A tasting tour of Stellenbosch
Tucked away inside a larger wine estate surrounded by a golf
course and local community homes is the Kleine Zalze Winery, which also
includes the restaurant I ate at for lunch that day, Terroir.
Listed as one of the top 50 restaurants to eat at in the Western Cape, I was on
a wine tour with Stephen Flesch of Gourmet Wine Tours of South Africa, and as part of our itinerary, Terroir
was included as part of the lunch and The Tasting room at Le Quartier Français
for dinner. It was a warmer day away from the fresh breezes of Cape Town at the
start of summer. I had already been to several wineries, and Terroir was a good
break, before the tastings started again.
Other South African restaurant reviews on Wine, Dine, and Play:
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Stellenbosch, South Africa
Dined
in December 2013
Tucked away inside a larger wine estate surrounded by a golf
course and local community homes is the Kleine Zalze Winery, which also
includes the restaurant I ate at for lunch that day, Terroir.
Listed as one of the top 50 restaurants to eat at in the Western Cape, I was on
a wine tour with Stephen Flesch of Gourmet Wine Tours of South Africa, and as part of our itinerary, Terroir
was included as part of the lunch and The Tasting room at Le Quartier Français
for dinner. It was a warmer day away from the fresh breezes of Cape Town at the
start of summer. I had already been to several wineries, and Terroir was a good
break, before the tastings started again.
Follow Wine, dine, and Play:
Chef:
Michael Broughton
 |
| Courtesy of Kleine Zalze |
From Terroir's home page:
The unpretentious ambience and dressed-down décor belie
multi award-winning chef Michael Broughton’s rigorously disciplined approach to
food. Classic pairings and intense depth of flavour characterize the chalkboard
menu of ‘deceptively simple’ dishes influenced by what’s in season and, where
possible, the use of locally grown fresh produce. Care and emphasis is placed
on matching the food to specific wines produced at Kleine Zalze, in the
Stellenbosch region and further afield.
Terroir’s ongoing success has brought with it a string of
prestigious awards, including the Eat Out Johnny Walker ‘Restaurant of the Year
2006’, Eat Out ‘Service Excellence Award 2006’, Eat Out ‘Top 10 Restaurant’
2005 and 2006, Dine (Wine magazine) ‘Top 10 Restaurant’ in 2005, 2006 and 2007,
and Best of Wine Capitals of the World South African Wine Tourism Restaurant of
the Year 2006.
Main review:
I decided on a three course quick lunch menu since I was on
a wine tour and was only allotted one hour for lunch so that we could make are
way to the next set of wineries for the day. As we were seated, a large chalk
board was presented to use resting on an easel, the same type of experience
from Constantia Uitsig La Colombe Restaurant that I had eaten at the other day.
The service was very basic, with not a lot of attention to detail. The
gentleman who was my guide for the wine tour had to flag someone down to refill
his beverage more than once during the meal, and to me that shows a lack of
interest in your client from the service standpoint.
 |
| Picture courtesy of gogobot.com |
Bread was delivered to the table as we continued to look
over the menu. There were two types of bread, a sourdough and focaccia bread
served with a burnet butter aioli and an olive Tapenade.
We had two appetizers starting with a dodine
of confit duck wing served with asparagus and parmesan, and I ordered it with
the 2013 Chenin Blanc from the Vineyard
Estate Kleine Zalze. (Scroll down below the main review to see
wine tasting notes). The second appetizer was a cured
Norwegian salmon tartar.
For the entrée course I enjoyed the smoked Springbok loin, with
a chestnut puree, and Pomme Anna, which is a thinly
sliced and baked potato, similar to a gratin recipe without the cheese. Before
coming to South Africa I had never had any Springbok (Antelope), and this would
be the second time I ordered it in the past five days. It was a very rich textured
meat with lots of wonderful flavor. With dish I enjoyed a rich glass of the
vineyard Select Shiraz from 2010. A very smoky finish to the wine paired
perfectly with the springbok.
For dessert I relaxed and enjoyed an artisan cheese plate
with a few South African selections served with apricot and vanilla compote, walnut
fruit bread, and crackers.
This Restaurant reminds me of:
All in all, not a bad place to have lunch, even though
service was not the best. I would compare Terroir to TheZink Kitchen + Bar restaurant in Denver, Colorado and Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen, London.
Cost of wines and other
alcoholic beverages:
R80.00
Tasting
Notes:
Wine & Grape:
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Nose (Bouquet):
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Palette Experience:
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On the nose, there are concentrated aromas of tropical,
peach and litchi fruit with hints of botrytis and well balanced French oak
wood flavors.
|
Ripe layers of tropical fruit, both combined with subtle
wood give this wine a good length of fruit and creamy mouth feel, with an
elegant acidity in the background. Enjoy now or mature for 3 – 5 years.
|
|
This wine has a deep ruby-red color with a prominent
blackcurrant, berry and spicy fruit aromas on the nose.
|
On the palate, the wine shows hints of richness with
black- and mulberry flavors and is well integrated with the oak tannins to
give the wine a bold, lingering aftertaste. The wood is well integrated and
gives the wine a soft, slightly smoky finish.
|
Other South African restaurant reviews on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Mount Nelson Afternoon Tea in Cape Town
Dunes Restaurant in Cape Town
Constantia Uitsig La Colombe in Cape Town
Two Oceans Restaurant, in Cape Point
Signal Restaurant in Cape Town
The Test Kitchen in Cape Town
The Five Flies in Cape Town
Shark Cage Diving in South Africa
The Tasting room at Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek
Fugitives Drift Lodge in Kwa-Zulu-Natal (Zululand)
Leopard Hills Lodge in Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Tradewinds Restaurant in Sandton
Signature Restaurant in Johannesburg
Le Sel @ The Cradle Restaurant in Johannesburg
Star ratings chart:
5 stars
|
Extraordinary
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4 stars
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Outstanding
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3 stars
|
Exceeded expectations
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2 stars
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Above average
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1 star
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Average
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No star rating
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Basic, poor, or appalling
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Review basics:
Star rating by Wine, Dine, & Play:
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2 of 5
|
Quality of food:
|
8 of 10
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Presentation:
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7 of 10
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Wine selections by region:
Scroll below the main review section to see the tasting notes of the wines chosen.
|
3 of 10
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Customer service:
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6 of 10
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Ambiance:
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7 of 10
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Corkage fee’s:
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R50.00 limit one bottle per table
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Dress code:
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Smart casual, and Casual attire
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Reservations:
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Recommended
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Walk-ins:
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Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Child policy:
 |
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance. Hire a Babysitter. Alinea Baby Gate
|
Cuisine style:
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Contemporary, Modern, South African cuisine, Mediterranean, & Vegetarian
|
Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Business parties, Romantic, Great outdoor Dining, Good for special
Occasions, Beautiful décor, Scenic views, Classy, Upscale, and a Neighborhood gem.
|
Music styles:
|
Background instrumental
|
Gratuities:
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South African standard is 10% added to parties of 6 or more
|
 |
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diner’s,
|
Parking:
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Vineyard and hotel parking
|
Transport options:
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limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
|
 |
The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio:
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Yes
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Food price per person (excluding gratuity)
Price chart:
$£€ - Under 50.00
$£€ x 2 - Under 75.00
$£€ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€ x 5 - Over 400.00
My food bill:
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Currency :
|
Price chart :
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R390.00
|
ZAR
| |
$35.87
|
USD
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$
|
£21.85
|
GBP
|
£
|
€26.49
|
EUR
|
€
|
Restaurant address:
Strand Road (R44),
Stellenbosch 7600,
South Africa
Cross streets:
Tegno Road & Caledon Road
Contact Information:
Maître d, reservations
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+27 21 880 8167
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Website:
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Contact:
|
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Online
Reservations :
|
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Hours:
Lunch:
Daily: 12:00- 3:00 pm
Dinner:
Monday
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6:30–9:00 pm
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Tuesday
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6:30–9:00 pm
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Wednesday
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6:30–9:00 pm
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Thursday
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6:30–9:00 pm
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Friday
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6:30–9:00 pm
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Saturday
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6:30–9:00 pm
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Sunday
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6:30–9:00 pm
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South African Standard Time (GMT +2:00)
****
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So many great wines in this world, here are a few of my favorite tastings:
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Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Franschhoek, South Africa
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Asheville, North Carolina, USA
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Willamette, Oregon
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Alexander Valley, California, USA
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Constantia, South Africa
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Yountville, California
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Napa, California, USA
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Reviewed by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Picture below was taken in Bordeaux, 2010
About Sean:
I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working in the food service industry for the past twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef in Basra, Iraq. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta, Georgia prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army Food Service Program. The idea for Wine, Dine, and Play started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by friends to write down the experiences from a few Jordanian restaurants, wine from the region that I tasted, and locations of interest such as Petra. Since that time, over 250 articles have been written on restaurants, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide. There are articles on exotic world locations such as Victoria Falls, and South African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; ethnic country cuisines such as Afghan, and Peruvian; tasting tours of world cities like Charleston, Cape Town, and Dubai; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, with much more to see and write about.
Who is John Galt?
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
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TTFN
