With the days becoming longer and the weather warming up as summer nears, everyone is eager to enjoy some leisure time outdoors, hence the winelands of the Cape has got to be the ultimate dining destination at the moment.
And Cuvée Restaurant at Simonsig Estate near Stellenbosch is elevating the al-fresco dining experience to new heights with its exciting and innovative new menu.
Not only is the new menu inspired by fresh and seasonal ingredients, every dish is a visual masterpiece, brimming with the vivid colours and flavours of summer that will arouse your senses at first glance. Chef Lucas Carstens believes in sourcing sustainable local produce and giving traditional ingredients an interesting twist. Brimming with his unique creative flair the new menu is certainly a testament to this ethos.
Some of the inspiring dishes starring on the new summer menu include ginger cured yellowtail with Asian coleslaw, wasabi, seaweed and sesame; pan-fried springbok loin with potato gnocchi; lamb sweetbreads, butternut and spiced jus, and mushroom ravioli with peas, fermented sjimeji, pine nuts and truffled parmesan.
“We are blessed to be surrounded by a multitude of beautiful seasonal ingredients and excellent produce grown by talented local suppliers. We want to showcase the best Cape fare, and support sustainable farming, while also keeping it fresh and exciting with new and intriguing flavour combinations,” says Carstens.
The dessert menu is equally inventive – rose infused panna cotta with strawberries, brown sugar meringue & vanilla bean frozen yoghurt, espresso crème brûlée with tonka bean biscuit and textures of chocolate: hazelnut brownie with caremelia mousse, dark chocolate & salted caramel ice cream being just a few of the enticing options to choose from.
Visitors are invited to enjoy a leisurely lunch while soaking up the amazing scenery of the vineyards and majestic Simonsberg Mountain from the restaurant’s wooden deck. For those preferring a lighter meal option, the menu also includes a range of stunning starters as well as a selection of fine cheeses and preserves.
In traditional Simonsig style, all the dishes are accompanied by a wine recommendation from the estate’s extensive award-winning range.
“The winelands have become South Africa’s premier dining destination, catering to international as well as local palates,” says Chef Lucas. “The array of excellent restaurants in this beautiful region provides has created high expectations and a superlative standard – an ideal environment to bring out the best from our kitchen team. And like the wines produced in the Simonsig cellar, Cuvée aims to provide excellence that carries our unique and original fingerprint.”
Cuvée Restaurant is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 12h00 – 15h00 Friday evenings from 19h00 – 22h00. Private evening functions and parties can be reserved in Simonsig’s stylish Van Niekerk Room. For reservations or more information contact Cuvée Restaurant at Tel: (021) 888 4932; send an email to [email protected] or visit www.cuveeatsimonsig.co.za.
