Riebeek Kasteel

Small town rising

There is a bright star in the culinary heaven. Jeanri-Tine van Zyl follows it to discover a small town bursting with sensual food and wine offerings.

 

It is a sweltering day. Along the coast it's 33°C, but inland it's much warmer. Driving here the car thermometer showed the temperature to be 38°C - not even birds fly in this heat.

At cafés in the town's square waiters hand out mintscented facecloths dipped in ice water. These offer little respite, but allow diners to wipe the sweat from their eyes, enabling them to focus on menu choices.

The square, a multi-coloured collection of shops, is obscured by heat haze. At the entrance to each shop cacti grow in equally colourful pots. If there were sombrero-wearing men resting with their backs against the wall, this could be Mexico.

But, of course, it is not. This is South Africa's up-and-coming (country) cuisine capital - Riebeek Kasteel - a small village surrounded by olive groves, vineyards, wheat fields and mountains. It is situated about an hour's meander from Cape Town making it an easy drive for those wanting to experience the town's expanding food offerings.

Long gone are the days that the Royal Hotel in town holds the culinary monopoly (although this colonial country hotel's long stoep still provides a great venue for afternoon teas and cocktails). As it currently stands, restaurants in town each provide menu choices that are unique to their particular establishment.

In the mood for French country cuisine? Head to Café Felix. Sexy flavours with a nod towards the exotic? Bar-Bar Black Sheep. Italian fare? Aunti Pasti. Casual pizza? Flamboyant in Church Street. Not forgetting the mélange of flavours that Allan Barnard and Julien Debray cook up at Kasteelberg Country Inn.

It is this originality that is turning the town into a favourite destination for foodies who prefer their meals to reflect a sense of place. Wine hunters will also know that this is where some of South Africa's best (and most expensive) Chenin Blanc-based blends are made - led by the ‘Baby Jesus' of the industry, Eben Sadie.

So tempting is this small enclave that it has also become a permanent settlement for eccentrics who find refuge in houses with hug-around verandas. The small town's property market is a booming entity of late, as is clear from all the estate agents' boards that tempt visitors to buy into the slow-pace lifestyle that Riebeek Kasteel offers.

Drawing on its countryside appeal, the locals of Riebeek Kasteel are equally charming, and genuinely friendly. So open in fact, that one particular free spirit has no scruples asking for a taste of my Cacik (Turkish soup) at Bar-Bar Black Sheep before he places his order.

WINERIES
The Swartland is home to, among others, Lammershoek and the Mullineux Badenhorst and Sadie families - wineries at the forefront of producing cult-classic Rhône-style white wines.

This close-knit group of winemakers most often source grapes from various patches, and their wines are big proponents for the value of old-vine Chenin Blanc.

With a fair level of Swartland mystique and praise accompanying these wineries, it is no wonder that The Sadie Family Wines is Platter's 2010 Winery of the Year and the Sadie Family Palladius 2008 White Wine of the Year.

South Africa's very own ‘celebrity winemaker' Sadie was quoted in Decanter (June 2009) as saying that he is simply interested in "craft[ing] some of the best wines on the planet" and that opinion from the outside world is of little concern.

Equally promising, although less idolised, is the couple responsible for Mullineux Family Wines. Chris and Andrea Mullineux recently opened their own establishment at the square in Riebeek Kasteel; a ‘starter-winery' currently consecrated to grapes from the 2010 harvest.

Team Mullineux runs an interesting operation: grapes are sourced from various vineyard blocks (21 pockets) that benefit from their rather unconventional approach.

"We harvest on taste only, with analysis only done much later in the process," reveals Andrea. Also a strong proponent for established vines, Andrea says that they are locked in a constant battle with farmers wanting to uproot older vines.

When you do not own the vines you manage, it is a tricky business, she admits, adding that the only way to convince farmers of the quality of older vines is with your product.

This year Mullineux received a 5 Star Platter's rating for its Straw Wine, made from 60-year-old bushvines. An extraordinarily delicious wine, it is the leader in a campaign to save older vines. The Mullineux also produce a delicately structured Syrah and a rich, concentrated white blend.

The shed-like building will be converted into a tasting room-cum-cellar in the style of France, says Andrea, but at the moment visits and tastings at Mullineux are by appointment only. (Tel 082 333 6888)

Apart from the celebrated white varietals, the Swartland is also Shiraz country, as signs along the route proclaim. And indeed Shiraz from this valley is characteristically dark in colour, full and layered with smooth tannins.

At Allesverloren, where Danie Malan is the fifth generation on the farm, the oldest in Swartland, visitors can experience prime examples of trademark Swartland Shiraz. Kloovenburg is another Shiraz producer of distinction.

OLIVES
On the produce front, Riebeek Kasteel absolutely excels when it comes to olives. Groves of plantings against the slopes of Kasteelberg reveal that olive farming is well suited to this environment. Visitors to the valley can expect to indulge in all kinds of olive offerings at Kloovenburg, Het Vlock Casteel, Goedgedacht Rural Centre and the Riebeeck Olive Boutique.

Of these, Kloovenburg outside town runs an enticing combo with its tasting room also serving as an olive boutique which incorporates numerous olive products - from edible to beauty-focused - made by Annalene du Toit. (Tel 022 448 1635)

SHORT STREET, LONG STAY
Upon arrival in Riebeek Kasteel, head directly to the colourful Short Street, a square of multi-coloured shops and restaurants.

The ‘square' is part-owned by Anton Espost who you'll find assisting with sales at Wine Kollective, a wine outlet selling produce from boutique cellars in the area at cellar-door prices.

Very clued up on his wines, Anton assists buyers with their purchase decisions, and will gladly open wines for tasting during weekends. Don't leave without having at least tasted his own label, Santa Cecilia Chenin Blanc.

This wine has a magnificently rich viscosity, assisted by a high residual sugar content of six grams! At R45 this wine lends itself to anytime quenching and is the value wine find to include in your shopping basket (tel 082 776 9366). Right next door to the Wine Kollective is where you'll fi nd Bar-Bar Black Sheep, one of Riebeek Kasteel's prime eating spots.

The restaurant is hidden around the corner from the Wine Kollective, and makes optimal use of its intimate setting. The décor is a collection of flashback kitsch with a mixture of chairs and tables covered with bright plastic table cloths contributing to a frivolous environment.

Owner and chef Mynhardt Joubert runs the restaurant and has compiled a menu with an enticing selection of dishes with a good dose of sensual flavours - emphasised by whiffs from neighbouring Crisp, a freshproduce shop that also sells spices.

Joubert changes his menu regularly, but on the day of my visit Middle-Eastern lamb, gazpacho and Cuban flat breads are but some of the options on the menu, although it is the Cacik, a Turkish cold soup made with yoghurt, mint and cucumber served with fresh figs and grapes that I vow to return for. (Tel 022 448 1031)

CAFÉ FELIX AND OLD OAK MANOR
Like most of Riebeek Kasteel's inhabitants, Malcolm Bushell, owner of Old Oak Manor and adjacent restaurant Café Felix moved to the town in search of tranquillity and simplicity.

He appropriated the guest house with its French-country restaurant last year, and has since been working hard to achieve, and maintain, an establishment of commendable quality.

Old Oak Manor takes its name from the huge oak tree at the entrance gate. The tree's estimate age is 180 years, and its huge canopy provides a cool spot for tea parties.

The overall ambience of the Manor just begs for a ‘forget-it-all' weekend. Lived-in French Provençal décor and bespoke furniture donned with colouful paisleys play on the establishment's romantic setting. An understated scent of vanilla fills the rooms where pastel-dominated colours and muslin curtains add a soft overlay to the ‘cosy vogue' interiors.

The main guest house has but four en-suite rooms, which makes it a perfect getaway location for a group of close friends. Rooms are named after the previous owner's cats, with main rooms Julius and Tara opening onto a patio leading to the swimming pool, while rooms Felix and Misty are located at the back of the house. Die Gifhuisie or Garden Cottage and The Loft, situated above Café Felix, are bigger units and cater for more guests.

The on-premises restaurant, Café Felix, reflects the French charm of the guest house. The outside area comprises a combination of mismatched tables and chairs, where fountains and lavender alongside the pebbled garden hint at romanticism. With its good dose of French influence it is little wonder that couples often book this venue for intimate weddings.

Steven Kruger (of Opal Lounge in Cape Town, also owned by Bushell) ensures that quality prevails on the food front as well. Changes have been made to the menu under Bushell's management, but dishes still reflect what proprietors refer to as ‘French- Italian' with the delectable menu choices scribbled on a black board.

News of Café Felix's sumptuous country dining has reached foodie headlines, which is why travelling urbanites gladly head out to the country to fill the relaxing space for a Sunday lunch. (Tel 022 448 1170)