The restaurant at Babylonstoren is a thing of beauty. And with the ultimate sense of place, its situated on one of the oldest estates in the Cape winelands, which today operates as a working farm complete with luxury hotel & spa, restaurant, tearoom and gardens (which includes vineyards, kitchen garden, bee garden, prickly pear maze and orchards, to name but a few).

Although its beginnings was much less glamorous, the old cow shed has been beautifully restored and dressed to the nines by local food fundi Maranda Engelbrecht and owner Karen Roos (from Elle deco fame). The original Cape Dutch aesthetic is veiled in a very contemporary design approach featuring lots of white, naturals and grays with floor to ceiling windows opening up to the surrounding vistas of mountains and gardens, as well as a courtyard area with tables under the trees. While very clean cut and bright the space still feels friendly and approachable.

The food, as you can probably guess, is the epitomy of garden to table eating, with most of it being freshly harvested from the gardens on a daily basis. The produce even serves as decor, as the usual flowers on the table are replaced by seasonal veg, from bowls filled with big heads of savoy cabbage to broccoli flowers in vases.

The concept here is honest food, with little to no fuss. Pick, clean and serve is the approach, according to Maranda. Also, the food on the menu is grouped according to colour and taste. The ‘fresh from our garden’ section showcases fresh fruit and veg and gives you the choice of red, green and orange with optional extras like salmon trout, smoked chicken, biltong and cheese. Interesting concept, and a visual feast, but I wonder if it is not limiting with regards to flavour. The main courses, or ‘from our good farmers’  breaks the colour mould and basics like lamb shank, steak, salmon trout and a vegetarian option changes sauces, dressings and accompaniments according to daily/seasonal availability from the garden. The bull menu on the wall also lists a few daily specials. All mains are served with a plate of veg and the most delicious hand cut chips.

Desserts are offered as bitter, sour, salt and sweet. We tried the Bitter, which was a dark chocolate fondant with olive salt and espresso sabayon. Sour was a baked lemon custard pudding with marmalade, sago and meringue, Salt a salted caramel with drunken winter fruit and parma ham crisp, and Sweet was baked malva pudding with garden rose geranium and chai caramel sauce.

The concept is lovely, the presentation is beautiful, but the flavour was slightly lacking on a few of the dishes. Maybe that is because these days we are so spoilt for choice that the simple, fresh approach takes a bit of getting used to?

The wine list is mostly local, from the Simonsberg area, but has good variety in terms of price and cultivars. Estate wines are a good option to try.

Make sure you leave time for a stroll through the gardens, and if you want to visit on the spur of the moment (as Babel can be easily booked up 2 – 3 months in advance) you can visit Babylonstoren’s second restaurant, the Green Room, a tea garden serving make it yourself sandwiches and sweet treats, situated in and around a ridiculously beautiful greenhouse.

Starters R45-R67, Mains R95-R155, Desserts R40 – R55

Breakfast: 8am – 10am, Monday to Saturday
Lunch: 12 noon – 4pm, Monday to Saturday
Dinner: 6.30pm – 8.30pm, Friday and Saturday

For reservations, call 021 863 3852
http://www.babylonstoren.com
enquiries@babylonstoren.com

Address: Babylonstoren Wine Farm, Simondium Road, Klapmuts

Please visit my Blog for more restaurant reviews!

Other Reviews:

Eat Out
Spill
TripAdvisor
Food and the Fabulous
Getaway blog
Rossouws Restaurants (1.5 stars)

serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
850 g onions, sliced into thin half-circles
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
5 small sprigs thyme, leaves only
2 or 3 sprigs rosemary
2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1kg chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
1 cup Gruyère cheese, finely grated or shaved

Melt the butter in a deep sauce pan with a lid over medium heat. When the butter has melted completely and starts foaming, add the onions and garlic. They will fill the pan to the top. Stir the onions to coat them in the butter. Season with salt and black pepper. Sweat the onions with a lid on for about 40 minutes over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When the onions have developed an evenly light beige color throughout, add the garlic, thyme leaves, and whole rosemary sprig, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up to high and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring all the time. You want them to develop a rich brown color. When the onions get quite dark, add 1 cup of stock. Add it slowly, stirring and scraping the pan vigorously to incorporate any burnt or stuck-on bits. When all of the liquid has been added, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer lightly for 5 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced somewhat.

Pre-heat your oven to 170°C. Rest of recipe

A friend’s birthday wish for red velvet cupcakes sent me on a mission to find the best recipe available. I wanted to make sure the cupcakes were moist and melt in your mouth soft as there is nothing worse than a dry cupcake! Also, as this was a birthday present, and the recipient knew what it was, I wanted to add an element of surprise without reducing the impact of the cocoa and buttermilk flavour that makes red velvet so delicious. Sticking with the theme, I decided that a hidden chocolate cookie would do the job perfectly, and that a dark chocolate oreo with its cream filling would work perfectly with the cream cheese frosting!

Ingredients (for about 24 cupcakes)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
30 – 60ml red food coloring
1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar
½ cup of prepared plain hot coffee (don’t skip this ingredient)
24 dark chocolate oreos
24 Paper cupcake liners
Muffin tray
Decorations of choice

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celsius.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.

In a bigger bowl, combine the sugar and vegetable oil.
Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring until combined.
Stir in the coffee and white vinegar.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients a little at time, mixing after each addition, until just combined.

Grease the bottoms and sides of the cupcake pan. Place cupcake liners inside.
Pour a tiny bit of batter into the bottom of the cup, basically to cover the bottom. Place a oreo on the batter in each cup. Fill the cups the rest of the way. Bake for 18 – 23 minutes, making sure not to over-bake (they will continue to cook as they cool)!! Check cupcakes at 18 minute mark. They might look sticky on the outside but are done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Slide a knife or offset spatula around the insides to loosen the cupcakes from the pan.
Remove from the pan and cool completely before icing.

For the cream cheese icing recipe, please visit my blog, The Opposite House!

The Graaff family of the Historic Farm, De Grendel, certainly has connections. And thank goodness, as with the highly anticipated De Grendel Restaurant, Sir David Graaff collaborates with Jonathan Davies (owner and director of Crown Hotels and Restaurants who owns the Michelin starred The Crown at Whitebrook - voted 2011 Best Restaurants in Wales ) to oversee the running and success of this new venture. The restaurant is situated in the old tasting room, the latter having been relocated to the upper floor, so luckily the spectacular views of table mountain stay intact for both! (Read my review on the farm, its name, heritage and wine tasting experience here).

The decor of the restaurant fits seamlessly with the rest of the estate, stylishly understated with top quality finishes, from the beautiful porcelain under-plates adorned with the Graaff family crest in delft blue (hand crafted by ceramicist Mervyn Gers) to the glassware and the michelin standard cutlery.

The glassed in kitchen makes for excellent chef-in-action watching, the heat and noise strangely contained in contrast with the serenity and calm of the dining area.

Chef Ian Bergh (previously of Five flies, Pure at Hout Bay Manor and La Colombe) has constructed a menu based on classic, locally sourced ingredients, served in popular flavour combinations, with a contemporary uptake on presentation.

On the menu you will find all your favourites, from wild mushroom risotto to steak tartare, grilled squid, smoked salmon, lamb rack, pork belly, veal, tortellini, line fish and prime rib. Chef Ian also supports artisanal and local produce – think hand churned butter and honey, pasture-raised beef, free range chicken, eggs and guinea fowl (with quite a few from the farm itself). Have a look at a sample menu on their website.

And, while you are eyeing the deconstructed menu descriptions (which your waiter will gladly and efficiently explain) and the twinkling lights of the cityscape and table mountain beyond the glass windows, you can sip on the equally acclaimed De Grendel wines, sold at cellar door prices (no mark – up  , very commendable). There is also a decent selection of other local Durbanville wine valley producers represented.

Menu priced at 2 courses for R255 and 3 courses for R300. At dinner you can also try the 6-8 course tasting menu.
Read more restaurant review on my blog, The Opposite House! 

Tuesday to Saturday: Lunch: 12:00 – 14:30; Dinner: 19:00 – 21:30
Sunday: Lunch: 12:00 – 14:30
Closed on Mondays

Contact:
t: +27 (0) 21 558 7035
e: restaurant@degrendel.co.za
w: www.degrendel.co.za

follow the restaurant: facebook | twitter
Address: 112 Plattekloof Road (M14), Plattekloof

This recipe is from the July edition of Taste magazine and showcases a lovely recipe from one of my favourite inner-city restaurants, Bizerca Bistro (you can read my review here). I have made a few changes to the toppings as well as including a paleo variation which is wheat and gluten-free. In the Paleo variation the almond flour adds a delicious nuttiness to the flavour and texture of the gnocchi. As the almond flour is a bit heavier/rougher in texture compared to ordinary flour I found that the frying of the gnocchi greatly improved the overall enjoyment of the dish. If you are making the original version it’s not necessary to fry the gnocchi in the last step. After boiling, just refresh in iced water and serve. The frying does however add a delicious crispy texture to the gnocchi, and if you have the time, do it! The original recipe suggests serving your gnocchi topped with grated parmesan, carrot balls, cherry tomatoes, asparagus cuts, rocket and pumpkin seeds. For more delicious recipes, visit The Opposite House!

Serves 6

1 kg butternut, halved and seeded (to make 750 g pulp)
30 g butter
240 g flour (substitute with almond flour for wheat free version)
2 free range egg yolks (add 2 more yolks for the wheat free version)
salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
olive or mixed seed oils, for pan frying

To garnish
crispy bacon (oven-roasted till crispy)
1 roll chevin (goats) cream cheese
baby rosa tomatoes

For the tomato coulis:
150 g butter
6 quartered very ripe plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 red chilli, seeded and diced
salt, to taste
1 sprig rosemary

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Roast the butternut for 30 minutes, till soft. Remove the pulp (750g).
(You can now roast the bacon in the heated oven till nice and crispy)

To make the coulis, heat the butter untill it turns a hazelnut colour, then add the tomato, garlic, chilli, salt and rosemary.
Simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Blend with a stick blender till smooth.
Pass through a muslin cloth or sieve (which I didn’t do and it was still delicious!!!).

In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the butternut pulp and cook till dry, stirring frequently.
Stir in your choice of flour, then cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove the saucepan from the stove. Add the egg yolks and season.
Divide into small pieces and shape the gnocchi as desired.
Cook in lots of boiling water. The gnocchi is cooked when it floats to the surface (usually 2-3 minutes).

Heat some oil in a saucepan, enough to be able to immerse the gnocchi in the oil 1/5 of the way. Fry the gnocchi in batches, turning after a few minutes, till brown and crispy on both sides.

To serve, divide the coulis between the bowls, then top with the gnocchi. Scatter over the cherry tomatoes and crumble the chevin. Top with crispy bacon.

For more delicious recipes, visit The Opposite House!

(serves 2)

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
1/4 cup Apricot jam, smooth or chunky
1/4 cup coarse-grained or Dijon mustard
1 smallish red cabbage, chopped/shredded (check size to determine portion size as it varies)
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp caraway seeds
olive oil
half a cup verjuice or apple cider vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
10 fresh sage leaves, chopped
60 g butter
a dash of milk or cream
salt and pepper

The glaze: Combine jam and mustard in a small bowl. Add some salt and pepper. Mix well. Coat the pork chops with the glaze.

Cook the potatoes: Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Cook till soft (about 15 to 20 minutes).

Now for the Cabbage: Over medium heat, sautee the onion in some olive oil in a medium-sized pot or pan. Add the cabbage, stir through and saute till it wilts, 3-5 minutes. Add the verjuice, caraway seeds and sugar, put on the lid, and steam for another 10 minutes, or till cooked (stir occasionally). Season with salt and pepper.

Back to the pork: Heat your grill to medium-high (oven temp 200 degrees celsius).  Cook the pork chops for approximately 8-12 minutes till cooked but still juicy, turning halfway and glazing again in the last 5 minutes. If the weather permits, light a fire and braai the chops, unquestionably the best cooking method by far!

Finish the mash: Heat a saucepan, add the butter, and cook till it starts to foam. Add the sage leaves and turn down the heat. Keep an eye on this and cook till the butter starts browning and the sage leaves start looking crisp. Remove from the heat. Drain the potatoes, and mash together with the sage butter and a little milk. Season well with salt and pepper.

Serve the chops accompanied by sage mash and braised cabbage. Add an ice cold beer and life doesn’t get much better!

For more delicious recipes head on over to The Opposite House! 

This a royal deviation of the traditional a la King. Cutting out wheat means no flour for thickening white sauces, so I opted for double thick cream instead (and you don’t hear me complaining!). Also, the addition of bacon and mustard powder adds a flavourful twist that is balanced by a good squeeze of lemon juice added right at the end.

400g white button mushrooms, chopped
500g baby onions, roughly chopped
2 tbs butter
Splash of olive oil
Half a pack bacon, chopped
7.5 ml minced garlic
15 ml mustard powder
600g chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut into medium sized pieces
1 bay leaf
25ml  concentrated chicken stock or frond
125 ml double thick cream
Squeeze of lemon juice

Sautee the onions and bacon on medium heat in butter and olive oil.
Add the garlic and mustard powder after about 5 minutes and continue to sautee for another 15 minutes till the onions become glassy and the bacon is cooked.

Add the chicken, mushrooms, salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes. After about 10 minutes, add the stock ( just the concentrated stock, dont add any water as you will see the ingredients in the pot has created enough liquid already. If this not the case, you can add a little water), 125 ml double thick cream, bay leaf and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, untill nicely reduced. Add a good sqeeze or 2 of lemon juice. Serve with fluffy rice to soak up the sauce.

Delicious with a glass of Unwooded or lightly wooded Chardonnay. For more delicious recipes, restaurant and wine farm reviews,
visit The Opposite House!

Lip-smacking rich tomato and red wine gravy covered oxtail pieces quite literally falling of the bone.  I can say with all honesty that there has very seldom been an occasion where oxtail was placed in front of me and i did not have to rear a full force internal battle of will to decline second and third helpings, except in a restaurant, of course, in which case i resort to the battle of good manners and try not to lick my plate clean.

Because of this, and the fact that oxtail is so surprisingly easy to prepare and a very affordable cut at that, I have decided to make it at home. And enough of it to satisfy any amount of additional servings and plate licking fancies I might just have to succumb to.

Oxtail stew (serves 4)

1 kg oxtail
2 onions, diced
2 tsp chopped garlic
300g diced carrot
3 tsp fresh thyme (about 4-5 sprigs)
2 tsp fresh rosemary (a sprig)
a splash of olive oil
50g butter
500 ml GOOD QUALITY liquid beef stock (NOMU)
500 ml DECENT red wine
300 ml tomato puree (the bottled or tinned variety, not the pasta which is much more concentrated)
Salt and black pepper
Bay leaf

For the full recipe with instructions click here

A note to the model/exemplary cook: oxtail really benefits from being prepared a day in advance as this gives the flavours time to deepen  and develope even further. Just saying.

For butternut mash, blend together
500 g ready-to-use butternut chunks, steamed or roasted until tender
½ cup grated Italian Parmesan
2 T butter
a splash of cream or milk (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

I get bored quite easily when it comes to food, mostly when I am the cook.  I typically look for ingredients unknown, flavours not found in your standard spice rack and combinations construed out of a weird anti-conformist trait I am not sure where I picked up. This said, occasionally the situation does arise where a certain combination of ingredients are left in the kitchen, and lack of time, energy or both prevents any further experimental recipe development taking place. If I have spaghetti, mince and tinned tomatoes sitting in the cupboard, then spaghetti bolognaise it will be… but luckily I also have a few other ingredients lying around transforming this family favourite into a dressed up, smoky, creamy version of its former self, almost more like a lasagna bolognaise (which I am sure will have any true-blooded italian chef tearing his hair out ). So slightly corrupted or not, my version still uses all the classic ingredients combined with a few new ones to create a deliciously rich variation of the original, and I will say in my defense, I have never claimed to be a purist.

Non-conformist Lasagna Bolognaise (serves 4) :

1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 small carrots, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 tsp butter and a dash of olive oil
2 tsp smoked paprika (very important for yummy smoky flavour!)
1 tsp mustard powder
1 to 2 sticks fresh rosemary (depending on size)
4 tsp brown sugar
600g minced meat
150 ml cream
50g tomato paste
410g chopped peeled tomatoes
1 pack spaghetti (500g)
salt and pepper
Gruyere cheese (100g), grated
For the rest of the recipe, please go to The Opposite House 

Notes on cooking the best pasta (the purist way):

Forget exact cooking times. Forget measuring out salt or olive oil by the tablespoon. There are really just two main tricks to keep in mind when cooking any kind of pasta.

Cook pasta in a large amount of boiling water. An ample amount of water will dilute the starches coming off the pasta and prevent it from becoming gummy and mushy once cooked. For a box of pasta, use at least a 5.5 liters of water.

Salt the water heavily. And we mean heavily! For a 6 liter pot, throw in a healthy handful (or more) of kosher salt. You want pasta water “salty like the sea.”

The salt doesn’t do anything in terms of cooking the pasta; it’s there entirely for flavor. The salt gets absorbed into the pasta during cooking, seasoning from the inside out and ultimately giving you a tastier final dish.

Trust us on this one. Salting your pasta water (heavily) makes a huge difference!

Aside from these two tips, remember to taste your pasta frequently to check on its cooking. Drain the pasta right before it’s cooked to where you like it. The only time you should rinse pasta after draining is when you are going to use the pasta in a cold dish, or when we are not going to sauce and serve it immediately. If the pasta is going to be used later, or in a in a salad, rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process, and drain well. Dont toss it in olive oil. This is a common misconception, but the olive oil actually makes the pasta slippery, with the result that the sauce can’t cling to the pasta, but slides off.

The other way, the method used by restaurant chefs and Italians:

When you cook pasta you should always undercook it by one or two minutes.
You should remove some (a cup or so) of the pasta water before draining it. Once drained, you should add the pasta to the sauce, and not the other way around, with a few splashes of the pasta water that you put aside.
You sould incorporate the sauce into the pasta and allow it to cook on a low heat for the remaining pasta cooking time. The pasta will absorb all the sauce then and cook to perfection as pasta tends to swell up in the last remaining minutes. Add more cooking water if needed. Finish the pasta with a little bit of olive oil, butter, or both,” says Andrew Carmellini of New York City’s Locanda Verde. “In Italian it’s called mantecare, which means ‘to make creamy.’ ” He adds cold butter to the pasta and sauce in the pan, off the heat, to give it an unctuous texture.

Hope this helps. It certainly helped me!

Serves 4.

You will need:

85g butter

2 Onions

2 punnets of Woolworth’s mixed Wild Mushrooms (or 600g mixed wild mushrooms)

200 ml beer  (I used Mitchell’s Bosuns bitter but reckon any dark beer or ale will do)

300 ml double cream

Himalayan rock salt and rainbow pepper

a good dash of paprika

2 teaspoons brown sugar

300g puff pastry

8 slices raclette cheese or any nutty cheese that’s good for grilling (try Checkers)

16 asparagus spears or tips, or more depending on your addiction to asparagus..

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onions and saute on a low to medium heat untill softened, but not browned. The onions will become translucent as it cooks. Sprinkle over the sugar and cook for a further few minutes untill all the sugar has been absorbed. Add the mushrooms and cook slowly for about 5 minutes. Add the beer and cream and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.

For the rest of the recipe, please visit The Opposite House

*Bouchee [boo-SHAY]: The French word for “mouthful,” a bouchee is a Puff pastry filled shell.

Not to be confused with an Amuse Bouche (uh-MYUZ-boosh) – a small complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants [From French, literally meaning, "mouth amuser"]