Boschendal restaurant review

Boschendal restaurant – Rating: Gourmet menus with luxury ingredients

Boschendal Estate, Pniel Road, Groot Drakenstein, Franschhoek

The Werf restaurant (tel: 021 870 4206). Booking essential

Lunch: Wednesday to Sunday 12 to 2:30pm (Seated by 2pm)

Dinner: Friday and Saturday 6pm to 9pm (Seated by 8pm)

Opening times of the eating options on the farm vary, and have not all been finalised, so do check.

Email: [email protected]

www.boschendal.com

GPS: 33.87419 S/18.976 E

There’s no room for wallowing in nostalgia at the revitalised Boschendal. Choose from a varied menu of authentic and seasonal dishes, writes Jos Baker.

AS THE Boschendal website states: “the Cape colony has its roots as a refreshment station,” suggesting a little later that “little has changed…” Hold it right there. Let’s quantify that “little”. Neglected by the previous owners, the property lost that vital spark of caring. Phoenix-like, the revamped and revitalised farm has risen from the ashes, with each feather polished till it gleams.

I had expected to wallow in nostalgia, but the staff’s enthusiasm sizzles – and is reflected in the vibe, the new look and the website, centred round an array of things to do and enjoy.

My personal regret lay in the loss of peace – as in the simplicity of Rhodes’ Cottage when I stayed there, not a butler in sight. But passing time demands a contemporary response. As tourists are today’s money-spinners, who can blame the new South African owners (who bought the farm in 2012) for targeting this lucrative market?

Happily, amid all this activity, there is a pause for history. For Boschendal (wood and dale) is one of the oldest wine estates in South Africa: French Huguenot Jean le Long was granted the land in 1685 by Simon van der Stel. Though little is known of the original owner, it is believed he was the first to make strides in establishing Boschendal as one of the earliest farms and vineyards in the valley. The Boschendal Jean le Long label is a tribute to his achievement.

Fast forward to 1978, when Boschendal was seen by Capetonians as the place to go for a lavish buffet feast in the original wine cellar of the manor house, ending splendidly in desserts like Malva pudding and brandy snaps (guzzled by Henry Kissinger during a visit to the farm). At that time total cost was R4.50, with a bottle of wine at R1.95. This halcyon period, save for the prices, was to last some 30 years.

For those who knew the homespun restaurant in its heyday (as I did) the transformation is startling – but I can reassure all traditionalists that exec chef Christiaan Campbell’s roast potatoes are every bit as crisp as they were “in the old days”.

Expect flavourful, nourishing farm-to-table food, either grown in the flourishing vegetable garden, or sourced from farms and small producers in the surrounding winelands. It’s Boschendal’s boast that food miles are kept to a minimum: some three-quarters of the ingredients on the daily restaurant menu are sourced within 30-kilometres of the farm.

With the Werf restaurant now widened into an airy, glass-fronted room overlooking the vegetable garden, you can watch those veggies grow. And Christiaan comes to Boschendal after plenty of practice at Delaire Graff in showcasing the produce grown on a wine estate. I had hoped to interview him, but the poor man concussed himself before I arrived – I had no idea the prospect would be so intimidating!

Apart from just-picked freshness, he sources ingredients that will nourish and impart vitality to diners; regards a sign he saw at a market “Know thy Farmer” as a good mantra. It could also apply upwards on the food ladder: “Know thy chef”, especially if his favourite foods are simply prepared little tastes of organic, ethical produce.

But in case that sounds too pi, Christiaan does have a sneaky sense of humour. Asked in an interview with Michael Olivier to name his key wardrobe item, his off-the-cuff reply was “Chef’s jackets”.

As for the menu, dishes are authentic and seasonal, and as this was a celebratory occasion, we cracked a decorative bottle of Boschendal Celebration Brut, bottled to celebrate 21 years of democracy.

This classic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir was the perfect partner for my fresh water crayfish, palate-fresh apple fennel marmalade, millet, fermented cream and its own reduction, while my foodie companion relished prettily plated octopus carpaccio, offset by daikon salad, hake roe mayo and citrus segments.

Seeking another food pairing, I settled on firm and flaky dorado, pea velouté, tempura parsley root and the fun touch of homemade cream cheese, while my trencherman friend opted for sous vide lamb rump, oozing temptation with a black garlic and white bean combo, celery and pickled physalis (a member of the nightshade family, less frighteningly known as Cape gooseberry). And don’t forget those crispy roast potatoes on the side (R45 extra, but worth it).

Dishes for two tempt with a fragrant combo of citrus salt bake salmon trout, fennel shaving and orange ginger trout roe; or hearty braised eye of Angus shin, bacon jam and pickled mustard. (You can buy deliciously inventive condiments and jams at the wine-tasting centre).

For dessert, succumb to a chocoholic’s dream: a liquid-centered chocolate and orange fondant, hazelnut meringue crunch and gingerbread ice-cream; or delight in the slightly less indulgent caramel crème brûlée with buttermilk-poached pears and roasted chocolate cream.

Food at Boschendal is still a major attraction today, offered in the Werf restaurant; Rhone manor house, where there’ll be a buffet lunch, the casual Farmshop & Deli, and the popular Le Pique Nique, soon relocating to a more secluded spot; a bakery and newly opened butchery, which will stock meats from the farm’s grass-fed Aberdeen Angus stud. All under exec chef Christiaan Campbell – no wonder he’s thinner.

l Starters at the Werf from R90-R125; mains R175-R185; dishes for two R420, farm salads R75 - R82; desserts R65-78.