If you’re good for R2 000 on wine and food over the course of a weekend, you could get a ticket to the Swartland Revolution. Or you could do what a group of six of us did, which was pool the money, buy some wine and get two of South Africa’s top chefs to cook, Saturday dinner with Bruce Robertson at The Boat House in Scaraborough and Sunday lunch with Franck Dangereux at the Food Barn in Noordhoek.
DINNER
Starters
Mussel chowder, two seaweeds and a quail egg
Mackerel fishcake with abalone cream on a fava bean salad
Wines
Pic & Chapoutier Saint-Péray Blanc 2010
Chateau de Saint Cosme Le Poste Cote-du-Rhone Blanc 2008
First Course
Kassler bits on a duck risotto with marinaded enoki mushrooms
Wines
Les Pallieres Les Racines Gigondas 2009
Marquis Anselme Mathieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007
Pouizin-Vacheron Le Clos du Caillou Les Safres Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009
Vieux Télégraphe La Crau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2009
Second Course
Beef fillet on pomme purée with minted peas, rocket leaves and spicy tomato chutney
Wines
Cuilleron Les Vires Cornas 2009
Guigal Hermitage 2005
Dessert
Melkkos with Old Brown Sherry, stewed fruit roti and malva pudding with custard
LUNCH
Starter
Panko coated scallops served on minted crunchy greens, cucumber ribbons with lemongrass, palm sugar and chilli
Wines
Andre Perret Condrieu 2010
Ogier Condrieu La Combe de Malleval 2009
Saint Cosme Condrieu 2010
First Course
Prawn beignets, foie gras, green asparagus, tender greens and mushroom, creamed bisque
Wines
Pochon Château Curson Crozes Hermitage 2009
Guigal Crozes Hermitage 2005
Second Course
Rack of Karoo lamb roasted in bread crust, with “rosé des prés” and cèpe gratin, finished with truffle scented jus
Wines
Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde de Guigal 2005
Jamet Côte-Rôtie 2007
Rostaing Les Lézardes VDP 2009
Dessert
Passion fruit plate: Brûlée, cheese cake and ice cream
Lovely line up of wines. My wife and I shared a bottle of the Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde de Guigal 2005 on Friday night with dinner at a restaurant, 60 Hope Street, in Liverpool whilst visiting the city. It was suberb with lovely balanced acidity, perfumed aromas and subtle layered flavours which emerged to surprise and built and reached complexity as the wine rested in the glass during the meal. A true delight. Made even more enjoyable by its reasonable mark-up costing £89.00 in the restaurant. It complimented our Lamb and Pheasant main courses excellently. Yum. Definitely an 18+ pointer in my book.
I want to go back to that happy place!
winning