Cape Town - Oh, JC Le Roux and your house… how do I love thee? Let me count the visits.
Actually, there are too many to remember, but enough to be greeted like the old friend I am when I arrive, which is very flattering. It’s also where I performed my first sabrage so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart.
This middle stop on a wine tour includes a tasting with meringues and marshmallows, as well as lunch. I was ravenous, so we went upstairs to Le Venue first because everyone was getting sick of my moaning.
The menu changes frequently, so all the things we had that day might not be available, but if you call ahead and ask, they might make you your favourite dish when you visit. One of those could be “Renshaw’s Magic Oxtail” which is popular enough to have a semi-permanent position on the menu. It’s the perfect seasonal dish, with tender meat cooked in its own gravy with tomato, basil, baby onions and button mushrooms, and served with vanilla mashed potatoes. I can happily recommend it.
All the dishes have suggested pairings from the JC Le Roux range, which includes carbonated as well as méthode cap classique bubblies. Since the restaurant is no longer run by JC itself, the prices are slightly higher than downstairs at the shop, but not unreasonable. The award-winning pinot noir is matched with the oxtail. A glass of the MCC brut, or one of the carbonated bubblies, is included in the package; anything else will be for your own account.
Our photographer Armand Hough had the ostrich burger with chive cream cheese, caramelised red peppers and bacon, swopping the chips for mash. But I simply could not leave without having a slice of bright red velvet cheesecake. My moaning about being hungry turned to groaning about being full.
After lunch we were escorted to the La Vallee lounge where we were guided through our tasting by Gerhard Claassens. Most of the five bubblies are on the sweeter end of the scale, and my palate is fine-tuned for dry, but Claassens not only uses the most seductive words to make you swoon, but suggests ways to get even more out of the tasting. Like holding it in your mouth for a while before swallowing.
The meringues and marsh-mallows could easily serve as an alternative to dessert at Le Venue, since only one course is included in this tour package, although technically the timetable has the tasting first, and lunch afterwards.
Before heading off to our final destination, I bought a couple of bottles of bubbly.
l The House of JC Le Roux is at the end of the Devon Valley Road, Stellenbosch. Call 021 865 8201 or go to www.jcleroux.co.za for more information. While looking at the website, click on the “etiquette” link. It’s very amusing; they reckon when planning your function or event, one bottle of bubbly is sufficient for six to eight people. Darling, if you are having such a party, you probably should not invite me.
Weekend Argus