Cape Town - Riebeek Kasteel is one of my favourite sneak-away places.
It’s less than 100km from Cape Town and the drive takes exactly the length of a Billy Idol greatest hits CD. And once you get there you can park your car and forget about it until it’s time to leave.
My first destination was the Kasteelberg Country Inn & Bistro, owned by radio personality Allan Barnard. He’s had room at the inn for more than a decade, and has recently introduced the House Of Bubbly, which was a more than adequate lure to get me there. Upon arrival, a glass of sparkles was put in my hand and it pretty much stayed like that until I staggered off to bed many, many hours later after extricating myself from the clutches of a farmer almost as inebriated as me. Which is no doubt going to cause speculation and get tongues wagging.
In between, in typical Riebeek Kasteel style, people came and went, conversations were bawdy, and new friendships were formed. That’s just how it is there: even if you go alone, it’s never for long. In fact, on this particular trip I was surprised to be left to my own devices for nearly two hours at Bar Bar Black Sheep before being invited to join another table. Unheard of.
This is one of the places I always go to while I am in the village. I asked if they still make the jars of Pimm’s. Yes, they said. All right, I replied, I’ll have one of those please. After time enough to make me wonder what was taking so long, the waiter came out with a giant jug of the stuff. It’s a beautiful summer drink, full of berries and cucumber and mint. I’m not sure who felt more embarrassed about the misunderstanding, but I stuck a straw in it and did my best. This is another advantage of not having to drive anywhere.
It was still nothing compared to the night before, and the heroic amount of bubbly consumed.
House Of Bubbly will be stocking a wide range of locally made MCCs, for tasting and purchase, and a Bubbly Network in which a central theme is get-togethers of wine-loving friends all over South Africa.
“The idea is that a host or organisation presents an informal tasting of sparkling wines for friends in the comfort of their home. On arrival, guests receive a ratings card which doubles up as an order form, and the party begins,” said Barnard. “They get to taste and rate three sparkling wines, and to place an order directly with the host, who earns commission on every bottle sold.”
If this is something you’d like to do, give Barnard a call on the number below.
Something else that happens at Kasteelberg is the Secret Garden, which is not really a secret at all, because apparently all and sundry (and their dogs and children) pull in over the weekends to eat, drink and make merry. The garden is at the back of the inn, with a bar hidden behind the foliage, and a swimming pool.
It was there that I met the lovely Liesl Kleinschmidt, aka Pienkie due to the colour of her hair. We hit it off instantly, and swopped life stories. She’s the local hairdresser, and on the verandah outside her salon is a famous green couch, possibly the most comfortable couch in the village if not the Western Cape – especially when you have a hangover.
“What you give out here you will get back double,” she said wisely. I know this because it struck me as so profound that I jotted it down in my notebook.
Kleinschmidt insisted I visit Le Petit Chocolat, the most divine shop filled with handmade chocolates and vintage memorabilia. She invited us to the opening of a photographic exhibition by the extremely talented village vet Nico Degenaar, where we mingled, drank wine, scoffed the free snacks, and were photographed for a Swartland newspaper’s social pages. She also directed me to Wicked Treats, where I picked up a ridiculously decadent gooey chocolate marshmallow cupcake the size of my fist.
On my own, I discovered Vintage White, a warehouse filled with the most gorgeous trinkets and home decor (I found out later they custom-make furniture as well) where I did some “just because I love you” shopping, and Creative Collective, which stocks all sorts of things made by local artists. I bought two matchbox fridge magnets, teeny tiny works of delicate art, and was amused to discover a customer had left her baby in its pram outside while she browsed. It’s that safe.
Something else you simply must do while in Riebeek is have a gin and tonic on the stoep of the Royal Hotel, where former prime minister Jan Smuts used to sit (see www.royalinriebeek.com/history.html). Elsewhere on the website you’ll see this stoep “was named the longest stoep south of the Limpopo by the government when they put us on the list of the 50 most fabulous places to visit in South Africa”.
On the subject of gin and tonic, look out for the locally made Swaan tonic, recommended with Tanqueray by Johan Hurter and Coenie Kruger of Mama Cucina. Oh, and the residents are very proud of their new Pick n Pay which opened a few weeks ago, so that deserves a mention as well.
Riebeek Kasteel is a lovely place, and the people are even lovelier. If you plan to venture further afield than walking distance, then look out for the new edition of the Riebeek Valley Handbook. It’s available from outlets in the area for R30 or the publishers will post it to you for a small additional fee. E-mail [email protected] The book is full of information on the area, its history, how to get there, where to stay, and all the surrounding activities and places of interest.
* Kasteelberg Country Inn & Bistro, 13 Fontein St, Riebeeck Kasteel, ph: 022 448 1110, www.kasteelberg.com
Vibey restaurant cooks up delicious, hearty Italian food just like mama used to make
Mama Cucina in Riebeek Kasteel is so good we went there twice during our 48-hour stay in the village.
The first time was for dinner on the Friday night when the Secret Garden was washed out by a rather large and entirely unexpected rain storm. What to do, what to do? Lise and Ian Manley suggested Mama Cucina, which fortuitously had one table for two open that night. You’d think small town, no need to book, but you’d be wrong. We got lucky, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to have influential connections.
The Italian restaurant is owned by Johan Hurter, who handles front of house, and Coenie Kruger, who cooks up a storm in the kitchen. The moment we walked through the door we were enveloped in warmth and cosiness. I fell instantly in love with the homely decor, red checked tablecloths, candles in jars, and the food promised on the chalkboard menus which supplement the basic menu of pizzas and salads. Hurter and Kruger are adorable too, and such generous hosts.
Not everything that was available that night is still there now, but the grilled lamb chops on courgette noodles and oodles of avocado butter are – three of them, deliciously fatty and full of Karoo flavour. The lamb burger with green peppercorn and shiraz sauce is also a favourite, and people come from far and wide just for this dish. There is a Banting option which involves a stuffed mushroom instead of a bun.
Portions are gigantic, so we shared a starter of smoked duck breast with pomegranate and blue berry salad and lime dressing. Sexy Deborah was delighted to discover Mama makes wheat- and gluten-free pizza and pasta, so she had a pizza, just because she could: the Contessa, with aubergine and artichokes, fior de latte mozzarella, balsamic reduction, and added prosciutto to that.
The following day we ended up back there for lunch, and again the place was packed. Insider tip: over weekends it’s usually visitors, while during the week this is where the locals hang out. Not only did we continue the tradition of meeting lots of new people who live in Riebeek, but I even bumped into a friend from Cape Town whom I hadn’t seen for ages.
This time I had a pizza, the Sophia Loren. Inside the restaurant hangs a stunning portrait of the actress in a scarlet dress. There are some great quotes attributed to her, including “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti” and “Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner”. What’s not to love about this woman, who turned 80 this year, by the way? Her pizza is topped with crispy bacon, goat’s cheese, sundried tomatoes, avo and rocket, and I’m sure she would approve.
I was having such a good time I completely forgot to take photographs of how vibey the place looked at lunch time, or the pizza, but I was entranced enough to get one of the quirky ice buckets. There are just so many wonderful things waiting for you in this village.
* Mama Cucina is at 20 Sarel Cilliers Street, 022 448 1676 or go to www.mamacucina.co.za.
Weekend Argus