There is a certain inconsistency in my personality that allows me to spend R400 on a dinner without breaking a sweat, while at the same time balking at the idea of spending the same amount on a pair of boots or a handbag. In all fairness it should be the other way around – after all, in terms of the latter you can at least SEE and USE what you’ve purchased.

Food is an instantaneous and fleeting type of gratification and dining, when taken out of its immediate context, is an indulgent exercise very far removed from its original intention, namely sustenance. Knowing all of this, you would assume that I would be able to restrain myself. After all, we are in the midst of a much publicised economic recession, are we not? We should be scrimping and saving, buying in bulk, pickling, preserving and living by our wits. And yet, none of this is quite sufficient to keep me in line.

So off we went, Rouve and I, last Thursday evening to Fork Restaurant in Long Street. I would advise that anyone who ventures to that part of town after dark go in pairs. The inner-city has a whole bunch of nooks and crannies that are as threatening in darkness as they are quaint in daylight and you can never be too cautious. That aside, the restaurant is lovely. Situated in a narrow, upright building with a Victorian façade, the smoking section is located on the ground floor with a rickety staircase that leads to non-smoking area on the first floor.

The restaurant is unique in the sense that it ONLY serves tapas. If you are a ‘one solid plate of food’ type of diner, rather give it a skip and save both the waiter and yourself a whole lot of hassle. Everything on the menu, from prime rib to ostrich Carpaccio and malva pudding comes in the shape of four bite-sized pieces. This means that, ideally, your dining party should consist of either two or four people, to avoid first fights over the last unclaimed morsel. Almost all of the wines on the wine list are available per glass, since you may want to switch between cultivars as you enjoy different ‘courses’.

I don’t want to go into too much detail where the food is concerned, since I will only end up sounding like a gushing gastronome. Seriously, everything was simply divine, darling (***insert overt inflection and flapping hand gestures***). The interior is comfortable and expertly styled, nothing is overt and every element works together with the next to create a warm, yet unfettered ambience. If you book beforehand I would recommend that you reserve one of the upstairs booths – there is something decidedly romantic and intellectual about dining in an oak-lined nook.

The evening will end up being expensive, take my word for it. No matter how good your intentions, you will give your wallet (and conscience) a serious knock. Just to illustrate – to keep ourselves from over-indulging Rouve and I both had supper at home before going to Fork. We were merely going to see what all the fuss was about and maybe to have ONE plate of tapas and a glass of wine each. Wishful thinking. Our bill came to over R500 and we basically waddled home, which is testament to both the diversity of the menu and the quiet instigation of our knowledgeable waitress.

So, if you have a special occasion coming up or some cash to spare, make your way down to Fork for a gastronomical experience bar none. It really is worth it. No Cape Town tour would be complete without exploring the Mother City’s temptations, after all.

One of the many hotels in Cape Town

Yes, hotels in Cape Town trump or can compete with any of the world’s best hotels. Western Cape has so many options in terms of luxurious hotels and safari lodges, but here in Cape Town we can beat any hotel on earth. What on earth makes me say this? Haven’t I heard of the Ritz in New York City or the Langham in London? But did you know that most of the world’s best hotels are actually to be found right here in Cape Town and the rest of the province? When last could you see wild buffalo roaming outside the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo? I bet you that you can’t get the same sense of friendliness in the Trump Towers hotels that you can get in a Cape Town hotel!

If luxury with a sense of hospitality is what you are after, you need to come to Cape Town. There is no other place in the world that can offer you renowned African hospitality like we can in our hotels. Western Cape hotels are not only stunning, but there is an option for every price bracket. From Lizwe’s Guest House in Guguletu (where you find the best township atmosphere and cooking that money can buy), to the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa just off Chapman’s Peak (this is really the height of discerning quality), Cape Town hotels can’t be beaten.

If a view of the sea is your thing, why not try the Table Bay hotel, which overlooks the harbour and has ample space for swinging cats, swinging your newly-wedded partner or just swinging yourself around in the fantastically decorated rooms.

So when considering a holiday, don’t pick a fancy but dull hotel in another bland city, come to a Cape Town hotel. Western Cape hotels can’t be beaten!

Franschhoek mountains

There are a few words in the English language that are tragically overused: delicious, delectable, sumptuous, scrumptious, gorgeous, exquisite and mouthwatering – to name but a few. When it comes to places like Genot Restaurant I wish that there was some way to resuscitate these terms, to re-inject them with their original meanings. Sadly this is not possible and I will have to make do with these clichéd, time-worn terms.

I suffer from a chronic condition my father calls ‘champagne taste on a beer budget’, which basically results in me spending an atrocious amount of my expendable income on fancy dinners and wines when I really should be focusing on the state of things like, say, my shoes. My latest over-indulgence was hosted my Genot Restaurant.

Situated on the beautiful Klein Genot wine estate in Franschhoek, the Genot kitchen is run by renowned chef Mark Radnay. I had been to the farm before, but at that stage the restaurant wasn’t quite finished yet and I had been biting at the bit to go ever since. And man, is it impressive! A large, voluminous building with clean lines and lovely surrounding landscaping, the restaurant/cellar/wine tasting room is situated smack bang in the middle of the Klein Genot vineyards. Patrons are greeted at the gravel-strewn parking lot by a very friendly attendant who then accompanies you to the restaurant and hands you over to the hostess.

Although it was a lovely balmy evening, there was a hint of thunder in the air and the proprietors had erred on the side of caution and decided not to set up the outside dining area. We were, of course, having none of that! A table was swiftly laid and we settled down to watch as dusk descended slowly and spectacularly on the Franschhoek Valley. I can only imagine what the view must be like on a clear evening, but the moodiness of the cloudy sky added a certain sense of drama that was somehow completely delicious.

Being innately curious I couldn’t just be a well-behaved customer, I had to get up and explore the restaurant. The main dining area is a stunning combination of bare brick walls, accented with baroque element like boldly printed wallpaper and an abundance of crystal chandeliers. And best of all – the kitchen is completely visible, so you can view Mark and his team bustling about preparing your meal. I am of the opinion that a visible kitchen says much about the way that a restaurant team approaches their craft – being on display like that means that you have a lot of confidence in your abilities and after having my meal I can honestly say their confidence is certainly not misplaced.

The smoking section is also lovely. As a smoker I often feel like sitting in the smoking area of a restaurant is somewhat akin to being shunted to the corner with a dunce hat, but there is none of that at Genot. The smoking section hosts the bar and is laid out around a nice, big fireplace (something I will simply have to experience in the heart of a Cape winter). The chairs and tables are comfy and stylish and imbued with the air of a gentlemen’s cigar lounge from the previous century while still managing to be completely on trend.

So, the food, oh the food! Here is what we had:

Joseph:

Rooikrans smoked snoek quiche with apricot chutney and a side salad
***
Aged sirloin (m-r) with butternut gnocchi, onion marmalade and Pinotage jus
***
Vanilla pod crème brulee with apricots and an almond koeksister

Anna-Bet:

Seared tuna with daikon cucumber & mint with a soya-mirin and wasabi mayo
***
Vanilla pod crème brulee with apricots and an almond koeksister

Beverage-wise we each had a glass of Villiera Tradition Cap Classique since we were celebrating Jo’s birthday and then moved on to a very nice bottle of Porcupine Ridge Viognier-Grenache (how incredibly cultured are we!). The wine was absolutely, unequivocally, drop-dead gorgeous and I don’t care how completely unsavvy it is to say so. Although it is a white, it went perfectly with both my fish and Jo’s meat (that was perfectly done by the way).

Special thanks have to go to Babs Sogwedla, our waitress for the evening. She succeeded in being courteous and friendly without being overly familiar, a juggling act that very few waiters ever manage to achieve. She was also well-dressed, well-spoken and completely versed in the intricacies of the menu, something that I greatly admire.

I will be keeping an eye on this restaurant; it is most certainly going to be an incredibly big hit with foodies from around the Winelands. Plus I am already envisioning a lovely spring wedding hosted in the spacious courtyard (something that will probably give my both my dad and his bank manager many sleepless nights). Do yourself a favour – if you are planning a Cape Town tour, save up and head out to Genot. There is no way you’ll be sorry.

Valentine’s Day was, of course, amazing. I may not be the most romantic man in the world, but I had organised the most romantic dinner for my girlfriend and I. For legal reasons, I won’t reveal her name, so let’s just call her Miss Sunshine. A work colleague of mine passed an email on to me, revealing this amazing dinner for two at the Synergy Restaurant, located on the seventh floor of the Nelson Rhodes Place in Cape Town. The price was fantastic as well, as it was only under R500 for a five course meal for two. I could hardly resist. I called a moment later to book our place and confirmed reservations for 7pm on February the 14th.

Flash forward three weeks. Miss Sunshine and I were smartly groomed for the night ahead. We scooted over in style, as the night was warm and inviting, welcoming all of its patrons into its inky black fold. We parked on the lower level and squeezed ourselves into the world’s smallest elevator to reach the prestigious seventh floor. What greeted us was a spectacular sight. A sparkling bar, with ebony white features as the main greeting station and rows of comfortable seating lined the restaurant up and down its entire length. We were greeted by another patron of the night, a tall blonde waitress who showed us promptly to our table.

The tables themselves were lavishly decked out in a splendid romantic theme. Little hearts decorated the crisp white table cloth and a heart was also drawn into the plush seating of our high-back chairs. Miss Sunshine was given a single red rose and we were both privy to a Strawberry Daiquiri. As we sat and watched the light slowly fade over the elegant pool (many guests live directly above the restaurant), our enthusiastic waitress greeted us with a friendly smile and our menus for the evening. Also, there was to be a draw (which we would not win). This was another highlight of the already splendid evening.

And so dinner began. We were asked of which one of the main dishes we would both be choosing, as the options were either the rack of the lamb or the pan-fried Norwegian salmon. We both chose the lamb, as we had eaten salmon for supper the night before. And with that, the menus were taken away and the Amuse-Bouche was placed in front of us. I am at a loss to explain what the meat exactly was (my girlfriend wagered ostrich, I bet on biltong) but it was presented in such a way that it did not matter. A tiny drivel of meat, splashed with glass noodles and a delectable sauce, it was a most appetising snack. We made the mistake of telling our waitress to take her time with each meal, as our food only came in 30 to 45 min intervals. After a substantial waiting period, and two drinks later, the Tomato Consommé was delivered to our table. Synergy is known for combining eclectic ingredients to create extra ordinary meals and this one was no different.

A sliver of tomato, with salmon mousse crammed inside and a quarter of what can only be described as a prawn rootie, floated gently in a tomato broth. It was a taste sensation and one that I can remember through thought alone. After another lengthy wait, the salad arrived. It was designed by the hands of an artist, as each leaf, and each cube of cheese was so expertly placed that it was almost a shame to eat it. But eat it we did.
After the longest period of time yet, the Rack of Lamb had finally arrived. It too, was handsomely decorated and wonderfully prepared. The meat was soft and moist, dripping of the bone at the slightest touch of my cutlery. This alone made up for the outright lack of service we were experiencing. It was served with a delicious potato bake concoction on the side. After berating our waitress slightly for the lack of attention, the arrival of our dessert snapped us out of the foul mood her attitude had placed us in.

The chocolate malva pudding with a twist was an unbelievable sight. Like art nouveau, the dessert was designed to shock the eyes with a unique and otherworldly sight. A ribbon of crystallised sugar jutted out of the plate, with a wafer supporting the malva pudding on the bottom. And inside the pudding, there was a scoop of ice-cream which contained a parcel of wild berry sorbet. My friends, it was the greatest dessert I have ever had, or will ever have. This marked the end of the evening, and Miss Sunshine and I did not decide to stay for coffee, it was already 10:30pm and it was time for the evening to end. Synergy was an amazing restaurant to spend our special day at; it is a pity about the poor service. I can understand that they were busy, but they could have compensated for this by having more waiters on staff. Overall, this was an amazing experience and well worth a visit. No tour in Cape Town is complete without having visited this restaurant in the sky.

So, if you’ve been reading this blog regularly you would’ve recently enjoyed my diatribe about the plastic institution that is Valentine’s Day. Although I believe that romance should not be dictated by greeting card companies and other commercial institutions, I do however believe in enjoying a good meal every now and again and Valentine’s Day is just as good an occasion as any other to indulge this particular whim of mine.

So, off we went to Eaglevlei. After a little detour (not due to a lack of directions on the website, just due to general lack of direction on my part) my partner and I arrived to find the venue buzzing with Valentine’s celebrations. This included a very talented live Jazz band, the name of which I unfortunately neglected to take, and a lovely picnic area where patrons could enjoy their own packed lunches provided they bought wine from the restaurant. This being the more frugal option, I obviously elected to have lunch at the restaurant, which happily turned out to have been a great idea.

The atmosphere was a bit tense – there is a new manager and his obvious nervousness manifested itself in a certain brusqueness towards the clientele and an unnecessarily rude manner towards the waiters themselves. My personal opinion is that a tense situation is not made any better by introducing further stressors and he would have created a much better working atmosphere by encouraging instead of berating his staff.

That aside, the rest of our lunch was AWESOME! I have been told that the Vineyard Kitchen’s food is great from various reputable sources and they were most certainly not exaggerating. After being seated in a particularly lovely part of the restaurant (a shaded area just off of the bar from where we could view all the beautiful artwork in the venue’s fledgling gallery, as well as the surrounding vineyards) we were given ample time to peruse the tempting menu and expertly guided in our wine selection.

We ended up choosing the Eaglevlei Pink 2008, a beautiful Pinotage rosé that succeeded in being simultaneously juicy and delightfully dry. Being a chardonnay fan myself I am always afraid that rosé might turn out to be too sweet, but there is no such problem with the Pink. Suffice it to say, it was so good that we probably drank it faster than is considered polite.

But let’s get to the food! I had the Gemsbok Loin with biltong sauce, a dish that was so beautifully presented that I felt bad eating it. For about a minute, then I tucked in with relish! Delicate flavor combinations and expertly cooked meat made for one of the best meals I have ever had (I have to admit that I actually made the faux pas of surreptitiously wiping the last little bits of gourmet goodness from the plate with my forefinger…). My partner enjoyed the Fillet Herbie’s Way. I unfortunately cannot attest to the flavours of this particular dish as I was not even allowed a single bite (it was that good).

We will have to go back another time to sample their dessert menu (which did look particularly luscious by the way), since we were too stuffed to even contemplate any sweets.

To summarize:

THE PROS:
• Super service from the various people that waited on us
• Fantastic food
• A beautiful location
• Live music
• Clean, beautifully decorated bathrooms
THE CONS:
• Bit of a drive (if something like that tends to bother you)
• Managerial difficulties
• A less-than-perfect website. Before I made the booking I tried to find their menu on the web, which turned out to be impossible. If I hadn’t heard good reviews of their food beforehand I would probably not have made a reservation due to this oversight. A great venue like this should really make proper use of all the media avenues they have available and their website would be a good place to start.

I would recommend a meal at Eaglevlei for anyone who enjoys having good food in a beautiful location. If you have a family you could even make a day of it. There is a great big jungle gym for the kiddies to enjoy while mum and dad partake in tasting of the estate’s wines. The venue is also great for birthday parties and could (I imagine) make a great wedding location as well. A Cape Town tour like no other, a day in the Winelands is a must for any culinary adventurer!

William Shakespeare, the most famous of all playwrights brought to the world twisted accounts of betrayal as seen in Macbeth, tragic tales of love in Romeo and Juliet and a sordid tragedy that life can turn into [Hamlet], penned down more comedies as opposed to the tragedy and drama he’s renowned for.

Dramatic and tragic are some of Shakespeare’s best plays but the celebrated author penned 17 comedies out of more than the 37 plays he wrote. His comedies manage to probe life’s inescapability’s all the while incorporating the most biting of wit.

So when Maynardvilles Open Air Theatre staged one of Shakespeare comedies – As You Like It, I anticipated a magical production that I simply had to witness. Maynardville Open Air Theater is inspired by London’s Regent Park and is one of only three outdoor theatres in the world. The theater is situated within Maynardville Park, Wynberg, Cape Town, and has earned its reputation for being one of those not to miss Cape Town activities. Apart from the fantastic plays on its theatre stage, the pre-show picnics and drinks that are held in the park are the first marks of a wonderful outing.

And so in true Maynardville Park style, I and three lovely friends enjoyed a scrumptious picnic which proceeded the play. ‘As You like it’ is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, and the heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters and has more lines than any of Shakespeare’s female characters. Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke falls in love with Orlando, the disinherited son of one of the duke’s friends. When she is banished from the court by her usurping uncle, Duke Frederick, Rosalind switches genders and as Ganymede, travels with her loyal cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone to the Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile. The brilliant acting and the amazing costumes portrayed by the cast proved it to be the magical show I had anticipated it to be. It was also a reminder of “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players, they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts- “As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7.

The pride and joy of Marianne Wine Farm

Waitressing is a strange profession. Most people hate it, but then there are a few select individuals that find it an easy and lucrative venture. I fall into the latter category. Even though I’ve had various grown-up nine to five jobs, I always manage to squeeze in a few waitressing shifts throughout the week. It’s tax free, cash-in-hand and I am a people person, which means I actually like serving customers. (Well, most of the time. You do get a very broad selection of dining douche bags that should really just stay home.)

The latest restaurant that has the pleasure of my weekend services is Olivello, a beautiful lakeside eatery situated on Marianne Wine Farm just outside of Stellenbosch. Having worked at various franchise restaurants in my time Olivello has been a welcome breath of fresh air. The wooden cottage lies nestled in the crook of a hillside, enveloped in vineyards and flanked by a beautiful lake. Since the setting is so breathtaking the managerial team have take great care not to overpower the venue with unnecessary embellishment. Simply, elegant wooden tables and chairs are complemented by gingham tablecloths and a sprinkling of fairy lights that add a delicious whimsical touch. One simply cannot imagine a more beautiful place to work.

Lynne and Laurille, the enigmatic proprietors, have a genuine love for the hospitality industry. After an exciting, but quite hectic, decade spent managing Café Paradiso in Cape Town, they have brought all their combined knowledge of the industry to the table. Lynne Aberdeen is the food lover and the brain behind Olivello’s inspiring menu’s; while Laurille Krug’s wine knowledge informs the tasty, yet affordable, wine list.

The venue operates on an A’ la Carte basis from Wednesday to Friday. Saturdays are normally reserved for a function (such as weddings, birthday parties or cooking demos) and Sunday’s for the Mediterranean Table, a buffet-style dining experience that has people flocking to Olivello from far and wide. If you’re anything like me, the word ‘buffet’ conjures up images of limp vegetables and overcooked meat in your mind. Not so at Olivello. By the time the waiters sign in on Sunday mornings the kitchen staff had already been at it for hours, chopping, slicing, kneading, basting, you name it. Simple, fresh food is what Lynne does best, which means that everything from the lip-smacking Limoncello to the fragrant seasoning salts are made right there in Lynne’s kitchen.

By noon the restaurant is set, each glass gleaming, each piece of cutlery meticulously polished. As the guests start to arrive Lynne and her team begin by putting out the soups and antipasti’s. (A word of caution: if you ever to end up making the trip to Olivello, be careful. Filling up on the starters is an amateur mistake I’ve seen newcomers make time and again. DON’T DO IT. Keep space for the main course – it’s worth it I promise). These vary from week to week and include everything from dolmades to hummus and all kinds of pretty dishes with names I really can’t pronounce.

Next the blinds to the kitchen area are drawn up and the doors thrown open, inviting diners inside to dish up the main course. Again, there is something different every week, but you can expect treats like Mediterranean lamb, vegetable frittata, fresh fish, etc. Add to this a sumptuous dessert menu that features, amongst other things, a provoking Pavlova and a charming chocolate torta, and you can understand why this little wooden cottage is filled to the brim with customers every weekend, come rain or shine.

Working at Olivello has really opened up my eyes to what the world of restaurant dining is supposed to be about. It’s supposed to be about creating an experience, about offering your customers a relaxing spot in which to enjoy the food and drink they’ve come so far for. Restaurants are meant to facilitate escapism much in the same way as good movies and novels do. Sadly we live in an era of mass production and instant gratification and many restaurant proprietors seem to subscribe to the minimum input/maximum profit management style. The only good way to express my disgust at this notion is by means of an Afrikaans expression: “SIES MAN!!!”

So, next time you feel like getting out of the city and taking a Cape Town tour, why not venture out to Olivello? I guarantee the setting (and Lynne’s unique brand of Cape Comfort food) will have you smiling in no time.

The lights are lovely...

The festive season is over. Millions of turkeys around the world sacrificed their lives to gallantly fill our lunchboxes with leftovers for weeks to come. Countless pine trees fell to become bauble-holders for the great decoration-frenzied masses. Billions of tons of litter was created from wrapping paper, unwanted toys, broken champagne bottles and dead pine trees. The suicide and drunken driving rate was as high as ever and the economic crisis made presents a luxury, not a necessity, this year. But what a fantastic Christmas it was!

This was my second ever Christmas, as my faith does not celebrate the happy pleasures of the season. I lived in ignorant bliss until the day I received my first ever present from my girlfriend and from that point on I was hooked. She becomes a thousand times merrier over the festive season and it is this infectious bubble of delight which propels me throughout the remainder of the year. Great times really. My gift this year was a virtual guitar game for my Xbox. Happy memories come as standard. Her gift was procured through the magic of online shopping, the best way to secure any bargain.

The lunch itself was, to put it mildly, insanity of the highest level. Food filled the tables of my girlfriend’s uncle’s home. Drink flowed and many gifts were exchanged as I watched the madness unfold around me. I drank it all in much like eggnog [which I will never become fond of] and discovered the many intricacies of this much-loved and celebrated season. Here’s to next year.

Red or White? Make mine... Wine!

Friday night, I enjoyed a great home cooked dinner hosted by Nomonde, a new friend who is a qualified winemaker at a popular distillery here in Cape Town.

Over dinner among other things, we discussed the flexibility in which wine is consumed lately. I hold the belief that wine is like a culture that should be practiced with traditional regard. Drank with the appropriate food, at the correct temperature and never to be modified with soda water, ice and or other shockers I’ve witnessed before… with Fanta Grape!

She on the other hand, is not the wine snob one would expect her to be. For someone who dedicates her skills and effort to bring out a perfected crisp and an all round brew, you’ve got to admire her coolness and the resilience to remain unperturbed by the thought of it all being ruined and drowned out by commercial cool-drinks.

She recalled an aunt who had for ages been nagging to bring her one of the distillery’s finest. She obliged and months later, called to enquire whether aunty dearest had enjoyed it. Nomonde was in hysterical fits relaying how aunty dearest had found the brew to be too bitter and how she had added something special to the mix…a dash of syrup to every glassful. She also suggested for the distillery to consider this fine trick.

This really goes to show the variety of tastes (pun intended). A perfect example of different strokes for different folks which led me to examine my own strokes. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with holding a culture in high regard. There’s also nothing wrong with rearranging something to suit your needs. With that said, I hope the next time I see someone mix Savignon Blanc with Appletiser, I will not have the urge to scream “No, No! You’re ruining it!” and just smile.

In the meantime I look forward to my tour in Cape Town through a distillery to enjoy a wine tasting evening soon.

All is quiet on the western front

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away there was a magical valley that lay where two rivers converged. Once home to large herds of elephant, the land was divided by the king and given to farmers to till. Soon enough the fertile soil started to sprout vines heavy with fruit. The farmers harvested the fruit and distilled it to a liquid that, when imbibed, made the drinker joyous and took away all self-doubt.

Sounds like a fairytale, right? Not quite. The Franschhoek Valley is one of the most fertile winegrowing regions in South Africa. In 1688 land was granted to a group of French Huguenot refugees by the Dutch government in a valley called Olifantshoek (“Elephant’s Corner”), so named because of the vast herds of elephants that populated the area. This fertile piece of land was subsequently renamed Franschhoek (“French Corner”) and many of the settlers named their farms after the areas in France from which they came. The mild weather of this fertile valley was similar to that of the wine producing regions of France and they set out to recreate the lush vineyards back home. The rest, as they say, is history.

Drive into the town of Franschhoek today and you’ll soon realise why it is called South Africa’s gourmet capital. The main street is lined with restaurants ranging from snug coffee houses to sleek ethnic eateries, interspersed with eclectic art galleries and bookshops. Those looking to spend the night can choose from a wonderful spectrum of accommodation including internationally renowned auberges, guest houses, self-catering cottages on wine farms and much more besides.
A very good example of superb Cape Winelands accommodation, Klein Genot Wine and Country Estate is a location where Feng Shui philosophy meets farmstyle hospitality in breathtaking surroundings. When Angie and Joey Diamond first stumbled upon the property in 1999 it was in a sorry state. Previously part of the Swiss Farm Excelsior Estate, it was sectioned off, put up for sale and left neglected when it failed to sell. Luckily, the Diamonds are people of great vision and were able to see the potential hidden beneath the weeds.

Angie and a team of workers spent the larger part of a year ridding the property of approximately 25 000 alien trees that were replaced with 20 hectares of vineyard and a large orchard. Growing up in Namibia, Angie and her siblings used to be able to pick fruit from their bedroom windows – an experience she wanted to recreate for her visitors. The Klein Genot main house is divided into six beautifully appointed suites, each individually decorated with Angie’s personal collection of art and antiques and complemented with large designer bathrooms.

The grounds have been kept mostly natural. The Diamonds believe in living in harmony with nature and Angie quickly decided that overt landscaping would spoil the estate’s tranquil ambience. Instead they merely cleaned it up, uncovering lush lawns and highlighting the amazing 300-year old yellowwoods and oaks that were being choked by the alien foliage. The rivers were unblocked and the banks cleaned up in order to give visitors access to a riverside walkway – perfect for leisurely afternoon strolls.

Although not perfectly organic, the estate takes care to grow their produce by the most natural means possible. They recycle, save electricity and water and steadily adds to the estate’s water-wise indigenous foliage in order to reach their goal of being as close to carbon-neutral as possible by 2012. In season everything served at Klein Genot comes from the garden. Herbs, seasoning, jams, juices, chicken, eggs, honey, even right down to the mustard! Every egg served as part of a legendary Klein Genot breakfast is gathered from the yard, even in winter time when they are compelled to resort to store-bough eggs for their baking. Speaking of which, the smell of freshly baked bread that permeates Klein Genot’s main building is enough to make anyone salivate like an overexcited spaniel! Honey is harvested from the fixed-frame beehives that they share with their neighbors. Driving along the winding country road on your way into the estate you can glimpse the beehives, abuzz with activity, nestled among the fruit trees across the way.

A Franschhoek hotel like no other, Klein Genot is most certainly worth a visit. Even if you don’t feel like staying over, you can simply pop around for a wine tasting at their new cellar or a quick bite at the estate’s restaurant, Genot, that boasts an inviting a la carte menu and also supplies picnic baskets that can be enjoyed at the myriad of picnicking spots along the river.