With a background in design and building construction my attention by Waterkloof wine estate was had long before even stepping into the restaurant. The main concrete structure in contrast to the cantilevered glass restaurant box reminded me why I love buildings so much, and then of course there is the view from up there which really is quite something to behold.
The estate sits at the top of Sir Lowry’s pass village in Somerset West and from this vantage point one can see over The Strand, Gordon’s Bay and the Indian ocean.
Upon entering the restaurant one is immediately taken with the design design detail which has gone into creating this special space. From the frameless sliding glass doors, to the open fireplace with its hanging chimney, to the chrome plated indirect glass pendants which are suspended in the middle of the glass box.
If the the detail of the space was going to be any indication of the detail going into the food, we were in for a special treat.
The host’s greeting was warm and welcoming and we already felt treated before any food had even arrived. Taking up a seat at the edge of the restaurant we could see the lights from the town below and there is something really special about a dining experience where you feel a little bit like your’e on top of the world.
The freshly baked bread rolls with butter was a welcomed start, and as much as I try to steer clear from bread these days when it is quite as delicious as this don’t even fool yourself, simply indulge.
It was then time to move on to taste dishes off Chef Gregory Czarnecki’s degustation menu, and first up was the Amuse bouche, a dish of blue cheese, grilled pear and crispy celery.
The sweetness of the pear and richness of the blue cheese was perfectly balanced by the bite of the fresh celery and my palate was certainly excited for what was to come. Now whilst I’m not going to cover all of the dishes we indulged in, (you need to go yourself and be surprised) I am going to talk about some of the stand outs for me.
Next up was a beautifully constructed plate of Foie gras parfait, apple espuma, vadauvan pear and dehydrated pistachio.
What stood out for me, besides the perfectly balanced flavours, were the textures, there was something very beautiful about the soft creaminess of the parfait in contrast to the crunch of the juicy apple ribbon which had been wrapped around it, and which circled the plate. All of the ingredients although different in taste and texture just seemed to work so harmoniously. I was completely blown away by the detail, and by this highly talented chef, who whilst managing a menu of this kind, still found time to come out of the kitchen to interact with the guests.
It was then time to move onto a fish dish, and this was certainly a display of elegance on a plate –
a dish of Fizantekraal lime cured trout with Chinese radish, avocado, Granny Smith apple and whole grain mustard sorbet. I love the way this felt on my tongue, the softness of the fish, the smoothness of the avo, the cool bite of the radish and sorbet…simply heavenly.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better the tartare dish arrived. Now if I see tartare on a menu I am usually likely to order it but this one was different. It was a dish of organic beef and langoustine tartare with beet, yuzu and wasabi. I wasn’t even going to try to figure out how it was conceptualised but all I can say is genius, I thought it was genius, and really pretty to behold too.
There was more to follow, dishes of seared scallops with a crisped quails egg, slow roasted lamb on couscous, an exquisite cheese plate, and a dessert which I’m still dreaming of which had avocado ice-cream as one of the components…but this you’ll have to go and try for yourself.
My dining experience at Waterkloof is not one to soon be forgotten. What stood out for me was not only the beauty in each plate, or the magnificently constructed balance of textures and flavours, but rather the passion, dedication and detail that goes into the work required to create a menu of this kind.
I cannot wait to go back again, to lap up the beauty of the space and it’s surrounds but also to support this incredible chef and what he does to create exquisite dishes for us to experience.
