Moyo
Published: 01 Jun 04
Category: Pan-African
That description struck me as accurate as we approached on a cloudless, balmy Cape evening. The outdoor restaurant did indeed seem magical - a tented village of twinkling lights, wrought-iron frames, white canvas coverings and mosaic-topped tables. I reached into my memory for an appropriate quote - something along the lines of "the face of night is fair upon the dewy downs".
And then we were shown to our table on the outermost reaches of the restaurant area - the penalty for booking late at a place that is as hugely popular as its two Johannesburg forerunners. Nothing romantic or exotic about this setting, particularly as it was next to spotlights bright enough to guide a fleet of bombers to their target. Then we had to ask three times for the bread selection to be brought; the ritual hand-washing was perfunctory; and the lady who offers to paint pretty white dots on patrons' faces gave us a wide berth. The musicians that are part of the evening's entertainment were banging away loudly and monotonously on drums, and I still had to queue for my food. My quote changed to "bottomless perdition, in adamantine chains and penal fire".
But then things took a turn for the better. A couple of glasses of wine soothed the savage breast, we were able to move to a table away from the spotlights, the food was worth the queue and the music switched to a much gentler, guitar-driven Congolese trio with exquisite harmonies and melodies. (Brett Bailey's Third World Bunfight provides all the entertainment, and most of it stays well away from tourist-focused Afro-kitsch.)
There is a lot of food, with many different flavours from all over Africa. It's a bit of a mission, though, to find out exactly what is on offer. The menu on the website says you can have a lamb loin chop with a choice of three glazes - ginger and port, harissa and molasses or saffron and apricot - but when you ask the man behind the counter what he's offering, he says, "Lamb chops." Surely it's a simple matter to tack up on each of the several separate stalls a laminated sheet of what is served there?
Some of the dishes to look out for: seared calamari with molasses, toasted peanuts and chilli; sardines basted with coriander, lemon and coarse sea salt; fresh chicken fillets marinated Senegalese style with lemons, peppers, paprika, sesame paste and mustard and an excellent selection of tagines and potjies. The salad buffet groans with freshness and flavour and do remember to leave a little abdominal corner for the butternut cheesecake, chilli pineapple with caramel sauce and other sweet goodies.
You fetch and carry your own food, but the plates are cleared and drinks are supplied by friendly, efficient waitresses with purple feather headdresses. The extensive winelist includes a small selection of older wines. Kaapzicht Sauvignon Blanc at R72, and De Krans Cabernet Sauvignon at R86 are the most affordable options.
By evening's end we were sated and moved to the chill-out area to sip on cognac and gaze dumbly at the lucent, horned moon.
Again the quote in my head changed. Not Tennyson or Milton this time, but Schwarzenegger: "I'll be back". With the addendum: "And this time I'll book well in advance, so I'll get one of the treehouse tables."
Buffet: R150.
By John Maytham<
br />Address: Spier, Lynedoch Road, Stellenbosch. Tel 021 809 1100. Lunch and dinner every day.
Food: 4
Wine list3.5
Ambience: 4 (if at a good table) 5
Service: 3
Value: 4
That description struck me as accurate as we approached on a cloudless, balmy Cape evening. The outdoor restaurant did indeed seem magical - a tented village of twinkling lights, wrought-iron frames, white canvas coverings and mosaic-topped tables. I reached into my memory for an appropriate quote - something along the lines of "the face of night is fair upon the dewy downs".
And then we were shown to our table on the outermost reaches of the restaurant area - the penalty for booking late at a place that is as hugely popular as its two Johannesburg forerunners. Nothing romantic or exotic about this setting, particularly as it was next to spotlights bright enough to guide a fleet of bombers to their target. Then we had to ask three times for the bread selection to be brought; the ritual hand-washing was perfunctory; and the lady who offers to paint pretty white dots on patrons' faces gave us a wide berth. The musicians that are part of the evening's entertainment were banging away loudly and monotonously on drums, and I still had to queue for my food. My quote changed to "bottomless perdition, in adamantine chains and penal fire".
But then things took a turn for the better. A couple of glasses of wine soothed the savage breast, we were able to move to a table away from the spotlights, the food was worth the queue and the music switched to a much gentler, guitar-driven Congolese trio with exquisite harmonies and melodies. (Brett Bailey's Third World Bunfight provides all the entertainment, and most of it stays well away from tourist-focused Afro-kitsch.)
There is a lot of food, with many different flavours from all over Africa. It's a bit of a mission, though, to find out exactly what is on offer. The menu on the website says you can have a lamb loin chop with a choice of three glazes - ginger and port, harissa and molasses or saffron and apricot - but when you ask the man behind the counter what he's offering, he says, "Lamb chops." Surely it's a simple matter to tack up on each of the several separate stalls a laminated sheet of what is served there?
Some of the dishes to look out for: seared calamari with molasses, toasted peanuts and chilli; sardines basted with coriander, lemon and coarse sea salt; fresh chicken fillets marinated Senegalese style with lemons, peppers, paprika, sesame paste and mustard and an excellent selection of tagines and potjies. The salad buffet groans with freshness and flavour and do remember to leave a little abdominal corner for the butternut cheesecake, chilli pineapple with caramel sauce and other sweet goodies.
You fetch and carry your own food, but the plates are cleared and drinks are supplied by friendly, efficient waitresses with purple feather headdresses. The extensive winelist includes a small selection of older wines. Kaapzicht Sauvignon Blanc at R72, and De Krans Cabernet Sauvignon at R86 are the most affordable options.
By evening's end we were sated and moved to the chill-out area to sip on cognac and gaze dumbly at the lucent, horned moon.
Again the quote in my head changed. Not Tennyson or Milton this time, but Schwarzenegger: "I'll be back". With the addendum: "And this time I'll book well in advance, so I'll get one of the treehouse tables."
Buffet: R150.
By John Maytham<
Food: 4
Wine list3.5
Ambience: 4 (if at a good table) 5
Service: 3
Value: 4
