Cavalli Estate Winter Menu

I have a wild obsession with horses and a wild obsession with food. So when the two collide with art and beautiful wine not only do you have one of my favourite places to visit but you experience the excellence that is the ever-stylish Cavalli Wine Estate.

A mere 40 minutes from Cape Town CBD is the scenic property of Cavalli Wine Estate. At only 5 years old, the estate is a mere babe amongst their bigger, well-publicized counterparts, but they have established themselves as a real contender in such a short space of time nevertheless as one of the provinces best (and one that tops my list of Sunday excursions).

The estate is 100 hectares in size and at the heart of it is their flagship restaurant. The decor is contemporary with a strong element of art and design. Not only upstairs in the main dining area but also the magnificent gallery that is a level below. It's no wonder that this amazing estate has received the Eat Out Style Award.

Micheal Deg is head of the kitchen and producing elegant well thought out dishes with seasonal produce, perfectly balanced that will leave you perfectly satiated. Each dish is brilliant. This winter you can expect a starter of slow-cooked octopus, fermented black garlic aioli, squid ink crisp, and radish served with a Fynbos dressing followed by barley & mushrooms, parmesan custard dish. For mains diners can look forward to a confit duck leg served with orange, red onion marmalade, mustard pommes mousseline and black kale. For dessert, the Tonka bean crème caramel palmier is the perfect ending to this dining experience.

Vegetarian diners are also well taken care of this winter, with a starter of a parsnip, truffle and honey velouté, 65°C free-range egg, mushroom ragout, and crispy enoki served with smoked crème Fraiche. The main a pearl couscous risotto, dressed with red pepper, homemade almond yoghurt, and pickled naartjies served with a kale crisp.

With his zero-waste attitude and seasonal produce grown in their lush gardens, there isn't much not to love about the experience. Sitting in the winter sun and sipping on their 'Filly' Chenin is something I could do full-time thanks to Farai Magwada, Front of House Manager and Sommelier for Cavalli Restaurant. As he says "The ‘Filly’ Chenin Blanc is the ideal all-rounder. “It’s incredibly elegant, and it balances freshness and a richer flavour profile. It’s a wine that caters to a diversity of palates.”

The Cavalli Private Collection of South African Masters is frequently rotated in the portico situated within the main gallery and two memorabilia rooms allocated nearby showcase a remarkable collection of rugby and sporting memorabilia.

So if you find yourself wanting for art, food, and wine then I suggest you find yourself ambling through to this magnificent establishment this winter. You might even find me there!

For more information call 021 855 3218, send an email to info@cavalliestate.com, visit www.cavalliestate.com or make contact via @CavalliEstate #CavalliEstate

-Melissa

Nomad winelands Stellenbosch

Do you guys know the Star Fish Story? Well here is the long and short of it. 

A wise man was walking along the beach and came across a young man throwing star fish back into the ocean. He asked the young man why he was doing so. The young man replied, 'the tide is going out an the sun is up. If I don't do it they will die.' The old man responded that he couldn't possibly make a difference as there is miles and miles of coast line covered with star fish. The young man picked up a star fish and threw it back in the ocean. As it hit the water he replied, "It made a difference to that one!" 

I guess that is what it is all about. I recently adopted this attitude and became flexitarian. I try to eat vegetarian as much as possible and save meat for special occasions. This attitude, combined with my thirst for trying new places, lead me to Nomad in Stellenbosch. Owned by Keri Bainborough, a passionate vegan, this little spot boasts a menu with that would satisfy the hungriest of farmers with a meaty option, but also - for a change - inspire and delight a vegan who hungers for a delicious food experience! The interior is modern but warm with a beautiful pizza oven as the main feature. We decided to sit out on the balcony over looking the dam. 

The order of the day for me was to have a three course vegan meal. I can safely say that every course was simply delicious and inspired. I had the sweet potato gnocchi served with crispy greens, sweet potato crisps and tomato broth – R75 to start and my mom had the Red quinoa falafel with pepper purée, confit cherry tomato, rocket and toasted pine nuts – R75. I cannot say no to a sweet potato! For mains I had the vegan burger with grilled aubergine, Moroccan olive pesto and vegan mozzarella – R95. My mom had the vegan curry which boasted full on coconut flavour and was really good! For my sweet tooth I had the vegan cheesecake served with blueberry compote and homemade ice cream - R60. The menu reminded me that with a little creativity and thought I could create amazing meals at home that didn't contain any animal by product! It really can be a bit of a trip if you think about it. Most people have the response of "all they eat is bunny food" but Nomad is proving that this is not the case. I even had vegan cheesecake and ice cream. 

So next time you find yourself in the area pop in and try something vegan. Make a difference to that one star fish. 

Here are the details if you want to make a booking: 
Call: 0218652456
Email: info@nomadrestaurant.co.za

-Melissa

Getting festive in Stellenbosch

Sometimes I find it slightly scary meeting new people. I am one of those people who wear their heart on their sleeve.  This is a good thing in many ways but it can also result in unwanted vulnerability.

I read this quote the other day, “If you are scared, it is because you are about to do something really brave!”

I was invited by a group of really fantastic visual storytellers recently to a tour of Stellenbosch. Young bloggers and influencers that are making waves as they go. As you can imagine meeting everyone and not knowing them from a bar of soap was rather daunting. Daunting until they shared their various handles with me. Isn’t it strange that living in a world of social media sometimes results in people knowing me more as The Truffle Journal than Melissa Delport?

Well I can’t exactly criticize because I am one of those people that will recognize you quicker by your Instagram handle than your real name. Once I had matched the "virtual persona" to all the real live persons I quickly settled in for an adventure that involved a group of really dynamic and fun people.

The hashtag for the day was #festivestellenbosch, which quickly started trending on twitter just by the influence of everyone combined. This is my photo journal. A little look-see into what Stellenbosch has to offer.

A walking tour through Kayamandi that in my opinion, every South African should do hosted by Bites and Sites.  It ended up being the best excursion of the day. Why? Simply because it forced me to look across cultural boundaries and to see that in truth as a young South African I had never actually been into a township. Yes to be honest it was out of fear. Now I see it was the fear of the unknown. To see how my fellow South Africans live was not only humbling but also enlightening.

The smiles and warm energy that we were received with was something I will never forget. To see another human being live in destitution but still smile, laugh and face each day with bravery made me feel foolish for the amount of times I complain in a day. So you will have to excuse the amount of photographs but I couldn't help but capture this experience!

Walking into a little nursery school with broken windows and worn off paint I couldn’t help but have flash backs about the privileged education I received and how different it was. I could not begin to compare.

My heart almost burst when I entered the nursery. Happy little faces greeted me with smiles and cheer. They called us Teacher, as it is a standard for anyone who visits them. They sang us songs and performed dances for us. All the while the walls covered with posters about sexual abuse and how it isn’t their fault, teaching these tiny little humans to speak up and communicate to the adults teaching them. Again it made me think of my fairy tale up bringing.

With prominent events like our #feesmustfall in headlines recently it makes me think how we as a nation need to stand together. Yes, tertiary education should be affordable to all South Africans but in my opinion every single child of our nation should have access to the fundamentals; the ABC’s.

We stopped by an elderly gentleman called Jimmy who does pottery from his shack. He was illiterate and yet had forged his own path in life the best way he could – to be honest I don’t know if I would have survived as well as he has. He worked at a pottery studio sweeping floors and one day asked his boss to teach him. He now has several spinning wheels and offers classes for those who are interested in the craft as well as selling his beautiful little bowls, plates etc. His laughter and his eager attitude left me wondering how different his world would be if education were an option for him.  I thought about how something as simple as a Facebook page and a great location would swing his life around or at least create the possibility of change.

Of course after this amount of walking I was starving – not that it was far! I am just always game for lunch.

We were whisked off to Tokara wine estate to juxtapose our township adventure. The Deli is one of my favourites. With plenty of great products on offer their Olive Oil made on site is one of my favourites. We all sat down and had a chance to finally chat and get to know one another more as fellow online Bloggers. Of course I decided to take it easy and get their burger for lunch. A giant patty of goodness served with the perfect potato fry. An ideal lunch to wash down with some of the finest wine Stellenbosch has to offer!

With our bellies full we set off to take a guided tour through Stellenbosch. It is amazing how something can be right in your back yard and yet you can have such little knowledge of it. Walking through the town and learning of its history and landmarks was just fantastic. I must admit I had house envy for some of the historical landmarks. They are simply magnificent and I wouldn’t mind moving in!

I’m no authority and it's no rule - here it is, a list of the places I went to and loved.

Stellenbosch Dorp Museum
Tokara Deli
Bites & Sites cultural food tour
Schoon De Companje
De Warenmarket
Spier wine farm & Eigh

-Melissa

Cheese fondue at Delheim, Cape Town

There is something to be said for true friendship. I above all, value this the most. I often think to myself where would I be without my friends? I am sure you know what I am talking about. Those friends that you have that have stood by you when the chips were down, when you felt your life was falling apart or simply those friends that come over with a great bottle of wine, settle down and chat the night away with you. They know where you keep things in your kitchen because they are part of the furniture, even better, part of the family.

I must say I am a lucky girl and I count my blessings everyday when it comes to my friendships. 

I recently took a drive with one such friend and my family to a wine estate called Delheim. We chose this particular one because, cheese. Well more than cheese, a whole melting pot of cheese. Cheese fondue to be precise. Delheim does the cheese fondue on the weekend and I must admit, it’s the closest I have gotten to the real thing in South Africa. It’s fantastic and will leave you in a cheese coma. I mean how could it not be? It’s cheese. Again cheese. The other perk is their wine isn't too bad either, in fact, its award winning wine. 

So the scene is simply really, great company, melting cheese, fantastic wines, beautifully sweet desserts all the while with cool jazz playing in the background. 

It’s a winter thing and you will need to call and book but trust me, its worth it. If you can't get around to it, then here is an old family recipe of mine for cheese fondue.  

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Serves: 6

Ingredients: 

• 600 grams shredded cheese-I use ½ gruyere, ½ emmentaler,
• 1 clove garlic, split
• 1 ¼ cup white wine
• 3 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 shots of kirsch
• ground pepper and nutmeg to taste
• 1 sour dough loaf cut into bite size pieces 
• 300 grams of blanched mixed veg for the table, you can use broccoli, baby potato (cooked), cauliflower, rose tomatoes (raw) and carrots. 

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Instructions:

Rub a heavy saucepan or heatproof clay fondue pot with the split garlic clove.  

Dissolve the cornstarch in the kirsch.

Put the cheese and wine into the pan and slowly bring to boil, stirring constantly. 

When the cheese is completely melted, add the kirsch and cornstarch mixture, stirring vigorously. 

Continue to cook. 

Season with pepper and nutmeg.

Serve over an alcohol lamp.  

The cooking should continue on a low heat.  

Stir constantly with small pieces of bread or veg speared on a fondue fork.

As a variety you can also only use Gruyere cheese only at different ripeness.

In Geneva three kinds of cheese are used; Gruyere, Emmentaler and a vaudois cheese. (a semi-hard cheese, whose unique flavour is a result of the addition of Chasselas wine and ageing with crushed walnuts.)  Then sautéed chopped morels (fresh or dried and pre-soaked) or diced tomatoes are added.

Fondue aficionados dunk their bread in kirsch before dipping in into the cheese.  Don’t forget: whoever loses his bread in the pan must pay for a round of beer or a bottle of wine.  If it happens to a lady she must kiss the man sitting next to her! 

-Melissa