One such restaurant that ticks all the boxes of enjoyable winter dining is Cavalli Wine and Stud Farm in Somerset West. I recently sampled their new “Everyday Gourmet” winter menu and think I may have found my new favourite winter wine farm eatery.
The menu aims to only utilise top quality locally and sustainably soured ingredients, and it shows, each dish really does seem to honour and respectfully pay homage to the produce.
One such dish that epitomises the farm to table movement was the starter of forest mushroom soup – carrot croutons, porcini Chantilly and caraway carrots are artfully nestled in a bowl over which a rich and earthy mushroom broth is poured. A soup straight out of a fairy tale, that one could imagine eating in a charming wooden cabin in the depths of the woods. And this wasn’t even my starter I only snuck a few spoonfuls, deciding rather on the acorn-fed pulled pork cannelloni. This was complemented with caramelised apple, shaved chestnuts, juniper sauce and celeriac emulsion. Now doesn’t that just sound like autumn personified? We elevated these starters with tastings of the Cavalli Vendetta 2016 and Cremello 2015.
Next, we sampled the 2015 Night Mare and Valkyrie, which paired well with the mains of duck and sirloin. I was swayed by the sound of the glazed free range duck breast, which came with sweet miso infused pancakes, eye-popping, bright yellow sweetcorn puree, bok choi and ginger jus. A wonderful harmonious dance of Asian flavours enhanced by the perfectly cooked duck (succulent, yet topped with a beautifully crisp skin).
As fresh and aromatic the duck was, so earthy and meaty was the sirloin. Accompanied by prune beetroot puree, smoked mash, fermented blueberries and beef tallow (rendered cooking fat) this dish is a pure gutsy balance of big flavours.
On to dessert and on the recommendation of our waiter we chose the almond-glazed chocolate bar and the turmeric cake. A substantial log the chocolate bar was rich and dense however lightened by the fresh orange ice-cream and segments. While the turmeric cake, though somewhat taste-bud challenging at first bite, due to the strong flavour of turmeric really won me over in the end. This came with yogurt mousse, apple foam, Kalmazi marshmallow and the most sumptuous vanilla-rose custard. A spicy, sweet and multi-layered dessert this paired extremely well with the Cavalli dessert wine.
For complex yet satisfying dishes in a beautiful setting, you can’t go wrong with the restaurant at Cavalli. The estate also boasts, a tasting room, gallery and boutique store.
The Restaurant at Cavalli currently offers 15% off their “Everyday Gourmet” 3-course meal plus 20% off all wines and cocktails from Wednesday to Friday for lunch and dinner and is open for lunch and dinner 5 days a week, from Wednesday to Saturday. Sundays lunch only.
Restaurant bookings: (021) 855 3218 (9am - 5pm)
