Day 12-17
Cape Town has alway been my favorite city in S. Africa. Beautiful mountain ranges, clean, gorgeous beaches, perfect weather, and lots of natural wildlife around.
Every time I come to S. Africa, it's always been about the animals. I'm either going on safari, walking with lions, feeding giraffes, and/or swimming with sharks. Although the previously mentioned activities might be a healthier option, this time it's all going to be about the food and wine.
5 days of eating and drinking in Cape Town has given me a whole new perspective on S. Africa.
First it was lobster. Then it was tiger prawns. The last three days were filled with wine tastings and fine dining restaurants. It's hard not to like this city!
My first wine adventure was about a 20 minute drive outside of the city center to the Groot (upper) Constantia vineyards. It is filled with lush greenery and old school English buggies and carriages that are painted an emerald green. The entrance was lined with massive oak trees. The buildings were original 17th century Dutch architecture. On a hot South African summer day, their cool, buttery chardonnay was perfect to help cool things down.
Being a foodie, I can't help but feel the best part of Constantia was their Italian restaurant, Constantia-Uitsig, where I feasted on kingklip and salmon carpaccio, seared foie gras with red wine poached pears, soft, chewy bread with a crisp and crunchy crust slathered with soft butter, and seared wildebeast with red wine and truffle sauce. Oh and I almost forgot the fresh made fettucini with tomato ragu of venison, lamb, and pork topped with fresh grated parmesan reggiano. The finishing touch was vanilla affogato, dark espresso poured over scoops of vanilla ice cream.
I'm in Cape Town! Just one day of wine tasting would just be shameful. So the next day it was off to Stellenbosch wine region with a stop over in Franschhoek for lunch. It's a little over an hour drive outside of Cape Town. If you're looking for a French Hemmingway summer with a Dutch accent, this is the place to for you.
White buildings, tree lined streets filled with outdoor cafes of french bistros, and little boutique wine, cheese, chocolate shops is only the start of Stellenbosch. From the moment we turned off the highway following the arrow that directed us to the town, there are vineyards after vineyards of wine makers to fill any wine connoisseurs' delight.
Right through Stellenbosch and up the mountain to Franschhoek. We arrived at a little cottage halfway up the mountain. Inside is a French restaurant called Le Petite Ferme (the little farm). I was told the restaurant fills up quickly and the best seats are outside. So I made reservations 3 days earlier just to sit outside. It was definitely worth the wait.
The table is outside on a stone tiled terrace. Above the table is a bunch of intertwining trees creating a canape to shield us from the sun. It also sits right in front of rows and rows of grape vines, overlooking beautiful mountain ranges, an open meadow, and a little lake. It made me want to set up at easel and start painting. It's quite unfortunate that my painting abilities are limited to stick figures.
Now the highlight of my day - lunch. For starters we had chicken liver pate with crisp baguette crostini and pork belly confit with dark berry preserve. Then a main course of lightly smoked trout with lemon dill baby potatoes. My colleagues had braised lamb with roasted eggplants and roasted quail stuffed with chorizo, cheese, and mediterranean vegetables, served with sweet pumpkin puree. Of course I had a little bit of everything. Desert was a light pavlova (baked meringue) topped with fresh whipped cream and chilled summer fruit cocktail of mangoes, green apples, grapes, and passionfruit.
Washed down with a bottle of their house Shiraz and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, lunch took 2 hours. With temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and a cool summer breeze blowing through, it was a great day!
Sadly, today is my last day in Cape Town. Me being me, I had to squeeze in just one more meal. This time it was in a quaint place right in the heart of downtown in an old abandoned stone building. The restaurant is called the Savoy Cabbage.
For starters I had seared foie gras with sweet peach summer peach confit. Then the smoothest, lightest, airiest chicken liver mousse I have ever tasted. Spread on a thin slice of brioche crostini and topped with poached figs, if there wasn't a chance of it clogging up my arteries, I would like to start my day, everyday, with this dish.
After so many days of rich, delicious foods, I thought I'd go lean today and only ordered one entree with no desert after the starters. The entree is called the three little pigs - smoked pork shoulder, grilled pork loin, and braised pork belly. Yup, eating light. Every bite was tender where it needs to be tender, smokey where a bit of smokiness was called upon, and crispy at all the right places.
At the end of this meal is where a cup of peppermint tea to soothe the richness was definitely in order.
Off to Polokwane tonight. I love Cape Town.
Stay tune...
Cape Town has alway been my favorite city in S. Africa. Beautiful mountain ranges, clean, gorgeous beaches, perfect weather, and lots of natural wildlife around.
Every time I come to S. Africa, it's always been about the animals. I'm either going on safari, walking with lions, feeding giraffes, and/or swimming with sharks. Although the previously mentioned activities might be a healthier option, this time it's all going to be about the food and wine.
5 days of eating and drinking in Cape Town has given me a whole new perspective on S. Africa.
First it was lobster. Then it was tiger prawns. The last three days were filled with wine tastings and fine dining restaurants. It's hard not to like this city!
My first wine adventure was about a 20 minute drive outside of the city center to the Groot (upper) Constantia vineyards. It is filled with lush greenery and old school English buggies and carriages that are painted an emerald green. The entrance was lined with massive oak trees. The buildings were original 17th century Dutch architecture. On a hot South African summer day, their cool, buttery chardonnay was perfect to help cool things down.
Being a foodie, I can't help but feel the best part of Constantia was their Italian restaurant, Constantia-Uitsig, where I feasted on kingklip and salmon carpaccio, seared foie gras with red wine poached pears, soft, chewy bread with a crisp and crunchy crust slathered with soft butter, and seared wildebeast with red wine and truffle sauce. Oh and I almost forgot the fresh made fettucini with tomato ragu of venison, lamb, and pork topped with fresh grated parmesan reggiano. The finishing touch was vanilla affogato, dark espresso poured over scoops of vanilla ice cream.
I'm in Cape Town! Just one day of wine tasting would just be shameful. So the next day it was off to Stellenbosch wine region with a stop over in Franschhoek for lunch. It's a little over an hour drive outside of Cape Town. If you're looking for a French Hemmingway summer with a Dutch accent, this is the place to for you.
White buildings, tree lined streets filled with outdoor cafes of french bistros, and little boutique wine, cheese, chocolate shops is only the start of Stellenbosch. From the moment we turned off the highway following the arrow that directed us to the town, there are vineyards after vineyards of wine makers to fill any wine connoisseurs' delight.
Right through Stellenbosch and up the mountain to Franschhoek. We arrived at a little cottage halfway up the mountain. Inside is a French restaurant called Le Petite Ferme (the little farm). I was told the restaurant fills up quickly and the best seats are outside. So I made reservations 3 days earlier just to sit outside. It was definitely worth the wait.
The table is outside on a stone tiled terrace. Above the table is a bunch of intertwining trees creating a canape to shield us from the sun. It also sits right in front of rows and rows of grape vines, overlooking beautiful mountain ranges, an open meadow, and a little lake. It made me want to set up at easel and start painting. It's quite unfortunate that my painting abilities are limited to stick figures.
Now the highlight of my day - lunch. For starters we had chicken liver pate with crisp baguette crostini and pork belly confit with dark berry preserve. Then a main course of lightly smoked trout with lemon dill baby potatoes. My colleagues had braised lamb with roasted eggplants and roasted quail stuffed with chorizo, cheese, and mediterranean vegetables, served with sweet pumpkin puree. Of course I had a little bit of everything. Desert was a light pavlova (baked meringue) topped with fresh whipped cream and chilled summer fruit cocktail of mangoes, green apples, grapes, and passionfruit.
Washed down with a bottle of their house Shiraz and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, lunch took 2 hours. With temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and a cool summer breeze blowing through, it was a great day!
Sadly, today is my last day in Cape Town. Me being me, I had to squeeze in just one more meal. This time it was in a quaint place right in the heart of downtown in an old abandoned stone building. The restaurant is called the Savoy Cabbage.
For starters I had seared foie gras with sweet peach summer peach confit. Then the smoothest, lightest, airiest chicken liver mousse I have ever tasted. Spread on a thin slice of brioche crostini and topped with poached figs, if there wasn't a chance of it clogging up my arteries, I would like to start my day, everyday, with this dish.
After so many days of rich, delicious foods, I thought I'd go lean today and only ordered one entree with no desert after the starters. The entree is called the three little pigs - smoked pork shoulder, grilled pork loin, and braised pork belly. Yup, eating light. Every bite was tender where it needs to be tender, smokey where a bit of smokiness was called upon, and crispy at all the right places.
At the end of this meal is where a cup of peppermint tea to soothe the richness was definitely in order.
Off to Polokwane tonight. I love Cape Town.
Stay tune...
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