Boschendal has been probably my favourite wine farm in the Cape for some time.  It was the very first farm I ever visited, so I’ve been there probably 3 or 4 times now!  So it was with MUCH excitement that I could visit again this year, and for the first time we were heading to The Werf Restaurant for a taste of their sharing plate menu.

The Werf Restaurant is in the revamped original cellar of the Boschendal Manor House, and their main focus is a ‘soil-to-fork’ way of dining.  Everything used in the dishes is locally available, in season and ethically sourced.  The also use produce from the Boschendal farm itself, with delicious Black Angus beef, Duroc pork, and the vegetables and herbs from The Werf Food Garden.

Once again, the day we spent in Franschhoek was a day where the Cape Town weather was REALLY showing off.  Brilliant blue skies and warm sunshine were the order of the day as we drove into the entrance to Boschendal.  We began our lunch with a glass of Boschendal Brut MCC, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes with beautifully delicate bubbles, lovely lemon and biscotti notes and a lightness that kept you going for another sip.  Our wonderful server Nicole suggested we pair this with the Oyster Beignets, served with apple and pickled celery as a pre-meal snack, and it was a match made in absolute heaven.

This was actually so good, that we decided to let Nicole choose both of our first and second flight dishes, as well as the wines served with them, and she even talked us into ordering the aubergine dish as one in our second flight.  Now I’ll be honest – neither of us is super fussy when it comes to food, but one thing we both agree on is our dislike of aubergine.  It’s both a flavour and texture issue, so we waited with baited breath to see if Nicole could convert us.

The idea behind The Werf Restaurant Sharing Plate Menu at Boschendal, is that you order a couple of plates and share between you and your fellow diner/s.  We absolutely loved this idea, as it’s something Nick and I do usually when we go out.  On of our favourite ways of dining is to order a number of different starters or smaller dishes and then share them between us!

While we waited for our food to arrive, we were also served freshly baked bread with a herb pesto, olives and a beef tallow butter that I still dream about.

For our first flight, we enjoyed the Pressed Duroc Pork Terrine (apple, celeriac and mustard salad, white wine soaked sultanas, grissini) and the Angus Beef Tartare (toasted mosbolletjie, soutvis emulsion, crispy onions), and this came with a simple green salad for us to share as well.

The Pressed Duroc Pork Terrine was delicious, with fresh tasting ingredients, the sweet sultanas and a little pickle that all complimented the richness of the pork beautifully.  My favourite of the two dishes, however, was without a doubt the Angus Beef Tartare.  It was utterly sublime and we’ve both said numerous times since that we’ve been craving it! Perfectly seasoned and expertly prepared. The toasted mosbolletjie bread was a fabulous addition to the tartare, as was the crunchy grissini that came with the terrine.

Nicole presented us with the Boschendal Chardonnay Pinot Noir to accompany the Pork Terrine, and it had the perfect amount of acidity to balance out the richness of the meat.  Strawberry preserve and ripe red berries were the most prominent notes, but this wine is fresh, delicious and ideal for drinking with so many different dishes.

With the Angus Beef Tartare, Nicole selected my all-time favourite wine from Boschendal – the 1685 Shiraz.  I’ve long loved this red wine, I’ve been gifted bottles by friends on countless occasions, I’ve bought bottles and cases for myself over the years.  It is utter perfection with cherries on the nose, and plenty of dark plum and pepper on the palate – the perfect partner to the tartare that was well seasoned with black pepper.

Our second flight consisted of the Olive Oil Dressed Aubergine (creamy charred cauliflower, nasturtium pesto, toasted pine nuts) and the Fried Local Hake (white bean velouté, pickled celery, prosciutto).

The Olive Oil Dressed Aubergine was a pleasuant surprise – gorgeously creamy with crunchy pine nuts and the flavour of the aubergine was actually delicious.  I still battled a little with the texture of the vegetable, but the flavours were just so good that we both cleaned the plate!  Well done to Nicole!

The Fried Local Hake was very very tasty, with beautifully flaky fish, crisp prosciutto and the addition of the beans and pickled celery was fantastic.  Our only issue with this dish was that the fish was slightly over-salted – we both use a decent amount of salt in our cooking, so there was a definite over-salting issue for both of us to pick up on this.  However, the dish overall was delicious.

The second flight of dishes was accompanied by crispy potatoes and a creamy dipping sauce that were exceptionally tasty.

Nicole once again outdid herself with the wines for this course.  The Boschendal Grande Selection De Werf Chardonnay was paired up with the Olive Oil Dressed Aubergine, and was a match made in heaven thanks to the bold, buttery notes of the wine.  The Fried Local Hake was paired with something lighter, in the form of the Boschendal Elgin Sauvignon Blanc.  The tropical flavours of lime, gooseberry and peach in the wine were perfect with the fish.

We left The Werf Restaurant at Boschendal with full tummies and happy hearts.  The staff were all superbly trained, know their product inside and out, and the food was *chefs kiss*.  Definitely a spot to revisit – and I’ll make sure to do so, being such a fan of Boschendal already!

JUST TO SUMMARISE, HERE IS SOME INFO ABOUT EACH EXPERIENCE WE ENJOYED AT THE WERF RESTAURANT, BOSCHENDAL: –

SHARING PLATE MENU

Two plates – R260 (choose one dish per flight)

Four plates – R480 (choose two dishes per flight)

Book online HERE

reservations@boschendal.co.za or +27 (021) 870-4274 for reservations

Have you read any of my other reviews from our Cape Town Trip?  Why not check out some others here: –

Middelvlei Wines

Historical Luxury at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel

A Majestic Night at Majeka House

*DISCLAIMER – WHILE WE WERE VERY GENEROUSLY HOSTED FOR OUR VIST BY BOSCHENDAL, ALL OPINIONS ARE HONEST AND OUR OWN.