcius for 45 to 60 minutes, or until golden with crisped edges. The time depends on the size of the tin. Serve at room temperature. Apricot or prune jam works nicely too.

WINE: SA producers feeling the pinch?

January 24th, 2012 — kim maxwell | 0 comments

Sobering facts about South Africa’s wine situation at the recent VinPro conference:

South Africa’s domestic wine market is stagnant and wine producers’ profitability is the lowest in eight years. “Of a bottle of wine sold at R70 in a restaurant, the waiter receives a R7 tip, whereas the producer only receives R3. Producers’ income did not keep up with soaring production costs,” said Phillip Retief, head of Van Loveren Vineyards.

Apparently the new-generation wine drinker enjoys consumer-driven wine styles, Chenin Blanc, sweet reds and MCC and sparkling wines. Wine consumers also avidly seek wine information online.

The message? Drink more wine people. And spend a little more.

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